Asus’ ROG Cellphone 9 assessment: a gaming standout

One of many main boons within the smartphone house lately is gaming — and never the bloatware variety. As a substitute, it is the sluggish adoption of higher-performance video games and cloud gaming. I’ve needed to be an avid supporter of cellular gaming for years at this level, however there have been hurdles stopping this from turning into a platform I exploit extra typically. After I had the possibility to go hands-on with Asus‘ ROG Cellphone 9, I felt as if this might be a brand new lease on life as a cellular gaming participant.

Asus’ ROG Phone 9 is developed to be a cutting-edge gaming-first smartphone. With all the trimmings of the ROG design philosophy, Asus packs in a set of nice options to complement and energy the gaming experience. The ROG Cellphone 9 collection is complemented with a Professional lineup. Nevertheless, even the bottom mannequin has a noticeably strong battery and a show that begs for video games to be performed on it. Sadly, the ROG Cellphone 9 underwhelms in the case of day-to-day use, particularly relating to its digital camera.

Beneficial

Asus ROG Cellphone 9

Asus’ ROG Cellphone 9 is a sturdy gaming-first smartphone with innovating {hardware} and software program perks made to play cellular video games, together with AirTriggers and AI-driven options.

Professionals

• Beautiful AMOLED Show
• AirTriggers are a modern addition
• As much as 21 hours of battery

Cons

• Gamer-first design and UI is ugly
• Digital camera high quality is subpar

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Value, availability, and specs

The Asus ROG Cellphone 9 launches on Tuesday, November nineteenth. The bottom mannequin of the collection is on the market for $1,000. The gadget comes with a stunningly crisp 6.78-inch AMOLED E6 show. This display screen options LTPO expertise, with a dynamic refresh price between 1 and 120Hz. Nevertheless, ROG Cellphone 9 does provide as much as 185Hz when utilizing its Recreation Genie for an excellent smoother gameplay expertise. The show additionally helps a peak brightness of two,500 nits, serving to colours and distinction keep vivid even when outdoor within the daytime.

Trying on the inside specs, the bottom ROG Cellphone 9 helps as much as 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The digital camera array helps a 50-megapixel Sony Lytia f/1.9 major lens, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide Free-form lens, and a 5-megapixel macro shooter. The front-facing digital camera is a 32-megapixel ultra-wide lens. Powering the telephone is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which leverages a 5,800mAh battery.

All of that is wrapped in a 6.4 x 3 x 0.35-inches (163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9mm) kind issue. Obtainable in storm white and phantom black, the ROG Cellphone 9’s physique includes a crystallized nano-texture. Lastly, the gadget helps AirTrigger buttons on the precise facet of the unit. These act as delicate triggers that replicate using a controller.

Beneficial

Asus ROG Cellphone 9

Model

Asus

Show

6.78-inch AMOLED

RAM

As much as 16GB LPDDR 5

Storage

512GB

Battery

5800mAh

Ports

USB-C

Working System

Android

Entrance digital camera

32-megapixel f/2.5 (ultrawide)

Rear digital camera

50-megapixel f/1.9, 1/1.56”(major), 32MP f/2.4 (telephoto) , 13-megapixel f/2.2 (ultrawide)

Dimensions

6.4 x 3 x .35-inches (163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9mm)

Colours

Storm White and Phantom Black

Launch

November 19

Increase

Asus additionally affords a number of AI-powered options throughout the ROG Cellphone 9 collection. Many of those, unsurprisingly, are designed for use whereas taking part in video games. These which can be out there for traditional day-to-day use aren’t all that distinctive or thrilling. It is also odd that after spending the yr testing numerous Android telephones, the ROG Cellphone 9 does not help Circle to Search at launch (although it’s being added throughout This autumn 2024).

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What I like concerning the ROG Cellphone 9

Asus’ ROG Cellphone 9 bridges the hole between smartphones and the Steam Deck

Asus’ ROG suite is fairly well-known. The ROG Cellphone, nevertheless, flies a bit of beneath the radar. Nevertheless, it matches throughout the Republic of Gamer household properly. A lot of the corporate’s experience in gaming {hardware} comes over into the cellular market. Whether or not or not the design philosophy is your model, the ROG Cellphone 9 was made to play video games on. The very first thing I did when testing the ROG Cellphone 9 was set up a small assortment of titles.

In fact, the cellular recreation on everybody’s thoughts proper now could be Pokémon TCG Pocket. It is a recreation that I’ve famous a number of body price dips when taking part in on iPhone 15 Pro, particularly whereas scrolling the Surprise Picks display screen. Definitely, Pokémon TCG Pocket just isn’t setting benchmarks for the ROG Cellphone 9. Nevertheless, it reveals that the dynamic refresh price on the AMOLED show does wonders, even for extra passive video games and in-app experiences.

The place the ROG Cellphone 9’s gaming capabilities start to shine is when approaching extra performance-intensive video games. Putting in titles like Name of Obligation: Warzone Cellular and Genshin Affect, I bought an opportunity to see the ROG Cellphone 9 shine beneath extra demanding circumstances. Primarily based on Geekbench 6 benchmarks, the ROG Cellphone 9 garnered a 3,207 CPU ranking with a ten,186 GPU ranking. Because of the Snapdragon 8 Elite‘s efficiency, Name of Obligation: Warzone Cellular ran silky easy with no noticeable display screen tearing throughout on-line matches.

Utilizing the AirTriggers on the facet of the gadget, I used to be in a position to mimic using aiming down sight and capturing my weapon like I do when taking part in on Xbox or PlayStation. With Genshin Affect, Asus bakes in its X Sense AI options. Utilizing picture recognition expertise, gadgets have been robotically picked up, and an auto-run potential was out there. I can not assist however attest that this use of AI is extremely revolutionary for the ROG Cellphone 9. Sadly, the out there titles that use X Sense are few and much between.

Fortunately, given it invested a lot into its gaming suite, Asus additionally included a really respectable battery this yr. Primarily based on common use with intermittent video streaming and gaming, I squeezed round 21 hours of battery life out of the ROG Cellphone 9. To no shock, the longevity of the battery life dwindles exceptionally whereas gaming. Even when I used to be utilizing Xbox Cloud Gaming to stream some video games whereas watching TV, I would usually run the battery dry for round 5 hours. Asus can be optimizing the thermal cooling of the gadget. There’s the cumbersome ROG AeroActive Cooler bought individually to extend the cooling based mostly on the CPU temperature. Nevertheless, I can not think about utilizing this whereas on the go.

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What I do not like concerning the ROG Cellphone 9

The ROG Cellphone 9 is a beast for gaming however performs it secure elsewhere

Asus does not draw back from this being a really ‘gamer’ smartphone for higher or worse. I am not a giant fan of how the ROG design philosophy interprets as a smartphone. The rugged angular edges of the digital camera bump look gaudy to me. I perceive the enchantment of getting a textured rear for a gaming telephone. Nevertheless, the ROG Cellphone 9 feels a bit of low-cost in my hand.

Had I used this as my major gadget over an prolonged interval, I would most likely spend money on a case to cowl it. The corporate set a precedent of the ROG Cellphone 9 being a gaming gadget. That is very obvious within the inventory UI after establishing the gadget. The app icons for the Cellphone, Digital camera, and Gallery apps are removed from modern in comparison with different Android units.

I am additionally frankly underwhelmed by the digital camera array of the ROG Cellphone 9. It is undoubtedly not Asus’ sturdy swimsuit. I am removed from a shutterbug however I may instantly see the disparity in photographs taken from my iPhone 15 Professional and the ROG Cellphone 9. On the Asus-made telephone, photographs look crisp and vivid. Nevertheless, as quickly as I pulled them onto my PC, they appeared way more lifeless and washed out. I needed to edit and bump the distinction in every of them for this assessment simply to make them a bit extra interesting for me to have a look at.

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Do you have to purchase the ROG Cellphone 9?

An excellent cellular gaming rig when you ignore gaming handhelds

It is plain that Asus packed in spectacular {hardware} to assist refine the ROG Cellphone 9. The smartphone options ample processing energy and a stellar battery to service on-the-go gaming. Sadly, I believe in doing so, the ROG Cellphone 9 does not do a lot to face out as a smartphone. Throughout all of its telephone properties, Asus performs it fairly secure.

As a cellular gaming smartphone, the ROG Cellphone 9 will serve you properly. For those who’re grinding via Genshin Affect or need to play some video games through the cloud, you may seemingly benefit from the person expertise. My solely want is that the standard of its gaming efficiency was maintained throughout the board. For those who’re within the ROG Cellphone 9 for its gaming capabilities completely, I would virtually be extra compelled to recommend an ROG Ally or a Steam Deck as an alternative.

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