By Calvin Jones. The Asus Zenfone 9 packs a lot into a small package. With Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 flagship chipset at its core, the handset delivers class-leading performance, combined with excellent battery life, a stunning 5.9” FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED display, up to 256GB of storage and a whopping 16GB of RAM, and a gimbal stabilised 50MP main camera for steady photos and ultra smooth video. Could this be the best compact Android smartphone on the market in late 2022? Asus Zenfone 9: a pocket-sized phone that’s big on performance Pros: Superb performance Compact, pocket-friendly design that’s easy to use one-handed Great build quality, a premium feel and full IP68 water and dust rating There’s a headphone jack. on a flagship handset. in 2022. A headphone jack! Cons: Commitment to software support is well off the pace for a phone of this calibre. Asus specifies only 2 guaranteed Android updates and a further 2 years of security updates. That falls a long way short of the competition. Absence of wireless charging is a surprise for a flagship-level handset in 2022 Charging speed from the bundled 30 watt charger is OK, but hardly cutting edge Asus Zenfone 9: Full Review Over recent years, smartphones have become progressively larger, to the point where today’s flagship and mid-market handsets feature displays pushing 7 inches. They may sport sleek, modern designs, but there’s no getting around the fact that any phone that big is going to feel unwieldy in an average-sized hand, and cumbersome when slipped into a pocket or purse. Many people relish the extra screen real-estate offered on larger phones, and are prepared to put up with the inconvenience, but there’s a sizable cohort of the market (myself included) that craves a smaller, more manageable device. We want a phone that sits comfortably in the hand, and that’s easy to use one-handed without becoming a contortionist. The trouble is, if you’re looking for top tier performance and specs in a smaller form factor phone in 2022, your choices are seriously limited. Small phone, minimal compromise Choosing a compact phone usually means taking a serious hit in areas like performance, build quality, feature-set, battery life and more. However, one thing that sets the Asus Zenfone 9 apart from most of its competition is that you really don’t have to compromise very much. Remarkably, you get true flagship-grade specs and performance that rivals anything currently available, just in a smaller, more manageable and much more pocketable package. Squeezing so much into a smaller device means Asus inevitably had to leave some things out. On that score though, they’ve made what I think are sensible choices, and for most people, in most day-to-day use cases, those omissions (we’ll touch on exactly what they are later) are unlikely to prove deal-breakers. The result is a remarkably accomplished and uniquely capable compact flagship handset. Asus Zenfone 9: First impressions The Asus Zenfone 9 comes in a stylishly understated grey box with a large 9 printed on the top along with minimal embossed Zenfone branding. Inside you’ll find the Zenfone 9 itself, a USB C to USB C charging cable, a 30 watt USB C charging adapter (a welcome addition that’s becoming scarce with new phones), a sim-ejection tool and a snap-on protective hard case to shield your new phone from bumps and scrapes. The phone itself is noticeably diminutive. Sitting alongside a regular 6.7” handset it looks positively dainty, and in the hand it just fits. It’s the most natural feeling phone I’ve handled in quite a while. At just 169g it’s light too, yet still has a solid, premium feel. As soon as I held this phone in my hand, I knew I was going to love it. Asus Zenfone 9: Appearance and design The Zenfone 9 uses a flat front panel, eschewing curved edges and giving the phone a sharp, contemporary feel. A flat panel all the way to the edge also gives Asus a smidgen more volume to work with under the hood — which is a s...