Asus’ ROG Cellphone 9 evaluation: a gaming standout

One of many main boons within the smartphone house in recent times is gaming — and never the bloatware variety. As a substitute, it is the gradual adoption of higher-performance video games and cloud gaming. I’ve needed to be an avid supporter of cell 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 prospect to go hands-on with Asus‘ ROG Cellphone 9, I felt as if this might be a brand new lease on life as a cell 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 collection of nice options to complement and energy the gaming experience. The ROG Cellphone 9 collection is complemented with a Professional lineup. Nonetheless, even the bottom mannequin has a noticeably stable battery and a show that begs for video games to be performed on it. Sadly, the ROG Cellphone 9 underwhelms with regards to day-to-day use, particularly relating to its digicam.

Really useful

Asus ROG Cellphone 9

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

Execs

• Gorgeous AMOLED Show
• AirTriggers are a smooth 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 offered 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 fee between 1 and 120Hz. Nonetheless, ROG Cellphone 9 does supply as much as 185Hz when utilizing its Recreation Genie for a fair smoother gameplay expertise. The show additionally helps a peak brightness of two,500 nits, serving to colours and distinction keep vivid even when open air 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 digicam array helps a 50-megapixel Sony Lytia f/1.9 important lens, a 13-megapixel ultra-wide Free-form lens, and a 5-megapixel macro shooter. The front-facing digicam is a 32-megapixel ultra-wide lens. Powering the cellphone 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 contains a crystallized nano-texture. Lastly, the gadget helps AirTrigger buttons on the fitting facet of the unit. These act as refined triggers that replicate using a controller.

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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 digicam

32-megapixel f/2.5 (ultrawide)

Rear digicam

50-megapixel f/1.9, 1/1.56”(important), 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

Broaden

Asus additionally affords a couple of AI-powered options throughout the ROG Cellphone 9 collection. Many of those, unsurprisingly, are designed for use whereas enjoying video games. These which might be accessible for traditional day-to-day use aren’t all that distinctive or thrilling. It is also odd that after spending the 12 months testing varied Android telephones, the ROG Cellphone 9 does not assist 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 slightly underneath the radar. Nonetheless, it matches inside the Republic of Gamer household properly. A lot of the corporate’s experience in gaming {hardware} comes over into the cell market. Whether or not or not the design philosophy is your fashion, 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.

After all, the cell recreation on everybody’s thoughts proper now’s Pokémon TCG Pocket. It is a recreation that I’ve famous a couple of body fee dips when enjoying on iPhone 15 Pro, particularly whereas scrolling the Marvel Picks display screen. Actually, Pokémon TCG Pocket shouldn’t be setting benchmarks for the ROG Cellphone 9. Nonetheless, it reveals that the dynamic refresh fee 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 Cell and Genshin Impression, I bought an opportunity to see the ROG Cellphone 9 shine underneath extra demanding circumstances. Based mostly on Geekbench 6 benchmarks, the ROG Cellphone 9 garnered a 3,207 CPU score with a ten,186 GPU score. Because of the Snapdragon 8 Elite‘s efficiency, Name of Obligation: Warzone Cell ran silky clean 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 taking pictures my weapon like I do when enjoying on Xbox or PlayStation. With Genshin Impression, Asus bakes in its X Sense AI options. Utilizing picture recognition expertise, gadgets had been robotically picked up, and an auto-run skill was accessible. I can not assist however attest that this use of AI is extremely progressive for the ROG Cellphone 9. Sadly, the accessible 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 12 months. Based mostly 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 might sometimes 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 primarily based on the CPU temperature. Nonetheless, 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 digicam bump look gaudy to me. I perceive the attraction of getting a textured rear for a gaming cellphone. Nonetheless, the ROG Cellphone 9 feels slightly low-cost in my hand.

Had I used this as my main gadget over an prolonged interval, I might most likely put money into 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 organising the gadget. The app icons for the Cellphone, Digital camera, and Gallery apps are removed from smooth in comparison with different Android gadgets.

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

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Must you purchase the ROG Cellphone 9?

An ideal cell 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 feel in doing so, the ROG Cellphone 9 does not do a lot to face out as a smartphone. Throughout all of its cellphone properties, Asus performs it fairly secure.

As a cell gaming smartphone, the ROG Cellphone 9 will serve you properly. When you’re grinding via Genshin Impression or wish to play some video games by way of the cloud, you may possible benefit from the consumer expertise. My solely want is that the standard of its gaming efficiency was maintained throughout the board. When you’re within the ROG Cellphone 9 for its gaming capabilities completely, I might virtually be extra compelled to recommend an ROG Ally or a Steam Deck as a substitute.

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