If You Love AI, You Might Wish Asus’ New Phone Was Coming to America

Feb 06, 2025

Jeremy Gray

Four smartphones are displayed against a white background. From left to right: a phone with a visible screen displaying "Zenfone 12 Ultra," and three phones showing their backs in green, pink, and black colors, each featuring dual cameras.

There is yet another interesting smartphone that Americans cannot purchase, at least through the usual channels. This time, it’s the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra, a tweaked ROG phone.

The Zenfone 12 Ultra’s skipping of the United States is especially interesting because its predecessor, the Zenfone 11 Ultra, is available in the US through Asus’ online store. The Zenfone 12 Ultra, however, is nowhere to be found. Asus isn’t saying that future Zenfone models will also skip the US, but for now, Americans must look to unofficial channels if the Zenfone 12 Ultra catches their fancy.

As for whether the new smartphone will attract attention, that’s another question altogether. Asus certainly hopes so, touting the 6.78-inch smartphone’s refined design, improved functionality, and performance improvements. The device includes the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform and an array of new AI features, both on-device and cloud-powered.

The IP68-rated handheld features a silky matte glass finish, which is quite eye-catching. The phone is built using a 100% recycled aluminum frame, a 22% recycled glass screen, and FSC-certified packaging. It comes in three colorways “inspired by Earth’s garden,” including Sage Green, Ebony Black, and Sakura White, a pink-tinted off-white.

Three smartphones on a multi-colored background. One phone is black, another is white, and the third is mint green. Each phone has a triple-camera setup on the back. The arrangement creates a diagonal line across the image.

The Zenfone 12 Ultra features a “professional-grade tri-camera system,” which is, as expected, AI-enhanced. The main camera relies upon a 50-megapixel Sony Lytia 700 image sensor, a Type 1/1.56 (10.24 millimeter diagonal) sensor. The Zenfone 11 Ultra, on the other hand, features a Sony IMX890 sensor. The Zenfone 12 Ultra’s primary imager offers a 24mm equivalent focal length.

This 50-megapixel Lytia 700 (LYT-700) sensor is the same one found in OnePlus’ newest mid-range device, the OnePlus 13R. Interestingly, the OnePlus 12R featured the Sony IMX890 as its main camera, so Asus has taken a page from OnePlus’ book concerning its upgrade path from year to year. It’s also worth noting that the OnePlus 13R has the same processor and 6.78-inch screen size, and it is available in the United States, albeit at a much lower $599.99 starting price. The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra is €1,099 in Europe, which is nearly $1,150.

Beyond getting a new sensor, the Zenfone 12 Ultra also features a new six-axis hybrid gimbal stabilizer 4.0. It promises a lot of stability and works alongside AI subject tracking.

The Zenfone 12 Ultra includes a 32-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera with a 120-degree field of view. In both cases, these are relatively small sensors. The telephoto camera uses an OmniVision OV32C Type 1/3.2 sensor, while the ultra-wide camera has a Type 1/3 sensor. The phone also features a 32-megapixel front-facing camera.

As for AI modes, the Zenfone 12 Ultra has AI Portrait Video 2.0, AI Tracking, and AI Voice Clarity for video and AI Magic Fill, AI Unblur, AI Panning Shot, and AI Document Scanner for still photography. The Android-powered device also has Meta’s Llama 3 8B language model, the first phone to incorporate it.

The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra is available to order globally now for €1,099.99, although a launch discount until February 28 brings the price down to €999.99.

Image credits: Asus