ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra: Big Battery, Big Performance, Big Upgrade
.jpg "ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra: Big Battery, Big Performance, Big Upgrade")
ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra review:
The ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra is a big leap forward from the Zenfone 10. It's ditching the compact design for a larger 6.78-inch screen and a triple camera system, making it a more premium and feature-packed phone. Prices start at $899 for the 256GB model, which is competitive with other high-end phones. You can pre-order the phone starting March 14th in some regions, and it will be widely available by April 14th.
I spent 10 days testing the Zenfone 11 Ultra, and while it borrows a lot from ASUS's ROG Phone 8 gaming phone, it streamlines the experience for everyday users. You won't find any fancy RGB lighting here, but you will get great battery life, new AI features, and a more affordable price tag compared to the competition. This phone is a solid option for anyone looking for a powerful and feature-rich phone without breaking the bank, especially considering it's cheaper than the latest iPhones and Galaxy phones.
Should you buy the ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra?
In a surprising move, Asus has completely overhauled the Zenfone design with the 11 Ultra. Instead of the usual compact phone, the 11 Ultra is huge and looks more like a ROG Phone than a Zenfone. Asus isn't saying if they'll bring back a smaller Zenfone later, but for now, the 11 Ultra is a big departure. It's also kind of tricky for Asus to convince people they need this phone when they already have the amazing ROG Phone 8 Pro.
There are some key differences though. First, the Zenfone 11 Ultra ditches the matte finish of older Zenfones (which the ROG Phone still has) for a sleek glass back. Thankfully, some fan favorites are still here, like the back-tap shortcuts and the headphone jack. The fingerprint scanner has moved under the display, which means you can't use swipe gestures to wake the phone, but it's still super fast.
Under the hood, the 11 Ultra boasts the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which is crazy fast and perfect for both everyday use and gaming. In my tests, it performed just as well as the chip in the ROG Phone. Gamers will miss a couple of things though, like the extra USB-C port on the ROG that lets you connect an external cooler to prevent overheating. You also won't find the special shoulder buttons or fancy cooling system on the Zenfone. Overall, the 11 Ultra feels more like a regular phone, even though it has some powerful specs.
ASUS' Zenfone 11 Ultra is a gargantuan phone built to perform.
The ASUS phone comes pre-configured in Dynamic performance mode, which appears to limit the CPU's potential. This results in performance more akin to last year's top-of-the-line phones (8th Gen 2) than the cutting-edge 8th Gen 3 processors. This isn't to say the phone feels sluggish – everyday tasks and even demanding games run smoothly. However, there's a Performance mode that unlocks the full power of the CPU and GPU. Be aware though, using this mode will drain your battery faster and the phone might get noticeably warmer."
Here's what I changed:
- Replaced technical jargon: Replaced "Out of the box" with "pre-configured" and "flat-out" with "cutting-edge" for a smoother read.
- Simplified explanations: Explained "8 Gen 2 flagships" and "8 Gen 3" by referencing "last year's top-of-the-line phones" and "cutting-edge processors".
- Used active voice: Changed "performance that's closer to..." to "results in performance more akin to..." for a more engaging tone.
- Added flow: Connected sentences with phrases like "However" and "Be aware though" to create a smoother narrative.
- Used informal language: Replaced "stress test benchmarks" with "demanding games" for a more relatable audience.
The redesign of the Zenfone 11 Ultra allowed ASUS to pack in a much bigger battery - a whopping 5,500mAh, compared to the 4,300mAh of the Zenfone 10. This translates to fantastic battery life. On most days, I could comfortably use it for a full day, even longer if I wasn't taking a lot of photos or videos. ASUS boasts that the Zenfone 11 Ultra outlasts its predecessor by up to 26% in their standard usage test. However, my experience showed this depends heavily on what you're doing with the phone. The powerful hardware of the Zenfone 11 Ultra does eat into the battery life a bit during demanding tasks like video recording or video calls. Despite that, it remains a very battery-efficient phone, offering excellent screen-on time during activities like web browsing and watching videos.
Ugh, Asus skimped out a bit by not including a charger with the Zenfone 11 Ultra. You'll need to dig out your old one or buy a new one. Speaking of charging, forget slowpokes! If you use a wimpy 30W charger, it takes forever (like an hour!) to fully juice up your phone. And getting to half battery takes a not-so-impressive 28 minutes. But hey, there's a bright side! If you use a beefier 65W charger (like the ones from the ROG phones or any USB PD PSS charger), you can blast your phone to full power in just 45 minutes. Even better, you can get enough juice for a light day's use (around 50% battery) in a quick 17 minutes.
On a different note, the camera seems pretty familiar. It's basically the same setup as the ROG Phone 8 Pro, so if you read my review on that one, you already know the drill. But there are some new software features to explore! Overall, the camera takes good pictures in most situations, especially selfies thanks to a special sensor. With three lenses, you have options for any shot, and the photo quality is definitely on par with what you'd expect for a phone in this price range.
The phone's camera system has its strengths and weaknesses. The main camera takes detailed photos with beautiful bokeh and accurate colors, but some pictures can look a bit artificial due to strong contrast and boosted saturation. It's almost like the camera's AI is trying a little too hard to make things pop. The ultrawide and telephoto lenses are handy in bright daylight, but there's a clear difference in color between the three (especially the oversaturated ultrawide), and the detail they capture isn't top-notch. The selfie camera follows the same trend - it works well in good light but struggles with fine details in low-light situations.
ASUS boasts a 30x zoom powered by AI, but let's be honest, digitally zooming a 3x optical lens to 30x is pointless, even with fancy algorithms. However, the AI does kick in at 10x zoom, sharpening the image (although it also adds some noise). This makes 10x photos usable in decent lighting, but it's a shame ASUS doesn't utilize this tech at lower zoom levels. There's a noticeable jump in quality between 9.9x and 10x, and even 5x and 6x photos could benefit from some AI upscaling. Overall, the zoom is a mixed bag - I mostly stuck to the reliable 3x zoom during my testing.
Photos and video are closing the gap with the big players, but there are still caveats.
The Zenfone 11 Ultra really steps it up when it comes to video. Remember that amazing gimbal stabilization from the Zenfone 10? It's back and even better here, with this fancy new "Hypersteady" tech. Even if your hands are shaking like a leaf in a hurricane, your videos will come out smooth as butter. It works best at 1080p resolution, but hey, there are still other stabilization options you can use for filming in 4K or even 8K! These other modes are pretty darn good in most situations.
Another new feature is AI Portrait Video, which lets you add that cool background blur effect (bokeh) to your 4K clips. It's not perfect, especially with fast-moving objects, but the blur itself looks nice and the focus transitions are smooth. It's a neat way to add a touch of creativity to your videos.Sadly there are caveats here too. 8K and 4K at 60fps options are locked to the main lens only, and you’ll have to settle for 1080p footage if you want to use the 3x telephoto. Lens transitions are also far from seamless, which takes the shine off the package.
The ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra might look similar on the outside, but under the hood, it takes its Zen UI software a step further. While it keeps the familiar customizability options you expect from ASUS, like the new way to split notifications and quick settings between the left and right sides of the screen, it also adds a twist to the standard Android 14 experience. Following the latest trends, ASUS throws in some new AI features, though not quite as many as you'd find in Google's Pixel 8 or Samsung's Galaxy S24. The good news is that even more impressive AI tech is on the way for the Zenfone 11 Ultra, with ASUS giving reviewers a sneak peek of what's to come in a future update.
With AI-onboard, the Zenfone 11 Ultra pushes software in a new direction too.
The Zenfone 11 Ultra has some cool AI features that feel familiar if you've seen the S24 series before. The recorder app can transcribe audio on your phone itself, with a bit of a lag, and can even summarize conversations with cloud help. It works in eight languages, which is pretty neat. There's also an AI Call Translator that works in real-time, on the phone itself, for both you and the other person – even if they don't have a Zenfone (which I couldn't test, sadly).
Other AI features from ASUS make a return. AI Noise Cancellation works in more apps now, like Whatsapp and Telegram, making your calls sound clearer. AI Wallpaper lets you choose from a bunch of themes, but they can feel a little repetitive. Semantic Search is a handy tool that lets you search your phone's settings, apps, and photos using natural language, which is pretty cool.
Remember, buying a phone based on promised future features isn't a good idea. Hopefully, the ones ASUS is talking about come soon though. Speaking of updates, ASUS promises at least two major Android updates and security patches for four years. That might have been good a few years ago, but it falls short of what Google and Samsung offer with their flagships at this price point. Four years might be enough for most people who upgrade regularly, but if you want a phone to last for a super long time, you might want to look elsewhere.
Overall, I liked the ROG Phone 8 Pro because it balanced gamer needs with features most people want. The Zenfone 11 Ultra takes that same idea and expands on it. With its AI features and a lower price tag than the ROG Phone, the Zenfone feels like a more well-rounded option for most users.
ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra specs
The Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra is a powerful phone with a big, beautiful display. The 6.78-inch AMOLED screen boasts a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and gets incredibly bright, with a peak brightness of 2,500 nits. It's powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, so you can be sure it can handle anything you throw at it.
The phone comes in two RAM options, 12GB or 16GB, and two storage options, 256GB or 512GB. The battery is a hefty 5,500mAh, and it supports 65W wired fast charging. There's also 15W wireless charging, but keep in mind that a charger isn't included in the box.
The camera system is impressive, with a 50MP main sensor, a 13MP ultrawide sensor, and a 32MP telephoto sensor with 3x optical zoom. The front-facing camera is also a high-resolution 32MP sensor. You can record video in up to 8K at 24fps, or 4K at 60fps.
The phone has stereo speakers and a 3.5mm headphone jack, so you can enjoy your music and movies the way you want. It also supports the latest Wi-Fi 7 standard and Bluetooth 5.4. The Zenfone 11 Ultra is built to last, with an IP68 water and dust resistance rating and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the front for scratch protection. It runs Android 14 with Asus's ZenUI on top, and Asus promises 2 years of OS updates and 4 years of security updates.
The phone comes in four colors: Misty Grey, Skyline Blue, Eternal Black, and Desert Sand. It measures 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9mm and weighs 224g.
