The Asus ROG Phone 5: Is This the Ultimate Gaming Smartphone?
Asus has unveiled the latest generation of their flagship gaming phone, the ROG Phone 5, boasting an arsenal of top-tier hardware designed to deliver a truly immersive gaming experience. With the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC and up to 18GB of LPDDR5X RAM, this phone promises to be a powerhouse. But does it live up to the hype and deliver the ultimate gaming phone experience? We take a first look at the ROG Phone 5 to see what’s on offer.
A Feast for the Eyes: Design and Display
The ROG Phone 5 is a beast in the palm of your hand, boasting a massive 6.78-inch AMOLED display with an impressive 144Hz refresh rate. The display, crafted by Samsung, is HDR10+ certified and offers a full-HD+ resolution, ensuring vibrant visuals and smooth scrolling. The Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and Gorilla Glass 3 on the back protect against scratches and accidental drops. Though the display is surrounded by thin bezels on the sides, it does have slightly thicker bezels at the top and bottom, housing stereo speakers and a 24-megapixel selfie camera – this design choice maintains an impressive screen-to-body ratio, while incorporating essential features.
Powerful Hardware and Battery Life
The ROG Phone 5 packs a punch with the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC clocked at 2.84GHz, making it one of the most powerful mobile chips available. It’s paired with up to 18GB of LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 3.1 storage, ensuring lightning-fast performance and smooth multitasking. The phone boasts a dual-cell 6,000mAh battery, split evenly into two 3,000mAh cells. This innovative setup not only allows for fast charging, but also helps to prevent the phone from overheating during intense gaming sessions. This clever design also positions the cells strategically at the top and bottom of the phone, allowing the included Aeroactive Cooler 5 to sit on the mainboard housing the SoC for effective cooling. While Asus claims the phone can handle 65W fast charging, the box only includes a 30W charger, meaning you’ll need to invest in a compatible charger separately to take advantage of the full charging potential.
Taking Control: Gaming and UI
The ROG Phone 5 is all about the gaming experience, with Asus’ ROG UI offering a plethora of customization options to personalize your gameplay. The phone comes pre-loaded with Android 11 and offers a clean and intuitive interface. The Ultrasonic AirTriggers on the right side of the phone offer tactile feedback and can be customized for various gaming tasks. The Aeroactive Cooler 5, not included in the base model, adds two physical trigger buttons, taking the total number of trigger buttons to four, for enhanced control and precision during gaming. The inclusion of a fold-out kickstand on the cooler is a welcome addition, allowing you to comfortably enjoy your gaming session.
The Camera Conundrum
The ROG Phone 5 houses a triple rear camera system consisting of a 64-megapixel primary camera, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera, and a 5-megapixel macro camera, all housed in a sleek and slightly protruding camera module. While the main camera utilizes pixel binning to deliver 16-megapixel shots, the focus remains on its gaming capabilities. The camera performance hasn’t been tested yet and will be thoroughly evaluated during the full review.
Final Thoughts: A Gaming Powerhouse
The Asus ROG Phone 5, with its impressive hardware, innovative cooling system, and extensive customization options, is a clear contender for the title of the ultimate gaming smartphone. While the focus lies on gaming, the phone still offers great performance and a beautiful display for everyday use. With its sleek design and powerful features, the ROG Phone 5 promises a truly immersive and refined gaming experience.
However, the premium price point, the lack of a microSD slot, and the need to purchase the Aeroactive Cooler 5 separately might be deterrents for some buyers.
Stay tuned for our full review, where we’ll delve deeper into benchmark scores, gaming performance, and camera quality, to see if the Asus ROG Phone 5 truly lives up to its promise.
