The Asus Zenfone 12 Extremely has been introduced, and it spells additional unhealthy information for anybody holding out hope for one more compelling compact smartphone.
Up till final 12 months, Asus was the final remaining torch bearer for top of the range small telephones that may match comfortably right into a entrance denims pocket. The correctly becoming variety, not the saggy kind that the youngsters are all sporting lately.
When the 12 months got here and went with no signal of an Asus Zenfone 11 to observe up on the Asus Zenfone 10, our hopes took a significant knock. Now, with the revealing of the Asus Zenfone 12 Extremely, it appears all hope is misplaced.
We reached out to Asus and it stated “We would not have any particular feedback to make round a compact Zenfone 12.”
What’s the Asus Zenfone 12 Extremely?
We began out speaking about what the Asus Zenfone 12 Extremely isn’t, however let’s now speak about what it’s. That’s, one other extremely competent-looking flagship smartphone, and a direct follow-on from the Asus Zenfone 11 Extremely.
This implies a familiar-looking 6.78-inch FHD+ LTPO AMOLED show that’s nobody’s concept of compact, along with the identical faster-than-average 144Hz refresh price.
In some ways, it’s an Asus ROG Cellphone 9 Professional with a extra easy design.
With a weight of 220g and a thickness of 8.9mm, the Asus Zenfone 12 Extremely is downright huge even in common telephone phrases. Simply evaluate it to the current Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus, which contains a comparable show dimension however weighs 190g and measures simply 7.3mm thick.
Asus has justified that further girth considerably with a chunky 5500mAh battery. Although once more, the OnePlus 13 lately managed to cram a 6000mAh cell right into a fractionally lighter physique. 65W wired charging and 15W Qi (not Qi2, sadly) make a return.
Asus
What’s new this time round?
Whereas that is very a lot an iterative replace on the Asus Zenfone 11 Extremely, there are a few recent specs to speak about.
The obvious is using Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, which is quick proving itself to be a little bit of a star. This chip has severely impressed us within the Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely and the OnePlus 13, to not point out the Asus ROG Cellphone 9 Professional (with which the Zenfone 12 Extremely shares some DNA).
There isn’t a lot change on the digicam entrance, past an up to date 6-Axis Hybrid Gimbal Stabilizer 4.0 for even steadier pictures and movies. Whereas the inclusion of a Sony Lytia 700 predominant sensor sounds new, it’s principally a rebadged model of the 1/1.56″ Sony IMX890 from the Zenfone 11 Extremely. That is backed by the identical 13MP ultra-wide and 32MP 3x telephoto.
In a decidedly Samsung-esque flip, most of what’s new right here pertains to AI options. AI Monitoring, AI Portrait Video 2.0, and AI Voice Readability for the digicam; AI Transcript 2.0, AI Article Abstract, AI Doc Abstract, and AI Name Translator 2.0 elsewhere (plus Google’s Circle to Search, naturally).
All this runs on Android 15 and the agency has advised Tech Advisor that it’ll get at the very least two main updates and 5 years of safety updates.
All in all, it’s trying to be a wonderfully completed flagship telephone, identical to its predecessor. However we will’t assist pining for one thing somewhat extra… or somewhat, rather less.
It’s out there in Ebony Black, Sakura White and Sage Inexperienced ranging from €1,099.99 for a 16/512GB configuration. There’s no phrase on UK availability simply but however The Verge says it received’t launch within the USA.
The 11 Extremely was £869.99 at launch so it looks like a worth rise is perhaps on the playing cards.