Zenfone 10: The Compact and Battery King!

The Zenfone 10 embraces the world of smartphone photography with a few changes to its camera system. In this review, we'll take a closer look at the Zenfone 10's photography capabilities, focusing on its unique features without drawing comparisons to other flagships. Let's embark on a journey to discover the potential of this device as a creative tool for photography enthusiasts.

The Primary Camera

The Zenfone 10's primary camera, though partly unchanged, introduces version 2.0 of Asus' 6-axis gimbal stabilizer. While the imaging hardware remains the same, the 1/1.56" Sony IMX 766 sensor with 50 million 1.0µm pixels guarantees impressive image quality. With the use of 2x2 OCL method for phase detection autofocusing, the Zenfone 10 ensures faster and more accurate autofocus in various shooting conditions. The lens in front of the sensor boasts a 24mm equivalent focal length and an f/1.9 aperture.

Capturing the Essence of Daylight

In daylight conditions, the Zenfone 10's primary camera captures solid photos. Notable differences arise when comparing it to the Zenfone 9, particularly in how the new phone handles skies. The Zenfone 10 presents a more saturated cyan-leaning rendition, deviating from the neutral approach of its predecessor. Additionally, greenery appears more vivid and brighter on the Zenfone 10, giving outdoor shots an enhanced color palette. Reds in outdoor shots tend to lean towards a fuchsia shift, which may not be to everyone's preference. Overall, the Zenfone 10's color profile offers a more universally appealing aesthetic, though the Zenfone 9's rendition is closer to reality. These differences are less prominent in indoor scenes, indicating that the Zenfone 10's scene recognition technology is primarily influencing outdoor shots to enhance their visual appeal.

Dynamic range is excellent, producing well-exposed shots with developed tonal extremes, even under harsh mid-day sunlight. Outdoor photos appear brighter on the Zenfone 10, even at similar exposure values. However, the new device tends to expose images approximately 1/3EV brighter when shooting outside.

Zooming in

The 2x zoom mode on the Zenfone 10 increases sharpening, resulting in heavy fringing along contrasting edges. This level of sharpness surpasses what users might be accustomed to, providing higher perceived sharpness compared to the Zenfone 9's 2x shots. Although the Zenfone 10's outdoor shots exhibit distinct color differences compared to its predecessor, this variation extends to the ultrawide camera as well. The Zenfone 10's ultrawide camera captures lusher greens and deeper blues, presenting a different color palette. While the new camera's shots may not be as sharp as its predecessor's, they still retain good levels of sharpness. Dynamic range remains satisfactory, leaving users impressed with the overall image quality.

Limitations

Autofocus Absence and Night Mode: One noticeable drawback of the Zenfone 10's camera system is the lack of autofocus on both the ultrawide camera and the selfie camera. This absence makes shooting nearby subjects impractical, limiting the creative possibilities. However, the Zenfone 10 compensates for this with its auto Night mode capability. The device will engage the mode automatically in low-light situations, notifying users in the Photo mode viewfinder. Although the auto Night mode improves image quality, capturing images without it yields similar results to when it is disabled entirely. For optimal low-light photography, it is recommended to use the standalone Night mode.

Superior Nighttime Photography

The Zenfone 10's Night mode, whether engaged automatically or manually, produces superior images with restored highlight detail, improved shadow and midtone development, and enhanced color saturation. Although some fine random details may appear slightly overprocessed due to increased sharpening, this is a common trait in Night modes, and the Zenfone 10 handles it reasonably well.

Conclusion

The Zenfone 10 embraces the world of smartphone photography with notable improvements and a few limitations. While the absence of autofocus in certain cameras may hinder close-up shots, the Zenfone 10 compensates with its auto Night mode capability, producing impressive nighttime images. The device captures stunning details in daylight scenarios, presenting enhanced color profiles that appeal to a wider audience. With its commendable dynamic range and scene recognition technology, the Zenfone 10 provides users with an enjoyable photography experience, despite its limitations. Embrace the creative possibilities and unlock your photographic potential with the Zenfone 10.