Whether it’s a big or small Zenfone, they should be made accessible to more people

While last year’s rumors about the end of the Asus Zenfone series turned out to be false, those who were critical of the new Zenfone 11 Ultra may still think the reports were true in spirit. The massive new model certainly doesn’t look too similar to the almost uniquely compact Zenfone 10. Instead, it looks very similar inside and out to the late 2023 gaming-focused ROG Phone 8 Pro.

So, on the surface, we see a lot of Before the Zenfone 11 Ultra, it was hard to ignore the chorus of: “Is this really a Zenfone?” It wasn’t a very affordable, small yet powerful flagship that earned it a small cult following. I certainly miss last year’s Zenfone 10’s portability, grippy back, and clever use of form factors (such as the fingerprint swipe gesture) that made it one of the most compelling small phones on the market.

If you haven’t read our Zenfone 11 Ultra review yet, you’ll be happy to know that Asus is continuing to offer the familiar back-press gestures and UI-like features, as well as equipping the series with a more powerful triple-camera array and some new AI features . Asus claims that it wanted to bring all the best features of the Zenfone to customers who want a larger form factor, and it has successfully achieved that goal.

Whether this is the exact logic from higher-ups at ASUS headquarters, we can only imagine. What we do know is that while Asus has impressive hardware and solid reviews, it doesn’t have the all-important carrier and store partnerships to help get more Zenfones into consumers’ hands. You can’t walk into a store and buy one, which limits Zenfone’s reach to only those who already know about it.

Historically delayed U.S. shipping dates also don’t help generate the enthusiasm needed for the market’s preference for iPhones and, to a lesser extent, Galaxys. To be honest, usability is more of a hindrance to the Zenfone competing with the best flagship phones than hardware-related factors. Asus isn’t the only company doing this. We’ve seen other brands, such as Sony’s Xperia series, encounter similar difficulties in the US market.

Of course, we don’t know Asus’s sales figures. But assuming the smaller Zenfone doesn’t completely change the units needed to sustain development (Asus says it’s happy with the Zenfone 10), reusing the ROG’s design and internals is a reasonable way to cut costs. In the past, other compact phones have struggled to break into the market. Even Apple’s iPhone SE hasn’t changed the numbers of its larger siblings.

If the rumors have any truth to them and Zenfone survives, we might be looking at a more mainstream version of the ROG in the future. Stripping away the phone’s niche gaming features like RGB lighting, shoulder triggers, and a second USB-C port leaves room for novel ideas like glass materials, advanced camera technology, and artificial intelligence abstraction.

While it would be a shame to lose the compact form factor, a powerful $899 flagship — cheaper than the Galaxy S24 Plus and Pixel 8 Pro — is a welcome addition to an industry that has become rather complacent with large flagships. Said it was undoubtedly a victory. While it’s tempting to focus on Asus’ product portfolio, it’s worth remembering what the Zenfone 11 Ultra offers in the grand scheme of things. With its large display, fast charging, great performance, and flexible camera, it’s hard to ignore at this price. As long as you know where to buy the phone, of course.

Still, all of this debate is likely to be a moot point. The little Zenfone 10 is less than a year old, so it’s too early to talk about the demise of the little Asus phone. It’s also launching in July 2023, so there’s still a chance we could see the compact Zenfone 11 launch mid-year. There’s nothing in Asus’ manual that suggests it can’t have both a small and large Zenfone, and the Ultra moniker leaves compact fans hopeful that we might see another entry in the range in the near future.