Zenfone 9 vs Edge 30 Pro: compact phone from ASUS or top from Motorola? | Comparative

The Zenfone 9 arrived in Brazil as a top-of-the-line device option that has a smaller body than market competitors. On the other hand, the Edge 30 Pro seeks to reinforce the brand in the top-of-the-line segment.

Between the ASUS smartphone and the Motorola one, which is the most interesting choice for the consumer? That’s what the Comparative of TudoCelular shows you now.

First talking about the design, ASUS differentiates itself by putting a top of the line in a much more compact and lighter body than the competitor. The Taiwanese still leaves the cameras in separate large modules on the lid, while Motorola prefers to use its oval block to house the sensors.

The Zenfone 9 comes with plastic on the back and metal sides. The Edge 30 Pro, on the other hand, uses glass on the back, with plastic frames. The advantage of Zenfone is the presence of IP68 certification, which guarantees resistance against water and dust.

Both it and the 30 Pro have a fingerprint reader integrated into the power button. At the front, the two still opt for the hole-shaped notch. Only that Motorola placed it centralized, while ASUS preferred to leave it in the left corner.

None of them support microSD card storage expansion. At least, sixth-generation Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2 and NFC for proximity payments are guaranteed in the duo.

With the most resistant, compact and lightweight design, Zenfone takes the lead in the duel.

The Zenfone comes with a 5.9-inch AMOLED screen, much smaller than the Edge’s 6.7-inch OLED. Whichever you choose, you’ll get a good level of brightness and a wide viewing angle on both. As for colors, the 30 Pro does a little more here.

Both support HDR10+ and Full HD+ resolution. In terms of protection, the Gorilla Glass Victus placed in the Taiwanese has a scratch resistance superior to the third generation of Corning’s glass in the rival.

Motorola responds with greater fluidity, thanks to its 144 Hz refresh rate, higher than the 120 Hz used by ASUS.

Overall, smoothness weighs more and gives the Edge 30 Pro the point.

As we have two tops of the line in this duel, the manufacturers didn’t skimp on the audio and put a stereo system in their tops of the line. The presence of two sound outputs helps to enhance the user’s immersive music and video experience.

The duo does not disappoint in sound power, but we need to highlight what Zenfone delivers here. Its quality is above the Edge because of the partnership with the Swedish company Dirac, which allows maximum volume without distortion and greater balance between bass, mids and highs.

ASUS keeps the P2 connector, but Motorola dispenses with the standard input. Good thing the Edge still comes with a headset with a USB-C plug in the package.

For better quality, we give Zenfone 9 a point.

Both Zenfone and Edge come out of the box with Android 12 installed from the factory. These brands promise two system updates for their flagships, so expect the same longevity on these devices.

Fast mobile network is not a problem for both devices, as they have 5G compatibility. The high refresh rates and interfaces close to standard Android also help to have good fluidity in general navigation.

In terms of features, ASUS places quick shortcuts both on the Smart Key and on a side menu, not to mention the two taps on the back to capture the screen or open the Assistant, and the Game Genie that brings together tools to improve gameplay. On the other hand, Motorola offers the famous gestures to turn on the flashlight and open the camera app, apart from Ready For, which turns the cell phone into a portable PC.

Same service life and good functionality on both sides. We give a draw on this question.

The Zenfone 9 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 mobile platform, versus the Plus-less version present on the 30 Pro. Do Qualcomm’s overclocks on the chip used by ASUS improve performance? We didn’t see this in our tests. Motorola had the upper hand by almost seven seconds in total.

Only in the benchmarks does the potential of the Plus version appear, with a victory in both Geekbench and AnTuTu indicators. Games won’t be an issue here, as both run all the titles we’ve tried out smoothly and at maximum quality.

Edge takes the spot for faster multitasking.

The Taiwanese inserted a battery of only 4,300 mAh in its top of the line, against a capacity of 4,800 mAh in the Edge. Does the number make a difference in practice? This time, our standardized tests showed that it was. The 30 Pro had almost an hour more autonomy than its rival.

Not even when charging, the Zenfone managed to compensate. His 30 W adapter takes 1 hour and 16 minutes to reach 100%. Quite different from the 68 W accessory sent by Motorola, which completes the process in less than an hour.

This is an easy point for the Edge.

While ASUS put a dual set on its top, Motorola kept three rear cameras. In both cases, there is a main 50 MP. These cell phones are divided into the photos in which they do better. Even overnight, you won’t be disappointed with these models.

Their ultrawide has good quality in general and doesn’t suffer from a big drop in quality compared to the main one. This lens in both still brings autofocus, for use in macro mode. Only the Edge comes with a blur sensor, to help with portrait mode. Even so, the Zenfone’s software also does the job decently.

With a great balance here, we give it a draw.

Both camcorders support 8K video. The difference is that Zenfone reaches 60 fps in 4K resolution, for smoother image recording. The Taiwanese’s six-axis stabilization system helps handle shake better than the Edge’s standard optics. At least, both have very agile focus and good quality stereo sound capture.

The Zenfone 9 notes the point this time.

Despite the Zenfone’s 12 MP front camera being well below in resolution than the Edge’s 60 megapixels, the selfies recorded by the top of ASUS gain sharpness in any condition of the day, thanks to the autofocus with Dual Pixel technology in it.

Motorola’s software ends up leaving the photos smoothed, which generates a loss of detail. In portrait mode, the two do not disappoint and make good cuts. Not to mention that the duo films from the front in 4K.

For more improvements, the point goes to the Taiwanese.

These devices are officially available for the Brazilian market. The Zenfone 9 arrived in the country for a suggested price of BRL 4,000, below the BRL 6,500 charged by the Edge 30 Pro at its launch. We can already see these smartphones for lower values ​​in current retail. But the ASUS cell phone still appears closer to R$ 3,000 than the Motorola one.

So we give the last point to Zenfone.

Among these tops of the line, the ASUS device was a little ahead in this battle against Motorola. The Zenfone 9 has the toughest, most compact and light design of the duo, delivers the best sound system, comes with a superior video stabilization system, in addition to autofocus selfies.

On the Edge 30 Pro side, the user will find a screen with greater fluidity, a faster multitasking performance and a battery that has greater autonomy and still charges in a shorter time.

But in addition to falling behind on our scoreboard, the Edge still lacks a better cost-benefit compared to the Zenfone, which further reinforces the most appropriate choice for the Taiwanese cell phone.

RESULT

ASUS Zenfone 9: 7 POINTS

• Stronger, compact and lightweight design
• higher quality sound
• System with the same longevity and good features
• Rear cameras with good day and night photos
• Videos with better stabilization system
• Sharper selfies with autofocus
• Lowest price in the current Brazilian market

Motorola Edge 30 Pro: 5 POINTS

• 144 Hz screen for greater fluidity
• System with the same longevity and good features
• Faster multitasking performance
• Longer battery life and shorter charging time
• Rear cameras with good day and night photos

Which of these smartphones do you like the most? Which model would you buy if you had to choose between these two? Tell us.

(updated Feb 19, 2023 at 11:24 pm)