ASUS may release a small Zenfone 8 to counter the iPhone 12 Mini

Did you see the iPhone 12 Mini and wish there were Android counterparts offering its small-yet-mighty formula? You might get your wish — in a manner of speaking. XDA and developer Freak07 have discovered kernel code hinting at a Zenfone 8 “Mini” that would offer full performance in a more compact format.

The device, codenamed “Sake,” would center on a 5.9-inch, 120Hz OLED screen with a 2,400 x 1,080 resolution. That’s still considerably larger than the iPhone 12 Mini’s 5.4-inch display, but it would make this Zenfone 8 variant tiny compared to the 6.67-inch Zenfone 7, 7 Pro, and larger 8 series models.

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You wouldn’t have to make many compromises elsewhere. This Zenfone 8 Mini would run on a Snapdragon 888 chip and include two camera sensors, a 64MP Sony IMX686 (also used in the Zenfone 7) and an unknown IMX663. There’s no mention of a front-facing camera, although we wouldn’t count on a flip-up array like on previous Zenfones.

The “Mini” leak also mentions two more Zenfone 8 models. One, “Picasso,” appears to be a more familiar design with the previously mentioned 6.67-inch OLED screen, a Snapdragon 888 and an expanded camera lineup that includes the 64MP sensor as well as a 12.2MP Sony IMX363 and Omnivision cameras that include a 24MP unit as well as an 8MP telephoto shooter. There’s also a “Vodka” device, but little is known about it beyond the Snapdragon 888 inside.

ASUS introduced the Zenfone 7 line in August, 2020. You could be waiting a while for a Zenfone 8 Mini as a result, provided it ships.  Even so, this gives hope for Android fans who miss the days when you could easily buy a powerful phone that’s small enough to use one-handed.