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 type. As a substitute, it is the sluggish adoption of higher-performance video games and cloud gaming. I’ve wished to be an avid supporter of cellular gaming for years at this level, however there have been hurdles stopping this from changing 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 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. Nonetheless, 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 relating to day-to-day use, particularly concerning its digicam.

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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

• Gorgeous AMOLED Show
• AirTriggers are a glossy 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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Worth, availability, and specs

The Asus ROG Cellphone 9 launches on Tuesday, November nineteenth. The bottom mannequin of the collection is out there for $1,000. The machine comes with a stunningly crisp 6.78-inch AMOLED E6 show. This display screen options LTPO expertise, with a dynamic refresh charge between 1 and 120Hz. Nonetheless, 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 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 major lens and a 32MP f/2.4 telephoto lens with a 13-megapixel ultra-wide Free-form lens. The front-facing digicam is a 32-megapixel ultra-wide lens. Powering the telephone is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, leveraging 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. Accessible in storm white and phantom black, the ROG Cellphone 9’s physique incorporates a crystallized nano-texture. Lastly, the machine helps AirTrigger buttons on the best facet of the unit. These act as delicate triggers that replicate using a controller.

Asus additionally presents a couple 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 might be out there for normal 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 would not help Circle to Search at launch (although it’s being added throughout This fall 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 little bit underneath the radar. Nonetheless, it suits 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 sport on everybody’s thoughts proper now’s Pokémon TCG Pocket. It is a sport that I’ve famous a couple of body charge dips when taking part in on iPhone 15 Pro, particularly whereas scrolling the Surprise Picks display screen. Actually, Pokémon TCG Pocket just isn’t setting benchmarks for the ROG Cellphone 9. Nonetheless, it reveals that the dynamic refresh charge 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 Influence, I obtained an opportunity to see the ROG Cellphone 9 shine underneath 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 Cell ran silky clean with no noticeable display screen tearing throughout on-line matches.

Utilizing the AirTriggers on the facet of the machine, I used to be in a position to mimic using aiming down sight and taking pictures my weapon like I do when taking part in on Xbox or PlayStation. With Genshin Influence, Asus bakes in its X Sense AI options. Utilizing picture recognition expertise, objects have been routinely picked up, and an auto-run capacity was out there. I can not assist however attest that this use of AI is extremely progressive 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 sometimes run the battery dry for round 5 hours. Asus can also be optimizing the thermal cooling of the machine. There’s the cumbersome ROG AeroActive Cooler offered 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 protected elsewhere

Asus would not shrink back from this being a really ‘gamer’ smartphone for higher or worse. I am not an enormous 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 enchantment of getting a textured rear for a gaming telephone. Nonetheless, the ROG Cellphone 9 feels a little bit low-cost in my hand.

Had I used this as my main machine over an prolonged interval, I would in all probability spend money on a case to cowl it. The corporate set a precedent of the ROG Cellphone 9 being a gaming machine. That is very obvious within the inventory UI after organising the machine. The app icons for the Cellphone, Digital camera, and Gallery apps are removed from glossy 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 go well with. I am removed from a shutterbug however I may instantly see the disparity in pictures taken from my iPhone 15 Professional and the ROG Cellphone 9. On the Asus-made telephone, pictures look crisp and vivid. Nonetheless, as quickly as I pulled them onto my PC, they seemed way 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 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 would not do a lot to face out as a smartphone. Throughout all of its telephone properties, Asus performs it fairly protected.

As a cellular gaming smartphone, the ROG Cellphone 9 will serve you effectively. If you happen to’re grinding by way of Genshin Influence or need to play some video games by way of the cloud, you will probably benefit from the person expertise. My solely want is that the standard of its gaming efficiency was maintained throughout the board. If you happen to’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 a substitute.

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Asus ROG Cellphone 9

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