Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra review: specs, battery & used prices
Hands-on-style overview of the Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite (Gen 4): screen, cameras, battery, performance and what it costs used.
Summary
The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra continues Asus's big-phone formula into 2025: a 6.78-inch 144 Hz OLED at 2,500 nits, the Snapdragon 8 Elite, a 5,500 mAh battery, and ROG-derived gaming features in a conventional body. It sells new for about $999, and early used listings for the 12/256 GB tier sit near $989 — the phone is simply too new for meaningful depreciation.
Display and design
The 6.78-inch OLED pairs 144 Hz with a 2,500-nit peak for a screen-quality score of 93/100 — top-catalog territory. At 220 g with a compactness score of 69/100 it is slimmer and lighter than the 11 Ultra it succeeds, and IP68 protection is standard.
Performance
The Snapdragon 8 Elite lifts the gaming score to 79/100 — sustained 3D performance at the front of the Android field — with AirTrigger support and bypass charging inherited from the ROG line. The support story remains Asus's weakness: two OS years from 2025 leaves roughly one remaining.
Camera
The triple system — 50 MP stabilised main with gimbal-style processing, plus ultrawide and 3x telephoto modules — records to 8K at 30 fps. Our camera score of 48/100 is respectable mid-catalog; the main sensor carries the system.
Battery and charging
The 5,500 mAh battery scores 50/100 on our battery-life axis, with 65 W wired charging at 46/100 — under an hour for a full charge, wireless supported.
Verdict
The Zenfone 12 Ultra is the conventional face of Asus's flagship platform: a 93/100 display and Elite-tier performance without gaming-phone styling, at $999 new and essentially new prices used. The short update runway is the standing caveat — compare the ROG Phone 9 Pro for triggers and faster refresh, or the Zenfone 11 Ultra, whose price has already fallen where this one will follow.
Data sheet
Overall score
top tier (0–100 composite of performance, battery, value and longevity)
Review scores
nanoreview.com editorial · 0–100| Screen | 6.78" OLED |
|---|---|
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite (Gen 4) |
| Memory (RAM / storage) | 12 GB / 256 GB · 16 GB / 512 GB |
| Battery | 5,500 mAh |
| Main camera | 50 MP |
| Released | 2025 · Android |
Memory & used prices
| RAM / storage | New | Used (eBay median) | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 / 256 GB | $999 | $989 | 3 listings |
Resale trend
Estimate from two anchors: launch MSRP $999 (2025) and used-market median $989 (2026). −1% / year · next year ≈ $979
Cost to own ≈ $0.8/mo · buying now at $989, 2-year horizon
Money could earn ≈ $3.5/mo · the $989 kept at 4.17%/yr (US Treasury 3-month bill, as of Sep 21, 2026)
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