The Newest Gaming Smartphone on the Block

After its stint running the rumor mill and the teasers we’ve found online, it’s finally here—the ASUS ROG Phone. As expected it’s packing the hardware to take on all the latest and greatest titles plus a host of features to make it run as smooth and as, more importantly, as cool as possible.

ASUS has been a little mum about the exact specs of the device thus far, so make sure you check back for the updated spec sheet.

ASUS ROG Phone Specs

• Speed-binned 2.93Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor
• Adreno 630 GPU
• 8GB RAM
• 128GB/512GB internal storage
• 6-inch Full HD+AMOLED display with 90hz refresh rate and 1ms response time, HDR support
• 12-megapixel main and 8-megapixel wide-angle rear cameras
• 8-megapixel front camera
• 4G, LTE
• Dual SIM
• WiFi, Bluetooth
• GPS, A-GPS
• USB Type-C
• GameCool vapor-chamber cooling system, AirTrigger force feedback haptics
• Aura RGB lighting and AuraSync Support
• Stereo speakers with smart amplifier and support for Hi-Res Audio, DTS:HeadphoneX, and aptX
• 4000mAh battery with HyperCharge
• Android 8.1 Oreo with ZenUI 5.0

Initial Impressions: Ready to Go Hard and Stay Cool

The ASUS ROG Phone definitely fits the bill in terms of overall designs. Its form factor resembles that of another recent release of the Taiwanese company, the ASUS Zenfone 5Q, with aggressive lines that make easy to associate from ASUS’ gaming sub-brand and is made out of metal as well.

 

You’ve got a dual camera setup tucked on the upper left hand on the phone and, while we haven’t gotten its exact specifications, it’s most likely rocking a secondary wide-angle lens at a 120-degree field of view.

 

One thing you might have noticed that is very different from their smartphones, or any other smartphone we’ve seen for that matter, is the vents to help keep the internals cool. This is a part of the ROG phone’s GAME COOL 3D Vapor-Chamber Cooling System that provides an overall improvement in cooling efficiency by 60-percent and gives 5 times more peak performance. The ROG logo on the back of the phone also glows red to give you more of that gamer swag.

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Let’s give you a tour around the device.

On the ride side of the ROG Phone are the power button and volume rocker.

 

One the left side you’ll a new proprietary port by Asus made specifically for this device so that you can mount one of its included accessories—The Aeroactive Cooler. This allows you to hook up your phone to its charger and your headphones in landscape mode without messing with comfort while gaming. The top of the phone is pretty much empty, save for the typical microphone.

 

On the bottom are a USB Type-C port and a headphone jack.

 

When Razer revealed their Gaming Phone, they boasted of a 120Hz display to give you better visuals. The Asus ROG Phone has something somewhat similar. You have a 6-inch AMOLED panel at Full HD+ resolution. It has a refresh rate of 90Hz at 1ms response plus a wider color gamut, a great contrast ratio, and supports HDR.

To enjoy your gaming experience on the device further, it actually has dual front speakers with a smart amp too. Aside from that you’ve got enhanced haptics to give you a little rumble when you’re under fire.

Under the hood of the ASUS ROG phone is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor to give you the best gaming experience possible. It’s no ordinary 845 though, it’s been speed-binned to give you higher clock speeds at 2.96GHz. It’s the first in the world to receive this essentially overclocked SoC. It’s paired with 8GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage.

The phone is running on Android Oreo 8.1 and running on a new skin that has an improved gaming center. You’ve also got a 4000mAh battery juicing up the ASUS ROG Phone.

The phone ships with the Aeroactive Cooler but you also have 3 optional accessories that you can purchase separately, some of which you’ve seen littered around the article.

 

• A TwinView Dock to give you a more comfortable grip on the phone while making easier to see the reactions to your livestream.
• A Mobile Desktop Dock that allows you to use the ROG Phone with a monitor and PC peripherals
• A GameVice ASUS WiGig Dock that lets you cast your game on to your TV and give you a Nintendo Switch like handles and controls.

As of the moment, no price has been announced for the ROG Phone but it should be available by Q3 this year. We’ll be adding more details to this article as we learn more about the device, so stay tuned.