Weekly poll results: the Zenfone 12 Ultra suffers because Asus offers only 2 OS updates
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- Anonymous
- D$p
- 20 Feb 2025
Anonymous, 17 Feb 2025It almost seems like Asus want to blame everything else exc... moreTCL must surely take the throne for useless committment to OS upgrades.
- S I R E
- XPx
- 17 Feb 2025
Anonymous, 17 Feb 2025Stop giving free pass to lame excuses. People here just s... moreWell, I haven't personally came across a comment saying current gen is outdated or they did not buy because a phone was made of plastic and/or any of your other unique scenarios but as someone who did give a phone without audio jack a more than fair chance (5+ ywars with OP 7 Pro) I regret buying thqt phone, not because it was an overall bad phone but I just cannot get by without audio jacks. I bought the top end variant with 256 gigs of storage and 12 gigs of ram and in terms of performance I was not disappointed until October last year when it abruptly died just like previous OnePlus phones I had. I had to manage storage every month or so since even 256 wouldn't suffice, I do own a type C USB drive (another 256 gigs) but I do not carry it around our of concern that I may lose it which is not something you can aay about SD Cards in your phone. I bought medium end bluetooth daps (FiiO BTR1) but although the aound quality was acceptable the latency is abysmal and even with (at the time) such a powerful phone my gaming experience was completely shattered. The curved edges were always a pain catching all sorts of reflections and so I have decided never to buy another phone like so. Now to the iPhone Mini, I hate small phones and against all my pleads, my sister got an iPhone 12 Mini and let me tell ya, she never uses that thing, it has horrendous battery life and surprisingly bad performance even compared to my then alive OP 7 Pro I'm talking basic animations lagging, basic apps like docs and gmail crashing crashing, horrible cell reception and Wi-Fi stability. She uses her much larger office Android phone more than her own iPhone.
So I have real world experience with these niche devices and they do have real downsides even if it may not seem that way initially.
Sony phones and near impossible to get here in my country and importing one would cost me at least $1400 before importation duties and so even though I actually love Xperia 1 VI, it is too expensive. Nobody should have to jump through so many hoops just for a decent phone and btw I find 1 Mark VI a tad smaller than I'd like.
I can't find any examples of the things you mention but let's take it at face value. You still cannot deny the fact that Phones offer vastly lower value than they ever did and malicious practices like removing hardware features like audio jack, SD Card slot, outdated USB versions, optical fingerprint reader (less secure than cheaper and faster capacitive fingerprint reader).
It is near impossible to find a phone at a good price. And even more so when you think about poor RMAs with overseas purchases.
I tried giving up on performance and getting the Moto G stylus 2025 but it is NA exclusive, tried giving up on ergonomics and wait for Ulephone Armor 28 Ultra but it is $1400 with no word on bootloader unlock ability or official software support, tried giving up on the entice phone scene and go for galaxy tab active 5 but thqts another NA exclusive.
These are real world neuters, you can't be serious if you're looking oast obvious malpractices like these.
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- Anonymous
- 0p}
- 17 Feb 2025
S I R E, 17 Feb 2025So you'll blame everyone but brands making key cutdown... moreStop giving free pass to lame excuses. People here just say they wanted phone A and B to troll. In the end all use iphone or galaxy.
Nobody has ever complained Xperia Compact had almost same price of large version despite some cuts ( plastic frame, less ram, lower res screen) but claims iphone 12/13 mini ( same frame material, same amount of ram/storage, FHD screen) was not worth for costing only $100 less than 12/13 when only difference was size and battery capacity.
Not buying phone just because of it lacks the highest tier SoC is too lame. None of them would avoiding latest 8 series if price of chip hadn't increased 5x in 5 years ( SD865 was $40) .
People here want a phone with 5.8" 20:9 screen , but with same internals of those 6.8". Physically impossible.
Price is not issue. Just excuse. Many phones announced in January - April get 30-40% cheaper by end of the year. They still don't buy and claim it is better to wait for next SoC , call the current outdated. Ridiculous!!
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- Anonymous
- nx1
- 17 Feb 2025
It almost seems like Asus want to blame everything else except their horrendous software support. It genuinely seems like they've not grasped that software support IS part of what customers are paying for, so a flagship price without flagship quality support is just asking to fail. Hell, I think Asus probably have one of the worst software commitments in the entire Android market.
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- benben
- X{x
- 17 Feb 2025
what kinda m0ron would make a thick brick at huge size in 2025. If you are not interested in mobile phone innovation, why make them half hearted? just close down the phone R&D department instead wasting time on craps like this. What happen to the mid tier series like the M1 and M2? they did way better at a reasonable price point. I had respect for Asus back then for making value for money phones with decent quality. The cameras were decent in Max pro M2. I still have it keeping it as a memory.
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- Krystle
- 0xd
- 17 Feb 2025
DerLuke, 17 Feb 2025Release it for 650€ and it won't fail. Simple as that Exactly. Right now in Europe I can buy 16/512 GB version for €1.074,00 (with 11% cash discount). It's just too much.
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- GamerishTechNerd
- eCg
- 17 Feb 2025
Asus mobile division's collapse is already showing. Their ROG Phones are all about overpricing without offering something new aside from the processor and the gimmicky 185Hz refresh rate that even a single game supports. They even rebadged their unsold ROG Phone 8 units as ROG Phone 9FE, still more expensive lol. You can even get the best bang for the buck RedMagic10Pro for just $649 a beastly gaming and performance phone.
Their Zenfone line is just a rebadged ROG Phone with slight design changes and everything is the same. I am still an Asus fan in laptops, I used and love my Asus TUF and was a former ROG and Zenfone user before I switched to the awesome RedMagic phones now which is super beastly for the price.
Nothing can be said now in their mobile division that's struggling already and dying.
- S I R E
- KgQ
- 17 Feb 2025
Anonymous, 16 Feb 2025Exactly. People here will always make excuses to justify wh... moreSo you'll blame everyone but brands making key cutdowns on features and services that would in most cases barely increase the devices price but hold billion dollar companies accountable for their insatiable greed.
Wonder if I can get away with making weirdly neutered products just off of customers like you who fight for wasting their money instead of asking for proper value.
All the pleasure and no guilt.
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- rohitmishra
- CbG
- 17 Feb 2025
If they make a compact version, or bring more variety, obviously more people will like to buy it. Right now it's just a ROG phone.
It's huge like every other phone but has nothing special about it, it has that ugly Mickey mouse camera island, and it sells in like two countries.
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- Anonymous
- nZW
- 16 Feb 2025
Anonymous, 16 Feb 2025Correction: Asus offers only ONE variant of the Zenfone 12.... moreYeah I think this plays a big role aswell.
Something I dont understand, the statistic isnt so much about the OS updates, more people want a compact phone and the Zenfones prior to the 11 offered just that.
Strong phone with great features packed into a compact format. Ofc pricing will be off but still, you got a great phone at the end that was one-handable...
That would be a dream nowerdays, rn I am waiting for the Oppo Mini to see if thats any good...
Ffs Asus just give us a compact phone with good internals and price it like the iPhone idc anymore at this point...
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- Birdie
- 0xY
- 16 Feb 2025
Anonymous, 16 Feb 2025>Exactly. People here will always make excuses to justif... more "xiaomi is probably deliberately even selling those phones cheap just so they can fullfill mass chipset orders and keep their bulk pricing down."
Manufacturers do this to enter new markets. However, some models are also designed differently for different regions. For example, certain Xiaomi models have larger batteries and chargers in the Chinese market in contrast to the EU market. Some of these differences result from regulations, while others are part of the manufacturer's strategy to maximize profits in specific markets.
- B
- Birdie
- 0xY
- 16 Feb 2025
Anonymous, 16 Feb 2025Yeah, these are excuses.
1) iphone 13 mini has exactly... moreNo, these are not excuses but objective reasons necessary for making the decision to buy or not to buy a new smartphone. I still emphasize the importance of personal preferences and budget limitations, which cannot be overlooked.
1.) Market segmentation and sales margins. Manufacturers earn more per unit by selling top-tier models than they do on entry-level models. Take Xiaomi, for instance—it offers phones for all market segments. It earns almost nothing on A3 models but makes a significant profit on Ultra models.
2.) I still believe that spending over 1,000 (dollars, euros, etc.) on a smartphone is a waste of money unless:
a.) The buyer can fully utilize every feature of the device.
b.) The phone is used to generate income.
For example, I have a battery-powered screwdriver that works perfectly for small repairs at home but is unsuitable for professional use. So why would I buy a professional-grade tool for occasional use? People are inherently egocentric. Manufacturers, on the other hand, are driven by profit—that’s the reason they exist. Ultimately, the value of a purchase is for the individual to decide.
Some people struggle to make rational purchasing decisions and are instead influenced by marketing and sales tactics. Many willingly accept this and don’t complain. Some even buy top-tier phones on installment plans over two years, making it difficult to upgrade before the contract ends. Certain telecom providers offer early buy-in options before the contract expires, drawing customers into another long-term commitment. Personally, I avoid this, but I know people who are completely fine with it.
Samsung provides two years of major software upgrades and four years of security updates for its low-tier phones (e.g., A06). Meanwhile, models like the A25 and higher receive up to four generations of OS updates and five years of security patches. This means that even relatively inexpensive phones (as well as flagship models) purchased in the last year can rely on long-term support. Two years of support was once the industry standard, but today, that is no longer sufficient to attract new buyers.
Stable updates: The same applies to Xiaomi. An OS update was originally scheduled for December but has been delayed until March, which is fine—I prefer stable updates.
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- Anonymous
- 0p}
- 16 Feb 2025
Anonymous, 16 Feb 2025>Exactly. People here will always make excuses to justif... moreObviously. Chinese brands surely are getting more units of 8 Elite than they plan to use now , so they can use next year while still getting better prices from qualcomm.
This is why you see bizarre phones with 8g2 paired with 8mp/5mp superwide/depth, gorilla 5 or 7i ( rebranded 6) , IP54 , $20 oled , usb 2.0
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- Anonymous
- 0p}
- 16 Feb 2025
Birdie, 16 Feb 2025These are not excuses; they are personal preferences and bu... moreYeah, these are excuses.
1) iphone 13 mini has exactly same internals of iphone 13 , except battery. Why it should be $300 cheaper when its costs is not $300 less than regular iphone?
2) nobody that spends over $1000 on cellphone is going to use it for 5-7 years. Greedy people spend that much on phone and surely gonna buy another 15, 20 or 26 months later. As someone that had chance of using long software support ( iPad) , it is not worth.
Nobody would be here demanding other brands to offer 5 android versions ( that never bring anything interesting lately) if Samsung was still giving 2.
People has lately fiund way to give free pass for fact S24 Ultra may not get android 15 before early April, when stable version should be out since December
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- Anonymous
- k9t
- 16 Feb 2025
YUKI93, 16 Feb 2025I doubt it. Like LG, Asus still makes laptops and PCs.So hes right
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- arnabJ
- U{A
- 16 Feb 2025
Anonymous, 16 Feb 2025Exactly. People here will always make excuses to justify wh... moreCouldn't have summerized it any better myself.
Sad this is the way of the world now.
People not only want a dream product but at a dream price of free.
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- Anonymous
- tRm
- 16 Feb 2025
Anonymous, 16 Feb 2025Exactly. People here will always make excuses to justify wh... more>Exactly. People here will always make excuses to justify wht not buying.
true - people complaining about price always point to xiaomi/realme barebones phone where they put the latest chipset in phone and cut EVERYTHING else out
then they want asus/others to add EVERYTHING else back in and then sell it for cheaper than xiaomi = HAHAH ok.
xiaomi is probably deliberately even selling those phones cheap just so they can fullfill mass chipset orders and keep their bulk pricing down. Thats how they think they can win.
Asus cant order 20million chipsets at a discount like xiaomi can.
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- Anonymous
- nw}
- 16 Feb 2025
Anonymous, 16 Feb 2025Asus is finished. Your 3310 finish and u need new one