ASUS Zenfone 12 Ultra vs Honor Magic V5

ASUS Zenfone 12 Ultra

The 6.78-inch Samsung E6 AMOLED panel delivers 2,500 nits peak brightness with LTPO adaptive 1-120Hz (144Hz for gaming). Vivid colors and excellent outdoor readability are let down by FHD+ resolution at a price where competitors offer QHD+, and poor minimum brightness.

• 2,500 nits peak brightness with LTPO 1-120Hz and 144Hz gaming mode — vivid and responsive
• Same display panel as the Zenfone 11 Ultra — no improvement whatsoever year-over-year
• Only FHD+ resolution at EUR 1,099 — competitors offer QHD+ at this price tier

Honor Magic V5

Honor arguably offers the best foldable displays in the market. The 7.95-inch LTPO OLED inner display hits 5,000 nits peak brightness, and both panels support Dolby Vision with 4,320Hz PWM dimming for exceptional eye comfort. The crease is nearly imperceptible in daily use.

• 7.95-inch inner LTPO OLED with 5,000 nits peak brightness — among the brightest foldable displays ever
• 4,320Hz PWM dimming on both displays — best in class for eye comfort and reduced flicker
• Crease is nearly imperceptible in daily use — the display lays completely flat when opened
• Some third-party apps including Google YouTube display UI glitches on the inner folding display

ASUS Zenfone 12 Ultra

Snapdragon 8 Elite delivers class-leading performance — described as "the fastest phone I used in 2025" by Android Central. The clean, near-stock Android 15 experience with no bloatware makes it one of the most fluid Android phones available. On-device Meta Llama 3 AI processing is private but slow.

• "The fastest phone I used in 2025" — Snapdragon 8 Elite with the best-tuned software on Android
• Clean near-stock Android 15 with zero bloatware — extremely fluid and well-optimized
• On-device Meta Llama 3 AI is privacy-friendly but slow — often faster to just do the task manually
• Aggressive thermal throttling under sustained loads — GPU benchmark scores lower than expected

Honor Magic V5

Snapdragon 8 Elite with up to 16GB RAM handles demanding games and multitasking across the large inner screen with ease. Two or three apps running simultaneously is smooth. The ultra-thin chassis does limit thermal dissipation, causing throttling after about 15 minutes of sustained heavy load.

• Snapdragon 8 Elite with up to 16GB RAM handles demanding games and split-screen multitasking effortlessly
• Excellent multitasking — two or three apps simultaneously on the inner screen works smoothly
• Thermal throttling after approximately 15 minutes of sustained load — thin chassis limits cooling

ASUS Zenfone 12 Ultra

The standout is the 6-axis Hybrid Gimbal Stabilizer 4.0 which delivers uniquely impressive video stabilization — a 66% improvement over the predecessor. The 50MP main camera is solid in good light, but HDR processing produces visible ghosting artifacts, dynamic range suffers with crushed shadows and clipped highlights, and the overall camera system doesn't compete at this price tier.

• 6-axis Hybrid Gimbal Stabilizer is uniquely excellent for video — best-in-class stabilization
• HDR processing leaves visible ghosting artifacts in photos — a shocking flaw for a 2025 flagship
• Dynamic range issues: shadows frequently crushed, highlights clipped, colors washed out and cold
• "Better than midrange but not flagship level" — not competitive with Galaxy S25 Ultra or Pixel 9 Pro

Honor Magic V5

A major step up from the Magic V4, delivering one of the best rear camera systems on any foldable. Natural portraits with accurate subject detection and good low-light performance. However, the 10MP selfie cameras (both inner and outer) are weak, and AI processing can over-sharpen and produce unnatural color boosting.

• Major improvement over the V4 — one of the best rear camera systems on any foldable phone
• Natural portraits with accurate subject detection and excellent background blur
• Weak 10MP selfie cameras on both inner and outer displays — "lacking in almost every situation"
• AI processing can over-sharpen images and amplify reds, producing unnatural-looking results

ASUS Zenfone 12 Ultra

The 5,500mAh dual-cell battery delivers excellent all-day endurance that approaches two days for lighter users. 65W wired charging goes from 0-77% in 30 minutes, and Qi 1.3 wireless charging is included. Battery specs are unchanged from the Zenfone 11 Ultra.

• 5,500mAh battery delivers excellent all-day endurance — close to two days for light users
• 65W wired charging reaches 77% in 30 minutes with Qi 1.3 wireless charging support
• Same battery specs as Zenfone 11 Ultra — 65W charging falls behind competitors offering 100W+

Honor Magic V5

Exceptional battery life for a foldable. The 5,820mAh silicon-carbon battery (industry-first 15% silicon-carbon technology) delivers comfortable two-day use for many reviewers. GSMArena measured nearly 12 hours of active use. 66W wired and 50W wireless charging provide fast top-ups.

• GSMArena measured 11 hours 52 minutes active use — exceptional endurance for a foldable phone
• Multiple reviewers report comfortable two-day battery life — 5,820mAh is larger than an iPad mini
• 66W wired charging and 50W wireless charging provide fast and flexible top-ups

ASUS Zenfone 12 Ultra

The cleanest Android experience available on a non-Pixel phone, with near-stock Android 15 and zero bloatware. On-device AI via Meta Llama 3 is a privacy-forward approach. But ASUS's devastating update policy — only 2 Android updates and 5 years of security patches — is the phone's single biggest failure at EUR 1,099.

• Cleanest near-stock Android experience on a non-Pixel phone — zero bloatware, extremely fluid
• Only 2 Android OS updates is universally condemned — worst update policy among 2025 flagships
• AI features described as "overkill" and "a lesson in short-term thinking" — often slower than manual alternatives

Honor Magic V5

MagicOS on Android 15 with 7 years of OS and security updates promised — matching Samsung's commitment. The software includes useful features like offline live translation and deepfake detection. However, MagicOS is consistently described as the phone's biggest weakness, with a cluttered homescreen, pre-installed Honor apps, and rough UI inconsistencies that "build up on a 1,700 GBP phone."

• 7 years of OS and security updates promised — matching Samsung's industry-leading commitment
• MagicOS is the phone's biggest weakness — cluttered homescreen, pre-installed apps, and rough UI patches
• Ships with Android 15 while Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 launched with Android 16
• Useful AI features including offline live translation and deepfake detection built in