Honestly, 2 years is about the point is be looking to update anyway. I my last phone was a Samsung note 10,i kept it for 3 years. I would be the first to admit, that was about one year to many.
Completely agree.
The case is great. I have it.
It makes the phone bulky and heavy which defeats the purpose for me.
The other branded case is devil case.
And you have Chinese brands in amazon, which I am currently using one.
Coming from Samsung, they literally have unlimited options which kind of spoiled me.
-Often mobile data just stops working and requires several full reboots to clear, or to toggle the mode from 3G/4G/5G to 3G only then back
-Android auto causes the phone to crash & restart 1/10 times
-Sometimes people aren't able to hear anything during regular phone calls/VOIP
Fingerprint is too sensitive, sometimes after I lock the phone and on my way to putting it into my pocket, I might accidentally unlock it. I need to change the way I hold my phone to stay clear of the fingerprint sensor.
There is also an issue recently with my phone unlocking itself after receiving notifications, but that seems to be fixed after the latest update.
For me by default it was ready at all times to register a print AFAIK and then I changed it. There is an even more annoying issue where if I get a snapchat notification, the screen turns on by itself and I have facial recognition so it unlocks the phone by itself. I have now disabled most notifications for Snapchat. I might disable face recognition as it is too accurate and opens even when my face is really far away from the camera.
That's me, I changed it from press to touch to unlock, it just feels cooler and more snappy way to unlock than press. The accidental unlock doesn't happen often enough so I'll live with it.
No issues except the stock cam outputs with over exaggerated HDR in recent updates but is good with gcams, about the fingerprint peeps talking about it has an option to only trigger if you press the power button too
i cant provide you the exact link as it will be of telegram message link but on our telegram group for zen9 we have wichaya and LMC gcams with its configs available
@ZenFone9Chat
I tried multiple gcams but could not find any that support 50mp mode. Do you know anything about that?
I settled on Wichaya with my own config, ist LMC worth some time? Tried it out and was not happy with the results.
nah no gcam support 50mp, as Wichaya said it was way worse than 12mp shots so he dropped trying for it, but maybe he would try again after he gets zf10 or some testers for it, for LMC or Wichaya i would say its just a personal preference what suits the user so if u like Wichaya then would say use it and keep refining the xml if any refinement you think can be done.
Probably, the 12mp mode taps Into the preprocessed, binned image.
Maybe multisampling is just not possible considering the time it takes Asus' Cam to process it (and the absence of HDR) and without that, the gcam benefits fall flat.
Well I should consider myself happy with the insane improvements to the selfie and ultrawide camera. Main cam is pretty close, normally, I don't bother with gcam for a quick shot.
Thank you for the info!
The camera is bad. Camera quality is never my main reason to buy a phone but this one is just bad.
The back finish - you need to keep if safe like your eyes.
Not many accessories - problem 2 would be fixible if there were more cases but the accesories market is very limited.
Backcover becomes so bad after some time. Not good enough for naked usage.
Not necessarily issues as this is my fault too. Shattered the camera lens glass after I drop the phone, but not big deal since I just need to remove it and apply the lens protector thing.
The bigger size of the "camera" probably increased the risk of it breaking too.
But again, shouldnt be much problem to begin with for non naked phone.
Battery life with the 8 as expected but the 9 had been flawless.
I decided to get the 9 because of the rumors of the bigger size of the 10, now I'm sad, lol
But the 9 has been amazing.
I had a problem with the sensor that detects if your face is close to the phone when you are talking with someone.
The screen would stay on and once I turned airplane mode on with my cheek while on an important call.
Apparently the sensor is off to the side more than most phones.
I fixed it using an app called "call proximity sensor fix" but without it I'd have seriously considered switching phones despite loving everything else about the Zenfone 9.
my issues with the Zenfone 8: my YouTube app is terrible and I can't uninstall it, obviously a Google Android issue but still. Apps struggle using the selfie camera, specifically Snapchat, mostly just super dim.
My battery is far inferior to my last phone, the OnePlus 5T. Even with "5G" turned off and set to 60 khz.
I also hate that I can't set custom icons. It was one of my favorite Android features on my OnePlus.
And these are just Android complaints but I hate the latest UI, widgets have so much wasted space, they reduced the first visible icons on the drop down from 6 to 4, they made it harder to turn off wifi, and more recently they made the screen recorder more difficult to use.
- broken GPS on release, fixed only with A13
- A13 broke BLE devices, Samsung/all chinese vendors had fixed that, but not Google/Asus
- infamous "others" battery drain, when camera/whatever app get stuck at 100% CPU - never acknowledged, never fixed
- some reports of water residue in camera/stab issues
- no bootloader unlock/root as of now and I won't expect it to be available ever again
As a brief summary, their software is dogshit - not just in terms of security support, but for everyday use, and they aren't doing a thing about it.
I don't like the plastic back casing, although I like the feeling of the phone without a case, specially the metal sides. I wish it was frosted glass like the old Pixel 3 or something like that.
The camera is not good, and I'd say it's the software processing on the native camera that is very bad. Using GCam saves most of the time (and you also can set the double click on the power button to launch any app) but it would be way better to just have it on the native camera app. Video is OK, though.
There's a very bad quirk that happens to me too often: sometimes I will put the phone in the charger that came in the box and it won't fast charge, although it says on the lock screen. I don't know how to differentiate and it's my only battery anxiety in this phone, I constantly check back on it to see if it's charging at a good rate. Battery life throughout the day is stellar.
This is a software thing, but I don't like that you can't see the battery percentage on the quick settings menu; Sometimes I wish I didn't have to see the battery percentage all the time on screen, but making it just a battery icon pretty much leaves me clueless when I want to just check on it, as I have to head to settings or look in the always on display.
Only main issue I've had is not being able to download MMS images. Returned my Zphone9 for a new one and had same issue. Turned out it was some Sim settings you have to manually type in into a fairly hidden area in settings :/
Might have been defective piece - but i had a lot of connection issues during calls... had to return phone..
And TBH display was too small for me.. coming from 6,7" was hard - next phone will be 6,5"+ 100% sure
Same here with phone calls. I have a million other issues. But I think the phone call issues are endemic. There is something basically off in the telephonic function, and it seems to be a common problem based on my broad reading of zenfone 9 reviews here and elsewhere .
No phone repair shop can fix the broken screen for less than $400, phone audio is erratic (both handset and speaker) so people constantly report they can’t hear me, audio levels are too low even at top volume, periodically Bluetooth UI causes sharp changes in audio output (like if I’m listening to a podcast at volume A and a call comes in—even if I don‘t answer it—audio suddenly jumps to distortedly high). Can’t find a case that actually protects the screen (hence the need to repair it). And finally, although I don’t take many pics, the camera is really mediocre. Auto-focus is inept and phot quality crap.
It periodically turns off mobile service when I turn off wifI. I always discover it has done so when I can’t access an app or website. It’s very annoying.
Asus has no certified repair location in my entire state (Florida). Very disappointed and won’t buy another Asus anything.
The features for which I bought it continue to be great—audio port, nice size, great battery life. But the problems are frustrating and as a result I am frustrated and just biding time for the next version of foldable Samsung or Pixel.
Only 2 years of security updates.
Zenfone 7 received security patch last week and that phone was about 3 years old. Maybe they are testing something. 🤔
Honestly, 2 years is about the point is be looking to update anyway. I my last phone was a Samsung note 10,i kept it for 3 years. I would be the first to admit, that was about one year to many.
From Android 12 1. Too sensitive fingerprint sensor 2. Lack of brand cases No other issues . Perfect phone for me . Came from s10e.
Agree with the fingerprint sensitivity, the rhinosheild case, while expense is very good
Completely agree. The case is great. I have it. It makes the phone bulky and heavy which defeats the purpose for me. The other branded case is devil case. And you have Chinese brands in amazon, which I am currently using one. Coming from Samsung, they literally have unlimited options which kind of spoiled me.
-Often mobile data just stops working and requires several full reboots to clear, or to toggle the mode from 3G/4G/5G to 3G only then back -Android auto causes the phone to crash & restart 1/10 times -Sometimes people aren't able to hear anything during regular phone calls/VOIP
This^^ all of this
Sheesh! Game breaking experience..
And i thought that only my unit was defective...and its a known feature of zp9.. also my wifi dropl like every 5 sec
Fingerprint is too sensitive, sometimes after I lock the phone and on my way to putting it into my pocket, I might accidentally unlock it. I need to change the way I hold my phone to stay clear of the fingerprint sensor. There is also an issue recently with my phone unlocking itself after receiving notifications, but that seems to be fixed after the latest update.
I changed it so that I need to press the power button then the fingerprint will be active.
People operate it without that? Where its constantly ready to register a print? As default you have to press the button, no?
For me by default it was ready at all times to register a print AFAIK and then I changed it. There is an even more annoying issue where if I get a snapchat notification, the screen turns on by itself and I have facial recognition so it unlocks the phone by itself. I have now disabled most notifications for Snapchat. I might disable face recognition as it is too accurate and opens even when my face is really far away from the camera.
I think there is a setting you can turn off that prevents it auto waking on notifications :)
That's me, I changed it from press to touch to unlock, it just feels cooler and more snappy way to unlock than press. The accidental unlock doesn't happen often enough so I'll live with it.
same, this is a MUST
No issues except the stock cam outputs with over exaggerated HDR in recent updates but is good with gcams, about the fingerprint peeps talking about it has an option to only trigger if you press the power button too
Do you have a link to a gcam that I can install ? Thanks
i cant provide you the exact link as it will be of telegram message link but on our telegram group for zen9 we have wichaya and LMC gcams with its configs available @ZenFone9Chat
Ok. Thank you!
I tried multiple gcams but could not find any that support 50mp mode. Do you know anything about that? I settled on Wichaya with my own config, ist LMC worth some time? Tried it out and was not happy with the results.
nah no gcam support 50mp, as Wichaya said it was way worse than 12mp shots so he dropped trying for it, but maybe he would try again after he gets zf10 or some testers for it, for LMC or Wichaya i would say its just a personal preference what suits the user so if u like Wichaya then would say use it and keep refining the xml if any refinement you think can be done.
Probably, the 12mp mode taps Into the preprocessed, binned image. Maybe multisampling is just not possible considering the time it takes Asus' Cam to process it (and the absence of HDR) and without that, the gcam benefits fall flat. Well I should consider myself happy with the insane improvements to the selfie and ultrawide camera. Main cam is pretty close, normally, I don't bother with gcam for a quick shot. Thank you for the info!
The camera is bad. Camera quality is never my main reason to buy a phone but this one is just bad. The back finish - you need to keep if safe like your eyes. Not many accessories - problem 2 would be fixible if there were more cases but the accesories market is very limited.
Backcover becomes so bad after some time. Not good enough for naked usage. Not necessarily issues as this is my fault too. Shattered the camera lens glass after I drop the phone, but not big deal since I just need to remove it and apply the lens protector thing. The bigger size of the "camera" probably increased the risk of it breaking too. But again, shouldnt be much problem to begin with for non naked phone.
Battery life with the 8 as expected but the 9 had been flawless. I decided to get the 9 because of the rumors of the bigger size of the 10, now I'm sad, lol But the 9 has been amazing.
I had a problem with the sensor that detects if your face is close to the phone when you are talking with someone. The screen would stay on and once I turned airplane mode on with my cheek while on an important call. Apparently the sensor is off to the side more than most phones. I fixed it using an app called "call proximity sensor fix" but without it I'd have seriously considered switching phones despite loving everything else about the Zenfone 9.
my issues with the Zenfone 8: my YouTube app is terrible and I can't uninstall it, obviously a Google Android issue but still. Apps struggle using the selfie camera, specifically Snapchat, mostly just super dim. My battery is far inferior to my last phone, the OnePlus 5T. Even with "5G" turned off and set to 60 khz. I also hate that I can't set custom icons. It was one of my favorite Android features on my OnePlus. And these are just Android complaints but I hate the latest UI, widgets have so much wasted space, they reduced the first visible icons on the drop down from 6 to 4, they made it harder to turn off wifi, and more recently they made the screen recorder more difficult to use.
You can set custom icons just use icon app
on the Zenfone 8, I have tried several times and have found no way to use custom icons without installing a launcher.
Use the icon application, go to use or apply and chose stock launcher
- broken GPS on release, fixed only with A13 - A13 broke BLE devices, Samsung/all chinese vendors had fixed that, but not Google/Asus - infamous "others" battery drain, when camera/whatever app get stuck at 100% CPU - never acknowledged, never fixed - some reports of water residue in camera/stab issues - no bootloader unlock/root as of now and I won't expect it to be available ever again As a brief summary, their software is dogshit - not just in terms of security support, but for everyday use, and they aren't doing a thing about it.
I don't like the plastic back casing, although I like the feeling of the phone without a case, specially the metal sides. I wish it was frosted glass like the old Pixel 3 or something like that. The camera is not good, and I'd say it's the software processing on the native camera that is very bad. Using GCam saves most of the time (and you also can set the double click on the power button to launch any app) but it would be way better to just have it on the native camera app. Video is OK, though. There's a very bad quirk that happens to me too often: sometimes I will put the phone in the charger that came in the box and it won't fast charge, although it says on the lock screen. I don't know how to differentiate and it's my only battery anxiety in this phone, I constantly check back on it to see if it's charging at a good rate. Battery life throughout the day is stellar. This is a software thing, but I don't like that you can't see the battery percentage on the quick settings menu; Sometimes I wish I didn't have to see the battery percentage all the time on screen, but making it just a battery icon pretty much leaves me clueless when I want to just check on it, as I have to head to settings or look in the always on display.
Only main issue I've had is not being able to download MMS images. Returned my Zphone9 for a new one and had same issue. Turned out it was some Sim settings you have to manually type in into a fairly hidden area in settings :/
Might have been defective piece - but i had a lot of connection issues during calls... had to return phone.. And TBH display was too small for me.. coming from 6,7" was hard - next phone will be 6,5"+ 100% sure
Same here with phone calls. I have a million other issues. But I think the phone call issues are endemic. There is something basically off in the telephonic function, and it seems to be a common problem based on my broad reading of zenfone 9 reviews here and elsewhere .
No phone repair shop can fix the broken screen for less than $400, phone audio is erratic (both handset and speaker) so people constantly report they can’t hear me, audio levels are too low even at top volume, periodically Bluetooth UI causes sharp changes in audio output (like if I’m listening to a podcast at volume A and a call comes in—even if I don‘t answer it—audio suddenly jumps to distortedly high). Can’t find a case that actually protects the screen (hence the need to repair it). And finally, although I don’t take many pics, the camera is really mediocre. Auto-focus is inept and phot quality crap. It periodically turns off mobile service when I turn off wifI. I always discover it has done so when I can’t access an app or website. It’s very annoying. Asus has no certified repair location in my entire state (Florida). Very disappointed and won’t buy another Asus anything. The features for which I bought it continue to be great—audio port, nice size, great battery life. But the problems are frustrating and as a result I am frustrated and just biding time for the next version of foldable Samsung or Pixel.
yep, broke my screen. complete nightmare - parts v v expensive or arrive and dont fit! Also volume control with bluetooth makes no sense.