Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra: Upgraded with Snapdragon 8 Elite and AI powered features

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra's early launch in February this year is earlier than its predecessors that hit the market in mid-July. The major improvement lies in its use of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset while also coming with up to 16GB LPDDR5X and 512GB UFS 4.0.

The new processor boasts a 45% improvement over the CPU performance, and 40% enhancements on the GP while also capable of 40% NPU, according to GSMArena.

Asus Zenfone First Impression

One of the main improvements is AI-powered capabilities. This feature is provided by On-Device and Cloud formats. The cloud-based version of the Zenfone 12 Ultra supports Meta's Llama 3 8B model, allowing on-device text summarization at a quality level.

AI Call Translator 2.0 also translates voice in real time for the default Phone app and third-party VoIP-supported messaging apps. The Recorder app has an enhanced AI Transcript 2.0, which features multi-speaker identification, transcription, and translation. Users can also create AI-based articles and document summaries.

Camera Upgrades

The primary camera has been upgraded with a Sony Lytia-700 sensor instead of the IMX890. The 6-axis hybrid gimbal stabilizer version 4 is an impressive upgrade, which can correct movements up to ±5°. This is 66% better than the previous model.

The other camera upgrades include:

• 32MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and 10-30x HyperClarity zoom and optical stabilization
• 120° ultra-wide camera
• 32MP front camera with RGBW sensor and 90° field of view

Display & Durability

The 6.78-inch Samsung E6 OLED is no different from last year, which offers:

• LTPO technology and adaptive refresh rate up to 1-120Hz
• Supports 144Hz refresh rate in supported games
• 2,500 nits of peak brightness
• Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for protection
• It retains its IP68 rating with dust and water resistance

Battery & Charging

The phone's 5,500mAh dual-cell battery comes with support for:

• 65W wired charging for full charge within 39 minutes
• 15W wireless charging that supports Qi 1.3. The usage time is up to 26 hours per charge

Audio & Sustainability

The Zenfone 12 Ultra is one of the very few flagship handsets that carry a 3.5mm headphone jack onboard. Besides that, the audio system carries Dirac Virtuo for Headphones to upgrade the sound quality of wired and wireless headphones. The dual stereo speakers with a multi-magnet setup produce clearer sound quality.

Eco-friendly materials are used by Asus, including 100% recycled aluminum for the frame and 22% recycled glass for the display. It is available in three colors; Sage Green, Ebony Black, and Sakura White.

Connectivity & Availability

The device has dual-SIM 5G with a tray for two nano-SIMs, along with eSIM support for added convenience, especially while traveling.

The Zenfone 12 Ultra will first be available in Europe, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. In mainland Europe, it is sold at €1,100, but early buyers purchasing between February 6-28 can get it for €1,000. Asus will also introduce the phone in Japan, with further details to be announced. It is not yet available in the UK or India.

Disclaimer: The information regarding the gadgets/devices listed in the table and article has been sourced from various secondary sources. For detailed product specifications, please refer to the brand sources.