Asus is another manufacturer (after Samsung) that integrates AI capabilities into its smartphone. It seems that Asus realized from the launch of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, that it cannot be different and it must have AI capabilities in its new smartphone, therefore it announced that it incorporates in its new device various capabilities that add to the experience of using the device, the problem is that these are not available to users at all, but will only come in an update future.
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Interface: Zenfone 11 Ultra – AI capabilities and call recording
Although these are capabilities that will only arrive in the future, Asus integrated them in the unit that was sent to me for review, so that it would be possible to get an impression of them. The features are very similar to those already available at Samsung, for example, transcription and creating a summary of recorded conversations in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and more (not in Hebrew). In those languages it is also possible to get a translation in real time during phone calls (translation of both parties into their own language).
Asus integrated a semantic search engine into the device's gallery, this technology knows how to search for content that matches the meaning of the word. You can write a tree, a baby, a beach or a location in the gallery and the search engine will display the images in which this content appears. This is a similar ability to the one that exists in Google Photos, but it is nice to have it in the smartphone itself and not in a service through the cloud.
More AI features, improved noise filtering during calls (also through third-party apps) and wallpaper creation. Here, you can choose between several topics: space, science fiction, nature, cityscape and more. After that, you choose the type of background, for example, a cityscape, you can choose a beach, a cityscape at sunset, and architecture, and then set a few more elements for the final creation of the wallpaper. It's not quite an AI photo creation tool like Copilot or Midjourney, but it's nice.
The device's operating system is Android 14, with the Asus interface on it, it offers call recording, the GlideX application that allows files to be transferred wirelessly between the smartphone and the computer, including the MacBook and a side menu that allows quick access to various applications.
Asus offers two updates to its operating system and another four years of security updates. That's not much compared to the competition.
Design: Zenfone 11 Ultra – Baby, the smartphone has grown
Asus has persisted for years in distinguishing itself in the smartphone market thanks to relatively small screens and a device that is suitable for use with one hand. This is not the case with the Zenfone 11 Ultra, the screen is larger and the weight is well felt – 224 grams.
The back of the device is designed in a look similar to that of the company's laptops, with straight stripes crossing it and a glossy coating, but one that fingerprints don't stick to. The device comes in four colors: blue, black, silver and gold-champagne. The frame is made of recycled aluminum and the device is IP68 waterproof, which means immersion in water up to a depth of 1.5 meters for 30 minutes.
Screen: Zenfone 11 Ultra – the big screen makes the difference
Asus tried for a long time to ride on the niche of the small screens, but it seems that the general public preferred the large screens of the competing manufacturers. While the Zenfone 10 came with a 5.92-inch screen, the new model boasts a large 6.78-inch screen with a sharp and successful display quality. This is a screen that comes with the popular and high-quality technology – AMOLED, a dynamic image refresh rate of 120 Hz for smooth movement in the interface (LTPO screen technology), strong lighting that reaches a peak of 2500 nits and 1600 nits during normal use, so I really had no problem working with him in strong sunlight. The screen itself includes durable Gorilla Glass Victus 2, like competing smartphones, but at the price of this model, you could have asked for Gorilla Victus.
Hardware: Zenfone 11 Ultra – lots of memory
The hardware that Asus has integrated here leaves no room for doubt, it is a fast smartphone with a lot of memory and storage capacity. The processor here is the star of the flagship devices – Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 which comes with a lot of working memory (RAM), more precisely 16 gigabytes and also a storage capacity of 512 gigabytes.
Asus offers good stereo speakers here and surprisingly it also includes an audio connection – 3.5 mm. A connection that is rare to find in smartphones these days. Besides, the fingerprint sensor under the screen responds well, there is support for WiFi Calling which for some reason on the Partner network did not work for me regularly and support for two SIM cards. There is no support for esim here, which is a shame.
Camera: Still not at the level of a flagship camera
The device comes with a photo array of three sensors: main 50 megapixel with 6-axis stabilizer, telephoto sensor – 32 megapixel with 3x optical zoom and optical image stabilizer and wide sensor – 13 megapixel. This is a successful camera, but not as excellent as it should be in a flagship device. In general, I got good photos when the lighting conditions were close to perfect, but it's hard to tell once the lighting fades a bit, even in the evening light. Also, sometimes there was a feeling of over-processing, especially when shooting with zoom. In portrait/bokeh shots where the background is blurred from behind, the camera did not mess up and was able to distinguish well what the main object was and not to accidentally blur even a hair from the person's head.
The selfie camera – 32 megapixels is not bad, but it has trouble producing good photos if they are not in good lighting conditions.
Battery: Removing a charger in 2024 is not a brave move
In the launch video for the device, the company representative refers to removing the charger from the packaging as a brave step. It is difficult to consider this as a brave step, after most manufacturers have already made this move, which mainly upsets consumers and does not allow to take advantage of the fast charging of the device directly from the box. The smartphone supports wired charging of 65 watts. Asus has also added wireless charging of 15 watts and reverse charging, for charging other devices from the back of the device – 10 watts.
The integrated battery here comes with a large and unusual capacity for a flagship device – 5500 mAh. The battery lasted me from around 7 am until midnight, and I still had 41% energy left.
Price: NIS 4,000
Bottom line, Asus can increase its audience with the Zenfone 11 Ultra, mainly thanks to the large screen. It has powerful hardware, a successful battery and AI capabilities. On the other hand, the camera is not at the level of a flagship device and the price is high.
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