Over the past few years, "Gaming" has become a sort of label that manufacturers can place on their products to make them sound fancier and higher quality. But, that obviously doesn't apply for every product out there - with the Asus ROG Phone 2 being one of those few exceptions.
A gaming smartphone mostly needs to have a big battery, decent cooling, and strong hardware. The ROG Phone 2 is possibly the most powerful phone we've ever seen till now that meets the criteria, so it's definitely worth checking out. Let's get right into it!
Specifications
We know why you're here, so let's get straight to the main dish!
- OS: Android Pie (ROG UI)
- Chipset: Qualcomm SDM855 Plus (7nm)
- CPU: 8 Kryo 485 cores (1x at 2.96 GHz, 3x at 2.43 GHz, and 4x at 1.8 GHz
- GPU: Adreno 640
- RAM: 12 GB
- Display: 6.6 inches at 1080 x 2340 - 120 Hz
- Cameras: Front: 24 MP/Rear: 48 MP (Main) and 13 MP (Ultra-wide)
- Storage: 256/512 GB
- Battery: 6,000 mAh
- Accessories: Air cooler
And that's the short version of it. For those of you who want to get into a more detailed review, keep on reading!
What's ROG?
ROG stands for Republic of Gamers and is a gaming sub-brand of Asus. We've seen various gaming goodies from them like motherboards, graphics cards, and more.
Well, now we have ROG smartphones as well. Asus previously released one more ROG phone which was kinda impressive. But, the ROG Phone 2 is off the charts.
Let's take a deeper look into it!
1: Chipset
Most reviewers say that this is the most powerful phone on the market right now, and we'll have to agree! When it comes to mobile chipsets, nothing is more powerful than the Snapdragon 855 Plus!
With 8 powerful cores that are clocked at higher speeds than ever and the Adreno 640, this is quite possibly more power than we can use on a phone right now!
From the looks of it, this is just an overclocked Snapdragon 855. But, we're not quite sure about the technical differences. So, if you anything about it, let us know in the comments down below!
And it's not just all about raw computing power. Snapdragon's new chipset also brings a few new gaming-related features like Game Fast Loader and Game Junk Reducer.
Overall, for those of you who want the most powerful phone on the market, keep your eyes peeled on the ROG Phone 2!
2: Display
All this power is going to be useless without a good display. And thankfully, when it comes to gaming, this is one of the best we've ever seen!
The ROG Phone 2 comes equipped with a 6.6-inch 1080 x 2340 display and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. And pay attention when we say that the refresh rate is extremely important for gaming!
As long as the game and your phone can output more than 60 FPS, a higher refresh rate will make everything feel much smoother to our eyes. So, kudos to Asus for that.
You may think that this wastes more battery - and you'd be right. However, the phone doesn't always work at 120 Hz.
Throughout our daily activities, it'll keep on working at your average 60 Hz. But, when you need to play a game that can benefit from those extra frames, you can switch to 120 Hz through the game settings!
3: Battery
Most flagships nowadays are still stuck with 4,000 mAh batteries - give or take. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. For most of us, 4,000 mAh is satisfactory.
However, it goes without saying that more is better. As long as we don't have to carry a brick with us. Thankfully, the ROG Phone 2 brings a huge 6,000 mAh battery to the table without sacrificing thinness. At least not too much.
Asus claims that you can get up to 7 hours of non-stop PUBG gameplay. So, we can safely assume that daily usage will give you at the very least a couple of days before having to charge up again.
4: Storage, RAM, and Accessories
The ROG Phone 2 gives you 12 gigs of RAM and either 256 or 512 gigabytes of storage. Now, we can probably all agree that this is way more than enough.
But, what truly sets the ROG Phone 2 apart from the other smartphones is all of the accessories that you can get with it!
We're talking about a dedicated case, an air cooler that blows air out from the rear vent, and even a secondary display that you can attach to the phone. Why? Well, why not? It may be useful for multi-tasking.
Furthermore, there's a gamepad that can be used in two ways:
- As a whole
- Or you can attach it to the sides as you'd do with a Nintendo Switch
This is how the gamepad looks while it's attached to the phone in combination with the secondary display. But, don't forget that the gamepad can also be used on its own.
Add the gamepad on its own along with the display dock and a good monitor and you'll be looking at a superb portable gaming + smartphone setup. Maybe the days of handheld gaming devices are coming to an end after all.
Last, but not least, there's also a dedicated briefcase that can be bought separately. Just in case you want to easily carry the whole rig.
Wrapping Up
Overall, the Asus ROG Phone 2 is a very powerful gaming smartphone with a huge battery and probably more accessories than you'll ever need. To be more specific:
- Dedicated case
- Air cooler
- Secondary display
- A gamepad that can be used on its own or attached to the phone
- Display dock for connecting the phone to a display
- And a briefcase
Asus hasn't mentioned anything about pricing and a release date just yet. But, rumor has it that we'll soon see it in the EU at about the same price point of the previous ROG phone.
That's all for now. Feel like we forgot to mention something important? Got anything wrong? Then let us and everyone else know about it in the comments section down below!
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