Asus Zenfone 10 / Asus Zenfone 10z

Standout styling, IP68 rating.

Maximum display brightness is below the standards of the day.

We're not saying that getting the Zenfone 10 is a bad idea. It remains part of a relatively short list of phones catering to customers prioritizing compactness over everything else. But alternatives exist, and a lot of them make more sense. Like even...

Compact size is welcome Great performance Clean, simple software

Slow charging speed Gimbal doesn't reach its potential

“The Asus Zenfone 10 gets the size, software, and design right so it's a safe, sensible choice for your next phone. But the slow charging and disappointing camera really let it down.”

A small phone! Great performance. More than a day of battery life. Includes a headphone jack, wireless charging, and an IP68 rating. Fluid display. Four years of security updates. Comes with a charger.

Display could be brighter. OK cameras. Only two major OS updates. No Verizon support.

Bright, vivid up to 144Hz display ; Solid primary, selfie cameras ; Nearly 13 hours of battery life ; Unique, pocketable design ; Powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip

Disappointing ultra-wide and no telephoto ; Software support falls short

Asus’ Zenfone 10 is the last bastion of hope for small flagship phone fans and it carries that banner proudly, delivering performance, battery life, and a primary camera that belies its diminutive size.

Compact size ; Powerful chipset ; Good stereo speakers ; Wireless charging ; 3.5 mm headphone jack ; Fast and accurate fingerprint scanner ; 144 Hz display refresh rate in games ; Solid battery life ; Great selfie camera ; IP68 water and dust protection

Design is the same as last year ; Main camera system not flagship-grade ; Display could be brighter ; No telephoto camera ; Only two major OS updates

Non-stop performance beast ; Small, compact, and easily portable ; 3.5mm audio jack ; Many useful additional functions

Where is the 2MP macro camera? ; Chassis gets very hot easily ; Average software update policy ; No microSD slot

There are not too many compact smartphones in the market at the moment. Even Cupertino has retired its compact Apple iPhone 13 mini form factor. Our list of the best compact smartphones provides a nice overview of the current situation. The newest...

, an even dinkier 5.4-inch handset, which should still beat the Zenfone on power, photo quality and software updates, though it will be two years old as of this fall I know it can be hard to switch smartphone OSes though, so if Android's the software...

Top-end performance ; All-day battery life ; Six-axis gimbal stabilisation steadies photo and video capture ; Pocketable design

Bio-plastic rear feels a little cheap ; Same main camera sensor as ZenFone 9 ; Relatively slow 30W charging

Marmite-like design aside, the Asus ZenFone 10 is a solid compact smartphone with flagship processing power, all-day battery life and a hugely customisable approach to Android 13 – though it is very similar to its predecessor, and costs more money in...