ASUS Zenfone 12 Ultra

Sleek matte glass back with ultra-narrow bezels and IP68 water resistance. The rare 3.5mm headphone jack is a welcome differentiator. However, the design is nearly identical to the Zenfone 11 Ultra, and the large 6.78-inch form factor disappointed fans of ASUS's formerly compact Zenfone line.

• Retains the rare 3.5mm headphone jack — almost unique among 2025 flagships— GSMArena
• IP68 water resistance with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 and sleek matte glass back— NotebookCheck
• Nearly identical design to the Zenfone 11 Ultra — barely iterative year-over-year— Android Police
• No charger included in the box despite the premium EUR 1,099 price— Android Central

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— Tom's Guide
• Same display panel as the Zenfone 11 Ultra — no improvement whatsoever year-over-year— TechRadar
• Only FHD+ resolution at EUR 1,099 — competitors offer QHD+ at this price tier— PhoneArena

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— Android Central
• Clean near-stock Android 15 with zero bloatware — extremely fluid and well-optimized— Android Police
• On-device Meta Llama 3 AI is privacy-friendly but slow — often faster to just do the task manually— Android Authority
• Aggressive thermal throttling under sustained loads — GPU benchmark scores lower than expected— NotebookCheck

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— GSMArena
• HDR processing leaves visible ghosting artifacts in photos — a shocking flaw for a 2025 flagship— Android Police
• Dynamic range issues: shadows frequently crushed, highlights clipped, colors washed out and cold— TechRadar
• "Better than midrange but not flagship level" — not competitive with Galaxy S25 Ultra or Pixel 9 Pro— GSMArena

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— Android Central
• 65W wired charging reaches 77% in 30 minutes with Qi 1.3 wireless charging support— NotebookCheck
• Same battery specs as Zenfone 11 Ultra — 65W charging falls behind competitors offering 100W+— PhoneArena

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— Android Central
• Only 2 Android OS updates is universally condemned — worst update policy among 2025 flagships— Android Authority
• AI features described as "overkill" and "a lesson in short-term thinking" — often slower than manual alternatives— Android Authority