Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra Review: A Flagship with Bright Spots and Critical Flaws

In an increasingly competitive smartphone market, the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra, positioned as a high-end flagship, naturally attracts much attention. It has eye-catching strengths while also having noticeable shortcomings. Next, we will conduct a comprehensive analysis of this phone from multiple dimensions.  

I. Basic Information and Pricing

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra was officially launched on December 6, 2025, initially hitting the market in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Europe. Outside Taiwan, it is only available in a 16GB/512GB version, priced at 1,099 euros (approximately 1,141 US dollars). A 100-euro discount is available for purchases before February 28, bringing the price down to 999 euros (approximately 1,037 US dollars). However, Asus currently has no clear plans to launch the model in the United States or the United Kingdom.

II. Core Advantages: Impressive Performances in These Aspects

1. Excellent Display Effect

The phone is equipped with a 6.78-inch Samsung AMOLED panel, which continues to use LTPO technology. The refresh rate can dynamically adjust between 1Hz and 120Hz, and can even reach 144Hz in specific games, maximizing operational smoothness. The 2400×1080 resolution combined with HDR10 ensures clear and detailed images when viewing content. The maximum brightness of HDR content reaches 2500 nits, allowing for clear visibility even in strong light.

Asus is quite skilled at calibrating panels. Out of the box, it delivers excellent color performance, and the color balance is highly customizable. The thin bezels enhance the visual experience, and the optical fingerprint sensor is in a reasonable position for convenient unlocking. What's more, it retains the 3.5mm headphone jack and has optimized audio in collaboration with Dirac, delivering outstanding sound quality. The screen is also protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2, ensuring durability.

2. Powerful Hardware and Battery Life

In terms of hardware, the Zenfone 12 Ultra is equipped with the latest Qualcomm chip, with top-notch performance that even surpasses the A18 in single-core workloads. The 16GB/512GB storage combination, coupled with Asus's excellent optimization, makes the phone run extremely fast, being one of the fastest phones tested in 2025.

Whether for daily use or running large-scale games, there are no issues such as lags or malfunctions. Its thermal management is reasonable; it doesn't overheat excessively and can still maintain a stable frame rate, making it a good choice for gaming enthusiasts.

The battery features a 5500mAh dual-cell design, supporting 65W USB PD 3.0 charging and 15W wireless charging. The battery life is excellent, capable of lasting a full day even with heavy use. It takes approximately 44 minutes to fully charge with a 65W PD charger, which is sufficient to meet daily battery needs.

3. Clean and Smooth Software

ZenUI, built on Android 15, is one of the most well-regarded interfaces among Android phones. It balances a minimalist design with high customizability, free of redundant bloatware, evoking the comfortable experience of OxygenOS 9.5.

The interface is extremely well-optimized, with smoothness surpassing many models such as the OnePlus 13 and Vivo X200 Pro. Gestures, volume sliders, notification panels, and more can be deeply customized, offering strong practicality.

In terms of AI functions, Asus distinguishes between cloud and on-device AI. The Zenfone 12 Ultra uses Meta's Llama 3 8B language model to support on-device AI summarization. Functions like real-time translation and semantic search can also be completed on the device, while AI-assisted transcription and other features combine cloud and on-device AI, performing reasonably well.

III. Obvious Shortcomings: These Issues Cannot Be Ignored

1. Conservative Software Update Policy

As a flagship phone costing over a thousand dollars, the Zenfone 12 Ultra can only receive two Android platform updates and five years of security updates. This policy is particularly outdated in 2025. Nowadays, many affordable phones can provide three platform updates, so such an update frequency is hard to satisfy consumers and also affects the long-term usability of the phone.

2. Camera Performance Lags Behind Competitors

In terms of camera configuration, the phone has a 50MP main camera (Sony Lytia 700), a 13MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 32MP telephoto lens (3x optical zoom). Only the main camera is a new module; the auxiliary lenses are the same as the previous generation, and the gimbal stabilization system has been slightly adjusted.

When taking photos, the dynamic range and color accuracy are acceptable in daylight, but focusing issues occasionally occur. It performs worse than models like the Pixel 9 Pro XL when shooting fast-moving subjects. The auxiliary lenses fall short of other high-end phones in terms of detail and color fidelity, which is more noticeable in low-light environments.

In terms of video, the quality is not excellent. 4K60 video is only supported by the main camera, which greatly limits the camera's versatility. If you need to shoot videos frequently, its performance is hard to meet the demand.

3. Design and Durability Deficiencies

The phone's design is relatively ordinary, with a glass back and a rectangular camera bump, lacking the uniqueness that a flagship phone should have, which doesn't match its price of over a thousand dollars. Weighing 220 grams, although lighter than the previous generation, it still feels bulky and tall.

The back glass uses Gorilla Glass 3, which has poor shatter resistance. The author's phone developed spiderweb-like cracks after falling from a height of over two feet. Moreover, due to its limited global availability, it's difficult to replace the back glass in some regions, and there are few accessories with limited choices. In addition, the USB-C port is on the side, causing inconvenience when connecting a controller or charging while on a stand.

4. Other Minor Drawbacks

No charger is included in the box. Although it supports the standard USB PD 65W protocol, it's still inconvenient for consumers. Its limited global availability, with no clear launch plans in many places such as the United States and the United Kingdom, also makes many consumers hesitant.

IV. Conclusion: Who It's For and Who It's Not

Suitable for These Users

• Users who pursue top-tier hardware configurations and need a phone with strong performance to smoothly run heavy tasks such as large-scale games.
• Users who prefer a clean, bloatware-free interface and want high customization of the interface.
• Users who have high requirements for phone battery life and need long-term use without frequent charging.

Not Suitable for These Users

• Users who value long-term phone use and need multiple Android system platform updates.
• Users who have high requirements for camera functions and hope to take high-quality photos and videos.
• Users who pay attention to the phone's appearance design and pursue a unique, stylish look.

Overall, the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra is a phone with obvious strengths and weaknesses. It performs well in terms of hardware, screen, software smoothness, and battery life, but it also has significant shortcomings in camera, software updates, and design. If these shortcomings are exactly what you care about, even though it has many highlights, you need to think carefully; if you value its advantages more and can accept its deficiencies, it may be your choice. However, in the fiercely competitive high-end smartphone market, it's really hard to call it a cost-effective option.