iPhone 14. iPhone 14 Pro. Galaxy S23. Xperia 5 IV. Xperia 10 V. ZenFone 9.
A bite of… Apple?
First, there’s the iPhones.
I have been using an iPhone 6s since 2019 – which is when I bought it, pre-owned, to get me back up to speed with iOS (my last device was a 4th gen iPod Touch).
That experience has been useful, however, I don’t think I’m quite ready to switch to an iPhone just yet.
It’s tempting, especially as I can get good deals on either the iPhone 14 or 14 Pro at this time of year.
(For anyone who doesn’t know, it’s summer, and Apple always release a new iPhone series in September.)
With the iPhone 15 (?) series just around the corner, it means there are many good deals around for the iPhone 14 series.
But despite that, I’m not sure I’m quite ready to switch to iPhones just yet. Although I love the hardware, I’m not quite happy with iOS.
I have an old but burgeoning MP3 collection, and I don’t see any way of getting that onto an iPhone without using iTunes.
My PC is also struggling and feels like it’s on its last legs, so what it really doesn’t need is iTunes tipping it over the edge!
Also, photos… my iPhone 6s has showed me that it’s difficult to backup photos without resorting to iCloud.
Not impossible, but difficult. There are other cloud storage options available, but it isn’t as convenient as backing up to a pen drive or SSD via USB OTG.
That might all change with the new iPhone 15, if the news and rumours are to be believed, but right now the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro use Lightning.
I don’t want to wait another few months for a new phone. I’ve already waited a few months as it is – my contract ended in January, meaning I’ve kept it going on a 30 day rolling basis until I can get a suitable replacement.
That is… I’m done waiting, and I would like to upgrade now. Therefore, the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro are a no from me.
Android it is…
That leaves all the Android phones on my shortlist: Galaxy S23, Xperia 5 IV, Xperia 10 V, and ZenFone 9.
Let’s start with Sony. I love the Xperia 5 series, as it’s the Inbetweener of the Xperia lineup (that includes the Xperia 1 and Xperia 10).
However, only last year’s model is currently available, the Xperia 5 IV. There’s still no word on whether there will be a Xperia 5 V, and with only 2 years of updates I would really prefer this year’s model.
The Xperia 10 V, on the other hand, is only a couple of months old, having been released in May 2023. But, that’s a decidedly more budget offering, and historically means it misses out on some of the great Sony apps that both the Xperia 1 and Xperia 5 get – like Cinema Pro.
On the plus side, it has a 3.5mm headphone port and Micro SD card storage expansion.
But, it’s a budget phone, with a not-so-budget price.
I’d prefer the Xperia 5 V, but since it’s not available (or existence confirmed) yet, I don’t want to have to compromise and get the Xperia 10 V.
I guess that means Sony are also out of the equation.
Asus ZenFone 9
Onto Asus. The ZenFone 9 is the ultimate small beast.
Running through the specifications on GSMArena, the screen is a 5.9″ 1080p Super AMOLED, with 120Hz and HDR10+. Resolution sits at 2400 x 1080p, with a 20:9 ratio and 445 PPI (pixels per inch) density.
The chip is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm), and it comes in a variety of storage and RAM configurations, which includes:
- 128GB + 6GB RAM;
- 128GB + 8GB RAM;
- 256GB + 8GB RAM; and,
- 256GB + 16GB RAM.
If I had to choose one, then I’d pick the very last one – 256GB storage with 16GB RAM. That’s because there’s no Micro SD storage, and with my Galaxy S21 currently having 256GB storage, I’d ideally like to keep the storage the same.
I could maybe settle for 8GB RAM, but the 16GB would be my preference.
The cameras consist of a main 50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm lens and a 12 MP, f/2.2, 14mm, 113° ultrawide lens. Unlike my Galaxy S21 there’s no telephoto lens, which is a shame.
HDR video can be captured at 8K 24fps, and 4K video at 60fps and 120fps. That’s about the same as my Galaxy S21.
There’s a 3.5mm headphone port, 24-bit/192kHz Hi-Res audio, and Snapdragon Sound built-in. That first bit it interesting – the last phone I had with a 3.5mm port was the Galaxy S9+. Although I’ve now moved on with Bluetooth headphones, having that port back would be nice – especially for connecting external microphones.
But it’s not essential. What is essential for me now, though, is good Bluetooth, and the ZenFone 9 comes with Bluetooth 5.2, which supports sound codecs such as A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, and aptX Lossless.
There’s also NFC (great for Google Pay!), USB-C, USB OTG, and a side-mounted fingerprint reader under the power button. All great!
The battery is a Li-Po 4300 mAh, and can be wire-charged at 30W (PD3.0, PPS and Quick Charge 4).
The phone also supports 5W reverse wired charging.
The only things missing from the ZenFone 9 are a Micro SD card slot, and wireless Qi charging.
If I had to choose between my S21 and the ZenFone 9, the Asus wins.
I don’t use Qi charging as often as I’d like to. I’m never that far away from wall sockets at home or otherwise, meaning Qi charging has no benefits for me.
Plugging in my wireless charger, and then placing my phone onto it, feels no different or any easier than simply just plugging in my phone to the wall.
It’s also slower, and generates more heat which can lead to a faster degrading battery.
The Micro SD card slot would be nice, but I’ve managed without one on my Galaxy S21 due to having that much more base storage available in the 256GB version. Therefore, I don’t really need it.
So, should I opt for the ZenFone 9, or the Galaxy S23?
Onto part 3!
– Chris JK.
KPH tech blog 
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