Asus’ ROG Cellphone 9 evaluate: a gaming standout

One of many main boons within the smartphone area lately is gaming — and never the bloatware form. As an alternative, it is the gradual 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 turning into a platform I take advantage of extra typically. Once 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 Cellphone 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 expertise. The ROG Cellphone 9 collection is complemented with a Professional lineup. Nevertheless, 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 on the subject of day-to-day use, particularly relating to its digital camera.

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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.

Execs

• Beautiful AMOLED Show
• AirTriggers are a smooth 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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Worth, 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 know-how, with a dynamic refresh charge between 1 and 120Hz. Nevertheless, ROG Cellphone 9 does supply as much as 185Hz when utilizing its Sport 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 outside 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 and a 32MP f/2.4 telephoto lens with a 13-megapixel ultra-wide Free-form lens. The front-facing digital camera 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 Cellphone 9’s physique includes a crystallized nano-texture. Lastly, the gadget helps AirTrigger buttons on the best facet of the unit. These act as delicate triggers that replicate using a controller.

Asus additionally gives a number of AI-powered options throughout the ROG Cellphone 9 collection. Many of those, unsurprisingly, are designed for use whereas enjoying video games. These which are out there 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 help Circle to Search at launch (although it’s being added throughout This autumn 2024).

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What I like in regards to 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 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 sport on everybody’s thoughts proper now could be Pokémon TCG Pocket. It is a sport that I’ve famous a number of body charge dips when enjoying on iPhone 15 Professional, particularly whereas scrolling the Surprise Picks display screen. Actually, Pokémon TCG Pocket shouldn’t be setting benchmarks for the ROG Cellphone 9. Nevertheless, 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 Cellular and Genshin Affect, I received an opportunity to see the ROG Cellphone 9 shine beneath extra demanding circumstances. Based mostly on Geekbench 6 benchmarks, the ROG Cellphone 9 garnered a 3,207 CPU ranking with a ten,186 GPU ranking. Due to 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 capable of mimic using aiming down sight and capturing my weapon like I do when enjoying on Xbox or PlayStation. With Genshin Affect, Asus bakes in its X Sense AI options. Utilizing picture recognition know-how, objects have been routinely 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 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 offered 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 in regards to the ROG Cellphone 9

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

Asus does 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 digital camera bump look gaudy to me. I perceive the attraction of getting a textured rear for a gaming telephone. Nevertheless, the ROG Cellphone 9 feels a bit low-cost in my hand.

Had I used this as my major gadget over an prolonged interval, I might in all probability 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 organising the gadget. The app icons for the Cellphone, Digicam, and Gallery apps are removed from smooth 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 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. Nevertheless, as quickly as I pulled them onto my PC, they appeared much 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 take a look at.

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Must you purchase the ROG Cellphone 9?

An amazing cellular gaming rig if you happen to ignore gaming handhelds

It is simple 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 protected.

As a cellular gaming smartphone, the ROG Cellphone 9 will serve you properly. Should you’re grinding by Genshin Affect or need to play some video games by way of the cloud, you will probably benefit from the consumer expertise. My solely want is that the standard of its gaming efficiency was maintained throughout the board. Should you’re within the ROG Cellphone 9 for its gaming capabilities completely, I might nearly 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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