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Head to head

ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra leads 10 to 6 on the 16 rankable specs, but ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra costs $400 less.

Catalog as of September 1, 2026

Why, in numbers

Manufacturer list price, not a live offer. Confirm current pricing before you buy.

ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra
$8996 spec wins
Swap
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
$1,29910 spec wins
Swap

Buying for

Every rankable spec counts once. Pick a lens to score only what matters for your phone.

Your devices

Select your ecosystem to flag non-functional features or platform lock-in.

Straight answer

Overall: 6 to 10

Buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

  • Leads 10 of 16 rankable overall specs; ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra takes 6.
  • Weight: 219 g vs 224 g
  • Size: 6.9 inches vs 6.78 inches
  • ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra is $400 cheaper. Pay the difference only if weight matters to you.

Check first: the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has no headphone jack. Tick them under deal-breakers if that rules it out.

6 ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra16 rankable of 48 specsSamsung Galaxy S25 Ultra 10

Deal-breakers

tick what would make you walk away

  • row

    No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.

    Trips:ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra · NoClear:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · Yes (built-in S Pen with Bluetooth LE)
  • row

    Wired headphones need a USB-C dongle.

    Clear:ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra · Yes (3.5 mm Hi-Res audio output)Trips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · No
  • row

    Budget another $20 to $40 for a fast charger.

    Trips:ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · No
  • row

    Security patches stop sooner and resale value falls faster.

    Trips:ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra · 2 major OS updates + 4 years security p…Clear:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · 7 generations of OS upgrades & 7 years…
  • row

    Storage is fixed at what you buy.

    Trips:ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra · NoTrips:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra · No

At a glance

The handful of numbers that decide most purchases in this category.

6 of 6 differ

Weight

ASUS

224 g

Samsung

219 g (7.72 oz)

Size

ASUS

6.78 inches

Samsung

6.9 inches

Chipset

ASUS

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm)

Samsung

Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm)

RAM

ASUS

16 GB LPDDR5X

Samsung

12 GB (16 GB option)

Max optical zoom

ASUS

3x optical (30x digital HyperClarity zoom)

Samsung

5x optical zoom (10x optical quality, 100x Space Zoom)

Capacity

ASUS

5,500 mAh

Samsung

5,000 mAh

The 90-Day Owner Regret Check

Documented ergonomic quirks, hardware annoyances, and maintenance realities reported by real owners.

Post-Purchase Truths

ASUS: What to watch for

  • Hidden Cost

    No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.

    Packaging contains only a Type-C cable; high-speed wall charging bricks must be purchased separately if you do not already own one.

Samsung: What to watch for

  • Hidden Cost

    No wall charging adapter included in the retail box.

    Packaging contains only a Type-C cable; high-speed wall charging bricks must be purchased separately if you do not already own one.

Body

leads 2-0
Body specifications. Middle column is ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Dimensions163.8 × 76.8 × 8.9 mm162.8 × 77.6 × 8.2 mm
Weight224 g219 g (7.72 oz) (wins this row: lower)
BuildGorilla Glass Victus 2 front, matte glass back, aluminum frameTitanium frame with Gorilla Armor 2 front and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back
Water / dust ratingIP68 (1.5 m / 30 min)IP68 (up to 1.5m for 30 mins)
ColorsSkyline Blue, Eternal Black, Misty Grey, Desert SandTitanium Silverblue, Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Whitesilver
StylusNoYes (built-in S Pen with Bluetooth LE) (wins this row: has it)

Display

leads 4-0
Display specifications. Middle column is ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
TypeLTPO AMOLED, 144Hz for gamingDynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X
Size6.78 inches6.9 inches (wins this row: higher)
Resolution1080 × 2400 (FHD+)3120 × 1440 (QHD+) (wins this row: higher)
Pixel density~388 ppi505 ppi (wins this row: higher)
Refresh rate1–120 Hz LTPO (up to 144 Hz in Game Genie)120 Hz (1–120Hz LTPO)
Peak brightness2,500 nits peak / 1,600 nits HBM2,600 nits peak (wins this row: higher)
HDRHDR10HDR10+, HLG
ProtectionCorning Gorilla Glass Victus 2Corning Gorilla Armor 2 (anti-reflective)
Always-on displayYesYes

Platform

5 differences
Platform specifications. Middle column is ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Operating systemAndroid 14 with ZenUIAndroid 15 (One UI 7)
Software support2 major OS updates + 4 years security patches7 generations of OS upgrades & 7 years security updates
ChipsetSnapdragon 8 Gen 3 (4 nm)Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy (3 nm)
CPU8-core (1× Cortex-X4 + 5× A720 + 2× A520)8-core Oryon CPU (2× 4.47 GHz Prime + 6× 3.53 GHz Performance)
GPUAdreno 750Adreno 830

Memory

leads 2-0
Memory specifications. Middle column is ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
RAM16 GB LPDDR5X (wins this row: higher)12 GB (16 GB option)
Storage512 GB UFS 4.0 (wins this row: higher)256 GB
Storage options256 GB / 512 GB256 GB, 512 GB, 1 TB (UFS 4.0)
microSDNoNo

Rear camera

leads 4-0
Rear camera specifications. Middle column is ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Main50 MP Sony IMX890, f/1.9, 24 mm, 6-Axis Gimbal OIS 3.0200 MP (f/1.7, 24mm, 1/1.3", multi-directional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS) (wins this row: higher)
Ultrawide13 MP, f/2.2, 120° free-form lens50 MP (f/1.9, 120° FOV, Dual Pixel PDAF, macro) (wins this row: higher)
Telephoto32 MP, f/2.4, 3x optical zoom, OIS50 MP 5x periscope (f/3.4, 115mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) + 50 MP 3x (f/2.4, 67mm, Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS) (wins this row: higher)
Max optical zoom3x optical (30x digital HyperClarity zoom)5x optical zoom (10x optical quality, 100x Space Zoom) (wins this row: higher)
Stabilization6-Axis Gimbal OIS on main + OIS on telephotoOIS on main and both telephoto cameras
Video8K 24 fps, 4K 30/60 fps with Gimbal Stabilization8K at 30 fps, 4K at 30/60/120 fps, HDR10+, 10-bit LOG video

Front camera

leads 1-0
Front camera specifications. Middle column is ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Selfie camera32 MP RGBW sensor, f/2.5 (wins this row: higher)12 MP (f/2.2, 26mm, Dual Pixel PDAF)
Selfie video1080p 30 fps4K at 30/60 fps

Battery & charging

leads 2-0
Battery & charging specifications. Middle column is ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Capacity5,500 mAh (wins this row: higher)5,000 mAh
Wired chargingNot on the official sheet65 W HyperCharge (100% in 39 min) (wins this row: higher)45W fast wired charging (up to 65% in 30 min)
Wireless charging15 W Qi wireless15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0
Reverse wireless10 W reverse wired4.5W Wireless PowerShare
Charger in boxNoNo

Audio

leads 1-0
Audio specifications. Middle column is ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
SpeakersDual stereo speakers with Dirac Virtuo audioStereo speakers tuned by AKG
Headphone jackYes (3.5 mm Hi-Res audio output) (wins this row: has it)No

Connectivity

6 differences
Connectivity specifications. Middle column is ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Cellular5G (sub-6)5G (sub-6 GHz and mmWave)
Wi-FiWi-Fi 7Wi-Fi 7 (802.11be tri-band)
BluetoothBluetooth 5.4 with aptX LosslessBluetooth 5.4
NFCYesYes (Samsung Pay / Google Pay)
USBUSB-C 2.0 (side display/charging)USB-C 3.2 Gen 1 (DisplayPort video out)
SIMDual nano-SIMDual eSIM / Nano-SIM + eSIM

Features

3 differences
Features specifications. Middle column is ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra, right column is Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
BiometricsIn-display fingerprint sensor + Face unlockUltrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor + 2D Face unlock
Extra controlsGame Genie gaming overlay toolbarS Pen air gestures
Standout features6-Axis Hybrid Gimbal 3.0, 3.5mm jack, AI Call Translator, AI TranscriptBuilt-in S Pen, Galaxy AI 2.0 (Now Brief, Live Translate, Sketch to Image), Anti-reflective Gorilla Armor 2, Samsung DeX
Most rows are from the official spec sheet. Marked rows are other published figures or our summary, not lab tests we ran.

Which one should you buy

Pick this one if

ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra

Large-screen flagship with 6-Axis Hybrid Gimbal Stabilizer 3.0, 3.5mm audio jack, and 5500mAh battery.

  • Built-in 3.5mm headphone jack with Hi-Res Audio certification
  • 6-Axis Hybrid Gimbal Stabilizer 3.0 for silky video recording
  • Massive 5,500 mAh battery with 65W HyperCharge

What you give up

  • Software support limited to 2 OS updates and 4 years security
  • Telephoto camera performance trails Samsung/Apple in low light

Pick this one if

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Flagship titanium smartphone with Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, built-in S Pen, 200MP quad camera with 50MP ultrawide and 50MP 5x telephoto, and Galaxy AI.

  • Top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite 3nm custom Galaxy performance
  • Upgraded 50MP ultra-wide and dual 50MP telephoto sensors with 200MP main
  • Corning Gorilla Armor 2 anti-reflective display and built-in S Pen stylus

What you give up

  • Premium $1,299 starting price
  • Wired charging remains at 45W

Best for each use

Photos

Camera first: zoom reach, sensors, stabilisation and video

For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

  • Leads 4 of 5 rankable photos specs; ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra takes 1.
  • Max optical zoom: 5x optical zoom vs 3x optical
  • Main: 200 MP vs 50 MP Sony IMX890, f/1.9, 24 mm, 6-Axis…
  • ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra is $400 cheaper. Pay the difference only if max optical zoom matters to you.

Battery & updates

All-day battery, fast top-ups and years of software support

For battery & updates, buy the ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra.

  • Leads 2 of 2 rankable battery & updates specs.
  • Capacity: 5,500 mAh vs 5,000 mAh
  • Wired charging: 65 W HyperCharge vs 45W fast wired charging
  • It is also $400 cheaper.

Games & video

Games and streaming: chip, refresh rate, brightness, speakers

For games & video, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

  • Leads 2 of 3 rankable games & video specs; ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra takes 1.
  • Size: 6.9 inches vs 6.78 inches
  • Peak brightness: 2,600 nits peak vs 2,500 nits peak / 1,600 nits HBM
  • ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra is $400 cheaper. Pay the difference only if size matters to you.

Every answer above is scored from published figures. A lens uses only the rows that matter for that use, including marked rows that are not on the official sheet. Switch lenses interactively in the panel above.

Done deciding?

Open the full standalone spec sheet for either device.

Manufacturer pages: ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra · Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Common questions

Which is cheaper, the ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?

ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra costs $400 less at list price.

What is the biggest catch with the ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra or Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?

ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra has this deal-breaker: no stylus. No pen input for handwritten notes or markup.

Which is better for photos, the ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra or the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra?

For photos, buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Leads 4 of 5 rankable photos specs; ASUS Zenfone 11 Ultra takes 1. Max optical zoom: 5x optical zoom vs 3x optical

What cannot be compared from spec sheets?

Of the 48 specs tracked here, 32 are descriptive and cannot be ranked on numbers alone. Spec sheets also cannot measure subjective factors like build quality, real-world performance, or comfort.

Other matchups