Asus ROG Phone review

21 December 2018
In more ways than one the ROG phone is a benchmark, a practical example of what a gaming phone could be when you really have the expertise, experience and technical prowess to pull it off and dial everything to eleven.

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Zendroid, 22 Dec 2018There is no lol for Android. But what moba are you thinking... moreDid you try playing PUBG for 30 minutes using this phone? Just to remind you that if you didn't attach the cooling fan. The exhaust grill from the back would generate some heat.

Also, there are other MOBA games such as Rules of survival, ARK: Survival Evolved, and other intense CPU+GPU games that are now available on android. It is not the capability of running games. It is how the heat starts to take the life out of your phone if its not built for gaming.

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    • Love the Community
    • vaS
    • 22 Dec 2018

    This deserves a 4.5 score for being the full package phone like a Samsung flagship! Why is it 4.1? You have two ways to use a headphone jack (one is with an accessory).

      Kiyasuriin, 22 Dec 2018I do prefer having a Dell for gaming. (and I do play some g... moreI'm talking about the phone, not computer. Asus g750jh was my last gaming computer. Now I'm only gaming on my phone (Oneplus 6) and my snes classic. I might consider a computer again, if they will give me tera 2, lineage 3 and warcraft 4. My router is even asus dsl-ac68u. But rog phone got send back within 10 days after buy, with full refund. After I saw how much better op6 perform in my games.

        Zendroid, 22 Dec 2018You clearly haven't tried rog, and you aren't playing onlin... moreI do prefer having a Dell for gaming. (and I do play some games in online. but not a lot. you'll likely see me in MMORPGs, or MOBAs. or massive race games. and some FPS. but not all kinds)
        so you're somewhat correct. haha~!
        (dunno. Having a ROG is too weird for me.)

          Kiyasuriin, 22 Dec 2018Hmm... so about for as much as a galaxy F. (1800$) you're g... moreYou clearly haven't tried rog, and you aren't playing online games. But for offline gaming, you are right.

            Hmm... so about for as much as a galaxy F. (1800$) you're getting a phone. and an accesoire set of 6 add-on components. (out of which I liked the Aero-Active, Twin view, Game vice, Mobile desktop And APD. I disliked the WiGig because any miracast device can withstand it. why a dedicated one that doesn't even stream well) as a gamer. it's definitely my fav. but the FPS is worrying. (though I got fairly small tips. but long fingers) as well as expansion of storage. (one could say. "pfft~ just get the 512 GB and you'll be good!", good point. but how will I transfer my data from the SD to the phone? =~=')
            I honestly wanted to buy this phone. it's gorgeous. it screams gamer. it's well packed. (and has meme ability with "infinity charge" //slain) but no SD-card is a no buy. I will definitely recommend this phone for those who WANT that gaming feeling for a smartphone. that's why I comment and curious about every device because I'm a recommender.
            (and buyer if it's good enough for me)

              HugoSteger, 22 Dec 2018You forgot that there cons in this phone such as: 1. No wa... moreThere is no lol for Android. But what moba are you thinking about? I'm playing arena of Valor and mobile Legends. And both games run more smoothly on Oneplus 6 than rog phone, because of the more stable ms. Rog has too much of high ms jumps. Rog is amazing for offline games though.

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                • Anonymous
                • 7BD
                • 22 Dec 2018

                HugoSteger, 22 Dec 2018You forgot that there cons in this phone such as: 1. No wa... moreActually, according to the website, there is SOME water protection. It's just not officially IP rated or the price would go even higher.

                I'm just surprised that it killed the Razer Phone 2 in 3G, and video playback but still overall 2 hours LESS endurance than a 2K LCD IZGO with 120Hz refresh rate display. Starting to think GSMArena's battery tests have some odd faults here...

                  Shanti Dope, 22 Dec 2018Really trying hard to find faults on a near perfect phone, ... moreYou do know that this phone was 9 months to be released, after reveal. Right? Asus did the same thing with the AR phone. So tell asus to stop that bad habit.

                    Piphacker, 22 Dec 2018worst camera result i have ever seen from any flagship I was actually surprised over the camera. Yeah it's nothing like the big flagships, but it's better than on the other gaming phones. Even my Oneplus 6. But the fact that the phone has been under development for 9 months before release, and it still comes out with high ping/latency jumps. That is the killer of the "gaming" part. A jump between 5-10 ms is ok, and not dangerous in most games. But jumps over 100 ms randomly in games, is killing the gaming experience.

                      Sam, 22 Dec 2018Asus ROG PHONE comes with two usb type c port and headphone... moreMore like, they don't have enough money to give all users the basic essential features for a smartphone, that they need to somehow make some profit from it.

                      Who knows, in the few years, some brand might not just ask $100 for a phone battery repair, but might sell the phone itself WITHOUT the battery and ask $50 for it, and another $200 for it to be installed, and $20 to seal it with waterproof protection.

                        HugoSteger, 22 Dec 2018You forgot that there cons in this phone such as: 1. No wa... moreReally trying hard to find faults on a near perfect phone, huh?
                        If you're an average consumer and you're expecting this phome to be made specifically for you, then bravo!
                        You're probably the last dumb one I've seen in the whole 2018!
                        Hope you leave that behind before the new year comes!
                        You know, it's not good to bring a bad habit when the new year comes, because that might mean a bad luck for the rest of that upcoming new year for you.

                          Imperator Neubaticus, 22 Dec 2018Looks good all around but that battery life is unacceptable... more1. Many flagship phones that cost as much, especially the iPhones, have had underwhelming or even worse battery lives.
                          This one, in particular, at least has some reasonable reasons for it, and most obviously being the screen's high refresh rates.
                          2. Asus could've put a more massive battery inside to improve the endurance further, but the phone will be at least 1mm thicker and about 10g heavier. Then of course you would say it's too bulky, and in that case, you shouldn't even have asked for it in the first place.
                          And why not invest for a good power bank? I have a 20,000mAh Pineng PB that I ordered online for just a total of nearly $20, and that thing's already capable of charging my phone in QC3.0 speed.

                            A bit out of topic, but it looks cool with the new update of GSMArena's mobile interface.
                            Here in the comment section, there seems to be some less lines to give off a more modern and clean look.
                            One thing is that there seems to be a tiny dot on the left side of the name of the commenter on an article, and I would assume that it's an indicator of being online or offline, grey being the latter and green for the other one.
                            I'd, however, want to finally have the ability to edit my comments or replies in mobile version, all without having to switch to desktop version, which takes so much longer and much less practical than just a simple tap of a button.
                            Maybe sometime in the future, websites would also implement dark mode of their own sites as well. And by dark, I mean pure black, not just a greyed out one like what Google implemented on YouTube.

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                              • Couch expert
                              • nH{
                              • 22 Dec 2018

                              Kangal, 22 Dec 2018It's almost like I personally designed the phone, then some... moreSo a good phone shouldn't have a 3.5 port as well? Black Shark surely doesn't.

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                                • Hoffmann
                                • JG$
                                • 22 Dec 2018

                                Great phone, even greater review. Thanks GSMArena

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                                  • AnonD-762416
                                  • m2A
                                  • 22 Dec 2018

                                  Kangal, 22 Dec 2018It's almost like I personally designed the phone, then some... moreSo... You wanted a bland generic phone... Gotcha! I guess that's why your boss changed everything after he let you go... :)

                                    Ah finally nice

                                      HugoSteger, 22 Dec 2018You forgot that there cons in this phone such as: 1. No wa... moreIt's almost like I personally designed the phone, then some schmuck business manager came and made adjustments because "greed".

                                      It doesn't need 18:9 and be needlessly larger. It doesn't need RGB logo, useless air-fan feature, weird air triggers, and bad ergonomics for the fingerprint scanner and buttons. Not to mention it needs to be even more durable, and a GamePad should be FREE inside the box.

                                      Further yet, they remove IP68 certification, remove AndroidOne platform, add some software bloat, remove the microSD slot, downgrade fast charger, then overcharge for the accessories.

                                      That Fastest QSD 845 moniker has become a pointless virtue, since we have the Kirin 980, Apple A11 and Apple A12 devices. Not to mention the next-gen Exynos 9820 and Snapdragon 855 coming shortly.

                                      It's looking like a smarter buy to get a cheaper Xiaomi BlackShark Helio, or keep your Samsung S8 Plus instead.

                                        Anonymous, 22 Dec 2018Pros -Unique look and amazing build quality. -Lavish pack... moreYou forgot that there cons in this phone such as:
                                        1. No water or dust resistant. Which means that this unit is more likely to get damage on water or dust.
                                        2. Unless you have the tools to pry open the smartphone. There's no way to clean the internals.
                                        3. If this was a gaming phone on the go. They've should design a powercase for this unit as overclocking the processor would eat a lot of battery life.
                                        4. If you're on a tropical region. And mostly rains outside. This phone is not for you as the raindrop could kill the unit.
                                        5. Accessories are sold separately and are very costly and hard to find.
                                        6. Sold in limited quantities. So there's no way to get this other than order basis. Even authorized asus vendors/asus store doesn't have a displayed model on their shop.
                                        7. If you don't attach the included external fan from the package. The unit tends to get hot to touch especially when in overclocking mode and on intense games like fortnite or League of legends.
                                        8. A very serious delicate care is required to manage when you own this phone.

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