Asus ROG Phone Review
Release date: 2018, Q3 | Weight: 200 g (7.05 oz) | Dimensions: 158.8 x 76.2 x 8.7 mm (6.25 x 3.00 x 0.34 in) | OS: Android 8.1 Oreo | Screen size: 6 inches, 92.9 cm2 | Resolution:1080 x 2160 pixels, 18:9 ratio | CPU: Snapdragon 845 | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 128GB / 512 GB | Battery: 4,000mAh | Rear camera: Dual 12MP | Front camera: 8MP
- Great Battery
- Beautiful design
- Asus' ROG Gaming Center app
- Audio quality
Asus promised us a few surprises at Computex 2018 this year, and the company is staying true to its word. The Taiwanese PC and smartphone company came to this year’s event with its first gaming smartphone released under its ROG brand. it’s the third gaming-centric smartphone we’ve seen in recent times, following the Xiaomi Black Shark and Razer Phone. The device follows the ROG design language, with sharp lines, a black finish and distinctly 'gamer' looks. Even the fingerprint sensor, camera and flash modules on the back are distinct from other phones, and you see the glowing ROG logo under them. And yes, the ROG logo does light up, and you can change the color if you want. The ROG Phone runs on the Snapdragon 845, but the chipset hits a higher clock speed on this device.
Specs and Performance
Asus says it worked with Qualcomm for the chipsets, and the clock speed can reach 2.9GHz, about 100MHz higher than normal. But more importantly, the ROG Phone has a 1080p AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate. While that's lower than Razer's 120Hz spec, neither would make a big difference until games really start supporting them. The same is true for HDR playback, which the display does support. we streamed the game to a TV from a ROG phone for over half an hour, and although you could feel the phone getting hot, we still experienced no frame drops. There's also a version of Asus' ROG Gaming Center app on this device. This shows you what frequency the CPU and GPU are at, the phone's temperature and more. Of course, you don't get the same level of control over these as you do on gaming PCs. However, this app can let you toggle the 'X-Mode' that lets you set the CPU clock higher and to its maximum, if needed. You can also squeeze the edges for this, or turn it on from Android's quick settings dock. Audio quality is also noticeably better than from regular smartphones, although we wouldn’t recommend making this your go-to music device.
Accessories
One of the major elements of the Asus ROG Phone are the accessories that go with it. In addition to the vapor cooling, Asus will be bundling a fan accessory with the phone; this attaches to the USB-C ports on the side, and helps cool the phone when you're gaming for long periods. It's worth noting that this is the only accessory Asus is bundling – the rest have to be purchased separately.
One of these is a TwinView Dock, which allows a dual-screen handheld gaming experience. The phone fits into the top part of the dock, and you can then use the phone to watch a movie, for example, while a screen on the base can be used to game.
There's also a Gamevice controller, which gives you console-like controls for gaming, while the WiGig Dock enables you to cast the phone onto a monitor and play using a keyboard and mouse. The ROG Phone also supports Asus' AuraSync and RGB lighting features.
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