Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra Review: Repurposed ROG

Value When Reviewed

$899.99

Finest Costs At the moment: Asus Zenfone 11 Extremely

In recent times, Asus’ Zenfone line has change into synonymous with small telephones.

The Zenfone 10 stays probably the greatest compact gadgets you should buy, with its 5.9-inch display screen bucking the continued pattern for big handsets. 

Nevertheless, the Zenfone 11 Extremely couldn’t be extra completely different if it tried. Its 6.78-inch show is according to many flagships, as is the £869.99/$899.99 beginning worth. 

On paper, the gadget has extra in frequent with the ROG Cellphone 8 Professional, Asus’ gaming smartphone which has ditched the gamer-focused design for one thing far more mainstream. 

It’s not clear if a daily Zenfone 11 mannequin will ever be launched. So, is the Zenfone 11 Extremely price shopping for? I spent per week utilizing it as my fundamental cellphone to search out out. 

Design & Construct

• Giant, premium cellphone 
• IP68 and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 
• 3.5mm headphone jack 

The Zenfone 11 Extremely is a cellphone that Asus needs to face out from the gang, and that begins with the design. 

From the again, it seems fairly completely different to every other smartphone – together with the Zenfone 10. That cellphone’s round digital camera islands are gone, changed by a single sq. module. I believe the digital camera bump seems ugly and stands proud from the again of the cellphone too far, however you’ll be able to’t argue it’s not distinctive. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Fortuitously, the remainder of the again of the cellphone is far more engaging. The glass right here has a matt coating, that means it shimmers within the mild with out turning into a mirror or exhibiting fingerprint smudges. 

I actually like how the Skyline Blue model I examined seems in individual, although you might want Everlasting Black, the opposite model accessible within the UK. Misty Gray and Desert Sand finishes are solely on sale in different markets. 

Whatever the color you select, the refined angular sample on the again of the cellphone will catch your eye. It provides an fascinating ingredient to an in any other case plain design, but doesn’t look garish in the way in which earlier ROG telephones did. 

Sadly, I’d advocate you cowl it with the case included within the field. The Zenfone 11 Extremely is just too slippery to make use of case-free, to the extent that I used to be usually nervous about it falling out of my pocket or off a desk. The additional grip is way wanted. 

You might be advantageous to threat it because the Zenfone 11 Extremely feels sturdy and sturdy, whereas the powerful Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the show means I’d be assured in it surviving any drops unscathed. You additionally get a flagship-level IP68 score, that means it’s absolutely protected in opposition to mud and could be submerged in as much as 1.5m of water for half-hour.  

The entrance and sides of the cellphone are so much much less fascinating, although you do get one notable function on the backside: a 3.5mm headphone jack. That is virtually unparalleled on a flagship cellphone in 2024, however having the choice to attach wired headphones won’t ever be a foul factor. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Nevertheless, there’s no doubting the truth that the Zenfone 11 Extremely is an enormous cellphone. It measures 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9mm, and feels cumbersome and cumbersome to make use of at instances.  

At 224.4g, it’s additionally one of many heaviest non-foldable smartphones round. That’s proper according to the iPhone 15 Professional Max (221g), although nonetheless lighter than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely (233g). 

It’s additionally price mentioning the Zenfone 11 Extremely’s vibration motor, which delivers refined but detailed haptic suggestions for the whole lot from calls and notifications to typing and gaming. The S24 Extremely continues to be the gold normal on this space, however the Zenfone isn’t far behind. 

Display & Audio system

• 6.78-inch OLED display screen 
• 144Hz refresh price 
• Twin stereo audio system 

In case you’ve used a current Zenfone, the 11 Extremely’s show will come as an enormous shock. 

Its 6.78-inch panel is way bigger than the 5.9-inch one on the Zenfone 10, and one of many largest screens you’ll discover on any cellphone.

Asus has put that measurement to good use because the Zenfone 11 Extremely has one of many best shows of any smartphone. It’s a stunning 144Hz OLED, with LTPO tech permitting it to routinely drop all the way in which to 1Hz, serving to to preserve battery life with out compromising silky-smooth visuals. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Nevertheless, it’s price noting that the utmost refresh price is just accessible whereas gaming. For normal utilization, you’re restricted to 120Hz, although it nonetheless makes an enormous distinction whereas scrolling web sites or utilizing social media apps. Every little thing feels extremely responsive, with principally no delay between you touching the display screen and it responding. 

A 2.4K (2400×1080) decision is nothing particular, however all content material nonetheless seems clear and crisp. Visibility can be wonderful – Asus claims 2500 nits of max brightness, however even the 800 nits I recorded with autobrightness off makes it simple to make use of outdoors on a brilliant sunny day. 

Throughout the show is an optical fingerprint scanner, and it’s probably the greatest I’ve tried. After a 30-second setup, it persistently unlocked the gadget shortly, with no failed makes an attempt until my finger was moist. 

The Zenfone 11 Extremely’s show is surrounded by an impressively slim bezel, that means 94% of the complete entrance panel is display screen. It makes watching movies on the gadget really feel very immersive. 

The audio system additionally contribute to this. There’s a twin stereo setup right here, with the same old mixture of downward-firing grille and earpiece.  

Audio is impressively punchy, with nice readability and a formidable depth to the sound. As is so usually the case on smartphones, bass is missing, however they’re a lot adequate for informal listening. 

After all, should you’re severe about sound high quality, you’ll be able to join headphones or a speaker by way of Bluetooth or the three.5mm jack. 

Specs & Efficiency

• Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset 
• 12/16GB RAM 
• 256/512GB storage 

Like most Android flagships in 2024, the Zenfone 11 Extremely is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. It’s Qualcomm’s strongest cellular chipset on the time of writing, and it reveals. On the mannequin with 16GB of RAM I examined, efficiency was merely very good.

My typical every day utilization includes internet shopping, a number of messages and emails and some YouTube movies, none of which pushed the cellphone wherever near its limits. In case you’re somebody who likes to do plenty of multitasking, the mix of a big show and nice efficiency makes the Zenfone 11 Extremely a super candidate. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Gaming supplies extra of a problem for a lot of telephones, however not this one. Whereas Name of Obligation: Cell, PUBG Cell, EA Sports activities FC Cell and Asphalt 9: Legends are thought-about a number of the most demanding video games on the Google Play Retailer, you wouldn’t realize it from taking part in them on the Zenfone 11 Extremely. 

You possibly can anticipate a top-tier cellular gaming expertise, with no lag or noticeable dropped frames. The big, responsive show makes it really feel extra immersive, even when only a few video games can benefit from the total 144Hz refresh price. 

Importantly, the again of the cellphone solely will get barely heat to the contact whereas taking part in, and by no means turns into uncomfortably scorching, even with out a cooling fan accessible on some gaming telephones. Asus has clearly acquired a really efficient passive cooling system right here. 

Whereas all my observations apply to the mannequin with 16GB of RAM, I’d be shocked if it was noticeably worse on the 12GB model. 

Asus Zenfone 11 Extremely benchmarks

When it comes to on-device storage, you’ll be able to select between 256- and 512GB. Both must be a lot for most individuals, nevertheless it’s price noting that there’s no help for expandable storage and round 17GB is taken by non-removable system information. 

As you in all probability guessed, the Zenfone 11 Extremely helps 5G. It’s joined by Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4, each of that are the very newest requirements, alongside NFC and dual-SIM help. 

Cameras

• 50Mp fundamental lens 
• 32Mp 3x telephoto 
• 13Mp ultrawide 
• 32Mp selfie digital camera 

The Zenfone boasts a complete of 4 digital camera lenses: 50Mp fundamental, 32Mp telephoto, 13Mp ultrawide and 32Mp selfie. 

From a {hardware} perspective, it’s similar to the ROG Cellphone 8 Professional, Asus’ 2024 gaming cellphone. Just about the whole lot we mentioned in regards to the cameras there applies to the 11 Extremely.

To summarise, digital camera efficiency is significantly better than your common gaming cellphone. It’s additionally a notable enchancment over the Zenfone 10, which didn’t actually have a telephoto lens. However pictures nonetheless falls nicely in need of one of the best digital camera telephones, which is more durable to disregard when the 11 Extremely is priced like a flagship. 

In good lighting, the 50Mp fundamental lens can take some nice pictures. Element and dynamic vary are often on level, whereas colors usually stay true to life. Most of my testing happened on cloudy days, however publicity was often dealt with nicely. 

The inclusion of optical picture stabilisation (OIS) avoids photographs trying blurry more often than not, regardless of frequent warnings within the digital camera app that they is likely to be. 

In low mild circumstances, night time mode often kicks in, however not at all times. With out it, pictures are usually brighter than actual life, simply with a number of noise and inaccurate colors. Enabling it means that you can preserve most of those key particulars, so it’s price ready a few additional seconds for photographs to course of.

As you’ll be able to see under, night time mode (proper) makes an enormous distinction:

I’d often advocate utilizing the primary lens for portrait-style photographs, nevertheless it’s very unreliable on the Zenfone 11 Extremely. In additional than half of my take a look at pictures on a canine, it incorrectly blurred his face or physique, struggling massively with edge detection. Photographs look incredible once you get it proper, nevertheless it looks like pure luck. 

The 50Mp telephoto is of an identical normal to the primary lens and incorporates a 3x optical zoom. Zoomed pictures are very spectacular, although high quality declines shortly as soon as you progress into digital zoom territory. You possibly can nonetheless make out the topic on the max 30x, however that’s about it. 

Sadly, the 13Mp ultrawide is an enormous step down. The additional subject of view could be very helpful in some eventualities, but the numerous drop in high quality made me reluctant to make use of it. Color accuracy, dynamic vary and publicity are all affected, which is an actual disgrace. 

It’s a significantly better story on the entrance, the place the 32Mp lens delivers strong selfies. Each the topic and background are well-exposed and in focus until you activate the portrait mode, which does a significantly better job right here of separating the 2 by way of a pretty bokeh impact. 

General, you’ll be able to take some actually wonderful photographs utilizing the Zenfone 11 Extremely – simply not persistently. And even at its finest, most individuals will want the likes of the Pixel 8 Professional or Galaxy S24 Extremely for stills. 

Video could be captured in as much as 8K at 24fps, although I’d advocate most individuals depart it on the default 4K/30fps. Footage is a lot adequate for informal use, whereas the optical picture stabilisation means it stays largely regular when shifting round.  

Battery Life & Charging

• 5500mAh battery 
• 65W wired charging 
• 15W Qi wi-fi charging 

The Zenfone 11 Extremely has one of many largest battery capacities of any smartphone. Its 5500mAh cell is similar to the ROG Cellphone 8 Professional, and battery life is simply as sturdy. 

With reasonable utilization and no gaming, that is very a lot a two-day cellphone. On days the place I used to be working from residence, I used to be attending to bedtime with round 40-50% battery left. After all, that is with out cellular information, excessive brightness or GPS navigation, all of that are recognized to deplete the battery shortly. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Nevertheless, even you probably have a protracted time out and about, or plan on doing a few hours of gaming, you’ll be able to anticipate it to final till the tip of the day. Battery life is undoubtedly a key energy of the Zenfone 11 Extremely. 

A time of 15 hours and 47 minutes in our PCMark battery take a look at is nicely above common. And that was at an affordable 200 nits and a refresh price of 120Hz. 

The charging scenario is rather less spectacular. Asus says the Zenfone 11 Extremely can be utilized with any charger that helps USB Energy Supply 3.0, providing speeds of as much as 65W. In case you achieve this, the cellphone can apparently go from 0-100% in 39 minutes. 

Nevertheless, there isn’t one included within the field. The common 65W laptop computer charger I used was a lot slower, taking 90 minutes to completely cost. I’d advocate getting a supported one to keep away from this case each time after which it’s going to positively cost quicker than Samsung and Google rivals.

There’s additionally help for Qi wi-fi charging at as much as 15W, however this shall be even slower. 

Software program & Apps

• Android 14 
• A number of key AI options 
• Two OS updates, 4 years of safety updates 

At launch, the Zenfone 11 Extremely runs Android 14 with Asus’ Zen UI pores and skin excessive. 

There aren’t that many variations right here in comparison with Pixel telephones, although I want the reorganised Fast Settings panel you see right here. Each ingredient of the person interface feels intuitive and nicely thought out, one thing which may’t be mentioned for all variations of Android. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

There are a handful of additional pre-installed apps, however these don’t bug you and most could be uninstalled. 

Nevertheless, the important thing promoting level of the Zenfone 11 Extremely software program is its AI options. Similar to Google and Samsung earlier than it, Asus needs synthetic intelligence to be an enormous a part of the way in which you employ the cellphone. 

Nevertheless, not one of the 5 fundamental AI options shall be accessible on the gadget at launch. You’ll have to attend for a future software program replace which Asus vaguely says is coming “later”. 

My evaluate unit has them included, they usually’re a blended bag on the time of writing. 

Name Translator is nearly similar to the Reside Translate function on the Samsung Galaxy S24 telephones, permitting you to name and perceive somebody in real-time by way of voice and written translation. It takes a few seconds longer to course of than the S24 Extremely and is extra susceptible to errors, however usually works nicely. 

The Noise Cancellation is remarkably good, although. When calling somebody whereas sitting proper subsequent to a speaker taking part in loud dance music, all they may hear was my voice. Transcripts are additionally superb, with higher accuracy than most transcript instruments and the power to generate concise summaries. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

AI-generated wallpapers reply to a couple prompts to supply one thing distinctive, however I used to be happier simply utilizing one of many default ones. Even should you like to change issues up, there are many nice third-party wallpaper apps. 

And Semantic Search sounds nice on paper, permitting you to go looking the Gallery utilizing pure language. However for each instance I attempted, no outcomes had been discovered – maybe as a consequence of having comparatively few photographs to analyse. That is one thing which ought to get higher over time however you might as nicely keep on with Google Images which is already nice at discovering issues will every kind of prompts. 

The AI options are price having, however they received’t make an enormous distinction to the way in which you employ the Zenfone 11 Extremely. 

Nevertheless, the restricted software program help would possibly. Asus guarantees simply two main OS updates, that means Android 16 shall be its final. 4 years of safety updates means it’ll be protected to make use of till 2028, however that’s nonetheless miles behind Samsung and Google’s class-leading seven-year dedication.

I hoped for higher and it is best to too at this finish of the cellphone market.

Value & Availability

The Zenfone 11 Extremely is larger and extra succesful than the Zenfone 10 (from £749.99/$699.99), so it’s no shock to see a worth rise. 

It’s going to begin at £869.99/$899.99 for a mannequin with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The 16/512GB mannequin I examined is £949.99, however not accessible within the US. 

Nevertheless, a UK pre-order supply means you may get it for £819.99 (256GB) or £869.99 (512GB) till the 14 April launch date. Within the US, pre-orders embody a free pair of ROG Cetra true wi-fi earbuds as an alternative. 

No networks are promoting the cellphone on contract, so that you’ll have to purchase it outright and pair with a SIM-only deal. 

The excellent news is that it’s considerably cheaper than the £1,099/$1,199.99 Asus ROG Cellphone 8 Professional, regardless of providing lots of the similar options. The dangerous information is that there are many nice smartphones round this worth, together with the Samsung Galaxy S24, Google Pixel 8 and OnePlus 12. 

Must you purchase the Asus Zenfone 11 Extremely?

The Zenfone 11 Extremely sees Asus transfer away from the small telephones the place the Zenfone model has made its identify, however there’s nonetheless so much to love.

The big 144Hz OLED display screen is among the finest on any smartphone, particularly when paired with stellar Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 efficiency. A barely uncommon design helps it stand out from the gang, whereas battery life is superb. 

Nevertheless, there are two key issues that allow it down. The cameras are frustratingly error-prone, whereas Asus solely gives a primary two years of Android OS updates. 

With its key promoting level as a small cellphone gone, it’s exhausting to justify shopping for the Zenfone 11 Extremely over rivals at an identical worth. And it’s not clear if the common Zenfone 11 will ever be launched.

Specs

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset 
• 12/16GB LPDDR5X RAM 
• 128/256GB UFS 4.1 storage 
• 6.78-inch, 2400×1080 LTPO OLED show, 144Hz 
• 50Mp, f/1.9 fundamental digital camera with OIS 
• 13Mp, f/2.2 ultrawide digital camera 
• 32Mp, f/2.4 3x telephoto digital camera with OIS 
• 32Mp, f/2.4 3x selfie digital camera with OIS 
• 5500mAh battery 
• 65W wired charging 
• 15W Qi wi-fi charging 
• 5G 
• Twin stereo audio system 
• 3.5mm audio jack 
• Wi-Fi 7 
• Bluetooth 5.4 
• NFC 
• IP68 water and mud resistance 
• Android 14 
• 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9mm 
• 224.4g