ROG Phone | Gaming Phones｜ROG
Game Changer
Epic performance. Unbeatable visuals. Total control.
World-beating
2.96GHz speed-binned
Qualcomm® SDM845
Innovative GameCool
vapor-chamber
cooling system
Ultrafast 90Hz display
with 1ms response time
AMOLED screen
with HDR visuals
Ultra-responsive
AirTriggers and
advanced haptics
Unique handling design
with side-mounted port
A new era of mobile gaming has dawned. An era where you take full control, where every sense is heightened, where every sinew is ready for the fray. With pure ROG gaming DNA at its core, ROG Phone breaks every rule to go where rivals fear to tread. This is a phone built to win: its world-beating, speed-binned 2.96GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform and Adreno 630 GPU deliver epic performance, its unique GameCool vapor-chamber cooling system — with detachable AeroActive Cooler for an extra cooling boost — sustains high frame rates in the heat of battle, and its no-compromise AMOLED display blends blazing speed with gorgeous visuals. The ultra-comfortable design features unique side-mounted ports, and the enhanced, ultra-responsive game controls — including programmable ultrasonic AirTriggers and advanced haptics — let you focus all your skills on the game, giving you the edge you need for total domination. ROG Phone will change your game — forever.
Design
Engineered for battle
Using a combination of tough, precision-crafted 2.5D- and 3D-curved Corning® Gorilla® Glass with diamond-cut highlights and copper detailing, the metal-framed, water-resistant ROG Phone combines battle-hardened construction with a supremely comfortable gaming grip for an unrivaled gaming experience. ROG Phone feel instantly good in your hand, ready and waiting for the call of duty.
2.5D
Front
Corning® Gorilla® Glass 6
2X
Better
drop-test survivability1
3D
Rear
Corning® Gorilla® Glass
Bold
futuristic styling
Performance
The ultra-performer
ROG never compromises, especially when it comes to performance.
ROG Phone takes mobile gaming performance to the next level, with each and every component optimized for a lag-free, responsive experience. Each octa-core Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845 Mobile Platform CPU is speed-binned and specially selected for maximum performance — including sustained clock speeds of up to an incredible 2.96GHz — and the Adreno™ 630 GPU is a gaming powerhouse, with graphics performance outstripping the previous generation by up to 30%. ROG Phone delivers consistent, smooth and stable frame rates with no lag, even during the toughest marathons. And since performance means nothing if your internet connection is slow, ROG Phone also packs ultrafast wireless connectivity in its inventory, including Cat 18 LTE and the latest 802.11ad gigabit-class Wi-Fi.
SDM845
World’s fastest2 10nm octa-core
Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845
Mobile Platform
2.96GHz
Speed-binned
2.96GHz SDM845
Adreno™630
GPU
30%
Faster graphics3
30%
Higher graphics
power efficiency3
2.
5X
Faster
display throughput3
8GB
Up to 8GB RAM
512GB
Up to 512GB ROM
Cat18
Up to 1.2Gbps
Cat 18 LTE downloads
802.11ad
Up to 4.6Gbps Wi-Fi speeds
ROG GameCool System
Play cool!
A high-end phone running graphics-intense, fast-paced AAA action games can generate a killer amount of heat. As well as being uncomfortable to hold, a hot phone is a slow phone: thermal throttling can bring even the fastest CPU to its knees and turn your battle royale into a freeze-frame wipeout. ROG Phone is built from the ground up to run smoothly even when the action gets frenetic: its exclusive GameCool system features highly efficient 3D vapor-chamber cooling inside, enhanced with a copper heat spreader and carbon cooling pads on the circuit board for maximum cooling performance.
The powerful AeroActive Cooler gives you an instant extra cooling boost whenever you need maximum sustained performance from ROG Phone.
Its four-speed fan system can cool the surface of the phone by up to 4.7°C, keeping both the phone and your hands cool during those marathon sessions.
-4.7°C
Lower
surface temperature
16X
Vapor-chamber cooling
with 16x-larger4
heat-dissipation area
60%
Improved
CPU cooling efficiency5
5X
Longer
peak endurance
Carbon cooling pad
Copper heat spreader
3D vapor-chamber
Display
No-compromises: blazing speed and gorgeous visuals
The ultimate gaming phone deserves the ultimate display — something that the ROG gaming heritage makes us uniquely qualified to deliver. ROG Phone uses an ultrafast AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a jaw-dropping 1ms pixel response time for blur-free visuals that are as smooth as silk. With a wide 108.6% DCI-P3 (sRGB 145%) color gamut, colors are incredibly vivid too, so game worlds look as glorious as they were intended, and HDR visuals with a 100,000:1 contrast ratio help reveal every hidden detail in the shadows.
108.6% DCI-P3
wide color gamut
90Hz
Refresh rate
1ms
Ultrafast
pixel response time
HDR
Visuals
100,000:1
Contrast ratio
deviceorientation
Display
Side-mounted Ports
Gaming comfort, by design
Charging a phone while you’re playing is almost guaranteed to hurt your game: standard phone layout makes it impossibly awkward. With ROG Phone, we threw the design book away and started from scratch, optimizing the layout for landscape-mode gaming. The result is a revelation, with an additional side-mounted custom USB-C™ connector that supports direct charging, HDMI output, gigabit LAN and headphones. And when the AeroActive Cooler is deployed, you get a side-mounted USB-C port and 3.5mm headphone jack for unhindered gameplay. The side connector’s also used for exclusive expansion modules, including the Mobile Desktop Dock and TwinView Dock. With ROG Phone, you can game in total comfort!
48 Pin Customized connector
with USB 3.
0 Type-C +
special-speced port
Type-C USB connector
3.5mm audio jack
Side-mounted ports
Ultrasonic AirTriggers & Advanced Haptics
Take control!
In any game, precise control is the key to victory, but the lack of physical buttons on phones means your thumbs have to work overtime. Unless you have a ROG Phone, that is! ROG Phone is designed to give you a more console-like gaming experience, with three unique ultrasonic AirTrigger touch sensors. Two of these ultra-responsive sensors are optimized as left/right triggers at the top of the display for landscape-mode gaming (the third is designed for use in portrait mode), and they’re fully programmable to activate any available on-screen action: aiming, firing, inventory selection, steering, navigating — in fact, anything that normally requires a screen tap. With ROG Phone, you gain two extra fingers to control gameplay, giving you the edge over your poor thumb-bound rivals! As AirTriggers use ultrasonic technology, they only need a feather-light touch, too — just 20g compared to rival touch-sensitive controls that need up to 4x the force.
Ultrasonic AirTriggers
Audio
Truly immersive stereo sound
Intense gaming action demands superbly detailed and immersive sound if you’re going stay one step ahead of your adversaries. ROG Phone delivers truly incredible and immersive audio, with ultra-powerful front-facing stereo speakers driven by smart amplifiers that maximize volume and minimize distortion. The 24-bit/192KHz audio engine supports Hi-Res Audio files. Whether you’re using speakers or headphones, the brand-new DTS:X Ultra 1.0 delivers incredibly realistic 3D audio rendering for any kind of games or virtual/augmented reality (VR/AR), featuring immersive 7.1-channel surround-sound with enhanced bass response. You can also enjoy crystal-clear high-definition audio over Bluetooth®. Games have never sounded this good.
Dual front-facing
stereo speakers
Dual
smart amplifiers
The latest
NXP 9874 amplifiers
24-bit/192KHz
Hi-Res Audio
7.
1-channel
surround sound
High-definition
Bluetooth® wireless audio
Software
Game on!
It’s easy to get optimum gaming performance on ROG Phone, with the special X Mode. With just a single tap, you can free up all background RAM and dedicate it to games, optimize game-data processing performance, and maximize the efficiency of the AeroActive Cooler. X Mode also prevents RAM-eating and battery-sapping app activity, based on a customizable list of apps. ROG Phone is ready for action!
X Mode
Battery and Charging
ASUS HyperCharge: Fast, safe and cool
ROG Phone is built to cope with the power-intensive demands of gaming, with a high-capacity battery that gives you more freedom to play. Charging time can be critical when you’re on a long mission, so ROG Phone not only supports Quick Charge 4.0 fast charging, but when you use the bundled ROG Phone power adapter you also get the benefit of ASUS HyperCharge, a direct-charge technology that puts the charging circuitry inside the power adapter rather than the phone.
This delivers more power (up to 20W) for shorter, safer charge times, and also means ROG Phone stays cooler when it’s charging. For maximum flexibility, you can also charge ROG Phone with any standard USB-C charger.
4000mAh
High-capacity battery
0.5hrs
Fast charging from
0% to 60% capacity
7.2hrs
Up to 7.2 hours
of Wi-Fi gameplay6
14hrs
Up to 14 hours
of Wi-Fi video play7
50.7hrs
Up to 50.7 hours of
Wi-Fi music livestream8
4.0
Qualcomm®
Quick Charge™
Battery and charging
Aura RGB
Outshine the competition
ROG Phone is the world’s first phone with ASUS Aura RGB lighting, featuring an illuminated rear ROG logo that can display a whole rainbow of lighting schemes: static, breathing, strobing or color cycling. You can trigger lighting effects with phone events such as incoming calls, notifications and more, to give your ROG Phone a unique personality.
Static
Breathing
Color Cycle
Strobing
Dual Cameras
Built to capture your whole wide world
The dual-camera system in ROG Phone uses cutting-edge hardware to take your photography to new heights, so you’ll always get the clearest and brightest shots every time, in any conditions. With its highly light-sensitive flagship Sony® IMX363 main camera, 120° wide-angle second rear camera, and a capable front-facing camera, whatever the subject — expansive landscapes, sunny beaches, atmospheric night shots, squad wefies or winning selfies — ROG Phone takes it all in its stride, capturing more of your world. ROG Phone removes the limits on your creativity, so you can concentrate on the subject, not the camera.
Sony® IMX363
flagship sensor
6.25X
Light sensitivity
F1.7
Aperture
1/2.55”
Sensor size
1.4µm
Pixel size
120°
Wide-angle camera
Night HDR
Gear Up!
Expand Your Mobile Gaming Possibilities
DUAL-SCREEN
HANDHELD MODE
Second screen for extending game display, seamless communications or easy live-streaming.
DESKTOP-STYLE
GAMING MODE
PC-style setup with monitor, keyboard and mouse for
mobile games.
BIG-SCREEN
GAMING MODE
Enjoy wireless big-screen gameplay with full physical controls — and everyone can watch!
TwinView Dock
Two screens, one awesome gaming center
With the amazing TwinView Dock, you can turn your ROG Phone into a powerful dual-screen console for the ultimate gaming and live-streaming experience. As well as its 6-inch AMOLED (2160 x 1080) auxiliary screen, it packs a front-facing quad-speaker system, two extra physical trigger buttons, dual haptic- feedback engine, an enhanced cooling system and a high-capacity 6000mAh extended battery pack. You can extend your game onto the second screen — great for maps or inventory — or use it for text and video chat.
It’s also an awesome platform for live-streaming creators or team play: interact with your audience or team on one screen while playing on the other — the possibilities are endless!
4-speaker
Front-facing
speaker system
6000mAh
High-capacity
battery
Dual
haptic-feedback engine
Enhanced
cooling
Dual
physical triggers
* Simulated concept shown.
Actual device features may differ.
Mobile Desktop Dock
Expand to the max for desktop-style gaming
The Mobile Desktop Dock gives ROG Phone unprecedented expansion capabilities. Connect to an external 4K UHD 60Hz monitor, mouse and keyboard while using ROG Phone as an auxiliary display, hook up to a wired gigabit LAN and use the S/PDIF output to drive your dual-channel10 stereo-sound system. Who says you need a desktop PC for incredible gaming?
1Gbps
Wired gigabit LAN
S/PDIF
dual-channel10
stereo-sound output
Mouse & keyboard
connectors
HDMI with
4K @ 60Hz support
Mic
3.
5mm combo
(headphone & S/PDIF)
4K 60Hz
HDMI output
4K 60Hz
Display port
Gigabit LAN
RJ45 Ethernet
USB 3.1
Gen 1 Type-A
Type-C
(Only for charging)
Display port 1.2
(PC input)
USB Micro B 3.0
(PC input)
SD card slot
GAMEVICE CONTROLLER & ASUS WiGig® DISPLAY DOCK
Console controls. Wireless display. Bring it on!
With Gamevice and the ASUS WiGig® Display Dock, ROG Phone morphs into a portable console with a full inventory of physical gaming controls and ultra-low-latency wireless display connectivity featuring Qualcomm® 11ad technology for 60GHz Wi-Fi. It packs dual analog joysticks, left and right fire triggers and bumpers, a D-pad, along with A, B, X, Y and L3, R3 buttons. You can game on the go using just the Gamevice, or connect via the ASUS WiGig® Display Dock for immersive big-screen gaming.
802.11ad
Up to 4.6Gbps Wi-Fi speeds
Everything you need to know
Ryan-Thomas Shaw / Android Authority
Table of contents
01At a glance02Worth buying?03Specs04Camera05Battery life06ROG Phone 3 vs 507ROG Phone 5 vs 5S08ROG Phone 5 vs 609Alternatives10Where to buy11Updates12FAQs13Polls
When it comes to gaming phones, few OEMs can top the ROG-branded devices we see each year from Asus. Last year, the company’s flagship entry was the Asus ROG Phone 5!
In the article below, we’re going to tell you everything you could ever want to know about this series of smartphones, including the newer ROG Phone 5s. Do keep in mind that just because Asus pushes this phone towards the gamer community, it’s actually something non-gaming power users should also check out. Let’s dive in!
A newer version of this device has been announced. Asus has revealed the ROG Phone 6 series, which features an upgraded processor, an IPX4 splash resistance, and more.
Read our full ROG Phone 6 buyer’s guide for more detailed information.
Asus ROG Phone 5 at a glance
Asus launched the ROG Phone 5 series on March 10, 2021. That’s a much earlier launch date than the year before, which saw the latest ROG Phone land in July. Additionally, the company launched the ROG Phone 5S on August 16, 2021. We’ll talk more about this in a bit.
The ROG Phone 5 series is the direct follow-up to 2020’s ROG Phone 3. No, you’re not seeing things: Asus skipped over the number four with this series. We’ve seen other Chinese manufacturers do this, such as OnePlus. The reason behind the omission is that the Chinese word for “four” sounds a lot like the Chinese word for “death.” This has created a prevalent superstition in East Asian cultures that the number four is unlucky.
Related: The best phones for gaming
Regardless, the ROG Phone 5 series features the 2021 upgrades one would expect. It includes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and the Snapdragon 888 Plus for the ROG Phone 5S.
It has a higher RAM limit than its predecessor, Android 11 out-of-the-box, and faster wired charging. It also brings back the headphone jack, which was missing from the ROG Phone 3 (although an included accessory enabled a quick workaround).
Of course, this is a gaming phone, so it also features both hardware and software tricks specifically tailored towards gamers. That includes shoulder triggers, the Asus Armoury Crate app for gaming optimization, and an overall design aesthetic that matches the other Asus Republic Of Gamers products.
Additionally, there are three different versions of the phone available. The Asus ROG Phone 5 is the basic model, while the now-discontinued ROG Phone 5 Pro ups the ante a bit. The ROG Phone 5 Ultimate represents the peak of the series. The phones start at $999 / £799 / €799 for the vanilla model and $1,299 / £1,099 / €1,299 for the Ultimate model. The Pro model is not available anymore.
Meanwhile, the 5S and 5S Pro start at $1,099 / £999 / €799 and $1,299 / £1,099.
99 / €1,299 respectively. However, you can likely find all these phones on sale now that the ROG Phone 6 series has been released.
Is the ROG Phone 5 worth buying?
Ryan-Thomas Shaw / Android Authority
If you are looking for a phone that is specifically catered to gaming, the Asus ROG Phone 5 is worth considering. With its high-powered CPU, terrific 144Hz display, crystal-clear audio, and built-in gaming-centric features, this is one of the best gaming phones on the market. However, we do recomend picking up the newer Asus ROG Phone 6, although the ROG Phone 5 is still a great option if you can get it on sale.
Related: Asus ROG Phone 5 review
That being said, this phone is also worth a look even if you’re not a gamer. First, there’s the CPU, display, and audio, which we’ve already mentioned. Additionally, the camera system on the ROG Phone 5 is actually a lot better than one would expect. It’s not super versatile since it doesn’t have a telephoto lens, but it delivers the basics at a surprisingly high quality.
Even the software of the ROG Phone 5 is great. Scroll down a bit for our full take on ROG UI and Zen UI.
Of course, all that power doesn’t come cheap. The chances are good, though, that if you’re in the market for a gaming phone of this caliber, you’re not surprised. Regardless, we believe that the value you receive for the money spent on this phone is well worth it.
Asus ROG Phone 5 specs
| ROG Phone 5 | ROG Phone 5 Pro | ROG Phone 5 Ultimate | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Display |
ROG Phone 5
6.78-inch AMOLED |
ROG Phone 5 Pro
6.78-inch AMOLED |
ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
6.78-inch AMOLED |
|
Rear display |
ROG Phone 5
None (RGB Logo) |
ROG Phone 5 Pro
ROG Vision |
ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
ROG Vision |
|
Processor |
ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 |
ROG Phone 5 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 |
ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 |
|
GPU |
ROG Phone 5
Adreno 660 |
ROG Phone 5 Pro
Adreno 660 |
ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
Adreno 660 |
|
RAM |
ROG Phone 5
Min: 8GB |
ROG Phone 5 Pro
16GB |
ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
18GB |
|
Storage |
ROG Phone 5
Min: 128GB |
ROG Phone 5 Pro
512GB |
ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
512GB |
|
Battery/power |
ROG Phone 5
6,000mAh |
ROG Phone 5 Pro
6,000mAh |
ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
6,000mAh |
|
Cameras |
ROG Phone 5
Rear: Front: |
ROG Phone 5 Pro
Rear: Front: |
ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
Rear: Front: |
|
IP rating |
ROG Phone 5
None |
ROG Phone 5 Pro
None |
ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
None |
|
Audio |
ROG Phone 5
3.5mm headphone port Bluetooth 5.2 |
ROG Phone 5 Pro
3. Bluetooth 5.2 |
ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
3.5mm headphone port Bluetooth 5.2 |
|
Ports |
ROG Phone 5
Side-mounted USB-C port |
ROG Phone 5 Pro
Side-mounted USB-C port |
ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
Side-mounted USB-C port |
|
Wireless |
ROG Phone 5
Wi-Fi 6E support |
ROG Phone 5 Pro
Wi-Fi 6E support |
ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
Wi-Fi 6E support |
|
Extra sensors |
ROG Phone 5
Air Triggers 5 |
ROG Phone 5 Pro
Air Triggers 5 |
ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
Air Triggers 5 |
|
Software |
ROG Phone 5
Android 11 |
ROG Phone 5 Pro
Android 11 |
ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
Android 11 |
|
Dimensions and weight |
ROG Phone 5
172.8 x 77.2 x 10.29mm |
ROG Phone 5 Pro
172.8 x 77.2 x 10.29mm |
ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
172.8 x 77.2 x 10.29mm |
|
Colors |
ROG Phone 5
Phantom Black |
ROG Phone 5 Pro
Glossy Black |
ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
Matte White |
84GHz
8μm, ƒ1.8, 1/1.7-inch sensor
5mm headphone port
11 a, b, g, n, ca, axHow good are the ROG Phone 5 cameras?
Ryan-Thomas Shaw / Android Authority
The camera system in the Asus ROG Phone 5 is pretty much the same as what we saw in the ROG Phone 3.
On the back, you’ll find a 64MP primary lens flanked by a 13MP ultra-wide and a 5MP macro. On the front, you’ll find a 24MP selfie shooter.
Last year, we gave the ROG Phone 3 camera 4.5/5 stars. We found it to be fast, color-accurate, and with good dynamic range. Considering nothing’s changed this year, we found the camera to be along the same lines.
See also: The best camera phones you can get
The biggest omission, though, is a telephoto lens. This type of lens helps with zooming in on faraway objects. Without it, the Asus ROG Phone 5 relies on digital zoom, which is essentially just cropping. As such, even a little bit of zoom is going to degrade your image quality.
Asus told us flat-out that the camera on the ROG Phone series isn’t a top priority. Regardless, it’s nice to see the company is still delivering a high-quality imaging experience. It’s not going to top a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra or a Google Pixel 6 Pro, but it will get the job done.
Does the ROG Phone 5 have good battery life?
Ryan-Thomas Shaw / Android Authority
Inside the ROG Phone 5, you’ll find two 3,000mAh cells. Combined, they establish a 6,000mAh power supply in the phone. That’s a lot of juice! For the sake of comparison, the previously mentioned Galaxy S22 Ultra and Pixel 6 Pro each cap out at 5,000mAh.
Unfortunately, the integral features of the ROG Phone 5 suck up power fast. If you’re gaming a lot using a 144Hz display refresh rate along with those Air Triggers, the battery is going to deplete pretty quickly.
See also: The best Android smartphones with the best battery life
However, in our review period, we found the phone lasted at least a full day without a charge, even with a lot of usage.
The good news is that even if you game for hours straight and run the battery down, it doesn’t take long to top it back up. Thanks to the 65W in-box charger, you can bring the phone’s battery level from 0-100% in about 55 minutes.
In other words, a quick 15 minutes on the charger should get you back to gaming on the go for at least another few hours before you need to seek out an outlet.
Unfortunately, there is no wireless charging support on the Asus ROG Phone 5. You’ll be using a USB-C cable for all your power needs. Do note, though, that the ROG Phone 5 has the same dual-USB-C-port as its predecessor. This allows you to charge the phone from the bottom or from the side, which is very convenient for accommodating specific play styles.
Asus ROG Phone 3 vs Asus ROG Phone 5: What’s changed?
David Imel / Android Authority
Below, you’ll find a table with the significant differences between this year’s model and last year’s. Keep in mind that the table only shows the major differences. If it’s not listed here, that means it’s either the same or the differences are negligible:
| Asus ROG Phone 3 | Asus ROG Phone 5 | |
|---|---|---|
|
Display |
Asus ROG Phone 3
6. |
Asus ROG Phone 5
6.78-inch AMOLED |
|
Rear panel |
Asus ROG Phone 3
RGB logo |
Asus ROG Phone 5
RGB logo Pro and Ultimate models only: |
|
Processor/GPU |
Asus ROG Phone 3
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus |
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 |
|
RAM |
Asus ROG Phone 3
Max of 16GB |
Asus ROG Phone 5
Max of 18GB |
|
Charging |
Asus ROG Phone 3
30W wired |
Asus ROG Phone 5
65W wired |
|
Ports |
Asus ROG Phone 3
No 3.5mm port |
Asus ROG Phone 5
3.5mm port included |
|
Software |
Asus ROG Phone 3
Android 10 |
Asus ROG Phone 5
Android 11 |
|
Dimensions and weight |
Asus ROG Phone 3
171 x 78 x 9. |
Asus ROG Phone 5
172.8 x 77.2 x 10.29mm |
|
Color options |
Asus ROG Phone 3
Black only |
Asus ROG Phone 5
Two black variants |
59-inch AMOLED
85mmOverall, the biggest differences this year are the chipset, the design, and the wired charging speed. Outside of those three categories, the core specs are mostly the same. The front and rear cameras are essentially identical. There’s still no wireless charging, no IP rating, and no expandable storage. The RAM count for the Ultimate model went up a bit, but the vanilla and Pro models stick to the same capacity as last year. The same goes for the internal storage, which still maxes out at 512GB.
Related: The best Android phones with expandable memory
That being said, there are a lot of new things on offer here once you venture past raw specs. The side-mounted Air Triggers received an update that makes them far more versatile and accurate.
The Pro and Ultimate models now feature an additional set of triggers on the back, too. There’s a nifty secondary display on the back of those higher-end models and there are more software tweaks than ever before. Also, the headphone jack is back, which is a welcome change.
It will be up to you whether or not an upgrade to the Asus ROG Phone 5 from the ROG Phone 3 would be worth it. There are enough upgrades here to make it enticing, but it would have been nice to see Asus give a bit more of what fans want — namely wireless charging, expandable storage, and a telephoto lens.
Asus ROG Phone 5 vs Asus ROG Phone 5S: What’s different?
Ryan-Thomas Shaw / Android Authority
As mentioned earlier, the Asus ROG Phone 5S series launched a few months after the main series. Overall, the most notable difference between the two lines is that the 5S models have the slightly upgraded Snapdragon 888 Plus chipset. The regular models have the Snapdragon 888.
Outside of this chipset upgrade, the only other change is the introduction of a faster touch response rate.
These new devices hit a 360Hz rate, which is nominally better than the 300Hz rate on the original models. There are literally no other differences or upgrades between the phones.
The ROG Phone 5S and 5S Pro are only a hair better than the original models.
Keep in mind that the SD888 Plus is not tangibly better than the regular SD888. As such, if you already own a ROG Phone 5, there is really no point in trading it in for a ROG Phone 5S or 5S Pro. The only reason we’d recommend going with the 5S or 5S Pro is if you don’t already own a ROG phone — and don’t mind spending a premium to get the 5S models.
For most people, the regular ROG Phone 5 devices will be more than adequate.
Asus ROG Phone 5 vs Asus ROG Phone 6 series
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
There aren’t a ton of differences between the ROG Phone 6 and 5 series. The ROG 6 phones come with the faster Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset and more base RAM at 12GB. The display is of the same size and resolution, but the refresh rate has been bumped from 144Hz to 165Hz.
Then there’s the splash protection — the ROG Phone 6 series is IPX4 rated, while its predecessor lacked any water resistance whatsoever. The main camera is different as well, with the ROG Phone 6 phones sporting a 50MP sensor, down from the 64MP camera found on the ROG Phone 5. The selfie camera was downgraded in terms of resolution from 24MP to 12MP.
Then there’s the secondary screen found on the back of the ROG Phone 6 Pro, which is capable of displaying time, text messages, logos, and other simple things.
ROG Phone 5: Competition and alternatives
David Imel / Android Authority
The Asus ROG Phone 3 was one of the few devices in 2020 to feature the Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset. This overclocked variant of the SD865 only appeared on a few flagships, most notably the ROG Phone 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra.
The chipset powering the Asus ROG Phone 5 isn’t as unique. There are already a number of devices with the Snapdragon 888 on the market.
In other words, to get the integral aspect of the ROG Phone 5 that makes it so powerful, you don’t need to get a ROG Phone 5.
See also: Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 vs Snapdragon 888
The Galaxy S21 Ultra has the same chipset and also has a terrific display. With tons of RAM and the same limits when it comes to internal storage, it either matches or beats the ROG Phone 5 when it comes to raw specs. The OnePlus 9 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro also have similar specs and are both great alternatives to the ROG Phone 5. Then there’s the newer Galaxy S22 series that has to be taken into consideration, as well as other phones with the latest and greatest Snapdragon Gen 1 chipset. The OnePlus 10 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro have also already been announced.
Of course, it’s important to note that very few phones have the specs and the gaming-centric software and hardware features of the ROG Phone 5. So in that regard, the ROG Phone 5 is quite a unique device.
The only real alternative is the newer and better Asus ROG Phone 6 series, which brings a few new things to the table.
Where to buy the Asus ROG Phone 5
The ROG Phone 5 series is not cheap. It is also only available in certain countries, and the ROG Phone 5 Pro models are now discontinued. Let’s start with pricing:
- Asus ROG Phone 5
- 8GB/128GB — £799 / €799
- 12GB/256GB — £899 / €899
- 16GB/256GB — $999 / £999 / €999
- Ultimate Variant
- 18GB/512GB — $1,299 / £1,099.99 / €1,299
- Asus ROG Phone 5S
- 16GB/512GB — $1,099 / £999 / €999
- ROG Phone 5S Pro
- 18GB/512GB — $1,299 / £1,099 / €1,299
Asus did confirm that the phones will only be sold directly to consumers. In other words, there are no carrier partnerships here.
The vanilla Asus ROG Phone 5 went on sale in March 2021.
The ROG Phone 5S models went on sale in early November.
For US customers, we recommend buying the device from Amazon, as the retailer offers more buying options. If you like, though, you can buy it directly from Asus.
As of right now, it is probably easier to buy the ROG Phone 5S, since it is newer. You can grab that and the Pro variant from Amazon by clicking here or the button below.
Software and updates
Ryan-Thomas Shaw / Android Authority
The Asus ROG Phone 5 comes with Android 11 out-of-the-box. Interestingly, you can choose between two similar-but-different Android skins on the ROG Phone 5.
Android skins
The first skin onboard is known as ROG UI. It provides an aesthetic experience that matches the exterior design of the phone. There are lots of neon colors and everything has a futuristic metal sheen.
On the flip side, there’s Zen UI. This is the same Android skin that appears on “normal” Asus phones, such as those in the ZenFone series.
This skin is quite similar to the one Google uses with its Pixel phones. It’s much simpler and less “gamer” looking.
See also: Are there any truly bad Android skins still out there today?
When you first set up the phone, you will be able to choose between one of these two skins. If you change your mind later, you can always swap back and forth until you figure out which one you like best.
No matter which skin you choose, you’ll be happy to know that it’s a generally bloat-free experience. There are some pre-installed apps related to the unique hardware features of the phone as well as its various gaming-centric software suites. Other than that, though, it’s mostly Google apps.
Android updates
While the choice of skin is a fun perk for ROG Phone 5 buyers, Asus doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to software updates. Last year’s ROG Phone 3 received Android 11 back in July, roughly 10 months after Google released it. Security patches also come at an infrequent pace.
Related: Which manufacturer updates its phones the fastest? (Android 11 edition)
However, Asus did speed things up this year, as it recently shipped out the stable version of Android 12 to the Asus ROG 5 series. But it is possible that we won’t see Android 13 hit the device.
Top ROG Phone 5 questions and answers
There are only two differences. The first is that the ROG Phone 5S and 5S Pro come with the Snapdragon 888 Plus chipset, a slight upgrade over the regular SD888. The second is that the touch sampling rate is a bit higher. Other than that, the ROG Phone 5 series and ROG Phone 5S series are identical.
Unfortunately, no. Just like last year, wireless charging is a no-show. If wireless charging is very important to you, here’s a great list of options.
No. The phone features no protection against water or dust, so please keep it safe. If this is a deal-breaker, check out some other choices.
Help other readers out
Do you own the Asus ROG Phone 5? Do you plan on getting one? If so, make your voice heard in our polls below, and then go ahead and post your own mini-review in the comments!
Will you upgrade to the ROG Phone 5 from the ROG Phone 3?
529 votes
Which ROG Phone 5 are you going to buy?
920 votes
The Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate’s huge power truly shocked me
The Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate is a phone full of surprises.
For a start, don’t expect a Qualcomm processor inside. For its 2022 Ultimate version of the ROG Phone 6, Asus has leaned on MediaTek to supply the power. Next, don’t just look at the back of the phone and think it’s basically the same as the recently announced ROG Phone 6 Pro, because it actually has a hidden, motorized cooling port.
Contents
- A motorized cooling port — seriously
- Does it really work?
- Asus shocked me with its performance
- The rest of the phone
- Who is the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate for?
- Price and availability
We’ve been using the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate alongside the excellent ROG Phone 6 Pro to see if all this makes it as ultimate as Asus says it is.
A motorized cooling port — seriously
The big design difference between the ROG Phone 6D compared to the ROG Phone 6 and 6 Pro is the addition of a motorized cooling port on the back. It’s called the AeroActive Cooling Port, and it opens when the AeroActive Cooler 6 is attached to the phone.
The Cooler 6 directly funnels the cold air generated by the external fan into the phone itself, rather than just onto the surface. Asus claims it provides a 20% increase in thermal efficiency.
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
It’s a really neat little thing. When you attach the fan, it automatically opens up inside; the moment it disconnects, the port closes, avoiding any chance of it staying open when you don’t want it. It can be manually opened to clean, and from what I’ve seen so far, dust is not something that can be avoided.
Anyone familiar with Asus’s phones will understand why it works so seamlessly, as it uses technology the company perfected with its Zenfone Flip cameras. Like those mechanisms, a stepped motor raises and lowers the port door, and of course, it’s accompanied by a cool sci-fi sound effect.
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
Asus has tested it to 40,000 operations, so it should be very durable. It also uses another feature taken from its old Zenfone Flip camera phones: an auto retraction system, so if you accidentally drop the phone, it closes up the instant it detects that fall.
Even though there’s technically a hole in the back of the phone, Asus has still engineered the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate to have an IPX4 rating, meaning it’ll resist splashed water.
Does it really work?
To see if the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate’s cooling port does keep temperatures down, I put it up against the ROG Phone 6 Pro with the AeroActive Cooler 6 attached and ran a series of the 3DMark benchmarking app’s Wild Life Stress Tests, both the standard and the extreme version. This provides data that includes temperature, and a previous test revealed the differences the AeroActive Cooler’s various modes made to the phone’s overall temperature when it’s being worked hard. I activated Asus’s high-performance X Mode for the tests, ensuring both processors were working at maximum capacity.
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
We’ll look at the results in a moment, as at this point, it’s also worth talking about the other big difference between the phones: the processor. Inside the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate is a MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ chip, running at 3.
2GHz and equipped with 16GB of new, higher-performing LPDDR5X RAM. By comparison, the ROG Phone 6 Pro has a 3.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 with 18GB of LPDDR5 RAM.
Last year, Asus used a Qualcomm processor in its Ultimate series ROG Phone 5, so it’s a surprise to see MediaTek featured so prominently in its 2022 flagship gaming phone. MediaTek isn’t best known for flagship chips, but it has been working to change that over the past few years. It’s quite the feather in its cap to one-up rival Qualcomm here, but is it justified? After all, on paper, the two chips aren’t that far apart in terms of spec.
Asus shocked me with its performance
The difference is noticeable enough that it shocked me. The Qualcomm-powered phone has masses of ability, and I really hadn’t expected the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate to be any better. But the MediaTek-powered phone not only kept up, it maintained a steadier frame rate the longer I tested the two together, plus it never reached the maximum temperature achieved by the ROG Phone 6 Pro showing the cooling port does its job.
The Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate… has a motorized cooling port on the back. It works with the AeroCooler Active 6 fan accessory, which blows cool air *inside* the phone.
Here's what it looks like when you open the port manually for cleaning purposes.#AsusROGPhone6DUltimate pic.twitter.com/kcyho76H7Q— Andy Boxall (@AndyBoxall) September 19, 2022
Asus itself says the cooling benefits from the AeroActive Cooling Port come after an hour of continuous play, and anything up to 45 minutes it’s about the same as the ROG Phone 6 Pro. We’ll come back to why this is important to know shortly, but it’s crucial to helping you understand which ROG Phone 6 is for you.
A word on using a benchmarking app. We don’t tend to focus on benchmark scores in general, as they don’t have much relevance in the real world.
Play some games, and the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate’s ability is also clear. It’s incredibly smooth and maintains that smoothness seemingly at all times. But it’s not like the ROG Phone 6 Pro is feebly slow, and playing them back-to-back for a normal period of time, I couldn’t really see any difference between them. Again, I’ll come back to why this is important to know.
1 of 3
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
The performance benefits are not just because of the processor and the cooling directly. The phone also uses MediaTek’s Hyper Engine 5.0 gaming platform, which constantly looks at the frame rate, then anticipates any performance drop-off so it can make it less noticeable. A combination of all this is behind the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate’s highly impressive stats.
It does mean the phone eats through the battery, though, with nearly 20% disappearing from both over the course of the 20-minute test 3DMark test alone.
However, use the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate normally (without games), and the 6,000 mAh battery has enough energy to last at least two full days and into the third.
The rest of the phone
Aside from the processor and the cooling port, the two phones are very similar. The Space Grey color is exclusive to the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate and the ROG Phone 6D, a cheaper version that loses out on the colorful ROG Vision screen on the back and makes do with an RGB logo instead. The same 50-megapixel camera with 13MP wide-angle and 5MP macro cameras found on the ROG Phone 6 Pro are on the back.
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
No one will buy the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate for the camera, but the main one takes good photos with plenty of color and pop. While the wide-angle camera does get carried away with saturation and smoothing, it’s good enough for casual use. The phone has the same weight and dimensions as the ROG Phone 6 Pro, so it’s a big, heavy beast. You get used to it, but it’s unwieldy for a start, especially using it one-handed to browse or scroll through Twitter.
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Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
Wide-angle Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
Wide-angle Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
2x zoom Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
Because the AeroActive Cooler 6 is integral to the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate’s operation, Asus has included it in the box. It has to be purchased separately for the ROG Phone 6 Pro and the standard ROG Phone 6D. Like the phone, it’s big, and I found it adds not just bulk to the phone when it’s attached, but also upsets the balance. This is especially noticeable when you use the brilliant AirTriggers on the phone’s top edge. These virtual buttons have multiple functions and really can add benefit to games with different controls.
Who is the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate for?
The ROG Phone 6D Ultimate is really aimed at serious mobile players. Wondering if you’re a serious player? If you play demanding games (Genshin Impact, Diablo Immortal, PUBG, Call of Duty: Mobile, and so on) for more than an hour every day, or play competitively, then the answer is probably yes. It’s during these lengthier play sessions when the steadier, higher frame rate will be noticed and appreciated, and the additional cooling will help keep temperatures under control. If you play less than an hour a day, or only a few times a week to kill time, then the Ultimate’s ability will likely be wasted.
Andy Boxall/Digital Trends
Due to the phone’s performance and the motorized cooling port, a feature I’ve never seen before, the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate does seem to have earned its Ultimate name tag. But the fact it has done so makes it an even more niche version of an already niche phone. Even if you play mobile games a lot, the ROG Phone 6 Pro has more than enough power, battery, and features to satisfy.
As I said, I couldn’t see much difference between them when playing games for 30 minutes or so, but the benchmark results prove the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate has the potential to be the stronger performer the longer you play. If you play games a lot, and we mean a lot, then the Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate is the ultimate phone for you. Everyone else will be very satisfied with the ROG Phone 6 Pro.
Price and availability
The Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate will not be released in the U.S. It will be released in the U.K. and Europe, where it will cost 1,199 British pounds or 1,399 euros. This is around $1,365. The ROG Phone 6D is cheaper but doesn’t come with the AeroActive Cooler 6, and costs 799 pounds or 949 euros, which is approximately $910. In the U.S. the Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro will be available for pre-order soon through Amazon starting at $999.
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ROG Phone II ZS660KL｜Game Smartphones｜ROG in Russia
New Rules of the Game
Powerful Cooling.
High speed. Precise control.
World’s first
gaming smartphone
with
Snapdragon 855 Plus processor
Unparalleled
AMOLED display:
120Hz, 1ms,
HDR, ΔE
6000 mAh Battery and
Direct Charging Technology
ROG HyperCharge
Charging connector
side panel,
front speakers
Dual vibration feedback,
jack for
headphones,
new accessories
ROG Phone II is the next step in the evolution of mobile gaming. This device has everything you need to win: the world’s fastest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus 1 processor, 12 GB of RAM, a 6000 mAh battery and a highly efficient GameCool II cooling system with a vapor chamber. The AMOLED display boasts superb speed performance (120Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time), 10-bit color depth (HDR technology), and boasts incredibly accurate color reproduction (ΔE
Ultimate Edition
Ultimate performance, unique style
ROG Phone II Ultimate Edition has been upgraded with a new matte black finish to enhance the wearer’s personality.
Hardware improvements include more storage (1TB, UFS 3.0 interface) and support for Cat 20 LTE mobile communications with download speeds up to 2Gbps — faster than you can imagine! ROG Phone II Ultimate Edition takes it to the next level.
Matt black
exclusive color
1TB
User memory
Up to
2Gbps
Cat 20 LTE download speed
LTE
4X4
Antenna
configuration
Speed
Character of the winner
ROG Phone II is powered by the world’s fastest mobile platform, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus 2.96 GHz, complemented by more RAM (12 GB) and Adreno 640 graphics core, which features increased performance and improved energy efficiency compared to its predecessor. This powerful configuration provides the smartphone with the highest performance in graphic applications. In addition, it should be noted a large amount of user memory (512 GB) connected via a high-speed UFS 3.
0 interface, and fast interfaces: 4G LTE Cat18 (data reception — up to 1.2 Gb / s) and WiGig (throughput — up to 4.6 Gbps). When it comes to speed, ROG Phone II is second to none!
SDM855 Plus
World’s fastest
Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
2.96GHz
Processor frequency
On
15%
Faster in
graphics tasks 2
12GB
512GB
User Memory
Up to
1.2Gbps
Network download
LTE Cat18
UFS3.0
Interface
Speed
Winner character
ROG Phone II is powered by the world’s fastest mobile platform, a 2.96GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus processor, up to 12GB of RAM and Adreno 640 graphics, which features increased performance and improved energy efficiency compared to its predecessor. This powerful configuration provides the smartphone with the highest performance in graphic applications.
In addition, it should be noted a large amount of user memory (up to 1 TB) connected via a high-speed UFS 3.0 interface, and fast interfaces: 4G LTE Cat20 (data reception — up to 2 Gb / s) and WiGig (throughput — up to 4.6 Gb /With). When it comes to speed, ROG Phone II is second to none!
SDM855 Plus
World’s fastest
Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
2.96GHz
Processor frequency
Up to
15%
Faster in
graphics tasks 2
Up to
12GB
RAM
Up to
1TB
User memory
Up to
2Gbps
Network download
LTE Cat20
UFS3.0
Interface
GAMECOOL II
Maximum cooling — maximum speed!
ROG Phone II keeps your ROG Phone II cool during intense gaming sessions with the GameCool II system with an updated vapor chamber. It is complemented by an external AeroActive II cooler that can be installed over the Aero Case 3 .
With such efficient cooling, ROG Phone II will not let you down in the heat of battle, no matter how long it takes you to achieve victory.
Cooler
AeroActive II
active cooling
At
5 ° C
lower case temperature
V
4x
quieter 4
Air ventsCopper heatsinkEvaporation chamberRear vents
ROG Phone IIinch AMOLED display with excellent technical characteristics: refresh rate — 120 Hz, response time — 1 ms, color depth — 10 bits. The image has accurate color reproduction (ΔE
6.59”
Screen size
120Hz
Refresh rate
1ms
Response time
49ms
Touch latency
∆E
Color accuracy
10-bit
HDR display
Corning
Gorilla Glass 6
Protective glass
Battery
Non-stop gaming
Designed to play anywhere, anytime, ROG Phone II comes with an incredibly high-capacity 6000 mAh battery.
The bundled 30W charger supports ROG HyperCharge direct charging technology by transferring the control scheme usually implemented in the smartphone itself. In addition, ROG Phone II supports the Power Delivery standard, thanks to which it can be recharged through any adapter with a USB-C cable or used to recharge other mobile devices.
6000mAh
Battery capacity
in 58 min
Charging from 0 to 4000 mAh
30W
HyperCharge Technology
Quick Charge 4.0
Technology
Power Delivery
Technology
Ultrasonic triggers
Victory in comfort!
ROG Phone II is optimized for landscape use. In this position, the fingers rest comfortably on the AirTrigger II touch controllers, which are highly sensitive, support two types of gestures (tap and slide), and are combined with a vibration system that works in just 20ms.
48-pin connector
USB 3.0 Type-C
+ dedicated port
20ms
Vibration latency
Sound
Crystal clear stereo sound
ROG Phone II’s audio system consists of forward-facing speakers located at the edges of the case.
They provide perfectly accurate positioning of stereo sound when the smartphone is horizontally oriented. High-definition audio support (24-bit / 192 kHz, Hi-Res Audio certified), 3.5 mm audio jack, DTS:X Ultra virtual surround sound technology, all this allows you to enjoy the highest quality sound. In addition, to improve voice communication, there is an array of four noise-canceling microphones, so nothing gets in the way of comfortable chatting in a team chat.
Two front
stereo speakers with
DTS:X Ultra technology
3.5 mm audio socket
Intelligent sound amplification
NXP 9874
Smart Amplifiers
24bit/192kHz
Hi-Res Audio
7.1 channel
surround sound
Codec
Qualcomm
aptX Adaptive
Four
microphones with
noise reduction
Microphones
Speakers
Interfaces
Wi-Fi Multi-Antenna Module
Poor Wi-Fi connection in games sometimes makes annoying mistakes, so ROG Phone II is the first among smartphones to receive a multi-antenna module that improves the quality and stability of wireless network connection.
Four antennas are positioned inside the case to ensure the best signal reception when the screen is in landscape orientation, and to ensure that the Internet connection is not interrupted during the game, the Game Genie app can prevent the smartphone from switching between Wi-Fi and 4G networks.
Multi-antenna
Wi-Fi module
4.5 times
Increased bandwidth 5
Cat18
Download speed —
up to 1.2 Gbps
Cat20
Download speed —
up to 2 Gbps
LTE
4X4
Antenna
configuration
Armory Crate + Game Genie
Functional Software
ROG Phone II has been designed to make gaming fun. Exclusive software also serves this purpose: ROG Armory Crate and ROG Game Genie. ROG Armory Crate is your smartphone’s one-stop-shop for viewing and launching installed games, editing profiles with settings for each game, and configuring various game-related smartphone settings.
Game Genie is a multifunctional gaming platform that automatically activates when you launch games. In its control panel, you can optimize the performance of your smartphone, turn off notifications during the game, disable screen brightness changes, configure AirTrigger sensors, etc.
Armory Crate
Game Genie
Repeat
Dual Vibration Feedback
Feeling in Control
Handling the ROG Phone II puts you in the middle of gaming action with a vibration system that delivers strong tactile feedback. AirTrigger sensors are also equipped with vibration feedback, adding realism to any fast-paced game.
Repeat
Aura lighting
Outshining the competition
ROG Phone II features ASUS Aura full color lighting. The ROG logo on the back of the smartphone can be customized with a dynamic visual effect: static, pulse, strobing, looping.
The backlight is also able to respond to certain events, such as incoming calls and phone notifications.
Static
Pulsating
Strobe
Accessories
Useful extras
ROG Phone II is not only a smartphone, but also an entire gaming ecosystem. The ROG Kunai Modular Gamepad, which consists of a bumper, controllers and holder, can be used as an external peripheral device, or can be attached to the smartphone itself, turning it into a portable console with additional controls. The completely redesigned TwinView Dock II with an active cooling system and an additional 5000 mAh battery allows you to play in a dual-screen format. The smartphone is also compatible with previously released ROG WiGig docking stations (for connecting an external monitor via a wireless connection) and Mobile Desktop (organizing a stationary gaming system based on ROG Phone II).
TwinView Dock II
ROG Kunai Gamepad
WiGig ® Display Dock Plus
ROG Lighting Armor Case
Aero Case
AeroActive Cooler II
Mobile Desktop Dock
Dual-Screen Gaming System
The TwinView Dock II transforms your ROG Phone II into a dual-screen console for streaming and gaming.
In addition to an additional display with excellent speed characteristics (120 Hz, 1 ms), it is equipped with an improved cooling system and a 5000 mAh battery, which will come in handy during long gaming sessions.
Hold on tight!
The ROG Kunai Gamepad System consists of three components: the ROG Kunai Bumper, two ROG Kunai controllers, and the ROG Kunai Holder. The controllers can be attached to the mount to form a standalone gamepad, or combined with a case to act as controls on the smartphone itself. You have never played mobile games with such convenience!
Wireless monitor connection
Qualcomm chipset based WiGig Display Dock Plus connects your smartphone wirelessly to your monitor. Thanks to the high-speed Wi-Fi 802.11ad (60Hz) connection, video transmission is carried out without any lags — and without cables that are always in the way! In addition, the docking station can be connected to a wired network using the supplied USB-Ethernet adapter.
Play brighter!
ROG Lighting Armor Case not only protects your smartphone from bumps and scratches, but also gives it additional Aura lighting that can be customized to match your screen wallpaper or programmed to display system notifications.
Repeat
Functional protection
The Aero Case protects your smartphone from scratches while keeping it cool. It allows you to seamlessly use the new AeroActive II cooler or TwinView Dock II.
Additional cooling
The second version of the AeroActive cooler directs air into the smartphone’s cooling system with even greater efficiency. Improved cooling — the key to stable operation under high loads!
Play on your smartphone just like on a computer!
The Mobile Desktop Dock lets you use your ROG Phone II with an external monitor up to 4K/UHD resolution, keyboard and mouse, while ROG Phone II itself acts as a secondary display. To connect to the network, it has a wired Gigabit Ethernet interface, and to output sound to a 5.1 speaker system, it has an S/PDIF interface. Who said you need a computer to play games? The ROG Phone II with Mobile Desktop Dock will easily replace it!
Shooting
High quality dual camera
ROG Phone II is a step forward in mobile photography.
Its dual rear camera uses two lenses with different specifications. One is based on Sony’s flagship IMX586 sensor with an unprecedented resolution of 48 megapixels and a quad Bayer filter that increases light sensitivity. The second, based on a photomatrix with a resolution of 13 MP, is ultra-wide-angle and allows you to capture even more of everything in the picture — people, objects, landscape. There is also a 24-megapixel front camera for taking selfies and streaming in high resolution.
Sony ® IMX586
Flagship photo sensor
48MP
Main Camera
f/1.79
Large aperture
1.6µm
Large effective
pixels 6
13MP
Secondary camera
125 °
Super wide angle lens
24MP
Front camera
Software
Ready to play all the time
ROG Phone II features a dedicated ROG UI, powered by an in-display fingerprint scanner.
In addition, it provides a special gaming mode «X». When activated, it automatically frees up RAM, optimizes game data processing and increases the efficiency of the AeroActive II cooler. The «X» mode also limits the launch of programs with a high consumption of RAM and battery power based on a list of applications edited by the user. Just one touch and your ROG Phone II in «X» mode will be completely ready to play!
X-mode
Smooth 120Hz Dynamics
ROG Phone II’s AMOLED high refresh rate of 120Hz ensures that the screen is always smooth, no matter how chaotic the game itself is, your chances are hit the enemy or dodge the threat greatly increased!
Ultra Accurate Color Reproduction
ΔE refers to the difference between two shades of the same color, and the average person cannot distinguish between shades with a difference of ΔE = 3 or less. The display of the ROG Phone II smartphone has incredibly accurate color reproduction.
The distortion of the color reproduced on its screen does not exceed ΔE = 1.
∆E
Color accuracy
Responsive touch interface
Every millisecond counts in fast-paced games, which is why ROG Phone II’s touch interface has a record low latency of just 49 milliseconds. The reaction of the device to each touch will be truly instant.
240Hz
Touch interface polling rate
49ms
Record low latency
10-bit color depth
ROG Phone II’s display complies with the HDR High Dynamic Range standard and, thanks to 10-bit color coding, is capable of displaying more than one billion different shades. Conventional 8-bit displays can only output 16.77 million colors, so it’s no surprise that all colors look brighter and more saturated on the ROG Phone II screen compared to them.
ROG Phone II with 10-bit HDR display
1073.
74
million colors
8-bit SDR displays
16.77
million colors
ROG HyperCharge Technology
The bundled charger contains the control circuitry normally implemented in the smartphone itself. This solution — ROG HyperCharge direct charging technology — allows you to increase the delivered power to 30 watts, speeds up and makes the process of recharging the battery safer. In addition, ROG Phone II can be charged via any standard USB-C cable.
Direct Charging ROG HyperCharge Technology Dedicated cable (4A) required Wide compatibilityStandard cable (3A)
Record-breaking charging speed
ROG Phone II not only features a high-capacity 6000 mAh battery, but also fast recharges with ROG HyperCharge technology.
58 min
recharge from 0 to 4000 mAh
32% faster,
than competing model
ROG Phone II
Daily use (4000 mAh)
58 min
Competitor model
1 h 26 min
Everything under control
Precise controls are the key to winning any game, but the lack of physical buttons on conventional smartphones means that gamers have to do almost everything with just their thumbs.
The ROG Phone II changes that by offering console-like controls. This smartphone is equipped with AirTrigger II ultrasonic touch triggers, which can handle two types of gestures (touch and slide) and is combined with a vibration system that works in just 20ms.
Touch
Sliding
Double vibration
Wi-Fi Multi Antenna Module
ROG Phone II is optimized for landscape use. This also applies to the Wi-Fi module: it is in this position that the antennas work with maximum efficiency.
4.5 times
increased capacity 5
ROG Phone II
Wi-Fi 1
Wi-Fi 2
Wi-Fi 3
Wi-Fi 4
Competitor
Wi-Fi 3 9-0002
The best gadget 2019 according to the Runet
Asus ROG Phone II wins Best Gaming Smartphone
Best smartphones of 2019
ASUS ROG Phone 2 is the most powerful Android smartphone according to w3bsit3-dns.
com
The best choice
ASUS ROG Phone II received the most powerful hardware that can exist in mid-2019, the fastest mobile accelerator, a 6,000 mAh battery, and, of course, a set of accessories that any gamer will appreciate.
9/10 (Must have)
9/10 (Must have)
Ungeek Best Gaming Smartphone 2019 Award
For hardcore mobile gamers who want the absolute best smartphone for gaming, the only choice is the ROG Phone II.
Gaming Smartphone of the Year
Packed with hardward that produces skyrocketting numbers, a design that stands out among the rest, and with a ton of accessories to enhance your experience, this smartphone will keep you glued to the screen for hours.
Hungry Geeks Approved Award
It is, however, the definite gaming smartphone of this year. With top-notch performance that rivals no other and a 120Hz screen to display all the gaming goodness, the ASUS ROG Phone II can give the best gaming experience in a smartphone yet.
Reimaru Files Glorious Gold Award
It’s definitely a smartphone designed purely for the maximum level of gaming and obviously targeted towards high-end gamers, the ROG Phone 2 is a must for any gamers with a big budget.
B2G Gold Award
But at the end of the day, this phone will outlast, outplay and outprice current flagships from top brands and ASUS definitely hit the right checkboxes for this one.
Gaming Phone of the Year
As far as gaming phones go, ASUS’ ROG Phone II is probably the best one you can buy today. With thoughtful, gamer-centric features, excellent performance and solid design, it’s easily our favorite gaming phone today.
Gaming Phone of the Year 2019
The ASUS ROG Phone II emerged as the winner of the Gaming Phone of the Year category in the Smartphone Awards 2019 Voice of the Industry, presented by 91mobiles and Cashify.
The smartphone stands out with its focus on the specific needs of mobile gamers, loaded specs, and innovative features, all offered at a great price. The combination of all these factors helped make the ROG Phone II a near-unanimous choice of the jury members, and a deserving winner of the Gaming Phone of the Year 2019 title
Best Gaming Smartphone of 2019
Asus ROG Phone 2 builds upon the foundations of the previous generation and brings significant upgrades to several of its features. Asus has really created the best gaming phone in the existence of gaming phones.
Best Design Smartphone — 2019
It’s no surprise that ASUS ROG PHONE 2 won Tamil Tech Awards 2019 in 3 Categories » I like to call it as the DREAM Killer Flagship, 120hz Display, Good Speakers, Stunning Design with Killer Pricing »
Best Battery Smartphone 2019
It’s no surprise that ASUS ROG PHONE 2 won Tamil Tech Awards 2019 in 3 Categories » I like to call it as the DREAM Killer Flagship, 120hz Display, Good Speakers, Stunning Design with Killer Pricing »
Best Gaming Smartphone 2019
It’s no surprise that ASUS ROG PHONE 2 won Tamil Tech Awards 2019 in 3 Categories » I like to call it as the DREAM Killer Flagship, 120hz Display, Good Speakers, Stunning Design with Killer Pricing »
Best Technology 2019
The reason why ROG phone 2 is a pure master piece is because of its future proof and outstanding technology like who can imagine they will come up with 120hz display, 6000mah battery and super unique design
Phone of the Year – 2019
«ROG Phone II is great with its 120Hz AMOLED, Flagship 855+, Excellent Battery & Charging — Most importantly Asus nailed the price! The end result — 3 C4EAwards — The Surprise, The Frugal Flagship & Phone of the Year!»
The Surprise Award
«ROG Phone II is great with its 120Hz AMOLED, Flagship 855+, Excellent Battery & Charging — Most importantly Asus nailed the price! The end result — 3 C4EAwards — The Surprise, The Frugal Flagship & Phone of the Year!»
Frugal Flagship
«ROG Phone II is great with its 120Hz AMOLED, Flagship 855+, Excellent Battery & Charging — Most importantly Asus nailed the price! The end result — 3 C4EAwards — The Surprise, The Frugal Flagship & Phone of the Year!»
Best Gaming Smartphone
Asus ROG Phone 2 is one of the best Gaming Smartphones available in the market.
It is a perfect combination of great hardware and optimized software to give users a seamless gaming experience. Functional design with Air Triggers gives an added advantage to the users.
Best Phones of 2019 — People’s Choice Awards!
ROG Phone 2 has set a benchmark for budget flagship in 2020. There’s no doubt that ROG Phone 2 is a ‘game changer’
Gaming Smartphone of the year 2019
During 2019 we at Gadget Bridge tested dozens of smartphones including many gaming phones. The ASUS ROG Phone 2 became our gaming choice as it has got punchy performance, superb screen and amazing aesthetics. We at Gadget Bridge unanimously chose Asus ROG Phone 2 as the Best gaming phone of the year 2019. It deserves to be called that!
Most Innovative Smartphone of the year — 2019
“ROG Phone 2 was definitely one of the Best Smartphones to be Launched in 2019. It is one of the heavyweight champions when it comes to gaming.
It rightfully was my pick for the ‘Best Gaming’ and ‘Most Innovative’ Smartphone of 2019.”
Best Gaming Smartphone of the year — 2019 – Best Dedicated Gaming Phone
“ROG Phone 2 was definitely one of the Best Smartphones to be Launched in 2019. It is one of the heavyweight champions when it comes to gaming. It rightfully was my pick for the ‘Best Gaming’ and ‘Most Innovative’ Smartphone of 2019.”
Mobile Of The Year Awards 2019
The ROG Phone II is a beast of a performer and ticks all the right boxes not only for those seeking no-compromise gaming but also for someone looking for an all-round flagship-grade smartphone. Add its incredible pricing to the mix, and choosing this phone as the Best Gaming Smartphone at the Mobile Of The Year Awards 2019came across as a rather easy task.
Best All Round Mobile 2019
Asus ROG Phone 2 is a Pinnacle of Innovation in mobile technology.
A mobile that excels in all 5 departments: Design, Performance, User Experience, Battery and Price. Its my honor to choose the ASUS ROG Phone 2 as the Best All-Round mobile for 2019.
Mr. Phone Awards 2.0 (2019)
We’d like to extend our heartiest of congratulations to ASUS for winning the Mr. phone award 2019for the Best Gaming Phone for the ROG Phone II. The ROG Phone II was the unanimous selection by the jury for its incredible 120Hz display, Air Triggers, excellent performance, stupendous battery life, and most importantly — a mind-boggling price in India. It is by far one of ASUS’ best phones ever. Congrats, once again.
Final rating: 8/10
On the whole, however, the Asus ROG Phone II is a really successful smartphone. Sure, it won’t appeal to everyone, because it doesn’t try to be a device for everyone. Still, it’s not worth getting scared by a patch of gaming equipment, because it has a lot to offer to any user who is looking for something more than just a «phone to ring».
Highly recommended
This is a fantastic gaming tool and it has been thoroughly tested in this respect. Therefore, ROG Phone II receives a very high rating from us. It is unmatched in its sector.
BEST PERFORMANCE
ROG Phone II offers the best gaming performance on mobile and the wide variety of accessories let’s you play exactly as you want to.
BEST PERFORMANCE
ROG Phone II currently offers the best performance in mobile gaming, and the wide range of accessories lets you play not only in the style of a smartphone, but as you prefer.
DD’s Recommended
At the moment, there is no real competition to offer something so comprehensively designed and functional for true mobile gamers. Objectively, there is no better gaming phone on the market, here the competition has surprisingly fallen asleep. You will probably appreciate the extreme 6000mAh battery the most, and surprisingly I must say that the 120Hz display is noticeable even during normal operation.
For enthusiastic players, ROG Phone II is a clear choice.
Excellent
ROG Phone II turned out well in our test and convinced us mainly with its excellent performance and smooth 120Hz display. In terms of computing and gaming performance, memory and storage, it is the absolute top. Mobile players in particular will be thrilled. Most users buy it mainly because of the combination of excellent performance and favorable price. CHIP rating 1.5.
Liked
Hardware offers everything that can be achieved in Android mobile environment in 2019, its software environment is simple yet offers lots of gamer-friendly extras.
While the Asus ROG Phone II is truly a great gaming phone, it goes above and beyond and ensures a true flagship experience at a fraction of the cost of many other flagships.
We’d like to extend our heartiest of congratulations to ASUS for winning the Mr. Phone award 2019 for the Best Gaming Phone for the ROG Phone II.
The ROG Phone II was the unanimous selection by the jury for its incredible 120Hz display, Air Triggers, excellent performance, stupendous battery life, and most importantly — a mind-boggling price in India. It is by far one of ASUS’ best phones ever. Congrats, once again.
Asus ROG Phone 2 is a Pinnacle of Innovation in mobile technology. A mobile that excels in all 5 departments: Design, Performance, User Experience, Battery and Price. Its my honor to choose the ASUS ROG Phone 2 as the Best All-Round mobile for 2019.
“ROG Phone 2 was definitely one of the Best Smartphones to be Launched in 2019. It is one of the heavyweight champions when it comes to gaming. It rightfully was my pick for the ‘Best Gaming’ and ‘Most Innovative’ Smartphone of 2019.”
During 2019 we at Gadget Bridge tested dozens of smartphones including many gaming phones. The ASUS ROG Phone 2 became our gaming choice as it has got punchy performance, superb screen and amazing aesthetics. We at Gadget Bridge unanimously chose Asus ROG Phone 2 as the Best gaming phone of the year 2019.
It deserves to be called that!
«ROG Phone II is great with its 120Hz AMOLED, Flagship 855+, Excellent Battery & Charging — Most importantly Asus nailed the price!The end result — 3 C4EAwards — The Surprise, The Frugal Flagship & Phone of the Year!»
«ROG Phone II is great with its 120Hz AMOLED, Flagship 855+, Excellent Battery & Charging — Most importantly Asus nailed the price! The end result — 3 C4EAwards — The Surprise, The Frugal Flagship & Phone of the Year!»
«ROG Phone II is great with its 120Hz AMOLED, Flagship 855+, Excellent Battery & Charging — Most importantly Asus nailed the price! The end result — 3 C4EAwards — The Surprise, The Frugal Flagship & Phone of the Year!»
It’s no surprise that ASUS ROG PHONE 2 won Tamil Tech Awards 2019in 3 Categories » I like to call it as the DREAM Killer Flagship, 120hz Display, Good Speakers, Stunning Design with Killer Pricing »
The reason why ROG phone 2 is a pure master piece is because of its future proof and outstanding technology like who can imagine they will come up with 120hz display, 6000mah battery and super unique design
The ASUS ROG Phone II emerged as the winner of the Gaming Phone of the Year category in the Smartphone Awards 2019 Voice of the Industry, presented by 91mobiles and Cashify.
The smartphone stands out with its focus on the specific needs of mobile gamers, loaded specs, and innovative features, all offered at a great price. The combination of all these factors helped make the ROG Phone II a near-unanimous choice of the jury members, and a deserving winner of the Gaming Phone of the Year 2019 title
www.hi-tech.mail.ru
ASUS ROG Phone II won Best Gaming Smartphone
www.4pda.to
ASUS ROG Phone 2 — the most powerful Android smartphone according to w3bsit3-dns.com
www.epictech.ru
ASUS ROG Phone II received the most powerful hardware that can exist in mid-2019, the fastest mobile accelerator, a 6,000 mAh battery, and, of course, a set of accessories that any gamer will appreciate.
notebookcheck.com
Award: Good (87%)
The overall package is just right for the gaming phone.
chip.de
The Asus ROG Phone 2 scores very well in our test and is especially convincing with its very fluid 120-Hertz display and outstanding performance.
techstage.de
For gamers, on top there are 90 and 120 Hertz, an incredible amount of memory and shoulder buttons, as well as docks and gamepads — it just doesn’t get any better than this.
connect.de
The system performance of the phone is the best we have ever measured. With this device you are prepared for every performance-hungry game — also in the future.
Pixelcritics
9/10 (Must have)
unbox.ph
As far as gaming phones go, ASUS’ ROG Phone II is probably the best one you can buy today. With thoughtful, gamer-centric features, excellent performance and solid design, it’s easily our favorite gaming phone today.
Gadget Pilipinas
Packed with hardward that produces skyrocketing numbers, a design that stands out among the rest, and with a ton of accessories to enhance your experience, this smartphone will keep you glued to the screen for hours.
ungeek.
ph
For hardcore mobile gamers who want the absolute best smartphone for gaming, the only choice is the ROG Phone II.
Back2Gaming
This phone will outlast, outplay and outprice current flagships from top brands and ASUS definitely hit the right checkboxes for this one.
HungryGeeks.ph
It is, however, the definite gaming smartphone of this year. With top-notch performance that rivals no other and a 120Hz screen to display all the gaming goodness, the ASUS ROG Phone II can give the best gaming experience in a smartphone yet.
reimarufiles.com
It’s definitely a smartphone designed purely for the maximum level of gaming and obviously targeted towards high-end gamers, the ROG Phone 2 is a must for any gamers with a big budget.
My Smart Price
The ROG Phone II is a beast of a performer and ticks all the right boxes not only for those seeking no-compromise gaming but also for someone looking for an all-round flagship-grade smartphone.
Add its incredible pricing to the mix, and choosing this phone as the Best Gaming Smartphone at the Mobile Of The Year Awards 2019came across as a rather easy task.
Smartprix
ROG Phone 2 is a phone that offers a complete gaming experience. It’s only obvious why Smartprix community voted it the best gaming phone for 2019
Digital
The Asus ROG Phone II gives an unbeatable edge to mobile gamers.
mobility india
This is the ultimate gaming phone of 2019, thanks to its cyberpunk design with aura lighting, optical in-screen fingerprint reader, headphone jack and speedy charging with 30W hyper charger, this phone clearly stands out of the crowd.
news18
The Asus ROG Phone II is the most feature-loaded gaming smartphone one could as for at a justified price
jagran.com
The ASUS ROG Phone II in 2019 not only redefined how gaming phones are perceived but also showcased what future regular smartphones will be like.
The reason why it was the 2019 Gaming Smartphone of the Year at #JagranHiTechAwards
Techradar
Asus ROG Phone 2 builds upon the foundations of the previous generation and brings significant upgrades to several of its features. Asus has really created the best gaming phone in the existence of gaming phones.
gadgetdiary.com
Asus ROG Phone 2 is one of the best Gaming Smartphones available in the market. It is a perfect combination of great hardware and optimized software to give users a seamless gaming experience. Functional design with Air Triggers gives an added advantage to the users.
Selular Online
ROG Phone II is the ultimate gaming smartphone
www.telepolis.pl
On the whole, however, the Asus ROG Phone II is a really successful smartphone. Sure, it won’t appeal to everyone, because it doesn’t try to be a device for everyone. Still, it’s not worth getting scared by a patch of gaming equipment, because it has a lot to offer to any user who is looking for something more than just a «phone to ring».
www.hdtvpolska.com
This is a fantastic gaming tool and it has been thoroughly tested in this respect. Therefore, ROG Phone II receives a very high rating from us. It is unmatched in its sector.
androidlive.ro
ROG Phone II offers the best gaming performance on mobile and the wide variety of accessories let’s you play exactly as you want to.
Aberto Ate de Madrugada
This scenario pinches however the level of excellence that ROG Phone II presents, where only the cameras and the dimensions and weight can make the consumer think twice. Aside from these two aspects, the Asus ROG Phone II is a premium level machine that can beat the top of the range, thus deserving our much desired Scorching rating.
www.ddworld.cz
At the moment, there is no real competition to offer something so comprehensively designed and functional for true mobile gamers. Objectively, there is no better gaming phone on the market, here the competition has surprisingly fallen asleep.
You will probably appreciate the extreme 6000mAh battery the most, and surprisingly I must say that the 120Hz display is noticeable even during normal operation. For enthusiastic players, ROG Phone II is a clear choice.
CHIP
ROG Phone II turned out well in our test and convinced us mainly with its excellent performance and smooth 120Hz display. In terms of computing and gaming performance, memory and storage, it is the absolute top. Mobile players in particular will be thrilled. Most users buy it mainly because of the combination of excellent performance and favorable price. CHIP rating 1.5.
mobilearena.hu
Hardware offers everything that can be achieved in Android mobile environment in 2019, its software environment is simple yet offers lots of gamer-friendly extras.
PC PRESS
It features many gameplay enhancements and optimizations, from the Air Trigger, which transforms it into a controller with extremely precise controls (a huge advantage over any phone), to the ability to attach to various enclosures and controllers.
Nubia Red Magic 7 Review | Digital World Magazine
UI Flaws and Battery Issues
OUR VERDICT
The Nubia Red Magic 7 is a powerful gaming phone with a big screen and good speakers. In day-to-day use, some flaws in the interface and average battery life keep it from surpassing the best gaming phones on the market, but it’s still a good value smartphone for those who want to enjoy gaming.
CONS
Red is a Chinese brand that has been making gaming phones for a long time. This is part of Nubia, which was once part of ZTE (and perhaps still is).
Red Magic 7 feels like it’s going through something of an identity crisis. Fun menu translations, some rough edges in the UI, and an underwhelming battery clash with what is otherwise an affordable gaming phone with tons of power and some neat details designed specifically for gamers.
Red Magic is a glass caseback that is adorned with symbols showing its technical features.
The most premium version of RAM and storage has a transparent section that houses an RGB-lit fan underneath.
Red Magic 7 is also large, with a strict metal frame, protruding vents and flat sides. It is heavy, large and comfortable.
With powerful speakers and a bright 6.8-inch 165Hz screen, Red Magic 7 displays movies and games perfectly, performance is also at its best thanks to the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor.
The interface is the main area where Red Magic 7 is badly screwed up. It runs Android, so app support is great, and Red has also added a lot of widgets to it to help you quickly manage it and access gaming features. However, the various English translations in the UI are not correct, and there are a few visual issues as well.
The battery will last about a day with medium to light usage, but only 8 hours with heavy usage, so gamers who don’t have time for a day’s charge should look at alternatives with more powerful batteries like the ROG Phone 5.
There are few games-focused phones in this value for money that can compete with the Red Magic 7. Red Magic 7 touch buttons. Its smaller screen also makes it a bit more manageable — and it has a better battery — although we have to say that browsing anything on it isn’t as exciting. Also, the design is not as geared towards gamers as the Red Magic 7.
Alternatively, if you don’t mind 2021 internals, the Asus ROG Phone 5 and 5s Pro come with powerful batteries and support great Snapdragon 888-powered accessories.
The Red Magic 7 is priced well below most smartphones Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. You can get it for $630 with 12GB of RAM and 128GB in Obsidian color is the entry-level configuration. The 16GB RAM/256GB storage model costs $730 and is available in Pulsar, a pink and purple reflective color scheme. The Supernova color option with an RGB fan window and 18GB of RAM costs $800.
The phone went on sale at the beginning of February 2022 and is available exclusively without a SIM card, without any major operators or networks tying it to a data plan or contract.
Price Rating: 4/5
If we look at the evolution of gaming phones since ROG Phone and the original Black Shark, Nubia’s Red Magic 7 doesn’t make much of an impression when it comes to gaming tools. It only has touch triggers.
The front of the phone is a large flat screen without notches; side panels are made of flat clean metal with gratings; and the back is curved glass. Each configuration is available in a different color. We tested with Supernova. What sets the Supernova apart from the rest of the Red Magic 7s is the window that sits next to the camera so you can look into the fan, which lights up with LED lights while you play.
Phone dimensions are 170.6 x 78.3 x 9.5mm and weighs 215g, making it one of the largest and most powerful smartphones in the world, but still significantly lighter than the iPhone 13 Pro Max (238g).
The power button is on the right side, the volume rocker is on the left, and the USB-C port is on the base.
There is no second USB-C port on the side of the Red Magic 7 to make gaming more comfortable, but there is a 3.5mm headphone jack so you can plug in your headphones.
The back has a curved glass piece that is essentially a glorified technical sheet. It’s filled with symbols and specs, from the phone’s chipset to screen refresh rates and fan speeds. Magic 7 clearly wants everyone to know what it’s promoting.
Given the open vents and the visible fan that pumps air through the phone, you shouldn’t be surprised that the Nubia Red Magic 7 isn’t water or dust resistant. That being said, it’s protected from the front thanks to a pre-installed screen protector, and there’s also a case in the box.
On the right side are touch-sensitive triggers with a sampling rate of 500Hz, and by clicking the left slider you can launch the Red Magic game space.
Design score: 3.5/5
Nubia Red Magic 7’s screen is large and sleek. Loaded with a sky-high 165Hz refresh rate, it runs smoother than any mainstream flagship, and with a high 720Hz touchscreen sampling rate, it’s also responsive for gaming.
Magic 7’s screen is based on a 6.8-inch FHD+ AMOLED panel. At a maximum brightness of 700 nits, it doesn’t shine as brightly as some of the competition, but it’s not much worse than many of today’s best flagships when compared to others.
The entire Red Magic 7 line features punch-hole and cut-out selfie cameras, which means you get continuous full-screen, which is new these days. The result is a wide, voluminous, roomy display with vibrant saturation and very vibrant colors by default. In the settings, you can turn down the brightness for a more natural look.
Of course, you don’t need a 165Hz screen all the time, so you can easily switch between 60Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz and 165Hz using the quick menu in the notification shade or a widget that you can expand on the home screen. However, there is no automatic refresh rate, which does not bode well for battery life.
Display Score: 4/5
Like many other gaming phones, including the Lenovo Legion Phone Dual, Nubia doesn’t prioritize camera specs like other smartphones currently launching.
Behind the wheel is a high-resolution but small sensor that operates at 64 MP and measures about half an inch. On the plus side, its lens has a wide f/1.8 aperture. There is also an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera with a 13mm focal length and a 1/4-inch sensor. Finally, the main camera includes a 2-megapixel fixed-focus macro camera with f/2.4 aperture.
Front-facing cameras may be more important for gaming phones, but the 8-megapixel sensor in the selfie camera looks like it has the same spec as the ultra-wide camera and doesn’t promise too much based on the numbers alone.
Despite the Red Magic 7’s average camera performance, you can still get decent phone shots, especially in bright, evenly lit scenes. With the latest Qualcomm imaging technology in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, Nubia achieves decent dynamic range and vibrant colors in daylight shots taken with the Red Magic 7.
shadows. In general, photos taken with the main camera in daylight exceeded our expectations.
As for the ultra-wide-angle camera, it does a great job of adding extra versatility to the combination. However, the quality of photos from the main camera lags behind, and the macro camera is the worst of all.
Although the photos are not too grainy — which is good — Red Magic 7 will not turn a dark scene into a bright picture, as competitors often do. Night mode helps with this and increases the dynamic range in low light scenes.
One area where the Nubia Red Magic 7’s camera struggles to impress is its photo modes. There are many of them and they try to add a ton of value. In addition to the standard modes, the phone offers: Star trail, Starry sky, Electronic iris, Light painting (light trails), Multiple exposure, Slow motion, Clone, Trajectory, Macro, 3D, ID photo, Panorama, Blue zoom, Freeze frame, Phantom , VIDEO BLOG, Hitchcock and the Art Camera.
The video quality is also better than we expected. Resolutions up to 8K and 60 fps when shooting at 4K or lower provide good video stabilization and image clarity.
Low-light performance isn’t great, but if you’re willing to save video footage for daylight scenes, the Magic 7 will probably make a good impression on you.
Camera score: 3/5
Nubia Red Magic 7’s sheer power is where it shines the brightest. Thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, it’s capable of running all of today’s games, and the model we tested, with a fan pumping air through the phone, stayed relatively cool even under pressure.
When we subjected the phone to Geekbench 5, it achieved a multi-core score of 3600, which puts it above phones like the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra and gaming phones like the ROG Phone 5; it even outperformed some other Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 devices such as the Vivo X80 Pro. The 3D Mark scores were also strong, with a Wildlife benchmark score of 9,960, slightly better than the Poco F4 GT’s score of 9,930 in our tests.
The Red Magic 7’s speed isn’t just down to its power — the sky-high refresh rate also helps the phone be faster.
The only issue we had with the fan was that it turned on when running tests, even when we manually turned it off. Other than that, he did just fine. It didn’t make the phone ice cold — 30 minutes of exposure to Genshin heated it up a lot, making the body of the phone hot and uncomfortable to hold. However, we noticed that the fan cooled faster than the fanless operation of phones like the Xiaomi 12 Pro.
Performance Rating: 4.5/5
We’re pretty sure Nubia didn’t intend for the keyboard to function this way, and if it does, it’s an interesting choice. Another interesting feature is a rather funny low battery warning. Now we’re all in favor of cheeky interfaces filled with personality, but then again, this seems like a bad translation, not a deliberate move.
Despite these distinctive user interface features, Nubia Red Magic 7 runs Android 12, so app support is excellent. Nubia blocks some visual features of the Android OS — for example, there is no material that allows you to change the color scheme of the phone’s menu to match the wallpaper.
Nubia also downloads a variety of widgets to help you quickly access Red Magic 7’s gaming features, so you can switch the fan speed, view game time throughout the day, get game reminders, and adjust the screen refresh rate.
With its gaming software available while playing, you can access fan control, limit background notifications, record the screen, and add «4D» vibration, so when the volume is higher, the phone will vibrate very strongly. Here you can also install touch triggers and a prefix. Unfortunately, the button mapping for games only supports Red’s own accessory. So you can’t connect your PS4 to a game like Genshin impact if it’s not natively supported.
While the gameplay elements in Red Magic 7’s interface are good, we just can’t ignore the lack of sophistication in the rest of the user interface.
Software Rating: 3/5
The Red Magic 7 is equipped with a 4500 mAh battery, which is too small for a gaming phone. There is also strong 5G connectivity on board, as well as top-tier power.
Red Magic 7’s battery life is less than eight and a half hours, and battery life surpasses that of gaming phones: ROG Phone 5 Pro lasts more than 15 hours with a 6000 mAh battery at the same brightness level.
Red Magic 7’s big plus is fast charging: the included 65W charger charges it to 45 percent in just 10 minutes and fully charges it in about half an hour.
Battery rating: 2/5
Buy if you want to get the most bang for your buck
- You watch a lot of movies and videos
- Do you like technology in the style of gamers
Do not buy if
- You need a good camera zoom
- You need a long battery life
- You need a well-functioning user interface
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Asus ROG Phone 2 Review
Asus has learned a lot with its original ROG Phone, and while its successor shares a very similar style, a quick look at ROG Phone 2’s spec sheet reveals that everything has been turbo-charged this time around.
Asus ROG Phone 2’s components are monstrous across the board; It has a 6000mAh battery, 12GB RAM, 512GB storage, Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset overclocked to 2.96 GHz, 6.59 inches with a 120 Hz AMOLED screen and a slim 240 gram body. evil armor. But do you really want to have a Juggernaut in your pocket day in and day out? We’ve spent two weeks with the phone, and at least for us, the answer is yes.
Asus ROG Phone 2 release date and price
- Available from October 8, 2019city
- Costs $899 / £829.99 for 512GB.
- Australian availability TBC
The Asus ROG Phone 2, announced in July 2019, costs between $899 and £829.99 (approximately AU$1,500) for the 512GB storage variant with an expected delivery date of October 8.
Carrier Availability or networks not yet confirmed; The main online retail channel for pre-orders is Asus’ own online store. We’re also still waiting to find out when the phone will be available in Australia and how much it will cost there.
.
(Image credit: ditch)
Design and display
- Big, intimidating design
- 1080 x 2340 display with 120 Hz refresh rate
The ROG Phone 2 is huge, but very different from other huge phones like the Huawei Mate 20 X and Samsung’s Galaxy Note 10 Plus. It’s impressive in both height and design, with Decepticon-inspired symbols, an intimidating ROG-illuminated ROG logo, and a heavy chassis.
Starting with the weight, the ROG Phone 2 comes with a whopping 240g — compare that to the 226g of the iPhone 11 Pro Max and the 196g of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus. Like these phones, the ROG Phone 2 is a glass/metal sandwich, although it has a brushed, bevelled aluminum frame as opposed to a sleek, curved stainless steel frame and feels less sleek as a result.
With curved glass around the back, while it’s Asus ROG Phone 2 still feels comfortable in the hand, and the metal frame keeps it from being too slippery.
(Image credit: Ditch)
ROG Phone 2 has a headphone jack with 24-bit DAC and at least two USB-C ports — one on the bottom and one on the right (when the phone is in portrait orientation). There are also volume and power buttons on the right edge.
The gigantic display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6 and has stereo speakers on the side with a front-facing 24-megapixel camera on the top right. And while glass can be durable, one form of protection you won’t get is any measure of water resistance.0003
With its 19.5:9 aspect ratio and massive size, ROG Phone 2 is a small package that impresses in both pocket and hand. Skinny jeans come out if you lift one of these up, and even if your trousers are a little on the low side, you’ll still know it’s there.
The display tech doesn’t get much better than AMOLED, both here and when reviewing the ROG Phone 2’s blazingly fast 120Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, everything comes together very well.
(Image credit: Ditch)
High refresh rates don’t tend to be as bright as standard 60Hz smartphone screens, but the Samsung panel that Asus made for the ROG Phone 2 is becoming brighter than 600 nits. While it’s not exactly the 1000 nit OnePlus 7T, it’s still very bright and makes for great outdoor viewing.
Screen refresh rate of 120Hz’This is to make compatible games look smoother and more responsive – it also makes the whole phone feel a little faster, with scrolling and swiping rather than jitter. Going back to a 60Hz display like the Samsung Galaxy S10 will be noticeably less fluid, even if other aspects of the S10’s display look better.
The gaming display needs a lot of tweaking in settings, but Asus doesn’t.’ I’m disappointed. The screen’s color mode options are extensive and provide granular control over saturation and viewing profiles. You can also lower the refresh rate to 90Hz or 60Hz, change the system color scheme by turning on dark mode, and turn the always-on display on or off.
(Image credit: Ditch)
At 1080 x 2340, ROG Phone 2 has a pixel density of 391 pixel per inch, making it sharper than the iPhone 11 but less sharp than most Android flagships. if you’re looking for a crisp picture, you can look at a QHD+ phone like the OnePlus 7 Pro, or even the 4K Sony Xperia 1. not to mention the smoothest AMOLED scrolling and gaming experience available now.
Continue reading on the next page.
Battery life
- 6000 mAh capacity lasts up to two days
- 30W Quick Charge 4 charger included
- Battery optimization in settings
With a 6000mAh battery inside, even the massive power demands of the huge 120Hz screen won’t stop ROG Phone 2 from being impressed. It lasts a full day without sweating on auto-brightness, and if you’re careful, it can help you deal with two — just make sure the X Mode Game Center and the phone’s RGB lighting are off.
Settings has a ‘PowerMaster’ feature that unlocks control over automatic apps, giving you access to a range of battery modes, including power saver, super saver and battery care like in Sony Xperia phones, which slows down charging time to preserve longevity ROG Phone 2’s battery is for life.
Turn it off and thanks to the HyperCharger 30W Quick Charge 4 that comes with the phone, you’ll get around 40% battery in about 30 minutes, which is impressive given the large cell size inside the ROG Phone 2. Note that the wireless no charging.
(Image credit: ditch)
In terms of screen-on time, after 90 minutes of playing HD video at full brightness at 120Hz, the battery dropped by 8%, and ROG Phone 2’s screen refresh rate saver rises to the very top of our phone. battery leaderboard.
camera
- 48MP and 13MP rear lenses
- 24 megapixel selfie camera
- Good camera, not great
On paper, the camera is definitely ROG Phone 2’s least impressive feature.
While most flagships (and mid-rangers) have at least three cameras, this gaming phone has two that dodge the telephoto lens that brings you closer to the action.
Honor 20 Pro and OnePlus 7 Pro. The other camera is a 13-megapixel ultra-wide that also uses a Sony sensor.
The Asus ROG Phone 2 lets you shoot just about any scene in good light, and you’ll almost always get a decent photo out of it despite the phone’s lack of optical image stabilization (OIS). HDR+ processing is also included to avoid washed out highlights and too many dark areas.
(Image credit: Ditch)
Even without using the dedicated night mode, you can expect low-light images to appear brighter and sharper than they appear to the naked eye, with reasonably sharp and crisp detail. Night mode really helps with frame edges, which can turn magenta in dark scenes when shooting in auto mode..
Asus ROG phone 2’ Secondary wide-angle camera doesn’t work well at night. Some fuzziness occurs when you pinch.
Having said that, unlike some phones, you can use the phone’s Night Mode with the ultra-wide camera too, which brightens up nicely.
If you want a little more detail in your shots and the lighting is perfect, you can change the default shooting resolution from 12MP to 48MP. This deactivates auto-HDR and noticeably degrades quality in complex scenes, but also gives you an image that you can crop more readily if the light is on your side.
(Image credit: Ditch)
In Pro mode, which gives you the ability to keep the shutter open for up to 32 seconds even if the automatic modes don’t work to give enthusiasts exactly what they’re after, there’s plenty of manual control.
Video is shot at a maximum resolution of 4K at 60 fps and despite the lack of OIS, electronic image stabilization increases noticeably with frame rate, unlike some phones like the Xiaomi Mi 9SE, which ends when you hit 4K resolution at 30fps.
Video quality is impressive from the main camera in light conditions, though dark areas flare with some color noise.
The wide camera, however, works less favorably. At the same time, slow motion reaches 240fps at Full HD and 480fps at 720p.
Front camera captures 24MP selfies or Full HD 60fps videos. Despite the lack of autofocus, it still shoots sharp photos and videos, and image stabilization is good, although it has a really narrow field of view compared to most selfie cameras — probably optimized for live streaming in-game.0003
Camera Samples
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Despite the lack of OIS, ROG Phone 2 is still able to lock focus and keep details sharp. (Image credit: Ditching)
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The ROG Phone 2 handles black cats in artificial light better than most smartphones. (Image credit: Ditching)
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Example 1 in portrait mode — impressive background defocus while working with a complex foreground subject.
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A portrait mode sample with a less complex subject, foreground detail is strong, and the blue background looks great, though no blur is applied in the foreground. (Image credit: Ditching)
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A sample of the main camera image. (Image credit: Ditching)
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Secondary camera sample in landscape orientation. (Image credit: Ditching)
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gambling
- Custom gaming experience
- Many optional accessories available
- Supplied with clip in box
While everything about a phone, from its design and screen to battery life and features, translates into its performance as a gaming device, no other phone packs as much gaming value as the Asus ROG Phone 2.
From a software standpoint, the ROG Phone 2 «Armory Crate» game center consists of two elements — a gaming lobby and a console where you can browse games without being distracted by other apps and tweak the phone’s performance for each specific title.
This fine-grained control also extends to overclocking the CPU, changing the color of the RGB logo on the back, and even syncing it with a ROG laptop or gaming PC. You can also control the fan speed of your phone here if you attach an optional accessory (more on that below).
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(image granted: Grace)
as concerns what happens when you’re playing games, just swipe left on the right side and a menu with many gaming options will appear.
This is the menu you need if you want to show AirTriggers, touch left and right buttons on the phone bezel, close all running background applications, record macros, live stream on YouTube or Twitch, and more.
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As for optional accessories, the new fan, or to give it its full name, AeroActive Cooler II, is four times quieter than the previous version and cools the case down to five degrees. This is also included in the box.
(Image credit: ditch)
A host of accessories can be purchased separately, including the TwinView Dock II, which has the same display as the ROG Phone 2, plus a 5,000mAh battery and Turbofan for cooling. The phone can be docked and both screens can be used at the same time.
The new ROG Kunai GamePad has a set of 21 keys and can be connected to any phone or PC.
The left and right controllers can also be detached from the base and used separately, Nintendo Switch style, and while the keys should be visible, Asus is working on a platform where ROG Phone 2 users can share controller information as well as work with developers to automatically map certain headers to certain controls.
(Image credit: Ditch)
In addition, Asus also makes a MobileDesktop Dock and Pro Dock, which we’ve already seen at the launch of the original ROG phone to blow up the gaming experience on the big screen with faster internet speed.
We tried PUBG with a mouse and keyboard and it was a fantastic experience on the monitor.
Interface and reliability
- Powered by Android 9 with customizable user interface
- Includes in-screen fingerprint reader and face recognition
- Felt very stable and smooth to use
Running Android 9, Asus ROG Phone 2 has access to many apps and games, and because Asus has such a flexible user interface, everything can look nice and convenient. When you first set up the phone, you can choose between an aggressive, ROG-themed theme or a much cleaner, more attractive Android user interface.
If you want to change themes after installation, turn on the phone’s settings, click the theme button, and you can choose either Dark Reactor Core for a mostly black and gray angry theme, Light Luminous Core for a mostly white and fresh angry theme, or Classic, mentioned stock theme.
(Image credit: ditch)
Whichever theme you choose, the interface consists of home screens, Google’s left-hand news feed, an app drawer, and a pull-down notification bar.
While Asus feels right in the palm of your hand, Asus has loaded improvements beyond gaming, such as simple broadcasting from the notification bar and an Audio Wizard to fine-tune audio from super-loud, clear stereo speakers that beef up the screen.
Squeeze the sides of the phone to activate X Mode, making ROG Phone 2’s wallpaper and rays animation when RGB lighting is turned on and CPU overloaded in beast mode.
Between Phone’ Thanks to the frame rate and power, performance is smooth as silk and stability were in our time on the ROG Phone 2. The under-display fingerprint scanner also worked well, and there’s no unlocking of the sensors in the iPhone 11’s notches, though or Huawei Mate 30 Pro, it’s not as secure as a fingerprint.
Performance and specs
- Snapdragon 855 Plus with 12GB RAM
- Brilliant performance
- 512 GB memory, with 1 TB fit later
With the Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset paired with 12GB of RAM, ROG Phone 2 is unsurprisingly the leader in performance, especially when you close the app and return to it after a few hours.
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(Image credit: Ditch)
Instead of forcibly closing background apps like Huawei Mate 30 Pro or OnePlus 7T, ROG Phone 2 runs in the background like Note 10 Plus.
Benchmarking is impressive, with multi-core score of 2718 and AnTuTu 395,090, placing it at the top of our chart with the OnePlus 7T. The
Phone’s 512GB of storage is also huge and offers more than enough space for all but the most hardcore file storage, so while there’s no microSD card expansion that shouldn’t be a problem. If so, by the end of 20191TB matte black edition of the ROG Phone 2 will be released this year.
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judgment
The Asus ROG Phone 2 is the ultimate gaming phone with a striking appearance, a set of superior accessories, a large carrying capacity and a unique screen that’s as smooth as they come.
Even if you’re still dreaming about gaming, ROG Phone 2 has exceptional battery life, performance and storage space.
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So while it’s not going to be for everyone, if you like what you see and are willing to spend flagship prices, it’s a great all-rounder and gaming phone champion.
(Image credit: ditch)
Who is this for?
Of course, if you’re a mobile gamer it doesn’t get any better than this, but we’d say that the ROG Phone 2 exceeded all players’ expectations. overloaded as it should be, the ROG Phone 2 should take into account — nothing else comes close in terms of the geek factor.
On a practical level, ROG Phone 2 is also a leader in battery life and has plenty of storage space, making it a winner if you frequently watch movies on the go or fly long distances to download media.
Should you buy this?
If you’re looking to spend flagship money, love the ROG Phone 2’s look and can get to grips with its size, it’s easy to recommend. Everything about this phone is impressive, with its least impressive feature, its camera, still being no slouch.
There’s no water resistance or wireless charging, and it’s not the sleekest phone, so it doesn’t have all the gizmos, but it’s not far off.
First review: October 2019
Competition
The Asus ROG Phone 2 isn’t the only overloaded phone on the market. The next three are strong alternatives.
Black Shark 2
(Image credit: Ditch)
The Black Shark 2 is the best gaming phone under £500 (roughly $620/$880). It’s loaded with half the RAM and a quarter of the storage like Asus’ latest and greatest, but it still has a flashy OLED display, RGB lighting, and plenty of accessories, giving you gaming clout at a lower price.
Read our full Black Shark 2 review
OnePlus 7T
(Image credit: Ditch) amount of RAM more aggressively disables background processes.
However, it’s also equipped with a much more affordable design, a more versatile camera, and an almost equally smooth 9-speed display.