Best Compact Smartphone of 2023 – ASUS ZenFone 10

Android Headlines readers have decided, the ASUS ZenFone 10 is the best compact smartphone of 2023.

Our choice for the best compact smartphone of the year was the Google Pixel 8, though the ASUS ZenFone 10 was a close second. Our readers flipped the script, though. Based on a poll that we conducted on X (formerly known as Twitter), the ASUS ZenFone 10 is the best compact smartphone of 2023. That handset managed to grab 30.8% of the votes, while the Pixel 8 was close second with 28.8%. The Samsung Galaxy S23 was not far behind either, with 26.9% of the votes. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is fourth-placed with 13.5% of our reader’s votes. So it was a close call between three rather compelling compact devices, but the ASUS ZenFone 10 came out on top. That is not surprising at all, as ASUS did a fantastic job with the ZenFone 10. We loved the phone, as our ZenFone 10 review indicates, so let’s talk more about it, starting with its size.

The ASUS ZenFone 10 is the perfect balance between large and small

In order to be considered for this category at all, the ZenFone 10 had to be a specific size. This smartphone is actually quite compact. It measures 146.5 x 68.1 x 9.4mm, and weighs 172 grams. Not only is it compact, but it’s also quite light too. I mean it does have some heft to it, but nowhere near its gigantic competitors. ASUS stuffed in a 5.9-inch display inside of this frame, in order to make a rather compelling package. Its display is flat, which most people prefer, and the bezels are not thick at all, though they’re not uniform. This phone is great for one-hand usage. The overall size of the phone is not the only appeal here design-wise, not at all.

The phone actually feels great in the hand, which is very important too. It’s great for one-hand usage. ASUS opted for flat sides, all around, with chamfered edges. Add a rather grippy backplate to the equation, and you have a very interesting product. Instead of glass on the back, ASUS opted for plastic, but not any plastic. This plastic feels like a combination of plastic, rubber, and paper. Think of it as a smoother sandstone finish on some OnePlus phones. That is certainly grippier than glass, and it also makes the phone kind of unique at the same time. The ZenFone 10 also comes in rather fun colors, with plenty of options to choose from. The two camera islands on the back only make this minimalistic approach more pronounced.

The performance is on par with the best out there

This phone’s size is one of its main selling points, that’s true. It’s definitely not the only one. The ASUS ZenFone 10 offers outstanding performance too. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 fuels this smartphone, while you can grab it in variants with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM. UFS 4.0 flash storage is also included, up to 512GB of it. That, in combination with Android 13 and ASUS’ ZenUI, makes for a truly great experience. ZenUI is great these days, it’s basically stock Android with a bunch of useful features added on top of it. No, not bloat, just features that are actually useful, and that can make you more productive as a result.

We didn’t have any issues with the phone’s performance. It simply glided through everything we threw at it, and we’ve been using it quite a bit since it launched, and still do. I’m not talking just about regular, everyday tasks. This phone can handle some serious power usage. If you do love to play games, this phone can handle pretty much every single one you’ll dig up from the Play Store, and yes, that includes Genshin Impact. There’s really nothing to complain about in terms of performance.

The battery life is outstanding, and the cameras are not bad either

Considering the size of the phone, the battery life has to be bad, right? Well, no, not at all. The ZenFone 10 actually has great battery life, much better than the other three phones that were competing for the crown. This handset managed to go over 10 hours of screen-on-time during our usage, a number of times. Even if you’re pushing it really hard, getting over 8 hours of screen-on-time should be possible. The ZenFone 10 basically breaks the myth that small/compact phones have poor battery life. Well, truth be said, the vast majority of them do, but that’s not the case with the ZenFone 10. That device was actually in competition for the best battery life smartphone too. It now also offers 15W wireless charging, in addition to 30W wired charging.

Truth be said, the cameras are good, but they’re the least appealing part of the phone. That is saying a lot about the ZenFone 10, actually, and how good it is. The camera performance is good, but it cannot compete with the best camera smartphones out there. The pictures do tend to be oversaturated, and oversharpened as well. Noise also creeps in low light shots from time to time. If you do love saturated shots, though, and are not nitpicky about image quality, this phone will serve you great. It does great in HDR situations, and the overall image quality is good. The stabilization of the phone is one of the best in the industry, if not the best.