Asus Zenfone 9 vs iPhone 13 mini: The Ultimate Compact Phone Battle

The quest for a truly pocketable smartphone continues! Both the Asus Zenfone 9 and the Apple iPhone 13 mini offer a refreshing return to smaller form factors, but they cater to different ecosystems and priorities. This detailed comparison will help you decide which compact powerhouse is right for you.

Phones Images

🏆 Quick Verdict

The Zenfone 9 boasts superior battery life and a more powerful chipset, offering a smoother Android experience. The iPhone 13 mini shines with its seamless iOS integration, excellent camera processing, and strong resale value. Ultimately, the choice depends on your preferred operating system and ecosystem.

PHONES
Phone Names	Asus Zenfone 9	Apple iPhone 13 mini

Network
2G bands	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G bands	HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
4G bands	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42 - A version	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66 - A2628, A2629, A2630
5G bands	1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 28, 38, 77, 78 - A version	1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 29, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79 Sub6/mmWave - A2628
Speed	HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (5CA) Cat20 2000/211 Mbps, 5G 4.5/0.9 Gbps	HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps
Technology	GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G	GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G
	1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78 - C version	1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 30, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6 - A2629, A2630

Launch
Announced	2022, July 28	2021, September 14
Status	Available. Released 2022, September 15	Available. Released 2021, September 24

Body
Build	Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), plastic back, aluminum frame	Glass front, glass back, aluminum frame
Dimensions	146.5 x 68.1 x 9.1 mm (5.77 x 2.68 x 0.36 in)	131.5 x 64.2 x 7.7 mm (5.18 x 2.53 x 0.30 in)
SIM	Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM	· Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM
Weight	169 g (5.96 oz)	141 g (4.97 oz)
	IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min)	IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified)

Display
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass Victus	Ceramic Shield glass
Resolution	1080 x 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~445 ppi density)	1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~476 ppi density)
Size	5.9 inches, 84.4 cm2 (~84.6% screen-to-body ratio)	5.4 inches, 71.9 cm2 (~85.1% screen-to-body ratio)
Type	Super AMOLED, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1100 nits (peak)	Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak)
	Always-on display	-

Platform
CPU	Octa-core (1x3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.75 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510)	Hexa-core (2x3.23 GHz Avalanche + 4x1.82 GHz Blizzard)
Chipset	Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm)	Apple A15 Bionic (5 nm)
GPU	Adreno 730	Apple GPU (4-core graphics)
OS	Android 12, upgradable to Android 14	iOS 15, upgradable to iOS 26.1

Memory
Card slot	No	No
Internal	128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM	128GB 4GB RAM, 256GB 4GB RAM, 512GB 4GB RAM
	UFS 3.1	NVMe

Main Camera
Dual	50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, multi-directional PDAF, gimbal OIS 12 MP, f/2.2, 14mm, 113° (ultrawide), 1/2.55", 1.4µm, dual pixel PDAF	12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.9", 1.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.4, 120˚, 13mm (ultrawide), 1/3.4", 1.0µm
Features	LED flash, HDR, panorama	Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama)
Single	-	12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6" SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)
Video	8K@24fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps; gyro-EIS, HDR	4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec.

Selfie camera
Features	-	HDR
Single	12 MP, f/2.5, 28mm (standard), 1/2.93", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF	12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor)
Video	4K@30fps, 1080p@30/60fps	4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS

Sound
3.5mm jack	Yes	No
35mm jack	Yes	No
Loudspeaker	Yes, with stereo speakers	Yes, with stereo speakers
	24-bit/192kHz audio	-

Comms
Bluetooth	5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless	5.0, A2DP, LE
NFC	Yes	Yes
Positioning	GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5)	GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, QZSS
Radio	No	No
USB	USB Type-C, OTG	Lightning, USB 2.0
WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot

Features
Sensors	Fingerprint (side-mounted), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass	Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
	-	Ultra Wideband (UWB) support

Battery
Charging	30W wired, PD3.0, PPS, QC4 5W reverse wired	Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.2 update
Type	Li-Po 4300 mAh	Li-Ion 2438 mAh (9.34 Wh)

Misc
Colors	Starry Blue, Moonlight White, Sunset Red, Midnight Black	Starlight, Midnight, Blue, Pink, Red, Green
Models	AI2202-1A006EU, AI2202, AI2202_B	A2628, A2481, A2626, A2629, A2630, iphone14,4
Price	£ 619.99	€ 299.00 / $ 240.00 / £ 244.89
SAR	-	1.19 W/kg (head) 1.19 W/kg (body)
SAR EU	-	0.97 W/kg (head) 0.98 W/kg (body)

Tests
Battery life	Endurance rating 108h	Endurance rating 75h
Camera	Photo / Video	Photo / Video
Display	Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal)	Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal)
Loudspeaker	-26.7 LUFS (Good)	-25.9 LUFS (Very good)
Performance	AnTuTu: 1083092 (v9) GeekBench: 4338 (v5.1) GFXBench: 89fps (ES 3.1 onscreen)	AnTuTu: 772512 (v9) GeekBench: 4681 (v5.1) GFXBench: 60fps (ES 3.1 onscreen)

Asus Zenfone 9

Exceptional battery life
Powerful Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset
Customizable Android experience
Excellent display
Reverse wireless charging

Camera processing not as refined as iPhone
Software updates may be slower than iOS
Less brand recognition

Apple iPhone 13 mini

Seamless iOS integration
Excellent camera processing
Strong resale value
Compact and pocketable design
MagSafe wireless charging

Shorter battery life
Less powerful chipset than Zenfone 9
Limited customization options
Lightning port (older standard)

Display Comparison

Both phones feature impressive 831 nits max brightness, ensuring excellent visibility even in direct sunlight. The Zenfone 9 has a slightly larger 5.9-inch display, while the iPhone 13 mini's 5.4-inch screen offers a more pocketable feel. Both have 'Infinite' contrast ratios (nominal), indicating excellent black levels. The Zenfone 9's AMOLED panel offers vibrant colors and deeper blacks compared to the iPhone's LCD.

Camera Comparison

The iPhone 13 mini consistently delivers excellent image quality with its computational photography prowess. The Zenfone 9 offers more manual controls and flexibility, but its image processing isn't quite as polished as Apple's. Both phones capture good video, but the iPhone 13 mini's video stabilization is generally considered superior.

Performance

The Zenfone 9's Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is a performance beast, easily handling demanding games and multitasking. The iPhone 13 mini's A15 Bionic is still incredibly fast and efficient, but the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 generally offers a slight edge in raw power. Android's customization options also give the Zenfone 9 an advantage for power users.

Battery Life

This is where the Zenfone 9 truly shines. Its endurance rating of 108h significantly surpasses the iPhone 13 mini's 75h. The Zenfone 9 will easily last a full day of heavy use, while the iPhone 13 mini may require a top-up for some users.

Buying Guide

The Asus Zenfone 9 is ideal for Android enthusiasts who prioritize performance, customization, and long battery life in a compact package. The Apple iPhone 13 mini is perfect for those deeply invested in the Apple ecosystem, valuing ease of use, consistent performance, and a premium brand experience.