Tech Blog #162 | Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra - The End of Mini Flagships...

The flagship smartphones used to be small back in the day. When media consumption and social media usage increased, normal people needed a bigger display. But there were people who loved small smartphones. Apple had a mini lineup, but the sales were bad. Samsung ditched it long ago due to bad sales. The last small flagship smartphone i saw was last year's Asus Zenfone 10. And now, it's gone too. This year, there's no Asus Zenfone 11, but an Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra.

The Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra has a sleek and premium design, with an aluminum frame and glass front and back panels. The back panel has a unique design, with a large camera module that houses the triple camera setup and sits flush with the back surface. The phone has a solid build quality and a slightly larger footprint than its predecessors, measuring 8.9mm thick and weighing 224 g. It also has IP68 dust and water resistance, which contributes to its durability and premium feel.

The Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra has a large 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, resulting in smooth and responsive visuals. The display has a 1080P resolution, which results in a pixel density of 388ppi. It has a maximum brightness of 1600 nits in High Brightness Mode (HBM) and an impressive 2500 nits in peak brightness, ensuring excellent visibility even in bright outdoor conditions. The display also has Always-on functionality, which allows for quick access to key information.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset powers the Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra, which is built on a 4nm process and has an octa-core CPU configuration for powerful performance. This chipset is paired with either 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage or a higher-tier option with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage, giving you plenty of room for apps, games, and media files while also allowing for smooth multitasking.

The Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra has a sophisticated camera setup that delivers exceptional imaging performance. Its rear camera system consists of a 50 MP wide-angle main camera with a 24mm focal length, PDAF, and gimbal OIS for sharp and stable images. There's also a 32 MP telephoto camera with a 1/3.2" sensor, PDAF, OIS, and 3x optical zoom for detailed close-ups. It also features a 13 MP ultra-wide-angle camera with a 13mm focal length and a 120-degree field of view, allowing users to capture wide-ranging scenes and group shots. The front features a 32 MP selfie camera with a 22mm wide lens for high-quality self-portraits and video calls.

The Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra is powered by a large 5,500mAh battery, which provides enough power to keep the device running all day. The phone supports fast charging technology, with a wired charging capability of 65W that can fully charge the device in 39 minutes. It also supports 15W wireless charging (Qi standard) for cable-free charging, as well as 10W reverse wired charging, allowing the Zenfone 11 Ultra to function as a power bank for external devices.

The outstanding specifications and features of the Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra make it a compelling package. With a starting price of €1,099 for the 256GB storage variant, it competes with premium smartphones. The device features a large and vibrant display, a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, a versatile camera system, and a large battery with fast charging capabilities. While its design and size may not appeal to everyone, the stands out as Asus' feature-rich flagship offering.