ASUS has released its latest flagship smartphone, the Zenfone 12 Ultra. This new device follows the Zenfone 11 Ultra released last year, and brings with it a focus on design, performance, and a suite of AI-driven features.
The Zenfone 12 Ultra’s design emphasizes simplicity and elegance, according to ASUS. The phone incorporates a “Zen-aesthetic” with softer color options. ASUS has also made efforts toward sustainability by using recycled materials in the phone’s construction, including 22% recycled glass for the screen and a 100% recycled aluminum frame.
The Zenfone 12 Ultra features a 6.78-inch FHD Plus display with a 120Hz refresh rate for everyday use. For gaming, the refresh rate can be increased to 144Hz.
The phone’s camera system includes a 50MP Sony Lytia 500 primary lens with 2x lossless zoom, a 13MP ultrawide lens, and a 32MP telephoto lens with optical image stabilization. A 32MP front-facing camera with a 90-degree field of view is included for selfies. The Zenfone 12 Ultra uses a 6-axis Hybrid Gimbal Stabilizer 4.0 to help with image stabilization and real-time field-of-view adjustments during video recording.
Under the hood, the Zenfone 12 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, featuring Oryon cores and the Adreno 830 GPU.
A key feature of the Zenfone 12 Ultra is its integration of on-device AI tools. These include AI Tracking for subject detection in videos, AI Portrait Video 2.0 for 4K video recording, and AI Voice Clarity. Similar to features found in other smartphones, the Zenfone 12 Ultra offers AI Magic Fill for object removal from photos and AI Unblur to enhance image sharpness.
The phone has a 5,500mAh battery and supports 65W wired charging and 15W wireless charging. It comes with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage.
The Zenfone 12 Ultra is available in Sage Green, Ebony Black, and Sakura White. Currently, the phone is being released in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and European markets, with a price of €1,099. There is no information available yet regarding a release in the U.S. or UK.
The Zenfone 12 Ultra shares some hardware similarities with the recently released ASUS ROG Phone 9 FE, suggesting a trend towards similar core specifications across ASUS’s mobile devices. Whether the Zenfone 12 Ultra’s design, performance, and AI features resonate with consumers will determine its success in the competitive smartphone market.
