Asus impressed us back in March with the launch of its latest Republic of Gamers (ROG) smartphone, which boasted "the sort of screen, specs and features that are way beyond what the average consumer is going to need." Now the company has released two more powerful additions to the ROG Phone 5 family.
Asus says that these latest ROG Phones are "fueled for winning" and the specs certainly make for jaw-dropped reading. Both Android 11 phones sport the same 173 x 77 x 9.9-mm (6.8 x 3 x 0.39-in) dimensions and weight of 238 g (8.4 oz), and rock a 64-bit, 2.995-GHz Snapdragon 888 Plus 5G processor with Qualcomm Adreno 660 graphics, and include Snapdragon Elite Gaming features.
For extended gameplay, the AeroActive Cooler 5 structure "ensures that the heat generated by the CPU is transferred to all the edges and corners of the chassis simultaneously for higher thermal efficiency" while a new 3D vapor chamber and graphite sheeting help prevent heat build-up, all of which should result in sustained performance while in the game.
There's a triple camera array to the rear that features a 64-megapixel main camera based on Sony's IMX686 1/1.73-inch image sensor, a 13-MP ultrawide and a 5-MP macro. That main camera is capable of recording 8K video at up to 30 fps, or 4K at up to 60 fps. Time-lapse is supported, stills can be taken while recording video and there's 3-axis electronic image stabilization too.
In addition to dual SIM slots and GNSS/Glonass/Galileo/BeiDou/QZSS/NavIC navigation, there's 5G mobile connectivity, multi-gigabit Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.2 with support for the aptX Adaptive codec. The phones have a USB-C port to the bottom and another to the side for easier charging in portrait or landscape orientation, and come packing a generous 6,000-mAh battery – well technically they come with two 3,000-mAh batteries, one on each side of the centrally-located CPU. Other notable shared specs include a 24-megapixel selfiecam to the front, and dual front-facing speakers with Dirac HD Sound optimization.
The ROG Phone 5s features a 6.78-inch (2,448 x 1.080) AMOLED screen at 20.4:9 aspect that's topped by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, with 144-Hz refresh rate, a 1-ms response time and 360-Hz native touch sampling for smooth and zippy gaming action.
Users should easily see onscreen visuals outdoors thanks to a peak brightness of up to 1,200 nits, always-on HDR is reported to improve non-HDR content for a more consistent user experience, and there's support for 111.23 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamut while a Pixelworks collaboration promises "world-beating color accuracy."
The gaming handset is available with up to 16 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512 GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The included AirTrigger 5 control system features ultrasonic sensors to the sides that support dual gestures such as tap and slide to tap and swipe for more intuitive, console-like gameplay, and users can wear gloves for touchscreen control when it's cold outside. This model starts at US$999.99.
The ROG Phone 5s Pro benefits from the same display out front as the 5s, but also comes with a color matrix display around back for custom animations that respond to system events such as incoming calls or to indicate whether X Mode is enabled.
It's available with 18 GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512 GB of UFS 3.1 storage, and as well as the AirTrigger 5 sensors to the side, this model also has two rear touch sensors for L2/R2 triggers. A GameFX audio system employs symmetrical seven-magnet speakers for "balanced stereo sound effects" while an ESS 9280AC Pro DAC is linked to the 3.5-mm headphone jack for hi-fi grade plugged-in sonics. The Pro starts at $1,299.99.
Product pages: ROG Phone 5s, 5s Pro
