Last year, Apple went all-in on offering a phone for everybody. It launched the iPhone 12 Mini for those who want a compact smartphone without losing out on flagship features. It was only natural to expect more Android manufacturers to follow and announce a ‘mini’ variant of their flagships. Sony is expected to bring back its Xperia compact series soon, and now, ASUS is tipped to be prepping to launch a ‘mini’ variant of its next ZenFone flagship. It could be named ASUS ZenFone 8 Mini.

The latest development comes from DigiTimes (via NotebookCheck), which claims that ASUS is focusing on launching a ZenFone Mini this year. Moreover, if rumors are to be believed, it won’t be a toned-down version of the flagship. Instead, much like the iPhone 12 Mini, the ZenFone Mini is tipped to pack flagship power under the hood and offer similar specifications in a smaller, more compact form factor. Unfortunately, the report doesn’t offer more details, like specs, and price.

It would be interesting to see an Android manufacturer other than Sony attempting a compact flagship. The smallest flagship Android phone we have as of now is the Samsung Galaxy S21, which features a 6.2-inch display.

A smaller size comes with tradeoffs

While you get flagship performance in a ‘mini’ form factor, you miss out on battery life. The iPhone 12 mini, for instance, lasts lesser (on a single charge) than the vanilla iPhone 12. However, if you are ok with that tradeoff, a ‘mini’ flagship smartphone is something to curiously look forward to. That said, there is no information on the launch date of ASUS Zenfone Mini yet.

DigiTimes also reports that ASUS is set to introduce the ROG Phone 5 this spring, It is tipped to debut in China in March. The device is likely to be powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC. It is tipped to feature a 6.78-inch display and pack a 6,000mAh battery capacity (two 3,000mAh batteries). It will run Android 11. You can read more about it here.