Asus Zenfone 10 vs Samsung Galaxy S23: Three is more than two?

Nowadays, if you want a compact Android phone, your choices are somewhat limited. You either go for the vanilla Galaxy S-series or go down the hipster route, opting for a tall and narrow Xperia phone. Wait, we completely forgot about the Zenfone! Asus took the compact flagship idea, watered it, nurtured it, and it eventually grew up, bloomed, and finally gave some fruit.

Ever since the Zenfone 8 (and the demise of the iPhone mini), Asus has kind of trademarked the compact flagship, but is it actually better than the above-mentioned Galaxy S23, especially when both devices come with the same price tag? Do a few millimeters matter, and can this offset the lack of a third camera? Today, we'll find out. This is our detailed Zenfone 10 vs Galazy S23 comparison.

Zenfone 10 vs Galaxy S23 in a nutshell:

• 5.9-inch display on the Zenfone 10 vs 6.1 on the Galaxy S23
• The Zenfone 10 is narrower, but the Galaxy S23 is thinner and shorter
• Telephoto camera on the Galaxy S23
• The Zenfone 10 has a larger battery and faster charging (4,300 vs 3,900 mAh, 30W vs 25W)
• 3.5mm headphone jack on the Zenfone 10
• 144Hz "gaming" mode on the Zenfone 10 (no LTPO, though)

Table of Contents:

• Design and Display
• Performance
• Camera
• Audio Quality
• Battery and Charging
• Summary

Design and Display Quality

There's a conceptual difference in design between the Zenfone 10 and the Galaxy S23. The former tries to break out of the traditional glass sandwich with a very interesting back (which feels rubbery and papery), while the latter goes for that thin slice of glass-metal-glass.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but for most people, the Galaxy S23 could subjectively be the prettier and more stylish device. That being said, the Zenfone 10 offers something unique in this glass and metal jungle the modern smartphone space is in at the moment, so it's down to personal preference.

What could be said objectively is that the back of the Zenfone 10 scratches more easily, while the back of the Galaxy S23 is prone to shattering and is a fingerprint magnet. You make your own choice here, but the Zenfone 10 could be used without a case, and that's certainly a pro in our book.

In terms of weight and size, the Zenfone 10 and the Galaxy S23 are much closer than one might imagine. Both phones weigh around 170 grams, and their dimensions are quite similar as well, with differences of about one or two millimeters. The Galaxy S23 is shorter, slimmer, but wider, while the Zenfone 10 is narrower, a tad taller, and also thicker.

Display Measurements:

Even though the Zenfone 10's screen is made by Samsung and calibrated by Pixelworks, there are some clear differences with the Galaxy S23 here. Samsung's flagship offers a tad more screen estate at 6.1 inches, the display is LTPO, which means it can go between 48 and 120 Hz; and its peak brightness is also better at 1,750 nits.

The Zenfone 10, on the other hand, comes with a 5.9-inch panel that has an advertised peak brightness of 1,100 nits and can only switch between fixed display refresh rates, namely 60, 90, and 120 Hz. In gaming scenarios, the Zenfone 10 can overdrive to 144 Hz, though, which is a helpful feature if you're into mobile gaming.

Biometrics deserve some words here, for sure, as this is another conceptual difference between the Galaxy S23 and the Zenfone 10. The Galaxy uses an under-display fingerprint scanner, while the Zenfone 10 relies on a capacitive side-mounted one. It's another case of personal preference, but in our experience, the Zenfone performs faster and is more accurate when it comes to unlocking the device with your finger.

Performance and Software

In terms of hardware, both the Zenfone 10 and the Galaxy S23 share very similar silicon, namely the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. Both phones start at 8GB/128GB memory configurations, but the Zenfone 10 can be purchased with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It costs more, but the option is there nonetheless. There's no microSD card expansion slot on either of the two.

Synthetic benchmark scores are very close between these two, which is perfectly understandable, and in real life scenarios, you won't be able to notice any lag, stutter, or drop in performance on either device.

Performance Benchmarks:


Both the Galaxy S23 and the Zenfone 10 come with Android 13 onboard, and they will soon get the upcoming big Android 14 upgrade. The Zenfone coats Google's mobile OS with the velvety hands of the ZenUI, a very subtle and pretty helpful overlay, while the Galaxy relies on the OneUI interface, a more customized and generally different experience.

The Zenfone 10 allows you to choose from the ZenUI experience or stock Android, while the Galaxy S23 kinda forces the OneUI on you, so that's a point for Asus. On the other hand, if you're coming from Samsung's ecosystem, this one might be a pro in your book.

One big advantage for camp Samsung here is the software support situation. The Korean company has committed to four years of major Android updates, while the Zenfone 10 will only receive two new Android versions.

Camera

Here lies one of the biggest differences between these two phones and probably a deciding factor for many users. The Galaxy S23 comes with a dedicated telephoto camera, while the Zenfone 10 relies on digital zoom.

The main and ultrawide cameras on both phones are very similar, at least on paper, both use 50 MP sensors with similar apertures and sensor sizes. We're in the age of computational photography, though, so it's time to see how these two perform in real life conditions.

Main Camera - Day

Surprisingly, the Zenfone 10 produces images with much more saturated colors than the Galaxy S23. These popping colors have been Samsung's trademark in the past couple of years but now it seems that Asus has taken a page from Sammy's book.



The level of detail is comparable between these two, which is expected, given the similar sensors. The Zenfone 10 tends to overexpose the images, especially on bright days, while the Galaxy S23 produces more balanced photos with a tad better dynamic range.

Main Camera - Low-light

Night shots are a mixed bag between these two. On one hand, the Zenfone 10 seems to capture more details and handle focus in low-light conditions better than the Galaxy. On the other hand, photos taken with the Zenfone 10 have this strange yellow-green tint to them, and sometimes they are unnaturally bright.



The dynamic range is also better on the Zenfone 10 in low-light conditions, even though some images turn out oversharpened. The Zenfone 10 also handles bright lights better in these conditions.

Zoom Quality

The Galaxy S23 wins this category hands down. There's no substitute for the dedicated telephoto camera on the Galaxy, and optical zoom still beats most digital alternatives. At low magnification levels, the Zenfone 10 holds on, but if you try to go higher, the Galaxy S23 obliterates the Zenfone.



Portrait Mode

Portrait mode is very good, both on the Zenfone 10 and the Galaxy S23. The level of detail is great, and the bokeh effect is quite convincing on both phones. If we were to pick sides here, we'd say that in normal Portrait mode, we like the Zenfone 10 a bit more, and when using 2X mode, the Galaxy S23 produces more pleasing results. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as people say.



Ultra-wide Camera

The Zenfone 10 comes with a slightly upgraded ultrawide camera that offers a wider field of view, compared to the previos model. This comes with a few drawbacks, though, the images lose detail and focus toward the edges.



The situation with the Galaxy S23 is better, even though on paper both cameras are very similar. The S23 retains detail better, and the focus and optical distortion correction algorithms appear to be better as well.

Selfies

The Zenfone 10 comes with an upgraded selfie camera (which is the only substantial hardware upgrade in that department, actually), and the end results are just great. Selfies turn out detailed, vibrant, and sharp.

 


The selfie camera of the Galaxy S23 has been our benchmark for some time now, so saying that these two are very close and comparable is a huge compliment to the Zenfone 10. The Galaxy S23 still has a bit more detail and dynamic range, but overall, both phones can shoot great selfies.

Video Quality

The Zenfone 10 has a mighty weapon in its arsenal here, the so-called gimbal stabilization. It's a sophisticated 6-axis system, which, paired with the electronic stabilization, results in some crazy stable videos. But let's talk about the video quality.



The video quality is pretty good on both phones, with the Zenfone 10 going for more vibrant colors and a slightly underexposed image. The S23, on the other hand, tends to burn out the image, and subjectively, some may perceive the video as less detailed. This is also evident during night shots, where the Zenfone 10 captures darker videos but the image looks more natural and has more detail.

Audio Quality and Haptics

When it comes to audio, both the Zenfone 10 and the Galaxy S23 sport a stereo speaker setup, with some decent audio quality, especially given the compact size of both devices. The Zenfone 10 has an ace up its sleeve, though, in the form of a 3.5mm audio jack. You can plug in your favorite audiophile headphones and enjoy some serious quality that way.

For most people, though, the Bluetooth option will be perfectly fine, but it's nice to have options. Haptics are pretty good on both phones—short and snappy bursts that you can easily feel when the phone is in your pocket.

Battery Life and Charging

The Zenfone 10 comes with a substantially larger battery in comparison to the Galaxy S23 (4,300 mAh vs 3,900 mAh on the Galaxy). And this shows in our battery tests. The Zenfone manages to outperform the Galaxy by quite a margin in our browsing test, and it is also ahead in our YouTube continuous test. When it comes to gaming, both phones last around 6 hours, which is not a spectacular result but decent nonetheless.

In real-life scenarios, you can expect a full day of heavy usage from both phones, with the Zenfone 10 probably lasting a couple more hours.

PhoneArena Battery Test Results:


Another advantage for the Zenfone 10 here is the charging speed, the phone supports up to 30W wired and also comes with a charging brick of the said wattage in the retail box. The Galaxy S23, on the other hand, supports 25W, and you must buy the charger separately (or use an old one if you happen to have one around).

In practice, 5W is not a night-and-day difference, and you'll get roughly the same charging speeds from both phones. We're talking about 50% in 30 minutes (something of a standard, pushed by Apple) and 70–80 minutes for a full charge.

Summary and Final Verdict

This time around, Samsung is in for some tough competition from the Zenfone 10. The success of the previous model got people talking, and even though we probably won't see a great shift in the smartphone market share situation, some people might consider the Zenfone 10 as an alternative to the more popular Galaxy S23.

It all boils down to whether you need a third telephoto camera or can do with a more humble setup of a wide and ultrawide lens. In most other areas, the Zenfone 10 seems to have the edge over the Galaxy S23, barring the design, which again is a subjective thing.