Zenfone 12 Ultra Launches Today, But Not in the US

The Zenfone 12 Ultra has officially launched, but there’s a catch—it won’t be available in the US. This marks a notable departure from Asus’s previous Zenfone releases, leaving North American fans out of the loop.

The 12 Ultra is essentially a streamlined version of the ROG Phone 9 Pro, featuring a large display, the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and an impressive gimbal-like stabilizer for the main camera. Asus has followed the same formula used for the Zenfone 11 Ultra—a solid device, though it struggled to stand out among other premium Android phones. Unfortunately, this year’s model won’t even be making its way to American shores.

For a phone rooted in gaming DNA, the 12 Ultra delivers where it counts. It’s equipped with a hefty 5,500mAh battery, supports 65W wired charging, and offers up to 15W wireless charging using the Qi 1.3 standard (though there’s no Qi2 support yet). The 6.78-inch LTPO display boasts variable refresh rates between 1Hz and 120Hz, though its 1080p resolution feels a bit underwhelming for such a large screen.

As you’d expect in 2025, the phone leverages AI in nearly every corner. It includes AI-powered features like background noise removal for video recording, semantic search for photos, voice memo transcription, and document summarization. While it might feel like AI is a standard checkbox for phones these days, the Zenfone 12 Ultra does offer some genuinely handy tools.

The standout feature, however, is the fourth iteration of its gimbal-like image stabilization. This hardware-based shake correction, paired with updated electronic stabilization software, continues to shine. In previous models, it’s proven remarkably effective at smoothing out shaky video footage, and it remains a unique selling point for the 12 Ultra.

Outside of this stabilization upgrade, the rest of the camera hardware remains the same as the Zenfone 11 Ultra. The setup includes a 50-megapixel main camera, a 32-megapixel 3x telephoto lens, and a 13-megapixel ultrawide sensor. On the software front, Asus has introduced iPhone-like Photographic Styles, which let you tweak color temperature and saturation presets for your photos.

While the decision not to release the Zenfone 12 Ultra in the US may disappoint fans, Asus spokesperson Anthony Spence hinted that future Zenfone models could still make their way stateside. However, this move does seem to signal the end of the smaller Zenfone lineup, which many had come to love.

The Zenfone 12 Ultra starts at €1,099 (approximately $1,145). Whether this marks the end of the Zenfone line in North America or just a temporary pause, one thing is clear: the small phone era may truly be over.