Asus ROG Phone 9/9 Pro review

Introduction

If you already know what the ROG Phone line is all about, get ready to get your socks blown off because the ROG Phone 9 is packed to the gills with hardware and software features, as always, and most of them squarely aimed at a great gaming experience. Coincidentally, however, what makes a great gaming phone is actually also a great formula for a solid flagship in general you might appreciate the ROG Phone 9 series even if you are not into gaming.

The ROG line underwent a rather major redesign with last year's ROG Phone 8 generation. A redesign that aimed to make the phone more appealing to a wider, non-gamer crowd. This year, we get more of the same, with the ROG Phone 9 family being a continuation or refinement of the same formula.

In keeping with tradition, there are a total of three ROG Phone 9 models this year: the vanilla, the Pro and the Pro Edition. The Pro Edition is the easiest out of the bunch to explain. It is basically the Pro version, but it has 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, and the AeroActive Coolex X Pro is bundled.

Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro specs at a glance:

• Body: 163.8x76.8x8.9mm, 227g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass), aluminum frame; IP68/IP69K dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min), Mini-LED programmable matrix (on the back), Pressure sensitive zones (Gaming triggers).
• Display: 6.78" LTPO AMOLED, 1B colors, 185Hz, HDR10, 1600 nits (HBM), 2500 nits (peak), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 388ppi; Always-On display.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8750-AB Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm): Octa-core (2x4.32 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6x3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M); Adreno 830.
• Memory: 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 24GB RAM; UFS 4.0, NTFS support for external storage.
• OS/Software: Android 15, up to 2 major Android upgrades.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm, 1/1.56", 1.0µm, PDAF, gimbal OIS; Telephoto: 32 MP, f/2.4, 1/3.2", 0.7µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; Ultra wide angle: 13 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120-degree.
• Front camera: 32 MP, f/2.5, 22mm (wide), 1/3.2", 0.7µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 720p@480fps; gyro-EIS, HDR10+; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5800mAh; 65W wired, PD3.0, PPS, QC5, 15W wireless (Qi), 10W reverse wired.
• Connectivity: 5G; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 5.4, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive; NFC; 3.5mm jack.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); stereo speakers.

The differences between the vanilla and the Pro really aren't all that many. Both devices get the same Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, with the same inside and out design, including the new cooling system, IP68 ingress protection, and AirTriggers - the works. The only physical difference is that the vanilla gets a cut-down version of the AniMe Vision Mini LED display on the back with just 85 dots, while the Pro gets a total of 648 dots. Besides that, both phones have the same excellent 185Hz LTPO display and a 5,800 mAh battery - bigger than last year's.

Another difference between the vanilla and the Pro is the camera setup. While both versions get the same 50MP Sony Lytia 700 main camera and the same 13MP ultrawide and 32MP selfie, only the Pro model has the 32MP, 3x telephoto camera. On the vanilla, it is swapped for a 5MP macro unit.

We will be sure to test both cameras in the camera section for the sake of thoroughness. You really aren't giving up all that much by going for the vanilla ROG Phone 9 instead of the ROG Phone 9 Pro. That said, Asus says that the ROG Phone 8 generation showed a marked increase in interest towards the Pro model, compared to the vanilla, and they expect this behavior to carry over to the ROG Phone 9 as well.

Unboxing

The ROG Phone 9 comes in a standard two-piece black box. It is pretty thick and solid and protects the phone well. There is no plastic in the packaging, which is nice. In terms of accessories, the regular ROG Phone 9 gets a charger and a braided USB Type-C to Type-C cable. Also, there is a hard, transparent clip-on case in the box.

The ROG Phone 9 Pro Edition, which we also got for review, is a much more elaborate affair. First, you get the AeroActive Cooler X Pro with a soft carrying case. Then, there is a snap-on case that is compatible with the AeroActive cooler. You also get a regular protective case, as well as a charger and cable.