Technology

Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra Release Date, Price and Specifications

Published

3 months ago

April 14, 2024

Asus may be known for its gaming smartphones, but the company also makes regular handsets.

The Zenfone line has been focused on one thing in recent years: compact phones. They’ve been well received, too: the 5.9-inch Zenfone 10 is one of the best small phones you can buy.

However, Asus has changed tack on the Zenfone 11 Ultra, which has a lot more in common with other Android phones, including a large display. But what does that mean for the regular model? Now that the device is on sale, here’s everything you need to know about it.

When was the Asus Zenfone 11 released?

Asus has officially launched the Zenfone 11 Ultra March 14, 2024.

The phone is now available for purchase after its release April 14, 2024. It’s available in both the UK and US, where you can buy one directly from Asus:

However, there’s no word on when or if the regular Zenfone 11 will launch. Asus denied that the line had closed completely in August 2023, which has proven to be true. But there’s no specific commitment to the smaller model.

If it arrives, a summer launch will most likely be based on recent releases:

How much does the Asus Zenfone 11 cost?

Here’s how much you can expect to pay for the Zenfone 11 Ultra:

12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £869.99 / $899.99
16GB RAM, 512GB storage – £949.99 (not available in the US)

At full price, it’s still cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which starts at £1,249 / $1,299.99. It’s also much more affordable than Asus’ own ROG Phone 8 Pro, which will cost you at least $1,199.99 / £1,099 at launch.

If the regular Zenfone 11 ever comes, it should be cheaper. This is how much the previous generations cost:

Asus Zenfone 10 – £749/$699
Asus Zenfone 9 – £699/$699
Asus Zenfone 8 – £599/$629
Asus Zenfone 7 – £569/$749

What specifications and features does the Asus Zenfone 11 have?

The Zenfone 11 Ultra is very different from all its predecessors, as you’ll see below. But given the uncertainty surrounding the existence of the mainstream model, it should come as no surprise that there are no rumors about it.

Design

The Zenfone 11 Ultra is a much larger phone than the Zenfone 10, measuring 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9 mm. That is not particularly thin by modern smartphone standards, and at 224.4 grams it is relatively heavy.

A premium construction uses a combination of aluminum and glass, with Gorilla Glass Victus 2 helping to protect the screen. The phone also has an IP68 rating, which means it is protected against dust and immersion in up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes.

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

A large camera bump on the back houses all three lenses, and there’s a unique angular pattern on top of the matte back coating. ‘Skyline Blue’ and ‘Eternal Black’ finishes are available in the UK, although ‘Misty Grey’ and ‘Desert Sand’ are available in other markets.

There’s also a 3.5mm headphone jack, something you won’t find on many smartphones these days.

Display

Display is another area where the 11 Ultra is very different from its predecessors.

A 6.78-inch panel is identical to Asus’ own ROG Phone 8 Pro gaming phone, even if the 144Hz refresh rate is slightly lower and only activates during gaming. Even the 120Hz is plenty smooth enough for most tasks, and LTPO technology means it can automatically drop to 1Hz to extend battery life.

It’s an OLED screen with FHD+ (2400×1080) resolution, plus an Asus claim of up to 2500 nits of brightness.

There is an optical fingerprint scanner in the display, which is more secure than facial unlocking and can be used to log in to banking apps, for example.

Performance

The Zenfone 11 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Qualcomm’s most powerful mobile chip at the time of launch.

In the UK you can pair it with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, or 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. However, the 512GB model is not available in the US.

There’s also a special ‘High performance’ mode, which activates automatically while gaming, but can be manually enabled elsewhere.

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

While there is no support for expandable storage, you do get slots for two SIM cards.

Cameras

Again, the camera hardware on the Zenfone 11 Ultra is identical to the ROG Phone 8 Pro. It means you get a triple rear setup consisting of 50MP main camera, 13MP ultrawide and 32MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom.

On the front, there’s a 32MP selfie camera in a small punch-hole at the top of the screen.

The phone also supports video up to 8K at 24 fps.

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Battery and charging

The Zenfone 11 Ultra is equipped with a 5,500 mAh battery, which Asus claims will last more than 26 hours in internal testing.

More importantly, it means that even with heavy use, a whole day should be within reach on a single charge.

65W wireless charging is supported, although there’s only a cable in the box. Any USB Power Delivery 3.0 charger rated at 65W or higher will apparently be able to get the phone from 0-100% in 39 minutes.

There’s also support for Qi wireless charging up to 15W, but no reverse wireless charging, so it can’t be used to power other phones.

Software

The Zenfone 11 Ultra runs on Android 14 by default.

It has Asus’ Zen UI skin across the top, but this is a relatively light touch. A few additional pre-installed apps and a redesigned Quick Settings menu are the main differences you’ll notice.

There are also several AI features: a Samsung call translator, noise cancellation for calls, transcriptions and summaries of voice recordings, natural language search for the Gallery and other system apps, and AI-generated wallpapers.

However, none of these will be available on the device at launch; they will come in a later software update.

In terms of software support, Asus only offers two major Android versions. However, security patches will last for four years.

Read our review of the Zenfone 11 Ultra to see how it compares to the best Android phones you can buy.