Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate review

Competition

The ROG Phone line is a lot of things for different people, but it has never been cheap, that's for sure. To be fair, pricing has reached more reasonable levels, especially including optional accessorizing within the now significantly smaller ecosystem. Still, the ROG Phone 7, and particularly the 7 Ultimate, are luxury products. The regular ROG Phone 7 starts at €999 for the 12GB RAM version, whereas the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, in its only 16GB/512GB configuration, retails for €1399, with the AeroActive Cooler 7 included in the box.

If you find yourself considering the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, we can already assume that (1) you are after a gaming phone and that (2) money is no object. So in surveying what else is available on the market, let's start then with a gaming phone suggestion in the nubia Red Magic 8 Pro. Just like the ROG Phone, the Red Magic 8 Pro is rocking a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset with active cooling thanks to the tiny built-in fan. The Red Magic 8 Pro pairs this chipset with fast LPDDR5X RAM (up to 16GB) and UFS 4.0 storage (up to 512GB). You also get a higher resolution display than on the ROG Phone, but one that is 120Hz, instead of 165Hz and lacks HDR certification. Besides that, the Red Magic 8 Pro has pressure-sensitive side triggers, stereo speakers and a 3.5mm jack, a large 6,000 mAh battery, and a camera setup similar to the Asus. Probably the most direct competitor to the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate would actually be the Red Magic 8 Pro+ since it has that fancy RGB on the fan and a see-through back panel.

ZTE nubia Red Magic 8 Pro • Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Unfortunately, most other gaming smartphone lines haven't been as quick as Asus and ZTE in upgrading their lineups to the latest Qualcomm chips, so we can't suggest any of them in good faith. What we can easily recommend, however, is the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. It's hard to find a more well-rounded Android device on the market. It excels in every possible way. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy mobile platform is actually a beefed-up version of the regular chip, so performance is no concern at all. Plus, you can really make use of all of those game frames on the 120Hz, QHD+, HDR10+, LTPO Dynamic AMOLED 2X display of the S23 Ultra. You also get an all-around very sturdy device with an IP68 ingress protection rating and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on both the front and back. Not to mention one of the best and most versatile camera setups currently out there. You will have to live with a slightly smaller 5,000 mAh battery but one that still offers amazing battery life.

Our verdict

Overall, not a lot has changed about the ROG Phone for yet another generation. The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate gets the latest and greatest chipset Qualcomm has to offer and a few other specs touch-ups here and there, like the boosted display performance. Fundamentally, the core formula hasn't been altered, and that's arguably a good thing.

Asus' laser focus on delivering the best mobile gaming experience remains barely challenged for yet another year, with most manufacturers focusing on creating more mainstream products.

Even in the face of an ever-shrinking accessory ecosystem, we still believe the ROG Phone remains on top of the gaming crowd. Their dedication to gaming remains so impressive that it alone earns it the champion title.

The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate leverages some of the best possible hardware in a unique way, optimizing everything from low-level integration to high-level software for the best possible gaming experience. The flexibility and number of tuning options on offer are still unmatched, and so is the versatility of the in-depth control mapping and macro system.

Honestly, the ROG Phone 7 generation, like its predecessors, has very few shortcomings. Looking back at the ROG Phone 5 lineup and its impressive cooling, we cannot help but feel that things have degraded a bit in that respect, sort of necessitating the purchase of the AeroActive Cooler accessory to make the most of the available performance. Luckily, you get the AeroActive Cooler 7 in the box with the Ultimate edition.

And there is also the matter that Asus is still not investing heavily in cameras and remains behind your average 2023 flagships in that regard.

Neither of these "criticisms" is a new development, though, and neither is the steep price tag on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate (€1399). Luckily, by sticking to a proven formula, Asus has once again managed to deliver a well-rounded device that not only excels in the gaming realm but can arguably even rub shoulders with the Galaxy S and iPhone devices of the world. Whether or not that's fair competition, in your view, is an entirely personal stance. As it currently stands, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate gets two thumbs up from us, and we'll leave it at that.

Pros

• Toned-down, but still ROG-inspired gamer's design with great build quality.
• IP54 certified body. Gorilla Glass Victus on the front, Gorilla Glass 3 on the back.
• AirTigger, ultrasonic touch sensors, remain industry-leading and are very precise and versatile.
• Significantly improved internal cooling design with a new "rapid-cycle" vapor chamber.
• AeroActive Cooler 7 now cools the front of the device and also has a built-in subwoofer.
• Industry-leading stereo speaker performance, complete with gaming-specific sound tweaks.
• Gorgeous 10-bit, HDR10+, AMOLED screen, 165Hz refresh rate and now with improved 1500 nits of peak brightness and real-time SDR to HDR conversion.
• Amazing battery life, even at full 165Hz. Rich battery health prolonging options. Very fast charging (65W charger bundled).
• Flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset with unparalleled performance tuning.
• Great Android implementation, unparalleled game tweaks, control mapping and performance options. Two major OS updates and four years of security updates.
• Solid daylight photos, as well as low-light images. Impressive selfie quality. Feature-rich camera app.
• Very good video quality, impressive EIS.

Cons

• Available accessory ecosystem is not as wide as older models.
• The accessory connector is back to having POGO pins prone to breaking.
• AeroActive Cooler 7 is now required to make the most of the available hardware.
• Rather basic camera setup, compared to typical 2023 flagships. 8K video recording is capped at 24fps. The Selfie video is now capped at 1080p.