This story was originally published and last update .
There is no doubt that the Asus ROG Phone 5 is a beast – like a gaming phone, it brings everyone of the best and latest hardware, and that makes him a really robust boy. Asus has a laser focus on game-centric features that will delight its demographic core, but the ROG 5 is not a complete nightmare to use outside of games either. THE ROG Phone 5 offers stable daily use with the added benefit of killer specs that can be tweaked and adjusted like a gaming PC. This is really a phone for gamers, but that means it lacks some popular features and the software has some rough edges. It may be the right phone for the right person, but it will be difficult to sell to most, with an asking price above $ 1,000.
Design, hardware, what’s in the box
Asus will offer an entire family of ROG phones this year: Standard, Pro and Ultimate. The Pro is unlikely to come to the United States, and Ultimate is a limited edition worldwide, so I would have no hope of getting one. This leaves us with Standard, which comes in two variants, one with 12 GB of RAM and the other with 16 GB, both with 256 GB of storage. We have the 16 GB version for review.
The ROG 5 offers a very clean appearance with a slight game aesthetic, thanks to the lighting of the optional RGB logo. Both the on / off button and the yes slot offer a clear blue tone that contrasts with the white back and the black front for a touch of color. The design is much less aggressive for the “gamer” than previous ROG phones – it’s just interesting enough to stand out without being too flashy.
The ROG 5 is a large phone with a 6.78 inch display. This 1080p OLED screen looks sharp enough, and the colors are uniform at all levels of brightness. This is an improvement over last year’s model, which had a low gloss grain problem. This screen offers a refresh rate of up to 144 Hz, and you can lock the device at that rate for smoother animations. This means that fast-paced games can be easier to play – your opponents can only see 60 frames per second, but you get more than twice that in some games. A high update also makes the phone’s user interface much more responsive.
Much like last year’s ROG 3 (yes, Asus skipped a number), the ROG 5 offers two USB C ports, two touch-based triggers, an unobstructed screen (no cameras on the display here, but there is an abundance of bezel ), double front – front speakers, a notification LED and a fingerprint reader on the screen. You also get a 6,000 mAh battery that is actually two 3,000 mAh packs at each end of the phone. They charge on 65 W with the included charger, in addition, you can use passage to power the device during the game, in order to reduce the heat.
The sound is a big highlight of the ROG Phone 5. In addition to having two front speakers, the device includes a DAC that supports high-resolution audio and there is sophisticated software built in that can adjust the front sound – speakers aimed to ensure that provide the best possible outlet. THE ROG 5 sounds great, regardless of how you’re listening.
Asus is still pushing peripherals with the ROG 5, such as the Kunai 3 Gamepad case (see below). There is also the AeroActive Cooler 5 fan attachment, a control clip that supports Xbox and PS controls, a Lightning Armor case that offers its own backlight, a few different models of Cetra headphones and a dock.
The highlight here is the Kunai 3 Gamepad. This is a split pad that operates similarly to standard Nintendo Switch controllers, and they connect via USB C or Bluetooth. This means that you can slide the split controllers into the provided phone case for a Portable switch experience, or you can attach them to a separate controller board that works via Bluetooth. Both methods worked well with native Android games, as well as with Stadia. Latency has never been an issue either.
It is also important to note that AeroActive Cooler 5 can be connected while the Gamepad Kunai 3 is in use, which is why the phone offers two USB-C ports. The resulting contraption is bulky in your hand, but allows for a little extra cooling while you sit down for an extended game session. The weight is similar to that of the Switch Lite.
If you choose to go without the extra peripherals, you can expect to receive the phone, the 65 W charger, a transparent case, some stickers and a variety of instruction booklets in the ROG Phone 5 case.
Software, performance and battery
Once again, Asus is offering two UI options when setting up your device. There is a Classic theme similar to the Android standard, and then there is the Standard theme, which offers a game aesthetic. I chose Classic and it works just like the standard Android, Google Discover and everything. I would like more manufacturers to offer a similar choice.
Classic left, standard right
The phone’s software comes with many game-centric options. Most of these settings can be adjusted in the Armory Crate app, which you can conveniently access via a Game Genie menu at any time during a game. The options are countless. You can adjust your temperature control, CPU / GPU performance, RAM performance, fan speeds and, best of all, you can combine your networks into a dual mode that should improve network speed and stability. Asus clearly spent a lot of resources on games features, but the feature set is quite barebones out of that.
Armory Crate app on the left, Armory Crate in the game on the right
Of course, what is the use of all these options, unless you can actually see the results of your changes? That’s why I absolutely love that Asus has included a real-time information widget that can be displayed at any time in the game. That way, you can adjust the settings on the Game Genie slide while watching your frame rate, heat, and CPU / GPU percentages. This extreme customization will make players happy, but it is not useful for the average smartphone user.
Real-time information widget at the top of the screen
The ROG 5 will come with Android 11. Asus has confirmed that the ROG Phone 5 line will have at least two years of software support, although previous devices have lost some updates, so I would not have much hope for Android 12 or security updates. fast.
When it comes to overall performance, the ROG 5 flies, especially if you block the display’s refresh rate to 144Hz. Smooth as butter is a popular phrase, but the canvas is just that. The applications load quickly and all the games I tested performed far beyond my expectations.
Nothing slowed down this phone, not even the Genshin Impact, which kept 60fps fairly solid at its highest graphics setting (although there were some crashes when loading assets). By testing dead cells, I was able to play at maximum 144 Hz graphics all the time. Of course, many games limit their frames to 60 or 30, so you can’t always take advantage of a high frame rate, but the performance is quite surprising when you can.
Playing mobile games with the highest possible settings comes at a cost to the battery, which is why you get 6,000 mAh. Pushing 144fps for a few hours in any demanding game will consume battery life, but perhaps not as much as you think. I can’t say that I was afraid of running out of power, and even if it turns out to be a problem, fast charging the device will do a quick job on a low battery. Using the device as a normal phone allowed me more than two days without a charge, and even with heavy testing of the game, surviving the entire day was not a problem either.
Left: battery level for regular use (slider), right: battery level for heavy games (slider)
Cameras
During the development of the ROG Phone 5, Asus admitted that the cameras on the ROG Phone line are not a priority. Apparently, the company aims only to offer the best camera available on a gaming phone, which is a low bar. Although I can say that the front and rear cameras can be repaired, I would expect better performance for the price of the device. But again, gaming phones oftentimes appointment on the cameras.
The primary sensor is 16 MP with an aperture of f / 1.8 and pixels of 1.6um, which allows good photos in external lighting, although low light is a weak point, just like in the ROG 3. The second rear sensor is ultra-wide at 16 MP with an aperture of f2.4, and the third sensor is 5 MP macro with an aperture of f2.0. The front camera packs 24MP with an aperture of f / 2.45, allowing for some reasonably detailed selfies, as long as the lighting is good.
You must buy?
The ROG Phone 5 is easily the best gaming phone I’ve ever used, but it comes at a cost, and I’m not just talking about the high price. The Asus ROG brand caters almost exclusively to gamers, which is why cameras are not the focus and we will probably never see wireless charging or waterproofing. Therefore, whether or not you are willing to live with these commitments is a matter on a case-by-case basis.
If your goal is have the best mobile gaming experience possible, this is the phone for you. Whether you are a mobile streamer, a mobile eSports player or just a hardcore mobile player, ROG Phone 5 offers a multitude of options and peripherals to ensure that you will see the best possible performance in all of your favorite mobile games.
But here’s the thing; this phone is going to be expensive. It might be also expensive, even. Asus says the price in the United States is still being decided, but the price in euros reaches $ 1,069 for the 12 GB model and $ 1,188 for the 16 GB version I received. Asus has confirmed two years of software support, but that support is usually slow or completely absent, so it is a little more challenging to recommend the phone.
As a player, I still think the ROG Phone 5 is a prominent brand in the fledgling gaming phone market. Personally, I’m happy to see Asus launch such a fantastic gaming phone, and the commitments don’t bother me much.
Buy if:
- You want the best possible Android gaming experience available.
- You love to tweak the settings for the best possible game performance.
- You are a streamer for mobile games or heavy in the eSports scene.
Do not buy if:
- You need fast and reliable operating system updates.
- You prefer small devices that don’t weigh too much.
- You take a lot of pictures.