These two phones are considerably different, though, in so many ways, which makes this comparison even more interesting. Not only is their design considerably different, but the same goes for the in-hand feel, and their internals. Having said that, we’ll kick things off by listing their specs, and will then move to compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. Let’s kick off the Apple iPhone 13 Mini vs ASUS ZenFone 8 comparison, shall we.
Specs
Apple iPhone 13 Mini vs ASUS ZenFone 8: Design
Both the iPhone 13 Mini and ZenFone 8 are made out of metal and glass. The thing is, those two materials are implemented considerably differently in these two phones. The iPhone 13 Mini has flat sides, all around, and a flat glass back attached to them. The ZenFone 8’s backplate is not flat at all, and its side are far from flat. The ZenFone 8 is much closer to the design of most smartphones today, actually. Due to its curves, the ZenFone 8 is more comfortable to handle, though the iPhone 13 Mini is not a problem in that regard either, due to its size and how light it is. Speaking of which, the iPhone 13 Mini is considerably lighter than the ZenFone 8, 18 grams lighter, to be exact. It’s also shorter, narrower, and thinner, though that is to be expected as it has a considerably smaller display. Both phones are quite slippery, chances are the ZenFone 8 will slip out more easily due to its curves. Either way, getting a case is not a bad idea, and that goes for both of these phones. Both devices feel like quality devices when you handle them, that’s for sure. The thing is, the in-hand feel is considerably different, so you should try both out before you make up your mind. You will also notice that the iPhone 13 Mini has a rather noticeable notch on its display, while the ZenFone 8 has a small camera hole in the top-left corner.
Apple iPhone 13 Mini vs ASUS ZenFone 8: Display
The iPhone 13 Mini comes with a 5.4-inch fullHD+ (2340 x 1080) Super Retina XDR OLED display. That is a flat display with a 60Hz refresh rate, which supports HDR10 content. It also has Dolby Visions support, and gets quite bright, at 1,200 nits of peak brightness. It is protected by scratch-resistant ceramic glass, says Apple. A rather noticeable notch is included on this display, to host Apple’s advanced facial scanning.
The ZenFone 8, on the other hand, comes with a 5.9-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) Super AMOLED display. That display is also flat, but it offers a 120Hz refresh rate. It does support HDR10+ content, and it also gets quite bright at 1,100 nits of peak brightness. This display is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus. Unlike the iPhone 13 Mini, the ZenFone 8 doesn’t include a notch, but a small display camera hole. So, are these two displays any good? Well, yes, they are. They’re both really bright, vivid, and offer great viewing angles. There’s not much to complain about here. The ZenFone 8’s display does have a blue tint to it, but you can fix that real quick in the display settings. The ZenFone 8’s display does offer a higher refresh rate, and if you care about that, its display will definitely feel more smooth. Apple did a great job with the 60Hz panel on the iPhone 13 Mini, but you’ll notice the difference, most users will notice it mostly while scrolling.
Apple iPhone 13 Mini vs ASUS ZenFone 8: Performance
When it comes to performance, both of these smartphones shine, to say the least. They offer excellent performance no matter what you do, really. The Apple A15 Bionic inside the iPhone 13 Mini is a truly powerful SoC, and the same can be said for the Snapdragon 888 inside the ZenFone 8. Both companies also did a great job when it comes to software. iOS 15 is well-optimized for the iPhone 13 Mini, and ASUS’ ZenUI is really close to stock Android now, and that does reflect on performance, as ASUS did really well when it comes to optimizations. They can handle everyday tasks without any problem at all. You can easily put some strain on both phones with multitasking, image editing, video editing, browsing, consuming multimedia… and whatever else you can think of. If you’re into gaming, these two phones can handle that as well. The iPhone 13 Mini does get a bit hot after longer gaming sessions, while the ZenFone 8 does get warm, but nothing out of the ordinary, which is impressive considering its size. The bottom line is, neither of these two phones will disappoint you in the performance department. They can handle anything you throw at them, and that is to be expected considering they are both flagship-grade phones. All you have to decide is what software suits you better, or should I say what ecosystem, as both phones will provide you with excellent performance.
Apple iPhone 13 Mini vs ASUS ZenFone 8: Battery
The iPhone 13 Mini includes a 2,438mAh battery, while the ZenFone 8 sports a 4,000mAh unit. iOS handles battery a bit differently, which is why there’s such a huge difference between these battery packs. On top of that, the iPhone 13 Mini does have a smaller display, and a 60Hz panel at that, so it puts less strain on the battery from that perspective as well. Having said that, both phones offer good battery life, though the ZenFone 8 has more to offer in that regard. The iPhone 12 Mini offered horrible battery life, and the iPhone 13 Mini does improve on that, quite a bit. You may even be able to get 5.5-6 hours of screen-on-time out of this phone, presuming you don’t strain it. The ZenFone 8 goes above that, and will likely be able to offer 6.5-7 hours of screen-on-time to most of you. Do note that your numbers may differ quite a bit, though, as your usage will impact battery life in a different way, not to mention your location, and so on. In regards to charging, well, both phones do offer fast charging, in a way. The iPhone 13 Mini supports only 20W charging, but its battery is quite petite, so that shouldn’t be an issue. It also supports 15W wireless MagSafe charging, and 7.5W Qi wireless charging. The ZenFone 8 offers 30W wired charging, and that’s it. The device does not support wireless charging at all.
Apple iPhone 13 Mini vs ASUS ZenFone 8: Cameras
Both of these phones include two cameras on the back. On the front, both include one, not counting the iPhone 13 Mini’s 3D camera for facial scanning. That being said, the iPhone 13 Mini includes two 12-megapixel units on the back, wide and ultrawide units, in addition to a 12-megapixel front-facing unit. The ZenFone 8 has a 64-megapixel main, wide camera, and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide unit. On the front, it has a 12-megapixel camera.
That being said, the images these two phones provide do look quite different. The ZenFone 8 does a really good job with details in good lighting, including foliage. It provides a bit “cooler” images than the iPhone 13 Mini as they lean towards cooler colors. It does a really good job in low light. The iPhone 13 Mini has a camera setup that is really good across the board. It provides detailed pictures in pretty much all situations. It handles extreme dynamic range situations really well, and it manages to light up low light scenes to a high degree as well. When the video is concerned, the iPhone 13 Mini does a better job, as it’s more focused on video recording. The video is smoother, and a bit more stable, though the ZenFone 8’s video recording capabilities are not bad either, quite the contrary.
Audio
Both phones include stereo speakers. The thing is, the ZenFone 8’s are better, in pretty much every way. ASUS managed to include really compelling speakers inside this phone, despite its size. They’re loud, sharp, and offer really-balanced audio. The iPhone 13 Mini speakers are good, but they cannot compare to what the ZenFone 8 offers, that’s for sure. On top of that, the ZenFone 8 also has a 3.5mm headphone jack, while the iPhone 13 Mini does not. You can get really good audio if you hook up a good pair of headphones to both of these devices. As long as you don’t expect miracles in that regard, you won’t be disappointed, that’s for sure.
