Verdict
The Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro is one of the fastest , flashiest and most feature - packed gaming phones available today . It ’s also one of the easy to go with , as it has a decent photographic camera system , good computer software and a comparatively slim mental synthesis . Unfortunately , mellow pricing will limit its mainstream charm .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Asus ROG Phone 9 has landed , and at a glance , it look a batch like the ROG Phone 8 Pro that come before it . As you might expect , it ’s pack Qualcomm ’s red-hot young Snapdragon 8 elect chipset on the inside , but what else is raw ?
Well , for starters , this model is even flash than the last . Asus has revamp its AniMe Vision firing organization , almost doubling the pixel count and adding an extra people of color . On a more practical note , it has a larger battery , a new primary tv camera detector and revamped cooling , too . There ’s even some AI to help with day-after-day tasks and gaming .
Gaming phone always deliver impressive specs , but living with one as your everyday driver commonly come with compromises . With the ROG Phone 8 serial , we catch the firebrand sharpness closer towards mainstream entreaty , does the ROG Phone 9 Pro seal the deal ? Let ’s find out out .
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Design
As mention , the ROG Phone 9 Pro looks identical to theROG Phone 8 Prothat we tested at the start of the year . The dimensions are on the dot the same , only interior changes result in a two - Hans C. J. Gram weight increment , which is not something you ’ll feel or point out in the real world .
It ’s only when you change by reversal the phone on that the dispute shines through – quite literally . Just like the last model , the ROG Phone 9 Pro has a concealed light-emitting diode ground substance on its rear panel , it ’s invisible when turned off , but shines through the rear field glass board when it ’s active .
The number of LEDs has almost doubled , from 341 acid to 648 , and it ’s now two - tone . The LEDs at the top of the matrix are ashen , while the bottom portion has ruddy pel . By default , it cycles through the meter , bombardment percent and the ROG Logo . It ’s a lot like an always - on display , it ’s just on the rear of the speech sound , instead .
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The light-emitting diode matrix also displays a countdown timer for your photos , a recording indicator for videos and it can alarm you to notification . Asus has gone so far as to program a entourage of game that you’re able to play on the rearward venire , too .
The secret plan are hold using the two capacitive - touch modality Air Triggers on the side of the speech sound . There ’s a Snake River game , brick pong , and that one that Chrome lets you act as when you lose connexion ( whatever that ’s called ) . It ’s not something you ’re likely to use often , after all , you may bring much more telling games on the actual screen , but it ’s a really cool political party trick .
apart from the unclouded show , and a couple of minuscule print changes , it ’s exactly the same as the previous example . However , that ’s no defective thing ; the ROG Phone 8 Pro was Asus ’ most refined gaming handset to date , and it reckon and feels just as impressive this prison term around .
You still get dual USB ports , so you may well commit while playing , and you still get the headphone socket , too . The twofold USB setup is so nice to have , and it really give this headphone a leg up over competing equipment from the like of RedMagic .
The ROG Phone 9 Pro is useable in two dissimilar potpourri . There ’s the ROG Phone 9 Pro and the ROG Phone 9 Pro Edition . It ’s a pretty perplexing naming scheme , but all you postulate to know is that the “ Edition ” reading make out with the AeroActive Cooler X Pro in the box seat and has more RAM and store . If you opt for the even framework , you’re able to buy the cooler separately for around £ 90 .
The cooler looks a lot like the one for the ROG Phone 8 Pro , and it functions identically . The idea is that it keeps temperature down for extensive gaming sessions while also adding two additional berm buttons . There ’s also a kickstand built - in , as well as a passthrough for the USB - C and audio jack .
However , while it may look very interchangeable to the ice chest that came with the ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition , this manakin has been fine-tune to improve its performance . The fan blades are slightly larger , and manifestly this can improve the cooling essence by up to 29 % .
There ’s also a subwoofer built - in , so your sound recording engender a nice basso boost whenever the ice chest is connected . This was a feature of speech of the cooler for the ROG Phone 7 , but it was miss for the 8 , so I ’m very happy to see it hark back .
My followup unit shipped with the Chill Case , which will be trade as an optional accessory . At first , I was n’t too impressed . It ’s made from a matt black plastic that does n’t sense particularly premium , and it ’s oddly thick , too . finally , I realised its purpose , and it ’s a somewhat clever idea .
The reason the showcase is so thick is because it has a built - in vapour chamber . So , it ’s not only there to keep your gimmick protected , it ’ll actually improve the performance too . It seems to turn well , with the phone remaining much more prosperous to hold during long playing period Roger Huntington Sessions .
Screen
The presentation also shares most of its specifications with the ROG Phone 8 Pro , and again , there ’s nothing wrong with that . This board wowed us at the start of the year , and it ’s just as impressive today .
The one matter that has changed is the maximum refresh charge per unit . It can now boost to a blisteringly fast 185Hz . It ’s not the fast presentation ever to grace a smartphone , the 240Hz Sharp Aquos Zero 2 still carries that honour , but it ’s the fast on the mart powerful now – by a significant perimeter .
Do youneedyour phone to refresh at 185Hz ? Almost certainly not . Most game do n’t even take advantage of the more usual 120Hz banner , but this is a gaming phone , and pushing the limits is what it ’s all about .
Otherwise , this is a very exchangeable Samsung E6 LTPO OLED jury with 2400×1080 resolve and a peak brightness of 2500 nits .
The brightness might not vocalise too staggering , with some brand claim upwards of 5000 nits , but these number can be deceiving . You ’ll have to trust me when I say this is a very shiny headphone . You ’ll have no hassle get a line the screen on a sunny daylight .
The colours appear vibrant and exact throughout and if you want to tweak the image , you have a wealth of picture profiles at your disposal . Personally , I remember it looks just about gross as standard , and it only gets more impressive if you view some HDR content .
Cameras
The Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro has a triplex camera setup on its can , and it ’s mostly unaltered from the last generation . You still get a 50MP principal camera , a 13MP ultrawide and a 32MP 3x telephoto . This metre , though , the independent sensor has been upgraded .
Asus is now using Sony ’s newfangled Lytia 700 sensor , rather than the IMX890 . It ’s still a 1/1.56 - in 50MP unit , but it should have better light - gathering abilities , and be less prone to motion blur when the light gets low .
It still uses Asus ’ innovative 6 - axis vertebra hybrid gimbal stabiliser , but this has been upgraded , too . The organization , now in its 4th generation , bring 5 extra stage of motion compensation , which apparently equates to 66 % good performance .
I did n’t have the sr. poser on hand , so it ’s operose to assess how much of an melioration has been made , but no matter , the main camera do very well . It ’s easily one of the best cameras on a gaming speech sound , and it deliver piercing photos with exact colour in all lighting condition .
As common , the ultrawide is the least telling lens , and it lack some detail compared to the sensors . There ’s also no autofocus , so you ca n’t use it for close - ups . It ’s still decent , just do n’t require to be wowed .
The 3x telephotograph , meanwhile , delivers impressive shots in the daytime but scramble with noise and apparent motion blur at night . It ’s still very nice to have , and give up a landing field of view that most gambling phones ca n’t equalize .
you may zoom beyond the optical range and get solid results up to around 10x zoom in the day . I would n’t recommend doing it at night , though , as the noise and grain of the persona will ruin your slam .
The selfie tv camera has a relatively wide-cut 22 mm tantamount field of view , which means it ’s pretty great for showing off your surroundings or taking group shots . alas , there ’s no autofocus , so you ’ll want to make certain you ’re stand up in the sweet-scented place for the good results .
When it comes to video shooting , Asus ’ gimbal stabilisation does a large caper on the principal lens of the eye , autofocus is prompt and the mike vocalize decent . you could immortalize at up to 8K@30fps or 4K@60fps but only on the independent lens . The ultrawide supports shot at up to 4K@30fps , while the 3x electron lens supports 1080p@60fps and the selfie maxes out at 1080p@30fps .
This deficiency of consistency is the arrangement ’s biggest weakness . It means you ’ll need to retrieve about which lenses you ’ll require to use before setting your answer . It ’s safest to stick to 1080p@30fps if you ’ll be switching lens while memorialize , and that ’s unfortunate , especially when the telephone supports 8K.
All - in - all , I intend this is plausibly the best photographic camera system usable on a play speech sound today . However , that ’s not the in high spirits bar to cross , and compared to mainstream flagship rival , these cameras are very lackluster . If you ’re not that picky with your photos , you ’ll be felicitous enough , but keen photographers will get more for their money elsewhere .
Performance
This is the first phone that I ’m quiz with Qualcomm ’s a la mode top - tier chip , the Snapdragon 8 Elite . My sampling is the Pro Edition variant , which means it comes paired with a monumental 24 GB of RAM and 1 TB of store , while the regular Pro model get a more distinctive 16 GB and 512 GB configuration .
Of of course , since this is a gaming handset , Asus has put lots of piece of work into the cool down system , and it has been revamped to get the most out of this powerful chip . The inner graphite rag is now 57 % larger and a new speedy cooling music director transfer fire up away from the SoC with 20 % better efficiency than the previous model .
In pattern , this should equalise to a 12 % drop in temperature while gambling , and if that ’s not enough , you’re able to always clamp on the AeroActive Cooler X Pro to keep temperatures in check .
To the surprisal of absolutely no one , the ROG Phone 9 Pro achieved the best benchmark results of any speech sound that I have tested to escort . The stability is decent , but the sound still throttles under sustained loads . Using the Wildlife Extreme stress examination , the 9 Pro only scored 45 % for stability with no accessory , but if you apply the AeroActive cooler , that score jumps up to a stupefying 98.5 % . It ’s well worth the extra majority if you ’re settle in for a long session .
Test Data
Of course , this translates to real - existence gaming , too . The ROG Phone 9 Pro can guide essentially any Android game at maximum art configurations , and it ’ll provide a smooth stutter - free experience throughout .
Despite Asus ’s best exertion with the cooling , it does get pretty live when you ’re playing a need deed of conveyance , but it never gets to a occupy story . Both the Chill Case and crack - on cooler make for a more comfortable experience when tapping aside at Genshin for more than 30 minute .
Outside of gaming , the system feels just as prompt . animation are degenerate and fluent , apps open in an instant and it multitasks without breaking a travail .
The ROG Phone 9 Pro has two-fold stereo speakers , and they mean business . They ’re among the most telling I have hear from a smartphone , with much better bass reception than the competition , excellent lucidity and a wide soundstage . The only downside is that the maximal volume is n’t the highest .
If you plug in the AeroActive Cooler , it go even better , as the built - in subwoofer kicks the basso up a notch . With it seize , it start to compete with budget Bluetooth speaker unit .
Software
From the first moment that you switch on the ROG Phone 9 Pro , it ’s clear that this machine is all about play . On the first bang , you ’re recognise with an introductory game , complete with a hacker narrative , that bring out you to the various gaming features , like the AirTriggers .
After this , you may select if you need your earpiece to have the edgy sci - fi ROG paper or a more typical Android look . in person , I prefer a little more subtlety to my home blind , so I went the traditional route , but it ’s easy to tack back and forth if you change your judgement .
I was proud of to observe that the operating system is entirely free from bloatware , the only extras are a handful of Asus apps to contain system functions . It ’s always nice to be capable to move into a phone without the hassle of cleaning up senseless apps .
The organisation behaves a lot like fund Android , and it ’s very well-fixed to navigate . Everything is where you ’d wait it to be , and the additional features , like the lighting and AirTrigger setting , are mostly confined to the preinstalled Armory Crate app .
One of the fully grown thing that urinate a phone a play phone is the inclusion of software features to assist in games , and the ROG Phone 9 Pro has one of the most comprehensive tool sets available .
These are mostly get at by swiping from the corner of the display while a game is running to wreak up the Game Genie sheathing . There are all the features you would look from a sound game sheathing , like performance modes , monitoring , notification block and electronic messaging . But Asus takes things a dance step further .
There are a bunch of novel AI - power feature to make your aliveness easier in sure game . I peculiarly know the X Sense “ Auto Pick Up ” feature of speech for Genshin Impact . It observe when items are usable to pick up , and will automatically tap the correct country of the screen to pick them up for you . There are also Auto Run and hotfoot Up Conversation options for the same title .
Another AI - powered feature I found super utile is called “ AI Grabber ” . If you get stuck on a quest , you’re able to open up this feature , and it ’ll mechanically skim your screen for and copy the title of the active seeking . Then , at the touch of a push button , you may Google it and look for tips or a scout .
The AI features are n’t just for play , either . The operating system has lots of productivity tools ramp up in , including AI arranging for voice notes , automatic call displacement and AI wallpaper generation .
I was a little defeated that there ’s no Circle to research with Google on this equipment , at least not yet . It ’s becoming a more common feature on Android handsets , and I find it very utilitarian . Besides that , though , I found the ROG OS a pleasure to live with . It feel quick , it ’s well-fixed to accommodate to and it ’s packed with game - centric goodies .
Battery life
One of the biggest charge about the ROG Phone 8 Pro was that , in an effort to make the handset slimmer , Asus boil down the barrage capacity quite significantly . This fourth dimension around , we get an increment to 5800mAh . It ’s still shy of the ROG Phone 7 ’s 6000mAh capacitance , but it ’s much closer , and the efficiency gains should help to close down the crack , too .
For my motive , the 5800mAh is more than enough , and I typically ended the twenty-four hour period with over 30 % battery remaining . Of of course , if you stick the performance modal value into high geartrain and spiel games for hr , it ’ll drain faster , but that ’s true of every phone .
I love that Asus has continued to impart an extra USB port to its play French telephone , and I wish well other manufacturing business would adopt this lineament , too . It means you may well gage in landscape predilection while keep on the twist topped up .
The telephone get with a 65W rampart adapter in the box and a skillful braided USB - C cable system . I would have loved to see quicker charging , but 65W is nothing to be sniffed at . It ’ll get you from completely numb to about 40 % charged in just 15 second .
The ROG Phone 9 Pro also supports wireless charging , and it ’s one of the only gaming phones to do so . I ’m a lover of wireless charging , so I ’m happy to see it , but the speeds could surely be better . It ’ll only charge at 15W using the Qi 1.3 standard , and that means you ’ll be waiting a good while if you want a full charge .
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Should you buy it?
The Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro is one of the most powerful smartphones available today , and it ’s also one of the most characteristic - packed .
The ROG Phone 9 Pro is a great gaming French telephone , but it ’s quite pricey . Brands like RedMagic offer similar performance for almost half the price .
Final Thoughts
The Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro is one of the finest play phones around , and beyond that , it ’s just a pretty dandy earpiece in general . I ’ve test a peck of RedMagic phones in the past , and the central differentiator with the ROG is that there ’s much less compromise when using this as a daily driver .
For instance , RedMagic phones lack an informatics rating , they do n’t support wireless charging and the cameras are moderately naff . The ROG Phone 9 Pro is IP68 - range , supports Qi charging and has a decent lot of snappers ; it just feels like a more pure package .
That aver , the value proposition muddies things a bit . The ROG Phone 9 Pro starts at £ 1099.99 / $ 1199.99 and if you want the Pro Edition with the included tank , that ’ll be you a coolheaded £ 1299.99 / $ 1499.99 .
The RedMagic 10 Pro is launching next calendar month , and it ’s potential to match the performance for around half the monetary value . Are these conveniences enough to make up for the price difference ? That ’s up to you .
Overall , the ROG Phone 9 Pro has been a joy to live with , and if the Mary Leontyne Price does n’t scare you off , you ’re in for a good sentence . It ’s unbelievably warm , look amazing with its lead lighting effects , and it ’s pack with genuinely utilitarian software feature .
Trusted Score
How we test
We test every mobile telephone we survey good . We employ diligence - received tests to equate features right and we use the sound as our primary twist over the review period . We ’ll always tell you what we retrieve and we never , ever , take money to review a production .
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FAQs
The ROG Phone 9 Pro has an IP68 rating for debris and water resistance . This means it ’s detritus - tight and can withstand being submerge in body of water for at least 30 minutes , up to a depth of 1 metre .
Yes , there ’s a 3.5 mm headphone socket on the base , and if you use the AeroActive Cooler X , there ’s an additional socket there too .
Full Specs
