Asus takes the plunge towards large screens to compete with the iPhone

Love them or hate them, one thing is clear: big phones are now the industry standard. Despite having a very enthusiastic user base, small mobile phones have failed to gain a foothold in the market. This has been demonstrated by launches such as the ASUS Zenfone 10, the best mobile phone under 6 inches on the market.

It’s clear that neither the Zenfone 10 nor its predecessors sold as much as they should have, so it’s hard to blame ASUS for throwing in the towel. The new Zenfone 11 Ultra represents your move to big screensalthough the good news is that it is a spectacular jump.

And ASUS has chosen to put the rest into this new model, which is much more than a slightly larger Zenfone; It brings together all the technology and advancements the company has been capable of, and yes, it also takes the leap into AI. The consolation for those who want another small Zenfone is that this model has been named “Ultra”, so there’s always the possibility that the standard Zenfone 11 will launch later (although the company hasn’t confirmed this).

Here is the Zenfone 11 Ultra

The main protagonist of the Zenfone 11 Ultra is of course its screen; and not just because of its large size of 6.78 inches. Technically, this AMOLED LTPO panel is one of the few on the market to reach 144 Hz, a refresh rate more common on gaming PCs but which until now was more typical of mobile phones like ASUS’ ROG Phone. The 94% screen-to-body ratio also stands out, with very small bezels for an “all-screen” mobile.

The interior also has the most advanced components possible in a current Android mobile. And that means that yes, he also has the Snapdragon 8 generation 3 that we’ve seen in other high-end models, and can come with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage.

But where the Zenfone 11 Ultra will stand out compared to other phones with the same chip will be the battery of no less than 5,500 mAh. This, coupled with efficiency improvements, means ASUS has improved battery life by 26.5% (we assume compared to the Zenfone 10). In total, the company promises up to 26 hours of battery life, rechargeable at up to 65W and compatible with standard Qi wireless charging.

Photography was a priority, as it could not be otherwise today. The main camera is 50 Mpx based on the Sony IMX890 sensor, and attracts attention for having a 6-axis hybrid gimbal stabilizer, which is added to Super HyperSteady video stabilization. This results in a very stable image that allows us to record very clear videos even if we move, obtaining professional results. It is accompanied by a 13 MP wide-angle camera, as well as a 32 MP telephoto lens with 3x optical magnification.

As expected, artificial intelligence was very important in ASUS’ presentation and is present in several sections of mobile, starting with photography; For example, the new AI Portrait Video mode is capable of add depth of field effect (or “bokeh”) in the videos we record. It also has HyperClarity features to improve image clarity when zooming, and AI Object Sense, which detects objects in the photo and makes automatic adjustments to capture them better.

The Zenfone 11 Ultra has also adopted some of the AI ​​features we’ve seen from the competition, like AI Call Translator, capable of translate our phone calls instantly. You can also create custom wallpapers in 6 different styles, and the AI ​​transcription feature is built into the audio recorder to create text based on the recorded audio.

ASUS also offers other exclusive software features, such as GlideX, which allows stream apps from phone to other devices, like a computer screen. In other words, we can have the application on the computer and transfer files with Phone Link simply by dragging them, among other functions.

The ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra starts at 999 dollars for the 12 GB and 256 GB version, and 1,099 dollars for the 16 GB and 512 GB version; As part of their introductory offer, they will cost 100 dollars less until April 14, remaining at 899 dollars and 999 dollars respectively.