The Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra has arrived, and it’s more than we expected. Literally, its size has surprised us. Not the extra large, but rather, we’re used to identifying Zenfones as compact flagships. When we took it out of the packaging, the Zenfone 11 Ultra left us amazed.
New Zenfone 11 Ultra comes with a 6.78-inch screen, compared to 5.92 inches on the previous model Zenfone 10. That’s a real jump in size and unexpected, considering the Zenfone line has built a solid reputation for compact flagships over the past few years.
There were rumors suggesting the Zenfone line was going to “exit” and Asus responded by saying they would continue to produce two main product lines, ROG Phone and Zenfone. No mention was made of the “Ultra” name.
Assuming your expectations are as good as ours, are we about to have a regular, non-compact Zenfone? Is this the end of the compact Zenfone? We simply don’t know. However, the family Zenfone hasn’t been afraid to experiment with new models. Remember when Zenfone models had a flip-up camera, which was their trademark. So, let’s proceed with caution.
Specifications of the Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra at a glance:
Body: 163.8 × 76.8 × 8.9mm, 224g; aluminum frame, glass front and back; IP68 resistant to dust and water (up to 1.5m for 30 minutes).
Display: 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED, 144Hz, 1600 nits (HBM), 2500 nits (peak), 1080×2400 pixels, aspect ratio 20:9, 388ppi; always-on display.
Chipset: Qualcomm SM8650-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4nm): Octa-core (1 × 3.3 GHz Cortex-X4 & 3 × 3.2 GHz Cortex-A720 & 2 × 2.3 GHz Cortex-A520); Adreno 750.
Memory: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 16GB RAM.
Operating System/Software: Android 14.
Rear Camera:
Wide-angle (main): 50MP, f/1.9, 24mm, 1/1.56-inch, 1μm, PDAF, gimbal OIS.
Telephoto: 32MP, f/2.4, 1/3.2-inch, 0.7μm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom.
Ultra-wide-angle: 13MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120°, 1/3.0-inch, 1.12μm.
Front Camera: 32MP, f/2.5, 22mm (wide), 1/3.2-inch, 0.7μm.
Video Recording:
Rear Camera: 4K, 1080p, gyro-EIS.
Front Camera: 1080p@30fps.
Battery: 5500mAh; 65W wired, PD3.0, PPS, QC5, 100% in 39 minutes, 15W wireless (Qi), 10W reverse charging.
Connectivity: 5G; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 5.3, aptX HD; NFC; 3.5mm headphone jack.
Other: Fingerprint sensor (under the screen, optical); stereo speakers.
Some visual elements, apart from the Zenfone 11 Ultra is actually very similar to the ROG Phone 8 in almost every aspect. As mentioned, that includes a larger screen, one, and a bigger 5,500 mAh battery. There was enough space to include an impressive camera and a cooling system for the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip.
Design, quality of manufacturing, and handling
The Zenfone 11 Ultra comes in a stylish black box packaging. That is standard, a two-piece cardboard box made of very strong cardboard. No plastic in sight, but there is a phone holder inside, which keeps things safe and secure. According to Asus, the packaging is more eco-friendly than ever, using 36% less paper and overall efficiency improved by 31%.
Unfortunately, the Zenfone 11 Ultra doesn’t come with a charger. It’s interesting to note that the included cable Tip-C looks like it doesn’t have an e-markers chip. This means that according to specifications, it’s limited to 3A power transfer or a total of 60W at 20V. The Zenfone 11 Ultra technically can be charged at a speed of up to 65W. This could be a problem, but we will investigate it further. We’ll skip to the charging section for now.
You get a nice plastic bumper case inside the box, made of 50% recycled materials, so that’s a plus.
Unboxing and contents of the box
As mentioned, the Zenfone 11 Ultra comes in a stylish black box packaging. Inside the box, you’ll find the following contents:
Zenfone 11 Ultra
Cable Tip-C on Tip-C
Plastic bumper case
User and safety guide
Warranty card
We didn’t find any additional contents, such as a screen protector or earbuds.
Lab tests – display, battery life, charging speed, speakers
In this section, we will thoroughly examine the performance of the Zenfone 11 Ultra in our lab tests.
Display
The Zenfone 11 Ultra has a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 × 2400 pixels and an aspect ratio of 20:9. The display is very sharp and detailed, with excellent contrast and a wide range of colors. With support for 144Hz refresh rate, the display is also very smooth.
The display is very good, but we are curious to see how it will perform in real-world usage.
Battery Life
The Zenfone 11 Ultra has a 5500mAh battery, which is quite large for a flagship. We’ll put it through our battery life test to see how long it lasts.
Charging Speed
The Zenfone 11 Ultra can be charged at a speed of up to 65W. However, the cable included with the phone only provides 3A power transfer or a total of 60W at 20V. We’ll investigate this further.
Speakers
The Zenfone 11 Ultra has stereo speakers. We’ll put them through our audio test to see how they sound.
The Zenfone 11 Ultra is a beast of a phone, but how will it perform in real-world usage? Let’s dive deeper into our lab tests to find out.
Conclusion
The Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra is a unique beast of a phone that challenges our expectations of what a flagship should be. With its large 6.78-inch display, powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, and impressive camera, it’s clear that Asus is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in a compact phone.
However, the question remains whether this is the end of the compact Zenfone. Only time will tell, but one thing’s for sure – the Zenfone 11 Ultra is a phone that’s definitely worth considering.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is the Zenfone 11 Ultra a regular, non-compact phone?
A: We’re not entirely sure. The Zenfone family hasn’t been afraid to experiment with new models, and we’ll have to wait and see what the future holds.
Q: Is the Zenfone 11 Ultra a replacement for the compact Zenfone?
A: We’re not sure. The compact Zenfone has built a solid reputation over the past few years, and it’s unclear whether this will be the end of that line.
Q: How will the Zenfone 11 Ultra perform in real-world usage?
A: We’ll be putting the Zenfone 11 Ultra through our lab tests to find out. Stay tuned for our review.
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