ASUS announced a new flagship smartphone in March 2024, the ZenFone 11 Ultra. This handset is completely different from its predecessor, at least as far as the design and size are concerned. In this article, we’ll compare those two smartphones, the ASUS ZenFone 10 vs ASUS ZenFone 11 Ultra. It doesn’t seem like ASUS plans to announce a smaller flagship this year, so the ZenFone 11 Ultra will be your alternative to the ZenFone 10 if you’d like to upgrade to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
As per usual, we’ll first take a look at their specifications, and will then move to various other categories. We’ll check out their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. There is plenty to talk about here, considering how different the two phones are, so let’s get to it.
Specs
ASUS ZenFone 10 vs ASUS ZenFone 11 Ultra, respectively
– Screen size:
5.92-inch Super AMOLED display (144Hz, HDR10+, 1,100 nits)
6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED 2X (flat, 144Hz, 2,500 nits max brightness)
– Display resolution:
2400 x 1080
2400 x 1080
– SoC:
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
– RAM:
8GB/16GB (LPDDR5X)
12GB/16GB (LPDDR5X)
– Storage:
128GB/256GB/512GB (UFS 4.0)
256GB/512GB (UFS 4.0)
– Rear cameras:
50MP (f/1.9 aperture, gimbal OIS), 13MP (f/2.2 aperture, 120-degree FoV)
50MP (wide, 24mm lens, gimbal OIS), 13MP (ultrawide, 120-degree FoV, f/2.2 aperture, 32MP (telephoto, 3x optical zoom, f/2.4 aperture)
– Front cameras:
32MP (f/2.5 aperture)
32MP (wide, f/2.5 aperture)
– Battery:
4,300mAh
5,500mAh
– Charging:
30W wired, 15W wireless, 5W reverse wired (charger included)
65W wired, 15W wireless, 10W reverse wired (charger not included)
– Dimensions:
146.5 x 68.1 x 9.4mm
163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9mm
– Weight:
172 grams
224 grams
– Connectivity:
5G, LTE, NFC, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, Bluetooth 5.3/5.4
– Security:
Side-facing fingerprint scanner
In-display fingerprint scanner (optical)
– OS:
Android 13 with ZenUI
Android 14 with ZenUI
– Price:
$699+
$899+
– Buy:
ASUS ZenFone 10 (Amazon)
ZenFone 11 Ultra (Amazon)
ASUS ZenFone 10 vs ASUS ZenFone 11 Ultra: Design
These two smartphones are not only different when it comes to size itself, but design as well. That goes for the overall look, and even the materials used. The ZenFone 10 is made out of metal and soft-touch plastic on the back. The ASUS ZenFone 11 Ultra utilizes a metal and glass build. The ZenFone 10 is a lot grippier than the ZenFone 11 Ultra, in addition to being a lot smaller. When we say a lot, we mean that.
The ZenFone 10 measures 146.5 x 68.1 x 9.4mm compared to 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9mm of the ZenFone 11 Ultra. It is a bit thicker than its sibling, but it’s a lot shorter and a lot narrower. The ZenFone 11 Ultra is a true behemoth of a phone. It’s also 52 grams heavier than the ZenFone 10. That will be a huge change if you upgrade from the ZenFone 10 to the ZenFone 11 Ultra, that’s for sure.
You will also notice that the ZenFone 10 has thicker bezels than the ZenFone 11 Ultra. Both phones have flat displays, but their display camera holes sit in different places. The ZenFone 10’s display camera hole sits in the top-left corner. The one on the ZenFone 11 Ultra is centered at the top. When we flip the two phones around, you’ll notice even more differences, as they have entirely different camera setups.
The ZenFone 10 has two separate, circular camera islands on the back. They’re vertically-aligned, and placed in the top-left corner. The ZenFone 11 Ultra has a single camera island, and it also sits in the top-left corner. Despite the fact it has one extra camera in there, it takes up less space than the ZenFone 10’s setup. Both smartphones are IP68 certified for water and dust resistance. The in-hand feel could not be more different, though. The ZenFone 11 Ultra is definitely not a phone for one-hand use in any way, shape, or form, unlike the ZenFone 10.
ASUS ZenFone 10 vs ASUS ZenFone 11 Ultra: Display
The ASUS ZenFone 10 features a 5.92-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) Super AMOLED display. That panel is flat, and it has a 144Hz refresh rate at its maximum. Do note that such a refresh rate will be available only in some games, in regular use, you’ll go up to 120Hz. The display does support HDR10+ content and goes up to 1,100 nits of brightness at its peak. The panel is protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus, and it has a 20:9 aspect ratio. The screen-to-body ratio is around 84%.
The ASUS ZenFone 11 Ultra, on the flip side, includes a 6.78-inch fullHD+ (2400 x 1080) LTPO AMOLED display. Its refresh rate also goes up to 120Hz during regular use, and up to 144Hz with some games. HDR10 content is supported, while the maximum brightness here is 2,500 nits. The display is flat, as is the one on the ZenFone 10. The display aspect ratio is 20:9, and the screen-to-body ratio is around 88%. The Gorilla Glass Victus 2 sits on top of the ZenFone 11 Ultra’s panel.
Both of these two panels are great in terms of being vivid, having great viewing angles, and being more than sharp enough. The scrolling is immensely smooth thanks to a high refresh rate, and the touch response is good. Both displays are on par in a number of ways, but the one on the ‘Ultra’ model does have one notable advantage. It comes with a considerably higher brightness, which you will notice when you’re using your phone outdoors especially.
ASUS ZenFone 10 vs ASUS ZenFone 11 Ultra: Performance
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC fuels the ZenFone 10. That is the company’s flagship processor for last year. It is still very powerful, though. The phone comes with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 flash storage. The ASUS ZenFone 11 Ultra is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the latest and greatest chip from Qualcomm. The device utilizes up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and it also uses UFS 4.0 flash storage.
Both smartphones performed great during regular use. They were snappy, multitasking was a breeze, and so was everything else you can think of. The ZenFone 11 Ultra didn’t really shine in some performance benchmarks, in terms of stability (3D Mark), but that doesn’t really mean anything. The phone offered outstanding performance, we didn’t really notice any lag or anything of the sort. The fact that it has rather light software (stock Android + useful additions by ASUS), only helps things. The same goes for the ZenFone 10, actually.
In terms of gaming, both phones deliver. Even when you run truly demanding games, such as Genshin Impact, both smartphones do their part really well. They both do get quite warm after a 1-hour gaming session of Genshin Impact, but we did not notice any hit on their performance or anything of the sort.
ASUS ZenFone 10 vs ASUS ZenFone 11 Ultra: Battery
The ASUS ZenFone 10 utilizes a 4,300mAh battery, and it offers outstanding battery life despite being a small phone. The ZenFone 11 Ultra comes with a 5,500mAh battery on the inside. Now, the ZenFone 11 Ultra didn’t really do a great job in our battery rundown test, but it provided really good battery life regardless. We were able to get over a day of use on a single charge with regular use.
The ZenFone 11 Ultra didn’t really match the ZenFone 10 in terms of battery life, though. That may be surprising for some of you, but the ZenFone 10 did offer outstanding battery life for us. Getting over 9 hours of screen-on-time is not that hard to achieve on this phone. We were even able to clock around 10 hours of screen-on-time on a couple of occasions. It’s easily the best battery life smartphone when it comes to more compact devices, that’s for sure. It can even trade blows with the best out there.
What about charging? Well, the ZenFone 10 supports 30W wired, 15W wireless, and 5W reverse wired charging. The ZenFone 11 Ultra supports 65W wired, 15W wireless, and 10W reverse wired charging. Do note that both phones support PD3.0 and PPS charging standards. Quick Charge 4.0 is supported by the ZenFone 10, and Quick Charge 5.0 by the ZenFone 11 Ultra. One thing to note is that the ZenFone 11 Ultra does not ship with a charger, unlike the ZenFone 10.
ASUS ZenFone 10 vs ASUS ZenFone 11 Ultra: Cameras
The ZenFone 10 has two cameras on the back. It has a 50-megapixel main camera, and a 13-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV). The ZenFone 11 Ultra comes with three cameras on its back. A 50-megapixel main camera is backed by a 13-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV), and a 32-megapixel telephoto camera (3x optical zoom). If you’ve been missing the telephoto camera on the ZenFone 10, you’ll be right at home with the ‘Ultra’ model.
Both main cameras support gimbal OIS and the stabilization is outstanding. Neither one of these two phones has outstanding camera performance when it comes to photos, though. Don’t get me wrong, they’re good, but they’re not great. When it comes to daylight shots, the detail levels could be slightly better on both phones, while some scenes do look quite processed. We also noticed excess sharpening, which is especially noticeable in some scenes. Both phones do like to tune up the saturation (the ZenFone 10 a bit more, though), so just keep that in mind. The HDR performance is very good, as is the white balance. They’re good overall, but just note that the processing is quite strong.
Images in low light do look good. The noise is kept at a minimum, and both phones tend to brighten up low-light scenes and are able to grab enough details from the shadows. They are both good in such situations, but not great. Their ultrawide cameras do follow the color science of the main cameras really well, but they’re a step below the main shooters. The telephoto camera on the ZenFone 11 Ultra does a good job, but it’s not outstanding by any means.
Audio
You’ll find a set of stereo speakers on both the ZenFone 10 and ZenFone 11 Ultra. The ones on the ZenFone 11 Ultra are slightly louder, but the difference is negligible. Both sets of speakers do a good job, though they’re not among the best around.
What may surprise you is that both smartphones come with an audio jack. If you want to connect your wired headphones, there you go. The ZenFone 10 also includes Bluetooth 5.3, while the ‘Ultra’ model supports Bluetooth 5.4 for wireless connections.
