2024 marks the death of the unique smartphone?

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Let’s kick it off with the gaming ROG beasts — with large screens, over the top specs, and big bezels that serve two purposes — they hold front-firing stereo speakers and they allow you to wrap your hands around and use the gaming triggers it has on the sides.



In 2024, the ROG Phone 8 came with a uniform thin bezel all around the screen. The stereo speakers are in the format of bottom woofer and earpiece driver — just like pretty much every other flagship out there (save for Xperia). And the ultrasonic gaming triggers are still there, but it’s just harder to hold the phone like a gaming console.

The Aero Active Cooler accessory dropped the subwoofer feature — it was brand-new in last year's ROG Phone 7, and was awesome. Then, it was erased as quick as that.

It was all over Asus’ marketing that the ROG Phone 8 is trying to break out of its “gaming smartphone” niche and draw in the more “casual” users. Upgrades were added to the camera, now equipped with a physical gimbal for stabilization. Unfortunately, it couldn’t snap images as good as the top-tier flagships out there.



So, we got a worse gaming experience, worse speakers, and a camera that doesn’t perform at the level of other flagships — and the ROG Phone 8 is definitely up there in price. Not a good move? Probably — the fans didn’t like it, and we don’t see the ROG Phone 8 pulling in anyone from the mainstream.

But if that was the stab, the ZenFone 11 Ultra was the twist. The past few years, ZenFones were holding strong as the only compact Android flagship you can buy — kind of like the iPhone mini on the Android side. With a 5.9-inch, 20:9 screen, it was easy to use with a single hand, easy to pocket.



Unfortunately, it seems they weren’t selling well enough, even if they were so unique and basically the first thing that comes to mind when someone asks me to recommend “a smaller phone”.

The ZenFone 11 Ultra pulled a wild U-turn and came out with a massive 6.78-inch screen. In fact, it’s got similar shape, size, and design accents as the ROG Phone 8 — the only thing it lacks are gaming triggers on the side frame. Same processor, a 144 Hz screen, the same camera specs — the ZenFone 11 Ultra is just a ROG Phone Lite at this point, and if you are wondering “Why does it exist?”, so am I really.



So, in one year, Asus managed to shock two different groups of fans — the ROG enthusiasts who love the size of a ROG Phone that feels more like a handheld console than a phone, and the ZenFone fans, who were holding dearly to what looks like the last “compact flagship” phone out there.

All to produce two versions of the same phone, designed to conform to the market. And, again — still expensive, now less unique.

It’s all a shame, really. In 2024, smartphone differences are boiling down to… what material was the phone made of? Matte or glossy finish? And the pre-baked software they come with.

Final word

I am not standing on a soapbox here, claiming that Sony and Asus are doing the wrong thing — if they are looking for ways to gain more eyes on their products — hey, I hope they get them. The Xperia sheds some of its super-premium spec, but still managed to retain some of its signature flare. But, I do feel like the ROG Phone / ZenFone combo was a bit of a misfire — the move was abrupt, and in the opposite direction of what both brands stand for.

Now, of course, foldables also pop to mind. We are seeing the same homogenization in the foldable smartphone space as well, currently. Samsung wanted the external screen of the Z Fold series to be super narrow and tall — the “one hand use screen” — but more and more manufacturers are making foldables thin and wide. Feeling like regular-sized smartphones, with the added benefit of a big screen inside. And, rumor has it, that the Galaxy Z Fold 6 may… fold under that pressure, and look slightly more like a Pixel Fold. We’ll see, though.