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Asus Zenfone 9 5G 8GB RAM 256GB Storage $599 ($579 Perks) + Delivery ($0 C&C/in-Store) @ JB Hi-Fi

1660

7/09 Update: In stock

The all time low from yesterday just got EVEN LOWER. Get the 256GB model for only $579 ($100 less than yesterday), the same price as the 128GB, RRP$1099. Was extremely popular yesterday so posting since this is an even better deal.

Flagship model for those who prefer a smaller form factor device

Key Specs:

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
  • 5.9" FHD 120Hz AMOLED screen with HDR10+
  • 50 MP main (OIS) + 12 MP ultrawide + 12 MP selfie. Supports 8K video @ 24FPS
  • 4300mAh battery with 30W wired charging
  • Ships with Android 12, upgradable to 13
  • Dual-sim (both nano)
  • 30W charger included in box (very rare) and a case as well
  • NFC and Headphone Jack
  • IP68

TLDR: Very powerful phone in terms of performance with good battery life and a stable camera.

[Perks] $20 off $200 Minimum Spend (Some Exclusions Apply) @ JB Hi-Fi

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closed Comments

  • +4

    does Asus allow the bootloader to be unlocked for custom ROMs?

    • yes

      • +4

        Not for the past couple of months though

        • How exactly do they stop you from unlocking bootloader if they have allowed you already?

          • +7

            @CHUNITHM Luminous: The ones already unlocked is unlocked for good, but for new phones, the unlocker tools provided by Asus has not been working for the past few months, apparently the key server is under maintainance or something.

            • @BargainDemon: According to asus support "unlocking the bootloader is not possible and will not be possible in the future". That's a shame.

              • @elshandra: Does this mean no more androids upgrade for the phone one asus stops supporting it? does the phone being unlock enable it to be upgraded?

                • @viper8548: It means that once asus stop providing updates to it, you stop getting updates. Having it unlocked means you can use a 3rd party rom, which often means it can be upgraded beyond what the manufacture will ever support.

              • +1

                @elshandra: https://zentalk.asus.com/t5/zenfone-9/asus-quot-unlock-devic…

                It's quite the opposite according to this Asus Rep, they say they are going to relaunch the unlocker tool.

                • +2

                  @BargainDemon: Yeah, it's quite funny, they say both things. I decided to buy something that I know can be unlocked instead, but I would have preferred this phone.

            • @BargainDemon: Not quite.
              My OnePlus was unlocked, then an upgrade came which re-locked it/lost root. It's fairly common actually.

              I think only the Pixel devices are careful in preserving your status. Same can happen with ASUS. However, the new firmware after locking it, could be stuck that way forever locked, not unlockable. Rolling back a firmware is pretty difficult sometimes.

  • +6

    Just on a side note, all of the ROG 6 are now $999. This includes the Diablo Hellfire Red :)

    • o man so tempting to just get that instead of iPhone 15 Pro.

      is this thing heavy?

      • +1

        as heavy as iphone 14 pro max

        • Don't know why you got downvoted, you're not wrong

          ROG Phone 6 is 1g less than the iPhone 14 Pro Max

          So @bisaya, yes, the phone will be decently heavy/chunky.

      • +1

        Greetings from Davao 😊 🇵🇭

    • +6

      Can someone explain why this phone and any of these Asus phones are any kind of deal? The specs seem meh for the price compared with other options.

      • Expect average camera performance. Good for games and battery life.

        • +1

          Thanks - mainly looking for an "apple-tier" camera experience in my next phone with wireless charging.

          • +7

            @dsiritz: get pixel instead

            • +3

              @truebunny: I will once they sort their processors power/battery life issues. Won't pay the premium price for a non-premium phone. I'd sooner buy an iPhone 13 Mini before a pixel.

              • +11

                @dsiritz: iphone user here, they are not the same price, pixel 7 is like 600 dollars, the cheapest iphone atm 14 128gb is exactly twice that amount..

              • +2

                @dsiritz: I would get them at discounted price. I got my pixel 7 at 499 recently. unbeatable value

              • +3

                @dsiritz: Honestly, we've gotten to the point with phone CPUs that the Pixel's slower chipset is fine, especially at the prices they are going for sale for recently.

                I bought two for my parents, and every time I pick them up to use it it's been a very pleasant experience.

          • @dsiritz: samsung S23

            • @xdigger: I don't like them sorry!

              • +2

                @dsiritz: Seems you're after less of an "Apple tier" phone and more of an Apple phone.

                • -1

                  @Ebany: Seems you're wrong in your assumption…?

      • +3

        isn't the snapdragon used the premium chip? and several reviews indicate using the pixel-camera software port makes Zenfone 8 & 9 v.good? just like its form-factor/size and its features incl h/phone jack … might closest rival be a iphone mini?

      • +3

        It's one of the few phones that is still reasonably sized and you can use with one hand on the go.

      • It's the turn factor and inclusion of things like headphone jack, charger, dual Sim, etc.

        This is one of the only Android phones in this size with good specs. My wife loves her Zenphone 8, and I'm injured with it despite its age. Considering these for both of us.

    • -1

      Thanks for that. Would of got it as i like the bigger screen but the the camera seems to be not the best (need something good to take pictures of the little mongrels). Disappointed.
      Edit* After reading more reviews about the phone in general, prob best not to buy it.

    • It's immoral though

  • +3

    Good price but last year's model, clearance price

      • +2

        What about the part right at the top of that article? Where it states:

        Update 29/8/2023: Asus has reached out to Android veteran Mishaal Rahaman with a statement that refutes the below speculation. The ZenFone lineup is here to stay, at least for now.

        • oops, had it tabbed from yesterday and it hadnt updated…

      • Wrong

      • +1

        Imagine not even reading the first line of a link you post lol

        • +2

          my bad, had it tabbed from yesterday and it hadnt updated…

  • +2

    Is only screen was bigger than my current s21.

  • What is Perks? Never heard of it.

    • +2

      JB loyalty program.

      Gives you random discounts every now and then

  • +2

    Worth noting this is only for the black version of the phone. They trying to clear out the stock.

    • +6

      Midnight Black is the only 256GB model released in Australia.

  • -7

    I got zenfone 4 before, battery bad, and no software updated. one year dead

    • +19

      In 5 generations, they've probably improved it a bit.

    • +4

      Must have gotten the wrong zenfone.
      I got it and it was the best phone at the time, gave it to my dad later on as I upgraded but he is still using it to this day.
      Just got this to give to my dad as a replacement.

      Battery still lasts a full day on the zenfone 4

      • +3

        Agree. ZenFone were pretty good from earlier even prior to 4. But 4 is when they started to make head wind, they never did any marketing in aus therefore not well known locally. Even now…TBH. definitely under-rated. Above commenter is probably is biased towards ZTE phones (with that username…it figures).

  • +4

    Oof just need a dedicated SD slot and it would of ticked all my boxes

    • +9

      only sd card flagships are sony xperia for 3 trillion dollars or whatever

      • yes, xperia looks best, has the lot… but those price$$!

        • Getting volte working is a nighhtmare too, apparently flat out won't work for Telstra at all

        • +1

          I had an Xperia once. Never again. The Xperia Z1, Z2 and Z3 were all badly affected by camera crashes. I lost a lot of good shots because of it. Sony did nothing to fix it. Software support was terrible.

      • Yeah I'm waiting to see what Sony say about the 5 v tomorrow. Fingers crossed

        • What are they announcing? I'm seriously considering one - Grey import and cost of repair are impacting the decision

          • @DV0993: The Xperia 5 V. It is their 'midrange' phone. 1 is premium and 10 is low cost.
            It will be the official Sony release to get all the specs out there to stop speculation.

          • @DV0993: Don't know how I came across this comment on google, but I bought the 1V (grey import) which will have the same SoC as the 5V but larger size.

            Thought I'd warn you that if you're with Telstra, there's no way to get VoLTE working. This means when you make (or are recieving) a voice call, you'll drop back to 3G. Also means you can't recieve calls in areas where there's no 3G (only 4G).

            If you're with Voda/Optus, everything works fine out of the box.

      • +5

        Ironic that the company that came out with half a dozen competing formats to the SD card over the years is the only manufacturer implementing microSD in a flagship today.

    • +3

      And eSiM support :)
      I think I can live without dedicated sd slot as there is really no other choice except Sony for flagship phones. But eSIM is the future.

      • +1

        Yes that is my dream spec, only problem is depending on which region Xperia you but it might not have eSIM. The asian variant that is common in Aus has no eSIM support. You need to get a US variant. Many a hours spent researching haha

  • +1

    Thanks OP, guess I have to do the delivery option as there are none left in SA.

  • +1

    Is this an upgrade from a Pixel 7 Pro or nah?

    Saw above comments. Nvm.

  • Original price has been dropped to $699 too. I want to pull the trigger on it now but if JB has a 50% off clearance later on…

    • +3

      Going by history, It'll likely go out of stock before then and the page will disappear

  • This or pixel 6a?

  • This is tempting as I already have a Pixel 7, should I get this guys? Keen to see what the iPhone 15 pro has to offer…

    • +5

      Unless you're having drastic issues with your Pixel 7 (in which case, return it) then nah, it's a side-grade

      • Thanks for your insight, I will keep the P7 as it works perfectly fine.

    • +3

      It's a downgrade in terms of software updates; I have a Pixel phone for the software mainly as much as I prefer the smaller form factor of the Zenfone. Features like call screening is such a life saver for me.

      • Does the zenfone not have call screening?

  • +1

    Thanks OP.. used the perks and $150 gift card from previous pixel 7 deal and paid $435 with delivery fee :-)

    • +2

      I got the phone today (delivery) and it is really cute :-)

  • is this cpu the one has problem? overheating etc?

    • +5

      Nah. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 had issues, but this has the 8+ Gen 1, which is excellent (same chip that's in my Fold 4)

  • +1

    This phone has DC dimming, but wish it had wireless charging.
    Great price though.
    Just wondering how to get discounted gift cards. Any about?

    • +1

      Wait until midnight for the ShopBack deal?

      JB Hi-Fi Gift Cards: 6% to 7% Cashback + $5 Bonus Cashback on $50 Spend via Westpac Lounge @ ShopBack

      $600 gift card for $558 after cashback. ($553 with Westpac bonus)

      • +1

        The price is $579 with perks

      • Thanks

    • Does the dc dimming work though? On the 8 it was novelty button that did nothing in the software lol

      • +1

        I tested one with the Opple Lightmaster Pro, the DC dimming waveform from the Zenfone 9 illustrated effective operation for me.
        Similar to the DC dimming on the S20 FE, which is a phone I am happy with.

        • +1

          Thanks for letting us know that’s really good to hear

  • No stock of the 256GB model in either Adelaide or Melbourne, although shipping is of course still available

  • -3

    Why so many upvotes?

    • +1

      think the rrp was like 1.5…they dropped the ticket price tho

    • +11

      small phone enthusiasts voicing against the mainstreamers.

    • +4

      One of the only Android phones that is small, powerful and a flagship model.

  • +5

    I've had this phone since January and it really is the best phone I've had with a few caveats.
    Camera Focus: The stock camera app has issues focusing and often results in blurry photos. Haven't tested the
    Camera Trade Off: The choice of Gimbal Stabilization comes at the expense of any sort of zoom lens. This is a preference thing. As much as I like the smooth video this camera takes, I'd prefer to be able to zoom in on anything and not get a blurry mess. Terrible for things like gigs or anything even slightly further away, but I guess great for videos of family moments and etc.
    Finger Print Sensor: Another preference thing, I thought I'd like the thumb side reader, it works well, but found that my thumb would often unlock my phone when putting it back into my pocket which caused a lot of accidental calls and messages before I disabled it. Facial unlock works well as a replacement even though I'd rather use fingerprint reader.

    Other than that the Battery life/management is the best I've had in a phone regardless of size, the form factor is basically perfect for me, specs are great and I haven't had any major issues. Wireless charging has always been a gimmick for me personally and I don't miss it here at all and the not so fast charging doesn't matter too much when the battery health is so good.
    Overall a great phone for what is right now a very good price

    • +1

      Can you check if it has the in built auto call recording feature?
      I'm about to pick up mine but unsure if local zenfones have them or if it's only the international version

      • +1

        There is indeed a setting for auto call recording available.

    • If you're having issues with the phone unlocking when you're putting it into your pocket change the Fingerprint > "Screen off unlock" setting from "Press or touch" to "Press only"

    • Thanks for the review .Are you able to clone apps?

  • such a promising phone but broken VoWiFi, short update support, and poor case availability from any reputable brands in aus kinda kills it for me. I'm back to hoping the Moto g84 comes to Aus by the end of the year.

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