Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra: A Detailed Look
Design and Build
The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra represents a subtle evolution from its predecessor. While the overall design and dimensions remain largely unchanged, it boasts a refreshed color palette and a slightly redesigned camera module. The phone maintains its familiar feel and aesthetics. The build quality is premium, featuring a glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), an aluminum frame, and a glass back, all protected by an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance (up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes).
The phone’s dimensions are 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9 mm, and it weighs 224g.
Display
The Zenfone 12 Ultra continues to sport the same impressive display as its predecessor. The 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED panel offers a smooth 144Hz refresh rate, supports HDR10, and delivers vibrant colors with exceptional brightness. Peak brightness reaches an impressive 2500 nits, ensuring readability even under direct sunlight. The resolution is 1080 x 2400 pixels (20:9 aspect ratio), resulting in a pixel density of 388 ppi. An always-on display feature adds convenience.
Hardware and Performance
A significant upgrade lies in the phone’s chipset. Asus has integrated Qualcomm’s cutting-edge Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm), an octa-core processor featuring two 4.32 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L cores and six 3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M cores. This is paired with the Adreno 830 GPU, promising top-tier performance for demanding tasks and games. The powerful Neural Processing Unit (NPU) is a key selling point, enhancing the phone’s AI capabilities significantly. This allows for several AI-powered features to run locally on the device, without relying on cloud processing. Memory options include various RAM and storage combinations: 8GB/256GB, 12GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB, all utilizing UFS 4.0 storage for fast read and write speeds.
Camera System
The camera system receives a key update. While much of the setup remains consistent, Asus has apparently replaced the main camera sensor, likely to enhance the performance of the gimbal OIS system. The improved gimbal stabilizer boasts up to 66% better stabilization compared to its predecessor. This is a substantial upgrade for smoother and more stable video recording.
The camera specifications are as follows:
Rear Camera:
- Wide (Main): 50MP, f/1.9, 24mm, 1/1.56", 1.0μm, PDAF, gimbal OIS
- Telephoto: 32MP, f/2.4, 65mm, 1/3.2", 0.7μm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom
- Ultra-wide: 13MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120-degree, 1/3.0", 1.12μm
- Front Camera: 32MP, f/2.5, 22mm (wide), 1/3.2", 0.7μm
Video recording capabilities are extensive:
- Rear Camera: 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 720p@480fps; gyro-EIS, HDR10+
- Front Camera: 1080p@30fps
Battery and Connectivity
Powering the Zenfone 12 Ultra is a substantial 5500mAh battery, supporting 65W wired fast charging (reaching 100% in approximately 39 minutes), along with 15W wireless charging (Qi) and 10W reverse wireless charging. The wired charging utilizes PD3.0, PPS, QC5 charging standards. The phone also includes a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Connectivity options are comprehensive, including 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 with aptX HD and aptX Adaptive support, NFC, and a convenient under-display optical fingerprint reader.
Software
The Zenfone 12 Ultra runs on Android 15, promising two major Android version upgrades and five years of security updates. The phone’s enhanced AI capabilities, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite’s NPU, introduce a host of new AI-driven features, many of which operate locally on the device without requiring a cloud connection. These features will be detailed in a separate software review.
Unboxing Experience
The phone’s packaging is environmentally conscious, utilizing recycled materials (FSC-certified) and eco-friendly ink. The box design is a simple two-piece gray construction. Notably, the retail package does not include a charger. Instead, it contains a Type-C to Type-C cable, lacking an e-marker chip, limiting its power transfer to a maximum of 60W (3A at 20V). While aiming for 65W charging, typical charging rates rarely reach the absolute maximum, so this limitation is likely not significant in practical use. A clear, hard plastic bumper case is included in the box. Asus also collaborates with Rhinoshield and Devilcase to provide compatible cases, with Devilcase’s option even featuring MagSafe compatibility for magnetic accessories and wireless charging.
