I tried the new 12 Ultra, but it just made me miss the little ASUS Zenfone

Despite their cult following, I know compact phones don’t sell well. Don’t ask me why; they just don’t. Between Sony’s Compact range, the iPhone Mini series, and smaller ASUS Zenfone models, plenty have tried and failed to make smaller phones a mainstream success. The iPhone SE is still kicking around, but only really because it’s a cheap way to buy Apple cred. Still, having spent a couple of weeks with the ASUS Zenfone 12 Ultra, I’m really missing the little Zenfone 10 (again).

It’s not that the gigantic Ultra is a lousy phone. It’s a bit overpriced but offers exceptional battery life, brilliant charging, and top-tier performance. It also has room for a telephoto camera, whereas the smaller Zenfone 10 has a more limited main/ultrawide combo. Bigger is almost always better when you rattle through core specs and other metrics that are often thought of as making for a great handset. It’s what makes those gigantic Ultras, well, ultra, after all.