Mention Asus and the first thing that would probably come to most minds is the Taiwanese brand’s range of laptops. But did you know that they also produce Android smartphones? Among their popular offerings are the gaming-centric ROG mobiles.
We’ll have you know that Asus has more than that. Whether you’re seeking an entry-level, mid-range or high-end variety, we have researched and curated a review list of the 6 best Asus smartphones in Malaysia that you can buy right now based on specs and price points.
Table of Contents
- List of Best Asus Smartphones in Malaysia
- Does Asus Make Good Phones?
Editor
Jodee Tan chevron_right
Table of Contents
6 Best Asus Smartphones in Malaysia
- Asus Zenfone 8 Flip
- Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
- Asus ROG Phone 5s
- Asus ROG Phone 5
- Asus Zenfone 8
- Asus Zenfone M1
Why It’s Our Top Pick:
“Simply just, this is a good-looking Asus’ flagship phone with a powerful hardware designed for multitasking and an innovative flip-up camera that is thankfully not a cheap gimmick”.
Features:
Available in Glacier Silver and Galactic Black colours, the Asus Zenfone 8 Flip features a huge 6.67-inch Super AMOLED display at 1080 x 2400 px resolution. The phone runs on a Snapdragon 888 processor and comes with an 8GB + 256GB combo.
It has three cameras on the rear, offering a 64MP main shooter as well as a 12MP ultra-wide and 8MP telephoto lens. The front camera, in the meantime, uses a motorised flip-up camera that’ll come up from the rear of the phone.
Performance:
If there’s one thing that attracts the users the most, it’s definitely the phone’s unique motorised flip-up camera function. It’s useful and convenient for shooting selfies and panoramas. Not only that, but using the triple-camera setup means being able to deliver good image quality for selfies as well. The only biggest setback about the cameras? There is no OIS.
Otherwise, the display looks stunning with thin bezels all around for more viewing space while the 90Hz refresh rate helps to make the animation smoother. In terms of capabilities and performance, the phone can handle multitasking well, thanks to its powerful Snapdragon 888 chipset. Not forgetting; the battery life is excellent, lasting around 8-10 hours, depending on your usage.
The Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro is designed with gaming in mind, offering plenty of bells and whistles under its stylish casing.
Features:
This phone operates on a speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ processor with a whopping 18GB RAM and 512GB internal storage. It sports a large 6.78” AMOLED display at 1080 x 2448px resolution, complete with a 144Hz refresh rate.
When it comes to cameras, the Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro has three rear shooters including a 64MP wide-angle, 13MP ultra-wide and 5MP macro lens. You will also find a 24MP front-facing camera ideal for selfies.
Performance:
Users who bought the Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro praised its large AMOLED display, looking all sharp and vibrant with the peak brightness capable of reaching up to 775 nits in a full-screen mode. The phone also displays excellent processing power, thanks to its high-end Snapdragon 888+ chipset while the bigger memory-and-storage combo helps too.
The phone can handle demanding games like “Genshin Impact” and “Call of Duty: Mobile” but tends to heat up after a long while. Battery life is decent too, as it can last around 5 hours or so if you are a heavy gamer.
Not forgetting; the Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro’s camera performance isn’t the best in its class but is still adequate when it comes to capturing good-looking image quality in a well-lit environment.
Available in black and white variants, the Asus ROG Phone 5s may have been a gaming phone but it also shines in its camera department.
Features:
The phone utilises a high-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ chipset to deliver a promising performance. Supporting that is a large 6.78” AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate and an optional memory-and-storage combo at 8GB + 128GB or 16GB + 256GB.
ROG Phone 5s also comes equipped with a triple-camera setup, offering the flagship quality of Sony’s IMX686 sensor. This includes a 64MP wide-angle, 13MP ultra-wide and 5MP macro lens on the back while the front part has a 24MP camera.
Performance:
The Asus ROG Phone 5s is blessed with an overall vibrant display including great colours and contrast. Not to mention it offers excellent peak brightness around 800 nits or so. Of course, the phone performs well with its Snapdragon 888+ chipset no matter if you are playing mobile games or multitasking.
When it comes to the cameras, they offer decent image quality regardless of using the wide-angle or macro lens. Some users pointed out that it works well in low-light photography too, thanks to its night mode feature. Battery life, in the meantime, varies between 5 to 9 hours, depending on how you use the phone.
It’s no surprise that many of us put battery life as a top priority for a smartphone besides its performance. Well, the Asus ROG Phone 5 is a gaming phone that also happens to come with durable battery life.
Features:
Aside from its durability, the Asus ROG Phone 5 powers a large 6.78” FHD+ AMOLED display and runs on a Snapdragon 888 processor. It comes with an optional memory-and-storage combo ranging from 8GB + 128GB up to 16GB + 256GB.
It also has three cameras on the rear (64MP + 13MP + 5MP) and on the front, we have a 24MP selfie shooter. And for the battery, the phone sports a whopping 6,000mAh capacity.
Performance:
Some user reviews described the Asus ROG Phone 5 having a great, vivid display but the tall design can be awkward to use after a while. The Snapdragon 888 chipset offers tremendous performance when it comes to gaming or multitasking such as opening plenty of apps at once.
Camera performances are adequate even for a gaming phone but just don’t expect anything as spectacular as high-end phones from much more premium, dedicated phone brands.
Battery life is where the Asus ROG Phone 5 rules, with its huge 6,000mAh capacity lasting around a day of normal use. Just keep in mind that the battery will deplete more than expected if you are a heavy gamer.
A smaller brother to the huge Asus Zenfone 8 flip; this mid-range Zenfone 8 phone costs just RM 800 less and also weighs lighter too at 169g.
Features:
The phone sports a compact-sized 5.9” AMOLED always-on display at 1080 x 2400px resolution, complete with the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus screen protection. It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and comes with 8GB of RAM as well as 128GB internal storage.
Being IP68-rated, the phone is both dust and water-resistant capable of withstanding up to 1.5 metres for 30 minutes. Moving on to the rear, we have a dual-camera setup including a 64MP wide and 12MP ultra-wide shooter using Sony IMX686 and IMX363 sensors respectively. Finally, there’s a 12MP selfie camera on the front.
Performance:
The Asus Zenfone 8 garnered praises for its compact size, which isn’t too small or too big but is just right for most people. Its overall sleek design is also designed with a matte finish and an aluminium frame feel solid to hold. Additionally, the 5.9” AMOLED display looks stunning while the thin bezels add more viewing space.
The screen is further supported by a peak brightness performance of around 820 nits. With the added 120Hz refresh rate as a major plus, it aids in making animation look smoother and responsive.
In terms of performance, the Snapdragon 888 chipset performs well when it comes to gaming or daily uses but it’s a shame that Asus chose to omit an SD card slot. Moreover, the dual cameras work well in a good lighting environment, offering punchy colours and enough details.
Battery life is equally great, lasting around 9-10 hours of normal use but tends to deplete quickly if you play mobile games at 120Hz.
The Asus Zenfone M1 may have been an older model but given its super-affordable price tag, it’s a steal for someone who simply wants a budget-friendly phone.
Features:
Belonging to the group of smaller phone sizes, it has a 5.5-inch screen and 720 x 1440px resolution with an approximately 85% screen-to-body ratio. It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 425/430 chipset with an optional 2GB + 16GB or 3GB + 32GB combo. However, you can choose to extend your storage up to 256GB using the microSD card slot.
The Asus Zenfone M1 has two cameras on the back, offering a 13MP main and 8MP secondary shooter with phase-detection autofocus and LED flash while you get an 8MP camera on the front.
Performance:
While the Asus Zenfone M1 doesn’t score high in terms of its design but for some users, they found it reasonably lightweight even for one-handed use. The HD display looks decent for its overall colours and contrast whereas the adaptive brightness makes it quite usable under direct sunlight.
When it comes to power, its entry-level Snapdragon 425/430 processor is made suitable for normal multitasking but will stutter if you run demanding apps.
In the meantime, the dual cameras offer adequate image quality when shot in good lighting conditions but the same cannot be said with the lacklustre low-light photography. The front-facing camera is equally a letdown as well. As for the battery life, it can last around a day or so, depending on your daily usage.
Does Asus Make Good Phones?
Asus may not be as widely known as some of its more prominent competitors, namely Samsung and Xiaomi. But the company manages to establish its own niche within the ever-competitive smartphone market.
For instance, they come up with the Asus Zenfone 8 Flip; a high-end flagship model that features a motorised flip-up camera like no others.
Here’s where Asus caught the attention of the public. With the release of their ROG phones, which are specifically made with gamers in mind, Asus has shown promising quality in this area.
Otherwise, most customers, in the meantime, generally praised Asus phones, notably the recent Zenfone and ROG models for their overall good processing power and battery life.
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