Asus has officially launched the Zenfone 12 Ultra today, ahead of its usual mid-July launch schedule. This time around, the Zenfone 12 Ultra comes with a number of major changes, including:

The heart of the ASUS Zenfone 12 Ultra

The Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset is paired with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. The new chip offers a 45% increase in CPU performance, a 40% faster GPU, and a 40% improved NPU.

This increased NPU performance is significant, as Asus’s add-on features a lot of AI, both on-device and cloud AI. The Zenfone 12 Ultra features Meta’s Llama 3 8B model, which runs on the device and is used for high-quality text summarization. AI Call Translator 2.0 also runs on the device, providing real-time voice translation for the default phone app

and third-party messaging apps that support VoIP calls. The Recorder app features AI Transcript 2.0 with multi-speaker identification, summarization, and translation. It can also summarize articles and documents.

ASUS Zenfone 12 Ultra camera specs

The new main camera uses a Sony Lytia-700 sensor instead of the IMX890. The major upgrade is the 4th generation 6-axis hybrid gimbal stabilization system, which can correct movement by ±5°, which is a 66% improvement over the Zenfone 11 Ultra (3rd generation) stabilization system.

The 32MP telephoto camera also has optical stabilization (no information on performance yet) and has 3x optical zoom and 10-30x HyperClarity zoom. Above that is a 120° ultra-wide camera. On the front is the selfie camera, which uses a 32MP RGBW sensor and a 90° lens.

Other interesting things about the ASUS Zenfone 12 Ultra

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra features a 6.78-inch OLED display (Samsung E6) that is similar to last year’s display. It is an LTPO panel with a refresh rate of 1-120Hz and a 144Hz option for supported games. It has a peak brightness of 2,500 nits and is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

The phone comes with a dual-cell 5,500mAh battery that supports 65W wired charging and 15W wireless charging (Qi 1.3). Wired charging takes 39 minutes from 0% to 100%. When fully charged, the battery can last up to 26 hours.

The ASUS Zenfone remains one of the few phones to still feature a 3.5mm headphone jack. The phone also features Dirac Virtuo for Headphones technology, which works with both wired and wireless headphones, or opt for the multi-magnet stereo speakers.

Asus has used 100% recycled aluminum for the frame and 22% recycled glass for the screen. It comes in three colours: Sage Green, Ebony Black and Sakura White. As always, the phone is rated IP68 for dust and water resistance.

In terms of connectivity, it is a dual-SIM 5G phone with a tray that holds two nano-SIM cards. However, this year there is also an eSIM, which is more convenient when travelling.

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra has launched today in Europe, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In Europe (it’s not available in the UK yet), European prices will range from €1,000 to €1,100.

Asus will also launch the new model in Japan, with more details to come soon.

ASUS Zenfone 12 Ultra specifications

• Size: 163.8 x 77 x 8.9 mm
• Weight: 220 grams
• Screen: 6.78” OLED (Samsung E6), LTPO 1-120Hz (144Hz in games), 2500 nits, Gorilla Glass Victus 2
• Waterproof standard: IP68
• CPU: Snapdragon 8 Elite
• RAM: Up to 16GB LPDDR5X
• Internal memory: Up to 512GB UFS 4.0
• Wi-Fi: 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac / 6e / 7 Tri Band
• Bluetooth: 5.4
• 5G: Dual-SIM, eSIM
• Front camera: 32MP RGBW sensor, 90° lens
• Rear camera: 50MP (Sony Lytia-700), 6-axis gimbal stabilizer,
  32MP telephoto (3x optical zoom),
  13MP ultra-wide, 120° ultrawide
• Battery: 5500mAh (dual-cell)
• Charging system: 65W wired, 15W wireless (Qi 1.3)
• Colors: Sage Green, Ebony Black, Sakura White
• Others: 3.5mm headphone jack, Dirac Virtuo support, stereo – speakers, 100% recycled aluminum frame, 22% recycled glass