Early XDA analysis correctly predicted that the Plus variant of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 would be a game-changer. While other flagships overheated with the standard 8 Gen 1, the Zenfone 9’s chip—fabbed by TSMC—offered sustained performance. Threads dedicated to emulation (PS2, GameCube, Switch) show that the Zenfone 9 punches way above its weight class, staying cool during long gaming sessions.
The Zenfone 9 uses a Sony IMX766 (main) and IMX663 (ultrawide). Asus’s software processing is... aggressive. It loves to oversharpen and overexpose highlights. asus zenfone 9 xda