Asus Zenfone 9
#521
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
#169Category Breakdown
Asus Zenfone 9
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
Performance
91.790.4
Camera
87.996.5
Display
93.594.5
Battery
29.891.2
Build
75.791.8
Connectivity
89.883.4
Audio
87.687.6
Overall
75.386.4
Summary
- The Asus Zenfone 9 features a compact build with a 5.9-inch Super AMOLED display, offering a peak brightness of 1100 nits and a 120Hz refresh rate, while the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G has a larger 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a slightly lower peak brightness and the same refresh rate.
- In terms of performance, the Zenfone 9 is powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, providing superior processing power compared to the Snapdragon 888 in the S21 FE.
- The Zenfone's camera system includes a 50 MP main sensor with gimbal OIS, while the S21 FE offers a versatile triple-camera setup with a 12 MP main sensor and optical zoom.
- Battery capacity is slightly higher in the S21 FE at 4500 mAh compared to the Zenfone's 4300 mAh, but the Zenfone supports faster charging at 30W.
- Both devices run Android 12, but the S21 FE promises up to four major Android upgrades, while the Zenfone 9 is upgradable to Android 14.
Side-by-side Specification Comparison
Asus Zenfone 9
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
General
Release Date
2022, July 28
2022, January 04
Announced
2022, July 28
2022, January 04
Description
Also known as Asus Zenfone 9z
N/A
Display
Size
5.9"
6.4"
Type
Super AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1100 nits (peak)
Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+
Resolution
1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~445 ppi density)
1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~403 ppi density)
PPI
1080
1080
Refresh Rate
120Hz
120Hz
HDR Support
✓
✓
Protection
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
Performance
Chipset
Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm)
Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) - Version 1Exynos 2100 (5 nm) - Version 2
CPU
Octa-core (1x3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.75 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510)
Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) - Version 1Octa-core (1x2.9 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.80 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.2 GHz Cortex-A55) - Version 2
GPU
Adreno 730
Adreno 660 - Version 1Mali-G78 MP14 - Version 2
Memory
128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM
128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM
Expandable Storage
✗
✗
Card Slot
No
No
Camera
Main Camera
50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF, gimbal OIS12 MP, f/2.2, 14mm, 113° (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF
12 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.76", 1.8µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS8 MP, f/2.4, 76mm (telephoto), 1/4.5", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 123˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.0", 1.12µm
Main Camera Features
LED flash, HDR, panorama
LED flash, auto-HDR, panorama
Front Camera
12 MP, f/2.5, 28mm (standard), 1/2.93", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF
32 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/2.74", 0.8µm
Front Camera Features
N/A
HDR
Video Recording
8K@24fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps; gyro-EIS, HDR
4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, HDR10+, gyro-EIS
Selfie Video
4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps
4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60fps, gyro-EIS
Optical Stabilization
✓
✓
Night Mode
✗
✗
Raw Photo Support
✗
✗
Battery
Capacity
4300 mAh
4500 mAh
Battery Details
Li-Po 4300 mAh
Li-Ion 4500 mAh
Charging Details
30W wired, PD3.0, PPS, QC45W reverse wired
25W wired, PD3.0, 50% in 30 min15W wirelessReverse wireless
Fast Charging
✗
✗
Wireless Charging
✗
✓
Build & Safety
Dimensions
146.5 x 68.1 x 9.1 mm (5.77 x 2.68 x 0.36 in)
155.7 x 74.5 x 7.9 mm (6.13 x 2.93 x 0.31 in)
Weight
169 g
177 g
Materials
Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame
Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame
Colors
Starry Blue, Moonlight White, Sunset Red, Midnight Black
White, Graphite, Lavender, Olive
Foldable
✗
✗
SAR
N/A
0.77 W/kg (head) 0.90 W/kg (body)
Connectivity
SIM
Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM
Nano-SIMNano-SIM + Nano-SIM
Network
GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
Network Speed
HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (5CA) Cat20 2000/211 Mbps, 5G 4.5/0.9 Gbps
HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (5CA) Cat19 1600/200 Mbps, 5G
5G
✓
✓
4G
✓
✓
WiFi
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth
5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless
5.0, A2DP, LE
NFC
✓
✓
USB
USB Type-C, OTG
USB Type-C, OTG
IR Blaster
✗
✗
Headphone Jack
✓
✗
Radio
✗
✗
Positioning
GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5)
GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO
Audio
Stereo Speakers
✓
✓
Loudspeaker
Yes, with stereo speakers
Yes, with stereo speakers
Audio Jack
Yes
No
Software & Security
Operating System
Android 12, upgradable to Android 14
Android 12, up to 4 major Android upgrades, One UI 6.1
Fingerprint
✓
✓
Face Unlock
✗
✗
Sensors
Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass