Betting your next smartphone almost entirely on AI is a big risk and one that hasn’t paid off for any smartphone so far this year. The HONOR Magic 7 Pro was undermined by leaning too heavily on underbaked features, while the Samsung Galaxy S25 series is a stale upgrade unless you’re big into Galaxy AI. The ASUS Zenfone 12 Ultra also hinges its sales pitch virtually entirely on AI, and while I don’t think that was particularly wise either, ASUS has at least shown how to give users a proper choice when it comes to AI privacy, and I think everyone should take notes.
The key is that nearly all ASUS’ AI features can run either online or offline — the exception being Google’s Circle to Search, which is always online. In contrast, Call Translator and imaging features always run locally. So whether you’re removing a photo bomber or summarizing some notes, you control how your data is handled. It’s hard to put a price on that level of privacy at a time when it’s increasingly clear that the parent companies can use anything you share with online AI. Having the option to run all of your phone’s AI tools locally is essential.