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If you own the iPhone 12 Pro, and have been looking to both upgrade and change platforms, there is one phone that you should consider. That phone is the ASUS ZenFone 9. Why? Well, it not only has flat sides like the iPhone 12 Pro, but it’s also a flagship-grade device (at the moment), and it’s also compact. It’s even slightly more compact than the iPhone 12 Pro. So, in this article, we’ll compare the Apple iPhone 12 Pro vs ASUS ZenFone 9.
This comparison will hopefully provide you with some insight, and allow you to decide whether it’s worth it to change platforms. We’ll first list the specs of these two phones, and will then proceed to compare them across a number of categories. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. That being said, let’s get started, shall we?
Specs
| ASUS ZenFone 9 | Apple iPhone 12 Pro | |
| Screen size | 5.9-inch FullHD+ Super AMOLED display (60-120Hz refresh rate) | 6.1-inch fullHD+OLED Super Retina XDR display (60Hz) |
| Screen resolution | 2400 x 1080 | 2532 x 1170 |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 | Apple A14 Bionic |
| RAM | 8GB/16GB (LPDDR5) | 6GB |
| Storage | 128GB/256GB (UFS 3.1), non-expandable | 128GB/256GB/512GB, non-expandable |
| Rear cameras | 50MP (f/1.9 aperture, 23.8mm wide-angle lens, 1.0um pixel size, gimbal OIS, PDAF) 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 113-degree FoV, 1.4um pixel size, 14.4mm lens) |
12MP (f/1.6 aperture, 1.4um pixel size, 26mm lens, dual pixel PDAF, OIS) 12MP (f/2.0 aperture, 1.0um pixel size, 52mm telephoto lens, PDAF, OIS, 2x optical zoom) 12 MP (f/2.4 aperture, 120-degree FoV, 13mm ultrawide lens) TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth) |
| Front cameras | 12MP (f/2.5 aperture, 1.22um pixel size, 27.5mm lens, dual pixel PDAF) | 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 23mm lens) SL 3D depth/biometrics sensor |
| Battery | 4,300mAh, non-removable, 30W wired charging Charger included |
2,815mAh, non-removable, 20W fast battery charging, 15W wireless charging Charger not included |
| Dimensions | 146.5 x 68.1 x 9.1mm | 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4mm |
| Weight | 169 grams | 189 grams |
| Connectivity | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi, Lightning USB 2.0 |
| Security | Side-facing fingerprint scanner | Face ID |
| OS | Android 12 ZneUI |
iOS 14.1 (upgradable) |
| Price | €799 | $617 (refurbished) |
| Buy | ASUS | Amazon |
ASUS ZenFone 9 vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro: Design
Both of these smartphones come with flat sides all around, and rounded corners. The iPhone 12 Pro is made out of stainless steel and glass, while the ZenFone 9 combines aluminum and composite polymer. The ZenFone 9 is the lighter of the two phones, it’s lighter by about 20 grams. The main reason are the build materials, aluminum and composite polymer are lighter than stainless steel and glass.
The two phones are about the same height, while the ZenFone 9 is a bit more narrow. It’s also a bit thicker, and it has a slightly smaller display. There is a display camera hole in the top-left corner of the ZenFone 9’s panel, while the iPhone 12 Pro has a notch up top. There is a good reason for it, however, as it includes advanced facial scanning hardware. Both phones have very thin bezels, and flat displays.
If we flip them around, you’ll notice considerably different camera setups. The iPhone 12 Pro has three cameras in the top-left corner. All three of these are a part of the same camera island. The ZenFone 9 has two cameras in the top-left corner, each of which is its own camera island, basically. The ZenFone 9 is easier to use with one hand, and more comfortable to hold, while both phones feel well-made and quite premium.
ASUS ZenFone 9 vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro: Display
The ZenFone 9 features a 5.9-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) display. That is a Super AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. This panel has HDR10+ support, and it gets up to 1,100 nits of brightness at its peak. We’re looking at a 20:9 aspect ratio here, with a 445 ppi. This display is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus, and the phone has an 84.6% screen-to-body ratio.
The iPhone 12 Pro, on the flip side, has a slightly larger 6.1-inch 2532 x 1170 display. That is a Super Retina XDR OLED panel with HDR10 and Dolby Vision support. It gets up to 1,200 nits of brightness at its peak. This display has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, and we’re looking at 460 ppi here. The phone has a screen-to-body ratio of 86%, and the display is protected by the Ceramic Shield glass.
That being said, both of these displays do look quite good. They do have vivid colors, deep blacks, and good viewing angles. They get almost equally bright, though there are much brighter displays out there these days. The touch response is good on both phones, but the ZenFone 9 has one major advantage. It offers a 120Hz high refresh rate panel, so scrolling is smoother, as are various other actions on the display. It simply offers a more enjoyable experience, if you notice the difference.
ASUS ZenFone 9 vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro: Performance
The ZenFone 9 is fueled by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC. ASUS also included up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM inside of the phone, and UFS 3.1 flash storage. The iPhone 12 Pro is fueled by the Apple A14 Bionic processor, while it also comes with 6GB of RAM and NVMe storage. When it comes to actual performance, both phones do a great job. The iPhone 12 Pro still holds up really well in day-to-day performance, there’s no lag or anything of the sort. It even does well with games still, over two years since it was launched.
The ZenFone 9 has a considerably newer SoC, and it does an excellent job as far as performance is concerned. Thanks to powerful hardware, light software, and good optimization on ASUS’ side, this has been one of the smoothest smartphones we’ve tested in the last year or so. It simply flies through anything you throw at it, and it does a great job with gaming too, not just your regular day-to-day stuff. Both phones do get quite warm during gaming sessions, but we did not notice that impacts performance in either case.
ASUS ZenFone 9 vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro: Battery
The ZenFone 9 comes with a 4,300mAh battery, while the iPhone 12 Pro has a 2,815mAh unit. Apple’s handsets usually have considerably smaller batteries than their Android counterparts, as they handle battery consumption differently. That doesn’t necessarily mean they offer worse battery life, though. That is the case this time around, though, as the ZenFone 9 definitely offers more juice.
We’ve used the ZenFone 9 extensively since it launched, and the phone is constantly providing great battery life, which is excellent considering its size. We’re getting 7-8 hours of screen-on-time on a regular basis with the phone. It can even go well over the 8-hour mark as long as you’re not gaming. The iPhone 12 Pro is closer to 6 hours of screen-on-time, which will be enough for most people.
The ZenFone 9 supports 30W wired, and 5W reverse wired charging. The iPhone 12 Pro, on the flip side, supports 20W wired, 15W MagSafe wireless, and 7.5W Qi wireless charging. Do note that the ZenFone 9 does come with a 30W charger in the box, while the iPhone 12 Pro doesn’t include a charger at all.
ASUS ZenFone 9 vs Apple iPhone 12 Pro: Cameras
When it comes to cameras, these two phones do provide different results, and do use considerably different hardware. The ZenFone 9 comes with a 50-megapixel main camera, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit. The iPhone 12 Pro has a 12-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit, and a 12-megapixel telephoto camera (2x optical zoom). Its ultrawide camera does offer a wider FoV than the ZenFone 9’s.
The iPhone 12 Pro still does a really good job in the camera department, over two years since it was launched. The ZenFone 9 is nothing to scoff at, though. During the day, both phones provide really detailed photos. The ZenFone 9 does tend to saturate them more than the iPhone 12 Pro, so the iPhone 12 Pro’s photos do look closer to real life. The ZenFone 9 tends to use sharpening a bit more, but it does a better job in extreme HDR conditions.
In low light, neither phone goes overboard when it comes to brightening up scenes. They both do a good job, but are nowhere near the best smartphones for low light photography. Both phones do a good job, but there are phones out there that provide sharper and more balanced photos in low light. Ultrawide cameras on both phones manage to keep up with main shooters in terms of color reproduction.
Audio
Both of these phones include a set of stereo speakers. Both are quite good, they’re loud enough, and there’s no noticeable distortion. We do prefer the sound from the ZenFone 9, though, as it seems to be a bit clearer.
The ZenFone 9 also has an audio jack, if that’s something you’re interested in. With the iPhone 12 Pro, you’ll need to use its Lightning port for wired audio connections. The ZenFone 9 is equipped with Bluetooth 5.2, while the iPhone 12 Pro comes with Bluetooth 5.0.