Asus’ ROG Telephone 9 evaluate: a gaming standout

One of many main boons within the smartphone area in recent times is gaming — and never the bloatware type. As an alternative, it is the gradual 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 usually. After I had the possibility to go hands-on with Asus‘ ROG Telephone 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 Telephone 9 sequence 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 Telephone 9 underwhelms with regards to day-to-day use, particularly concerning its digicam.

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Asus ROG Telephone 9

Asus’ ROG Telephone 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.

Execs

• Gorgeous AMOLED Show
• AirTriggers are a glossy addition
• As much as 21 hours of battery

Cons

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

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Value, availability, and specs

The Asus ROG Telephone 9 launches on Tuesday, November nineteenth. The bottom mannequin of the sequence is out there for $1,000. The machine comes with a stunningly crisp 6.78-inch AMOLED E6 show. This display screen options LTPO know-how, with a dynamic refresh charge between 1 and 120Hz. Nevertheless, ROG Telephone 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 outside within the daytime.

Trying on the inside specs, the bottom ROG Telephone 9 helps as much as 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The digicam array helps a 50-megapixel Sony Lytia f/1.9 essential 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. Out there in storm white and phantom black, the ROG Telephone 9’s physique contains a crystallized nano-texture. Lastly, the machine helps AirTrigger buttons on the proper facet of the unit. These act as refined triggers that replicate the usage of a controller.

Asus additionally affords just a few AI-powered options throughout the ROG Telephone 9 sequence. Many of those, unsurprisingly, are designed for use whereas enjoying video games. These which are accessible for traditional day-to-day use aren’t all that distinctive or thrilling. It is also odd that after spending the yr testing varied Android telephones, the ROG Telephone 9 would not assist Circle to Search at launch (although it’s being added throughout This fall 2024).

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What I like concerning the ROG Telephone 9

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

Asus’ ROG suite is fairly well-known. The ROG Telephone, nonetheless, flies just a little below the radar. Nevertheless, it suits inside 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 Telephone 9 was made to play video games on. The very first thing I did when testing the ROG Telephone 9 was set up a small assortment of titles.

In fact, the cellular sport on everybody’s thoughts proper now could be Pokémon TCG Pocket. It is a sport that I’ve famous just a few body charge dips when enjoying on iPhone 15 Pro, particularly whereas scrolling the Marvel Picks display screen. Definitely, Pokémon TCG Pocket is just not setting benchmarks for the ROG Telephone 9. Nevertheless, it exhibits 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 Telephone 9’s gaming capabilities start to shine is when approaching extra performance-intensive video games. Putting in titles like Name of Responsibility: Warzone Cellular and Genshin Influence, I obtained an opportunity to see the ROG Telephone 9 shine below extra demanding circumstances. Based mostly on Geekbench 6 benchmarks, the ROG Telephone 9 garnered a 3,207 CPU ranking with a ten,186 GPU ranking. Due to the Snapdragon 8 Elite‘s efficiency, Name of Responsibility: Warzone Cellular ran silky easy with no noticeable display screen tearing throughout on-line matches.

Utilizing the AirTriggers on the facet of the machine, I used to be capable of mimic the usage of aiming down sight and taking pictures my weapon like I do when enjoying on Xbox or PlayStation. With Genshin Influence, Asus bakes in its X Sense AI options. Utilizing picture recognition know-how, objects have been robotically picked up, and an auto-run capacity was accessible. I am unable to assist however attest that this use of AI is extremely progressive for the ROG Telephone 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 yr. Based mostly on common use with intermittent video streaming and gaming, I squeezed round 21 hours of battery life out of the ROG Telephone 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 machine. There’s the cumbersome ROG AeroActive Cooler offered individually to extend the cooling primarily based on the CPU temperature. Nevertheless, I am unable to think about utilizing this whereas on the go.

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What I do not like concerning the ROG Telephone 9

The ROG Telephone 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 attraction of getting a textured rear for a gaming telephone. Nevertheless, the ROG Telephone 9 feels just a little low cost in my hand.

Had I used this as my major machine over an prolonged interval, I would in all probability put money into a case to cowl it. The corporate set a precedent of the ROG Telephone 9 being a gaming machine. That is very obvious within the inventory UI after establishing the machine. The app icons for the Telephone, Digicam, and Gallery apps are removed from glossy in comparison with different Android units.

I am additionally frankly underwhelmed by the digicam array of the ROG Telephone 9. It is undoubtedly not Asus’ robust swimsuit. I am removed from a shutterbug however I may instantly see the disparity in images taken from my iPhone 15 Professional and the ROG Telephone 9. On the Asus-made telephone, images look crisp and vivid. Nevertheless, 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 evaluate 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 Telephone 9?

An important cellular gaming rig in the event you ignore gaming handhelds

It is simple that Asus packed in spectacular {hardware} to assist refine the ROG Telephone 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 Telephone 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 Telephone 9 will serve you effectively. In the event you’re grinding by means of Genshin Influence or wish to play some video games through the cloud, you may seemingly benefit from the consumer expertise. My solely want is that the standard of its gaming efficiency was maintained throughout the board. In the event you’re within the ROG Telephone 9 for its gaming capabilities completely, I would nearly be extra compelled to recommend an ROG Ally or a Steam Deck as a substitute.

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Asus ROG Telephone 9

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