ASUS Zenfone 12 Ultra vs Xiaomi 15 Pro

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

Xiaomi 15 Pro

The 6.73-inch 2K LTPO AMOLED is a technical marvel, hitting 3,200 nits peak brightness while consuming 24% less power than the Xiaomi 14 Pro's display. The 1920Hz PWM dimming reduces eye strain, though some users report OLED smear at low brightness levels.

• 3,200 nits peak brightness with 24% lower power consumption than the predecessor — outstanding efficiency
• 2K resolution (2670x1200) with 120Hz LTPO and 1920Hz PWM dimming for reduced eye strain
• Reports of OLED smear/ghosting at lower brightness levels when scrolling dark content

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

Xiaomi 15 Pro

The Snapdragon 8 Elite (3nm) delivers a 44% single-core improvement over the previous generation and manages thermals better than most competitors. NotebookCheck awarded a 99% application performance score, placing it among the fastest phones available.

• Snapdragon 8 Elite achieves Geekbench 6 single-core of 3,157 — a 44.4% leap over Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
• Better thermal management and sustained performance than competitors like the Oppo Find X8 Pro
• Some throttling under prolonged heavy gaming loads, though managed better than peers

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

Xiaomi 15 Pro

The triple 50MP Leica Summilux system delivers solid results with a standout 5x periscope telephoto. The main sensor with f/1.44 aperture handles most scenarios well, and AI Zoom makes 20x digital shots usable. However, the ultrawide is the clear weak link, and the system can't quite match the Vivo X200 Pro's imaging prowess.

• 5x periscope telephoto (120mm) delivers sharp, detailed results up to 10x — AI Zoom usable at 20x
• Main 50MP sensor with f/1.44 aperture and Leica color science produces pleasing, natural-looking images
• Ultrawide camera (50MP JN1) is the weakest lens — frequently criticized by users as noticeably below main and telephoto quality
• Camera scored 82% on NotebookCheck — the lowest individual category score, behind the Vivo X200 Pro

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+

Xiaomi 15 Pro

The 6,100mAh silicon-carbon battery combined with the ultra-efficient display delivers class-leading endurance. NotebookCheck awarded a 93% battery score, and the phone consumes dramatically less power than its predecessor (4.42W vs 6.17W for display). 90W wired and 50W wireless charging round out the package.

• 6,100mAh silicon-carbon battery delivers class-leading endurance — competitors consume more than twice as much energy
• 90W wired HyperCharge and 50W wireless charging provide fast top-ups
• Display consumes just 4.42W vs the Xiaomi 14 Pro's 6.17W — a 24% improvement in power efficiency

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

Xiaomi 15 Pro

HyperOS 2 based on Android 15 brings improved fluency over HyperOS 1 and is now receiving the HyperOS 3/Android 16 update. However, the Chinese ROM lacks Google services out of the box, and the community considers HyperOS bloated with unnecessary apps compared to stock Android.

• HyperOS 2 offers "substantially improved fluency and stability" over the first version
• Chinese ROM only — no Google services out of the box, no Android Auto, limited language support
• HyperOS described as "full of unnecessary apps" — bootloader cannot be unlocked on Chinese ROM