Asus ROG Phone 5 Review

• Overview
• Design and Build Quality
• Display
• Performance
• Software and User Interface
• Camera
• Battery Life
• Connectivity and Networking
• Additional Features
• Comparison with Other Related Phones
• Pros and Cons
• Conclusion

Overview

The Asus ROG Phone 5 is a powerhouse that takes mobile gaming to the next level. With its cutting-edge features and impressive performance, this gaming phone is designed to deliver an immersive gaming experience like no other. Sporting a vibrant 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, it ensures smooth visuals and stunning colors. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G chipset and up to 16GB of RAM, it can handle even the most demanding games with ease. The ROG Phone 5 also boasts a triple camera setup, a massive 6000mAh battery with 65W fast charging, and an array of gaming-focused features. With different storage and RAM variants available, there's a perfect ROG Phone 5 for every gaming enthusiast. Starting at a competitive price, this gaming beast is a must-have for anyone seeking the ultimate gaming experience on a mobile device.

Design and Build Quality

The Asus ROG Phone 5 boasts a rugged and stylish design that is specifically tailored for gamers. The phone features a solid build with a combination of Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and Gorilla Glass 3 on the back, along with an aluminum frame. This construction ensures both durability and a premium feel to the device. The phone's physical appearance is striking, with clean lines and sharp edges, giving it a futuristic and gaming-centric aesthetic.

In terms of ergonomics, the Asus ROG Phone 5 is designed with comfort in mind. The phone has a large 6.78-inch AMOLED display, which provides an immersive gaming experience, and the slim bezels maximize the screen-to-body ratio. The phone also features a pressure-sensitive zone on the back, allowing for additional control during gaming sessions. Additionally, the device incorporates an RGB light panel on the back, which adds a touch of personalization and flair.

When it comes to durability, the phone excels. The Gorilla Glass Victus on the front provides excellent protection against scratches and drops, while the aluminum frame adds sturdiness. The phone's construction ensures that it can handle everyday wear and tear, as well as more intense gaming sessions. This is further complemented by the phone's weight, which at 238g, gives it a solid and substantial feel.

Overall, the design and build of the Asus ROG Phone 5 is a testament to its gaming-focused nature. The combination of premium materials, ergonomic design, and durability make it a standout device in the gaming smartphone market. Whether it's the sleek and futuristic aesthetics, the comfortable feel in hand, or the robust construction, the Asus ROG Phone 5 ticks all the boxes for gamers looking for a device that not only performs but also looks and feels the part.

Display

The Asus ROG Phone 5 boasts an impressive display that enhances the overall gaming experience. With a large 6.78-inch AMOLED screen, this device provides users with an immersive viewing experience. The display resolution of 1080 x 2448 pixels ensures sharp and detailed visuals, with a pixel density of approximately 395 ppi. The aspect ratio of the screen is approximately 20.4:9, which offers a wider field of view and a cinematic feel.

The use of AMOLED technology ensures vibrant and accurate colors, making games and multimedia content visually appealing. The display also supports HDR10+ for enhanced contrast and color reproduction, creating a more lifelike and immersive visual experience. Additionally, the wide color gamut allows for a broader range of colors, resulting in more vivid and vibrant visuals.

The display of the Asus ROG Phone 5 is also designed to be highly responsive, with touch responsiveness that allows for smooth and precise gaming controls. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, which adds durability and resistance to scratches and accidental drops.

In terms of brightness, the display offers a maximum brightness of 800 nits, with a peak brightness of 1200 nits, ensuring good visibility even in bright outdoor conditions. The wide viewing angles further enhance the viewing experience, allowing for clear visuals even when the device is viewed from different angles.

Other notable features of the display include an anti-reflective coating to minimize glare and improve visibility in various lighting conditions, an always-on display option for quick access to information, and a blue light filter to reduce eye strain during prolonged use. The display also supports adaptive brightness, automatically adjusting the screen brightness based on ambient lighting conditions.

Overall, the display of the Asus ROG Phone 5 offers a high-quality visual experience, with its large size, vibrant colors, high resolution, and smooth touch responsiveness. Whether for gaming or multimedia consumption, users can expect a visually captivating and immersive experience with this device.

Performance

The Asus ROG Phone 5 is a gaming smartphone that boasts impressive performance capabilities. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, this device delivers exceptional processing power and efficiency. The octa-core CPU, consisting of Cortex-X1, Cortex-A78, and Cortex-A55 cores, ensures smooth multitasking and app loading speeds. Synthetic benchmarks, such as AnTuTu and Geekbench, reveal the phone's high performance metrics, with scores of 718,864 and 14,536 respectively.

When it comes to gaming, the Asus ROG Phone 5 truly shines. Its Adreno 660 GPU provides excellent graphics rendering capabilities, resulting in immersive and visually stunning gaming experiences. Gaming benchmarks consistently show high frame rates and graphics scores, ensuring lag-free gameplay even in demanding titles. The phone's 144Hz AMOLED display with HDR10+ support further enhances the gaming experience, offering smooth visuals and vibrant colors.

One aspect that sets the Asus ROG Phone 5 apart from other smartphones is its system optimization and thermal management. The device is equipped with a large 6,000mAh battery, which ensures extended gaming sessions without frequent recharging. Additionally, the phone features an advanced cooling system that effectively dissipates heat, preventing thermal throttling and maintaining optimal performance during extended gaming sessions.

In real-world usage, the Asus ROG Phone 5 delivers a smooth user experience with its powerful hardware and optimized software. The phone's processor efficiency, combined with its ample RAM options (ranging from 8GB to 16GB), allows for seamless multitasking and smooth navigation through demanding apps. Whether it's switching between multiple apps or running resource-intensive tasks, the Asus ROG Phone 5 handles it with ease, providing a lag-free and responsive performance.

Overall, the Asus ROG Phone 5 excels in both synthetic benchmarks and real-world usage, making it a top choice for gamers and power users alike. Its powerful chipset, GPU, and optimized system deliver exceptional gaming performance and a smooth user experience. Whether you're a mobile gamer or someone who values high-performance capabilities, the Asus ROG Phone 5 is a reliable and impressive device that won't disappoint.

Software and User Interface

The Asus ROG Phone 5 runs on the Android 11 operating system, with an upgrade to Android 12 available. It also features the ROG UI, which is a custom user interface designed specifically for gaming. The software provides a seamless and user-friendly experience, with a range of customization options to personalize the device to your liking.

One notable aspect of the software is the absence of bloatware. Unlike many other smartphones, the ROG Phone 5 comes with minimal pre-installed apps, allowing users to have more control over their device and storage space. This is especially beneficial for gamers who may want to prioritize gaming-related apps and content.

The interface of the ROG Phone 5 is designed with gamers in mind. It features a clean and intuitive layout, making it easy to navigate and access important settings. The device also includes several gaming-specific features, such as pressure-sensitive zones and RGB lighting, which can be customized to enhance the gaming experience.

The software of the ROG Phone 5 also offers advanced gaming optimizations and features. It takes full advantage of the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset and Adreno 660 GPU, providing smooth and immersive gaming performance. The device supports high refresh rates up to 144Hz, HDR10+ for vibrant visuals, and comes with various software enhancements to optimize gaming performance and reduce latency.

Overall, the software of the Asus ROG Phone 5 is tailored to cater to the needs of gamers. It offers a user-friendly interface, extensive customization options, and gaming-specific features to enhance the overall gaming experience. With its powerful hardware and optimized software, the ROG Phone 5 is undoubtedly a top choice for gaming enthusiasts.

Camera

The Asus ROG Phone 5 is equipped with a powerful triple camera setup that offers versatile photography capabilities. The main camera boasts a 64-megapixel sensor with a wide f/1.8 aperture and a focal length of 26mm, ensuring great detail and clarity in photos. The secondary 13-megapixel ultrawide camera provides a 125-degree field of view, making it perfect for capturing expansive landscapes or group shots. Additionally, there is a 5-megapixel macro camera for close-up shots with a shallow depth of field. The camera system features LED flash, HDR, and panorama mode to enhance the image quality and capture a wide range of scenes. In terms of image stabilization, the Asus ROG Phone 5 utilizes electronic image stabilization (EIS) to minimize blur and shaky footage while recording videos. The camera also performs well in low-light conditions, thanks to its low-light sensitivity and noise reduction capabilities. Night mode further enhances low-light performance, allowing users to capture stunning photos with improved details and reduced noise. The device also offers various camera features such as portrait mode, HDR, panorama mode, and pro mode for users to experiment and capture creative shots. When it comes to video recording, the Asus ROG Phone 5 supports 4K video recording with excellent video stabilization, ensuring smooth and high-quality footage. Slow-motion video and time-lapse are also available, adding versatility to the device's video capabilities.

Battery Life

Connectivity and Networking

The Asus ROG Phone 5 offers a wide range of connectivity options to ensure a seamless and fast connection experience for users. With support for 5G technology, users can enjoy super-fast data speeds and low latency, making it ideal for streaming, gaming, and downloading large files. The phone also supports a variety of network compatibility options, including GSM, HSPA, LTE, and 5G, ensuring users can stay connected no matter where they are.

In terms of wireless connectivity, the ROG Phone 5 features Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, which supports the latest Wi-Fi standards and provides fast and stable internet connectivity. Bluetooth 5.2 is available, allowing users to connect their devices wirelessly and enjoy high-quality audio streaming. NFC is also supported, enabling convenient contactless transactions and data transfer between devices.

The phone comes with dual SIM capability, allowing users to use two SIM cards simultaneously for better convenience or to separate personal and work numbers. In terms of physical connectivity, the ROG Phone 5 features USB Type-C ports for both charging and data transfer. The USB Type-C 3.1 port on the side and USB Type-C 2.0 port on the bottom provide flexibility in charging and connecting peripherals.

For navigation purposes, the ROG Phone 5 features GPS with support for multiple satellite systems, including GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, and NavIC. This ensures accurate positioning and reliable navigation capabilities. Additionally, users can create a mobile hotspot to share their internet connection with other devices.

Overall, the Asus ROG Phone 5 offers a comprehensive set of connectivity features, including support for 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, USB-C, and dual SIM functionality. These features make it a versatile device for users who require fast and reliable connectivity on the go.

Additional Features

The Asus ROG Phone 5 comes with several additional features that enhance its overall functionality and user experience. Firstly, it is important to note that the phone does not have an official IP rating for water resistance or dust resistance. However, it does come with a durable build, featuring Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and back, as well as an aluminum frame, which provides some level of protection against accidental spills and minor dust particles.

In terms of storage, the ROG Phone 5 offers different options with internal storage capacities ranging from 128GB to 256GB. While it does not have a dedicated microSD card slot for storage expansion, the available internal storage should be sufficient for most users' needs.

The phone also supports dual SIM functionality, allowing users to use two SIM cards simultaneously. This can be convenient for those who need to separate personal and work phone numbers or for frequent travelers who need to use local SIM cards while abroad.

In terms of sensors, the ROG Phone 5 is equipped with the standard suite of sensors including an accelerometer and gyroscope. These sensors enable features like screen rotation, motion controls, and gaming enhancements. While it does not have any advanced or environmental sensors, the phone delivers a solid performance in terms of basic sensor functionality.

Overall, the Asus ROG Phone 5 offers a range of additional features that enhance its usability and versatility, including dual SIM functionality, durable build quality, and a decent amount of storage capacity. While it may not have the highest level of water or dust resistance, it provides a reliable performance for everyday use.

Comparison with Other Related Phones

The Asus ROG Phone 5 is a powerful gaming smartphone that has garnered positive reviews from tech experts. Let's compare it with some related devices in the market to understand its positioning and competitive advantage.

In terms of performance, the ROG Phone 5 is equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset and up to 16GB of RAM. This puts it in direct competition with other gaming phones like the Black Shark 4 and the Nubia Red Magic 6 Pro, which also boast similar specifications. However, the ROG Phone 5 sets itself apart with its unique features like the RGB light panel on the back and pressure-sensitive gaming triggers. These features enhance the gaming experience and give the ROG Phone 5 a competitive edge.

When it comes to display, the ROG Phone 5 sports a 6.78-inch AMOLED screen with a 144Hz refresh rate. This is on par with other gaming phones like the Black Shark 4 Pro and the Lenovo Legion Phone Duel 2. However, the ROG Phone 5 stands out with its HDR10+ support and impressive peak brightness of 1200 nits. These features make the visuals more vibrant and immersive.

In terms of pricing, the ROG Phone 5 is priced competitively, starting at $672.00. When compared to its competitors like the Black Shark 4 and the Red Magic 6 Pro, the ROG Phone 5 offers similar performance and features at a slightly higher price. However, considering its unique design elements and gaming-focused features, it provides good value for money for gaming enthusiasts.

In benchmark tests, the ROG Phone 5 has performed exceptionally well, scoring high on AnTuTu and GeekBench tests. This puts it on par with other flagship devices in the market, such as the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and the iPhone 12 Pro Max.

In terms of market share, Asus has established a strong presence in the gaming smartphone segment with the ROG Phone series. While it may not have the same market share as industry giants like Samsung or Apple, it has carved out a niche for itself by targeting gamers and offering specialized features.

Overall, the Asus ROG Phone 5 stands out in the market due to its powerful performance, unique design, and gaming-focused features. It competes directly with other gaming phones in terms of specifications and pricing, offering a compelling option for gamers looking for a high-performance device.

Pros and Cons

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Asus ROG Phone 5 is an exceptional gaming phone that delivers an outstanding performance. With its powerful Snapdragon 888 processor and up to 16GB of RAM, it can handle even the most demanding games with ease. The 144Hz AMOLED display provides a smooth and immersive gaming experience, while the RGB light panel and pressure-sensitive triggers enhance gameplay. The device also boasts a long-lasting 6000mAh battery and fast charging capabilities.

However, it's important to note that the phone's focus on gaming might not cater to everyone's needs. If you're a dedicated gamer seeking a device specifically designed for gaming, the Asus ROG Phone 5 is an excellent choice. However, if you prioritize other aspects like camera quality or a more versatile user experience, there are other options available in the market. Overall, the Asus ROG Phone 5 is a top-tier gaming phone that delivers on its promises.