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In this article, we’ll compare the ASUS ZenFone 9 vs OnePlus 10T, two high-end smartphones. Both of these phones are considerably more affordable than mainstream flagships, and they have a lot to offer regardless. They also have somewhat similar price tags, which is one of the reasons we’re comparing them here. Both of them are quite compelling, but they’re also considerably different.
The ZenFone 9 is more compact than pretty much every other high-end Android smartphone on the market. The OnePlus 10T is not exactly small, but still, it’s quite powerful. We’ll first list their spec sheets, and will then compare them across a number of categories. We’ll compare their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. So, let’s get started, shall we?
Specs
| ASUS ZenFone 9 | OnePlus 10T | |
| Screen size | 5.9-inch FullHD+ Super AMOLED display (60-120Hz refresh rate) | 6.7-inch fullHD+ flat Fluid AMOLED display (120Hz refresh rate) |
| Screen resolution | 2400 x 1080 | 2412 x 1080 |
| SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 |
| RAM | 8GB/16GB (LPDDR5) | 8GB/16GB (LPDDR5) |
| Storage | 128GB/256GB (UFS 3.1), non-expandable | 128GB/256GB, non-expandable (UFS 3.1) |
| Rear cameras | 50MP (f/1.9 aperture, 23.8mm wide-angle lens, 1.0um pixel size, gimbal OIS, PDAF) 12MP (f/2.2 aperture, 113-degree FoV, 1.4um pixel size, 14.4mm lens) |
50MP (Sony’s IMX766 sensor, f/1.8 aperture, PDAF, 1.0um pixel size, 23.6mm focal length equivalent, OIS) 8MP (ultrawide, f/2.2 aperture, 1.12um pixel size, Fixed Focus, 119.9-degree FoV) 2MP (macro camera, 2-4cm) |
| Front cameras | 12MP (f/2.5 aperture, 1.22um pixel size, 27.5mm lens, dual pixel PDAF) | 16MP (f/2.4 aperture, 1.0um pixel size, Fixed Focus, 24mm lens, EIS) |
| Battery | 4,300mAh, non-removable, 30W wired charging (charger included) | 4,800mAh, non-removable, 150W wired charging (125W in the US, charger included) |
| Dimensions | 146.5 x 68.1 x 9.1mm | 163 x 75.4 x 8.75mm |
| Weight | 169 grams | 203.5 grams |
| Connectivity | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C | 5G, LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 5.2, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C |
| Security | Side-facing fingerprint scanner | In-display fingerprint scanner (optical) |
| OS | Android 12 ZneUI |
Android 12 OxygenOS 12.1 |
| Price | €799 | $649 |
| Buy | ASUS | OnePlus |
ASUS ZenFone 9 vs OnePlus 10T: Design
The two devices do look considerably different. The first thing you’ll notice is the size difference. The ZenFone 9 is a lot more compact, as it’s almost 20mm shorter, a lot narrower, and slightly thicker. It’s also considerably lighter as well, there’s a 35-gram difference between them. The ZenFone 9 includes an aluminum frame, and a polymer (plastic) back. The OnePlus 10T has a plastic frame, and a glass back. The ZenFone 9’s backplate is soft to the touch, and offers considerably more grip than glass. Do note that each of the three color variants has a different back feeling, ranging from the softest to the hardest, each of them does offer more grip than the OnePlus 10T.
Both phones have flat displays, and very thin bezels. They also include display camera holes, but in different spots. The ZenFone 9’s is in the top-left corner, while the OnePlus 10T’s is centered. The ZenFone 9 has two cameras on the back, while the OnePlus 10T has three. It is worth noting that the ZenFone 9 has a fingerprint scanner built into its power/lock key. That button also acts as a trackpad, you can set it to do different things when you swipe across it. The OnePlus 10T has an in-display fingerprint scanner, and no fancy gestures on its power/lock key.
They also offer considerably different in-hand feel. In addition to the differences in the backplate, the ZenFone 9 has flat sides, for the most part. Thanks to the soft-touch back, and chamfered edges, they do not cut into your hand at all. The OnePlus 10T feels like many other smartphones out there, in the hand, while the same cannot be said for the ZenFone 9. Do note that the phone’s rear cameras sit as separate units, and the top one protrudes more than the bottom one. The OnePlus 10T has a dedicated camera island, however, which also protrudes on the back.
As you can gather from all this, these two phones are considerably different. They both feel premium in the hand, though, and it depends on where your preferences lie.
ASUS ZenFone 9 vs OnePlus 10T: Display
The ASUS ZenFone 9 has a considerably smaller display than the OnePlus 10T, and for some of you, that may be a good thing. It makes the phone considerably more compact, and a joy to use with one hand. The phone includes a 5.9-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) Super AMOLED display. That panel is flat, and it offers a 120Hz refresh rate. It also supports HDR10+ content, and has a peak brightness of 1,100 nits. The display is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus. So, despite the fact it’s smaller, the display doesn’t really cut back on features or anything of the sort.
The OnePlus 10T includes a 6.7-inch fullHD+ (2414 x 1080) Fluid AMOLED display. That panel is also flat, and it supports a 120Hz refresh rate, and HDR10+ content. It can project up to 1 billion colors, and it’s protected by Gorilla Glass 5. The display aspect ratio here is 20:9, the same as on the ZenFone 9. The ZenFone 9’s panel does have more PPI, of course, due to its size.
The brightness these two displays offer is somewhat comparable, and both actually look and feel great. They’re both very vivid and bright, and they offer great viewing angles. Touch sensitivity is also excellent on both, though they do feel a bit different in use. Scrolling is immensely smooth, needless to say. Both displays are really well optimized, and they’re also more than sharp enough. There’s really not much to complain about here, not at all. You’ll be happy with either of these.
ASUS ZenFone 9 vs OnePlus 10T: Performance
If you’re worried about the performance, well, you shouldn’t be. These two are some of the fastest smartphones on the market now. Not only do they come with top-end hardware, but their software offerings are extremely optimized. The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC fuels both phones. Not only is that SoC faster than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, but it also produces less heat, and it’s more power efficient.
Both phones offer plenty of LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 flash storage, and ship with Android 12 out of the box. Their software builds are different, but well-optimized regardless. The ZenFone 9 has a stock-ish Android build (ZenUI) with plenty of customization options. The OnePlus 10T’s OxygenOS is considerably different than stock Android, but it does have a lot of customization, and works really well.
These two phones are capable of handling pretty much anything. Regardless of whether you consume multimedia content, browse the web, take pictures, or play demanding games, we had no issues with either of them. They fly through pretty much everything without getting too warm. We also didn’t notice any lag or anything of the sort. As already mentioned, these are some of the fastest phones on the market at the moment.
ASUS ZenFone 9 vs OnePlus 10T: Battery
Battery life is another aspect where both of these phones truly shine. Getting over 8 hours of screen-on-time is possible with both devices, while we were able to get the OnePlus 10T to cross the 10-hour screen-on-time mark. Do note that we didn’t really do much gaming on them, but we did use them for a lot of other things. They are also both quite consistent when it comes to battery life, you won’t see major drops in battery life or anything of the sort, at least we didn’t.
The ZenFone 9 includes a 4,300mAh battery, which is noticeably smaller than the 4,800mAh battery on the OnePlus 10T. The thing is, it’s more than enough for this phone, which has a considerably smaller display at the same time. That battery capacity in collaboration with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and ASUS’ optimizations does wonders. Both phones offer excellent battery life.
What about charging? The ZenFone 9 supports 30W wired charging, and reverse charging. Wireless charging is not offered. The OnePlus 10T has support for 150W (125W in the US) wired charging, and it doesn’t support wireless charging or reverse (wireless) charging. The OnePlus 10T will charge up a lot faster, but the ZenFone 9’s 30W charging will be enough for most of you. The battery life on both phones is so good that you will never feel like you need to charge them in the middle of the day. Also, both phones ship with a charging brick, unlike many other high-end devices out there.
ASUS ZenFone 9 vs OnePlus 10T: Cameras
The ASUS ZenFone 9 has two cameras on the back, while the OnePlus 10T has three. The ZenFone 9 includes a 50-megapixel main camera, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit. The OnePlus 10T has a 50-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 2-megapixel macro unit. Overall, the ZenFone 9’s cameras are more useful, though, despite the fact there are fewer of them back there.
2-megapixel macro cameras should not exist on phones, because the results are basically never impressive. A 12-megapixel ultrawide camera on the ZenFone 9 is more consistent with the main camera, color-wise, and it overall does a bit better job than the one on the OnePlus 10T. Both main cameras are really good, and do a good job in all conditions. The images the ZenFone 9 provides are more vivid, though, if that’s what you like.
Both phones capture detailed shots, and handle dynamic range really well. They also handle white balance really well too. Low light results are good on both, but different. OnePlus did improve the 10T’s low light performance since launch, so the pictures don’t come out as noisy as they did. Overall, both phones perform well in the camera department, but are not the best out there. The ZenFone 9’s pictures do look closer to what the Pixel would provide, and the stabilization during video recording is also slightly better, and smoother.
Audio
For those of you who still cling to audio jacks on phones, well, you’ll be glad to know that the ZenFone 9 has one. It’s placed at the top of the phone. Both phones also offer stereo speakers. They can provide 24-bit audio, and both sets of speakers have the full sound that we want. They’re more than loud enough, and have good audio separation. They’re well-balanced, and the vocals sound clear on both sets. There’s even some bass here, on both.
Both devices are also equipped with Bluetooth 5.2 (A2DP, LE, aptX HD), while the ZenFone 9 also offers aptX Adaptive and LDAC support. Technically, on paper, the ZenFone 9 offers more in the audio department, but the chances are you’ll be happy with either one of these… as far as audio is concerned.