ASUS ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review

GSMArena Team, 19 September 2022.

Synthetic benchmarks

Now we're finally in the thick of it. The main difference between the older ROG Phone 6/ 6 Pro and the new ROG Phone 6D/ 6D Ultimate is the chipset swap from Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 to the MediaTek Dimensity 9000+. This officially marks the first time a MediaTek chipset finds its way into a Republic of Gamers phone. Naturally, it's MediaTek's top-dog Dimensity 9000+.

Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review

Better still, Asus has managed to essentially overclock the CPUs on the Dimensity 9000+ as well. Inside the ROG Phone, 6D/ 6D Ultimate, users get a single primary Cortex-X2 core, clocked at up to 3.35 GHz instead of the default 3.2 GHz. The three Cortex-A710 cores are also overclocked to 3.20 GHz instead of their default 2.85 GHz. The remaining four "small" Cortex-A510 cores are left at their default 1.8 GHz, which makes sense seeing how they are meant for efficiency instead of performance.

In terms of GPU, the ROG Phone 6D and 6D Ultimate are rocking the Mali-G710 MC10 with no mention of an overclock of any sort. So, we expect similar performance out of it to other Dimensity 9000+, as well as Dimensity 9000 -equipped devices. Unfortunately, we have none of those in our performance database for now.

The ROG Phone 6D Ultimate pairs the Dimensity 9000+ chipset with 16GB of RAM, which is a bit odd at first glance since the ROG Phone 6 Pro offers 18GB of RAM. However, the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate uses LPDDR5X RAM, which currently only goes to 16GB modules, which explains the decision.

Let's kick things off with some CPU testing and GeekBench. This is where the Dimensity 9000+ and its overclocked cores really come through.

GeekBench 5 (multi-core)

Higher is better

  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode+)
    4575
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode)
    4528
  • Xiaomi 12S Ultra
    4300
  • nubia Red Magic 7S Pro
    4231
  • Realme GT2 Explorer Master
    4021
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
    3980
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
    3889
  • ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
    3845
  • Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
    3728
  • iQOO 9 Pro
    3708
  • Xiaomi 12 Pro
    3682
  • Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
    3665
  • nubia Red Magic 6S Pro
    3660
  • Xiaomi 12
    3652
  • OnePlus 9 Pro
    3636
  • Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
    3521
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate
    3505
  • iQOO 9
    3503
  • Realme GT2
    3487
  • vivo X70 Pro+
    3469
  • OnePlus 10 Pro
    3447
  • OnePlus 10T
    3401
  • Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
    3191
  • ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
    3189
  • vivo X70 Pro
    2956
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
    2659

GeekBench 5 (single-core)

Higher is better

  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode)
    1374
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode+)
    1360
  • nubia Red Magic 7S Pro
    1345
  • Realme GT2 Explorer Master
    1336
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
    1329
  • Xiaomi 12S Ultra
    1324
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
    1300
  • ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
    1251
  • iQOO 9 Pro
    1231
  • ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
    1207
  • Xiaomi 12
    1187
  • Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
    1176
  • Xiaomi 12 Pro
    1169
  • iQOO 9
    1143
  • nubia Red Magic 6S Pro
    1140
  • Realme GT2
    1131
  • Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
    1128
  • OnePlus 9 Pro
    1126
  • Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
    1126
  • Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
    1117
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
    1110
  • vivo X70 Pro+
    1106
  • OnePlus 10T
    1043
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate
    1001
  • OnePlus 10 Pro
    975
  • vivo X70 Pro
    875

The difference between the different performance modes Asus has on the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate is also clearly visible. X Mode and X Mode+ (accessible only with the AeroActive Cooler 6 attached) are tuned for noticeably higher burst performance than the regular Dynamic performance mode.

AnTuTu has the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate trading close blows with its ROG Phone 6 Pro sibling as well. Seems like the difference in raw performance between the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and the MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ is not that major at all.

AnTuTu 9

Higher is better

  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode+)
    1107464
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
    1103188
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
    1094300
  • nubia Red Magic 7S Pro
    1087412
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode)
    1085829
  • ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
    1056511
  • Realme GT2 Explorer Master
    1045876
  • Xiaomi 12S Ultra
    1039412
  • Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
    1007133
  • iQOO 9 Pro
    997948
  • Xiaomi 12 Pro
    985226
  • Xiaomi 12
    985115
  • Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1080p)
    940400
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate
    931170
  • OnePlus 10 Pro
    886248
  • ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
    884923
  • nubia Red Magic 6S Pro
    866437
  • iQOO 9
    852898
  • vivo X70 Pro+
    837833
  • Realme GT2
    810512
  • Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
    794016
  • OnePlus 9 Pro
    789332
  • OnePlus 10T
    786238
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
    762090
  • Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
    735588
  • vivo X70 Pro
    694499

GPU testing with GFXBench was kind of a mixed bag on the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate. In some tests, particularly more intensive ones and those on the Vulkan API, the phone seems to perform as expected.

GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (onscreen)

Higher is better

  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode+)
    63
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode)
    62
  • nubia Red Magic 7S Pro
    62
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
    61
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
    61
  • Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
    61
  • OnePlus 10T
    60
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate
    59
  • Xiaomi 12
    59
  • Realme GT2 Explorer Master
    59
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
    58
  • ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
    58
  • Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1080p)
    51
  • ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
    46
  • iQOO 9
    43
  • Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
    40
  • Realme GT2
    40
  • nubia Red Magic 6S Pro
    40
  • Xiaomi 12S Ultra
    38
  • OnePlus 10 Pro
    37
  • iQOO 9 Pro
    36
  • Xiaomi 12 Pro
    36
  • vivo X70 Pro
    31
  • vivo X70 Pro+
    25
  • OnePlus 9 Pro
    24
  • Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
    23

GFX Aztek ES 3.1 High (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
    46
  • Xiaomi 12S Ultra
    46
  • Realme GT2 Explorer Master
    46
  • nubia Red Magic 7S Pro
    46
  • OnePlus 10T
    46
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode+)
    45
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode)
    45
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate
    43
  • ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
    43
  • OnePlus 10 Pro
    43
  • Xiaomi 12
    41
  • Xiaomi 12 Pro
    41
  • Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
    41
  • iQOO 9 Pro
    40
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
    37
  • ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
    35
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
    33
  • Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1080p)
    32
  • nubia Red Magic 6S Pro
    29
  • Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
    28
  • iQOO 9
    28
  • OnePlus 9 Pro
    28
  • Realme GT2
    27
  • vivo X70 Pro+
    27
  • Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
    27
  • vivo X70 Pro
    21

GFX Aztek Vulkan High (onscreen)

Higher is better

  • nubia Red Magic 7S Pro
    69
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode+)
    64
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode)
    64
  • ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
    64
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate
    63
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
    63
  • Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
    61
  • OnePlus 10T
    60
  • Xiaomi 12
    59
  • Realme GT2 Explorer Master
    59
  • Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1080p)
    46
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
    45
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
    45
  • ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
    45
  • nubia Red Magic 6S Pro
    44
  • iQOO 9
    44
  • Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
    42
  • OnePlus 10 Pro
    41
  • Xiaomi 12S Ultra
    39
  • Realme GT2
    38
  • iQOO 9 Pro
    37
  • Xiaomi 12 Pro
    37
  • vivo X70 Pro
    29
  • OnePlus 9 Pro
    27
  • vivo X70 Pro+
    26
  • Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
    25

GFX Aztek Vulkan High (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

  • nubia Red Magic 7S Pro
    52
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
    51
  • Xiaomi 12S Ultra
    51
  • OnePlus 10T
    51
  • Realme GT2 Explorer Master
    50
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode+)
    49
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode)
    48
  • ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
    48
  • OnePlus 10 Pro
    48
  • Xiaomi 12
    45
  • Xiaomi 12 Pro
    45
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate
    44
  • iQOO 9 Pro
    44
  • Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
    44
  • ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
    42
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
    36
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
    36
  • Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1080p)
    34
  • nubia Red Magic 6S Pro
    32
  • Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
    31
  • iQOO 9
    31
  • OnePlus 9 Pro
    31
  • Realme GT2
    30
  • vivo X70 Pro+
    29
  • Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
    29
  • vivo X70 Pro
    20

However, numbers are all over the place in some of the other tests. We re-ran these multiple times just to be sure and seemed to get consistent results. It is good to see that X Mode and X Mode+ either manage to push slightly higher or identical frame rates to the default performance mode consistently across all tests.

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

  • Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
    82
  • nubia Red Magic 7S Pro
    81
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
    79
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
    79
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
    79
  • ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
    77
  • Xiaomi 12
    75
  • Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1080p)
    69
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode+)
    68
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode)
    68
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate
    68
  • iQOO 9
    65
  • nubia Red Magic 6S Pro
    62
  • Realme GT2 Explorer Master
    60
  • OnePlus 10T
    60
  • Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
    59
  • ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
    58
  • Realme GT2
    56
  • Xiaomi 12S Ultra
    51
  • OnePlus 10 Pro
    48
  • iQOO 9 Pro
    46
  • Xiaomi 12 Pro
    46
  • vivo X70 Pro
    40
  • OnePlus 9 Pro
    36
  • Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
    34
  • vivo X70 Pro+
    33

GFX Car Chase ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

  • Xiaomi 12S Ultra
    104
  • nubia Red Magic 7S Pro
    104
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
    103
  • Realme GT2 Explorer Master
    103
  • OnePlus 10T
    103
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
    102
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
    101
  • ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
    97
  • OnePlus 10 Pro
    97
  • Xiaomi 12 Pro
    96
  • Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
    96
  • iQOO 9 Pro
    95
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode+)
    89
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode)
    88
  • Xiaomi 12
    84
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate
    82
  • ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
    80
  • Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1080p)
    76
  • nubia Red Magic 6S Pro
    74
  • iQOO 9
    74
  • Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
    70
  • OnePlus 9 Pro
    70
  • Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
    69
  • Realme GT2
    68
  • vivo X70 Pro+
    66
  • vivo X70 Pro
    45

The same exact trend continues as we go lower down the difficulty stack on testing. Mind you, some of these numbers start to make little sense and are clearly bumping up against other limitations or optimization issues as we start to get scores above 100 fps.

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (onscreen)

Higher is better

  • ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
    147
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
    140
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode+)
    124
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode)
    124
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate
    122
  • Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
    120
  • Xiaomi 12
    117
  • iQOO 9
    110
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
    108
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
    107
  • nubia Red Magic 6S Pro
    107
  • ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
    105
  • Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
    103
  • Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1080p)
    103
  • Xiaomi 12S Ultra
    91
  • nubia Red Magic 7S Pro
    90
  • OnePlus 10 Pro
    89
  • Xiaomi 12 Pro
    86
  • iQOO 9 Pro
    84
  • vivo X70 Pro
    77
  • Realme GT2 Explorer Master
    60
  • Realme GT2
    60
  • OnePlus 10T
    60
  • Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
    60
  • vivo X70 Pro+
    58
  • OnePlus 9 Pro
    57

GFX Manhattan ES 3.1 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

  • OnePlus 10T
    183
  • Xiaomi 12S Ultra
    182
  • Realme GT2 Explorer Master
    182
  • nubia Red Magic 7S Pro
    181
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
    180
  • OnePlus 10 Pro
    175
  • ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
    171
  • Xiaomi 12 Pro
    168
  • Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
    167
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode+)
    164
  • Xiaomi 12
    164
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode)
    163
  • iQOO 9 Pro
    160
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate
    137
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
    134
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
    134
  • nubia Red Magic 6S Pro
    127
  • iQOO 9
    126
  • Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
    120
  • OnePlus 9 Pro
    119
  • Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
    116
  • Realme GT2
    115
  • ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
    114
  • Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1080p)
    114
  • vivo X70 Pro+
    105
  • vivo X70 Pro
    85

GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (offscreen 1080p)

Higher is better

  • OnePlus 10T
    274
  • Xiaomi 12S Ultra
    268
  • Realme GT2 Explorer Master
    267
  • nubia Red Magic 7S Pro
    267
  • ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
    267
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
    263
  • OnePlus 10 Pro
    261
  • Xiaomi 12 Pro
    249
  • Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
    241
  • Xiaomi 12
    236
  • iQOO 9 Pro
    236
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode+)
    230
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode)
    226
  • ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
    216
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
    211
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
    204
  • nubia Red Magic 6S Pro
    181
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate
    178
  • iQOO 9
    178
  • OnePlus 9 Pro
    174
  • Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
    174
  • Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1080p)
    172
  • Realme GT2
    168
  • vivo X70 Pro+
    147
  • Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
    144
  • vivo X70 Pro
    129

GFX Manhattan ES 3.0 (onscreen)

Higher is better

  • ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
    165
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode+)
    161
  • nubia Red Magic 6S Pro
    149
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
    144
  • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (X Mode)
    136
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode+)
    131
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate (X Mode)
    130
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate
    129
  • Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
    128
  • Xiaomi 12
    121
  • Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
    120
  • ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
    120
  • iQOO 9
    119
  • Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra (1080p)
    119
  • Xiaomi 12S Ultra
    118
  • Xiaomi 12 Pro
    117
  • OnePlus 10 Pro
    116
  • iQOO 9 Pro
    115
  • vivo X70 Pro
    108
  • Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
    96
  • vivo X70 Pro+
    94
  • Realme GT2 Explorer Master
    60
  • Realme GT2
    60
  • nubia Red Magic 7S Pro
    60
  • OnePlus 10T
    60
  • OnePlus 9 Pro
    60

3DMark usually offers more legible results overall in our experience, but for better or worse, the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate only managed to post a score in its default performance mode. Enabling X Mode or X Mode+ just results in a maximum score in both the Wild Life and Slingshot Extreme tests. Hence, you can imagine those lines sitting at the very top of the following chart.

3DMark Wild Life Vulkan 1.1 (offscreen 1440p)

Higher is better

  • Xiaomi 12S Ultra
    10533
  • ZTE nubia Red Magic 7 Pro
    10112
  • Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
    10008
  • iQOO 9 Pro
    9673
  • Xiaomi 12 Pro
    9664
  • OnePlus 10 Pro
    9610
  • Xiaomi 12
    9535
  • ROG Phone 6D Ultimate
    8687
  • ZTE Axon 40 Ultra
    8670
  • Realme GT2
    5879
  • nubia Red Magic 6S Pro
    5865
  • iQOO 9
    5814
  • Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
    5745
  • OnePlus 9 Pro
    5701
  • Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
    5676
  • Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
    5556
  • vivo X70 Pro+
    5332
  • vivo X70 Pro
    4148

Overall, the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate is unsurprisingly one of the best-performing handsets currently on the market. The difference between it and its Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 -equipped siblings isn't all that substantial in RAW numbers. However, there is a very valid argument to be made when it comes to drivers and optimization. There are certain use cases, notably game emulation, that just run better and are better optimized on Qualcomm chips. That's one major thing to consider if you find yourself choosing between, say, the ROG Phone 6 Pro and ROG Phone 6D or 6D Ultimate.

Thermals and thermal-throttling

As far as thermals go, the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate, unsurprisingly, gets hot to the touch with prolonged loads. Very hot, in fact, way past the point of comfort. This is just a compromise that has to be made since Asus has clearly decided to engineer and tune the cooling and internals in a way to maximize performance - both peak and sustained and prioritize it over hand comfort. Heat is dissipated away from the chips and onto the body as fast as possible.

We made sure to test just how well the internals handle prolonged exposure to heat. Throttling is kind of an inevitability in a passive system. And looking at the graph of the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate in its default Dynamic performance mode with no AeroActive cooler attached, plenty of throttling is taking place. Thankfully and crucially, in a very gradual manner which is non-disruptive to gameplay smoothness.

Thermal throttling in Dynamic performance mode - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Thermal throttling in Dynamic performance mode - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Thermal throttling in Dynamic performance mode - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Thermal throttling in Dynamic performance mode - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Thermal throttling in Dynamic performance mode - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review
Thermal throttling in Dynamic performance mode

When set to X Mode without the AeroActive Cooler 6 attached, the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate tunes itself for better peak performance and pushes itself harder in the beginning. A trend that is clearly visible on the corresponding performance throttling graph.

Thermal throttling in X Mode performance mode - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Thermal throttling in X Mode performance mode - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Thermal throttling in X Mode performance mode - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Thermal throttling in X Mode performance mode - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Thermal throttling in X Mode performance mode - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Thermal throttling in X Mode performance mode - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review
Thermal throttling in X Mode performance mode

Moving on to X Mode+ with the AeroActive Cooler 6 attached and set to full blast (Frozen mode with a USB cable attached to meet the power requirements), we can see much less thermal throttling. That's perfectly expected, seeing how we've effectively transformed the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate from a passive closed system into an actively-cooled one.

Thermal throttling in X Mode+ performance mode with the AeroActive Cooler 6 - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Thermal throttling in X Mode+ performance mode with the AeroActive Cooler 6 - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Thermal throttling in X Mode+ performance mode with the AeroActive Cooler 6 - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Thermal throttling in X Mode+ performance mode with the AeroActive Cooler 6 - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Thermal throttling in X Mode+ performance mode with the AeroActive Cooler 6 - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Thermal throttling in X Mode+ performance mode with the AeroActive Cooler 6 - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review
Thermal throttling in X Mode+ performance mode with the AeroActive Cooler 6

You can get an even smaller throttling curve with the AeroActive Cooler 6 and the default Dynamic performance mode, which is also perfectly expected. Plus, it should be noted that the synthetic all-core max CPU load we are testing with is absolutely unrealistic and not representative of real-world tasks.

In practice, playing AAA demanding mobile games on the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate is as pleasant of an experience as they come. The gameplay is always smooth as butter, and the body of the phone, while gradually hotter with time, never gets too uncomfortable to hold.

Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review

Adding the AeroActive Cooler 6 to the mix results in a gaming experience like no other. The added hand comfort and additional input buttons elevate the experience from casual to professional. That's what Asus set out to achieve with the ROG Phone line - create a tool for the gaming enthusiast, and despite all of the ups and down and ever-mounting competition, we believe the Republic of Gamers handsets still remain top dog and ahead of the pack in the gaming niche.

Asus software, Armoury Crate and Game Genie

Asus hasn't done anything specific to the Dimensity version of its software. We made sure to dig around pretty deep for any changes or new additions and just discovered the singular new menu for manually opening the AeroActive Portal on the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate for maintenance.

Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review

Apart from that, everything is identical to the ROG Phone 6 and 6 Pro. In case you were wondering, despite the new chipset, Asus' signature Hardcore Tuning of low-level parameters is still present. Naturally, the sliders and values available are slightly different, but non the less, the tuning options are there and remain unparalleled in the industry as a whole.

Hardcore performance tuning options - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Hardcore performance tuning options - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Hardcore performance tuning options - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Hardcore performance tuning options - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Hardcore performance tuning options - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Hardcore performance tuning options - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review
Hardcore performance tuning options - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Hardcore performance tuning options - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Hardcore performance tuning options - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Hardcore performance tuning options - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Hardcore performance tuning options - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review Hardcore performance tuning options - Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate review
Hardcore performance tuning options

For anything else regarding the pretty clean, yet surprisingly in-depth, particularly in the gaming and performance departments, software experience on the ROG Phone 6D and 6D Ultimate, we invite you over to the software section of our ROG Phone 6 Pro review.

Reader comments

  • Sidkik
  • 25 Jan 2023
  • rRU

Yeah, if phone companies aren't allowing the option of an SD Slot standard, I'd at least want 1TB internal storage with these same specs. Will definitely be getting the next release if they keep the 3.5 MM jack and ridiculously good battery...

Just found out that phones. Similar to ROG phone 6 failed the bend test. I would rather wait for the 2023 ROG phone. Which may have the following specs: 1. Snapdragon 8 gen 2. 2. Better Resolution. 3. 1TB or 2TB internal storage. Otherwise...

  • Anonymous
  • 06 Oct 2022
  • K1L

I won't trust cloud storage, especially when you go to places with little to no Internet.