Asus ROG Phone 7 review

Introduction

The new ROG Phone has arrived a little bit earlier than its usual schedule this year, but you won't hear us complaining. Asus has simplified the lineup this time around, and there are just two devices - the ROG Phone 7 and the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate Edition. Both have essentially the same specs, sans for the ROG Vision display on the rear of the Ultimate and its AeroActive Portal for additional cooling, which is only present on the Ultimate.

We've already taken a look at the Ultimate model, and now it's time for the regular ROG Phone 7 to get the review treatment. You can thus expect many of the same features to make an appearance and a few references to the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate review.

Asus ROG Phone 7 specs at a glance:

• Body: 173.0x77.0x10.3mm, 239g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 3), aluminum frame; IP54 water resistant, Illuminated RGB logo (on the back), Pressure sensitive zones (Gaming triggers).
• Display: 6.78" AMOLED, 1B colors, 165Hz, HDR10+, 1000 nits (HBM), 1500 nits (peak), 1080x2448px resolution, 20.4:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8550-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm): Octa-core (1x3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 740.
• Memory: Up to 512GB 16GB RAM; UFS 4.0, NTFS support for external storage.
• OS/Software: Android 13.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 1/1.56", 1.0µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 13 MP, f/2.2, 120-degree; Macro: 8 MP, f/2.0.
• Front camera: 32 MP (wide), f/2.45, 1/3.2", 0.7µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 720p@480fps; gyro-EIS, HDR10+; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 6000mAh; 65W wired, PD3.0, QC5, 100% in 42 min (advertised), 10W reverse wired.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; 3.5mm jack; stereo speakers (2 amplifiers).

Asus didn't change a whole lot with the new ROG Phone 7 generation. Most features are carried over from the ROG Phone 6, which is a good thing. After all, why change something that is clearly working?

Asus just went out to refine the phone in every way possible. The highlights include better computational performance, better speaker performance, and a brighter AMOLED display.

Other key features are still present as well, like the sturdy aluminum body and dual-glass design with Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and an ingress protection rating. The massive 6,000 mAh battery with 65W fast charging is also here, and so are the impressive controls and connectivity options, including the ROG AirTrigger inputs and the side port for accessories like the AeroActive cooler.

Other things that unfortunately haven't changed with this generation of the ROG Phone 7 include the camera setup, which appears to have been borrowed straight from the ROG Phone 6 and still lacks a telephoto cam. Wireless charging is also still a notable omission from the phone.

Add all of the pieces together, and you end up with a rather familiar ROG Phone 7 that sticks to the same core formula as before, with more or less iterative upgrades. Even so, we still believe it has what it takes to maintain its gaming crown. Let's dive in.

Unboxing

First things first, let's unbox the ROG Phone 7. Unlike its Ultimate sibling, the regular ROG Phone 7 comes in a much simpler two-piece cardboard box. It is still adorned with some "gamery" graphics, so you know what kind of product you are getting. The box is thick, sturdy, and good enough to keep the phone safe.

One thing worth pointing out straight away regarding the contents of the box is that the regular ROG Phone 7 does not come with the AeroActive Cooler 7 in the box like the Ultimate does. It's a separate optional purchase (€110 at the time of writing).

Our unit came with a bumper case, which is a great extra accessory. Also in the box is the Asus 65W wall charger and a USB Type-C to Type-C cable to go with it.