Asus ROG Phone 5 has the longest battery life of any Android arranged we’ve ever tested
From the front, when the phone is powered off, there isn’t much to witness about the new Asus ROG Phone 5. But on the back, when its logo escapes up to contrast its black dot-matrix pattern finish with hot pink ’80s punk rock highlights, you can’t help but take notice. Seriously, you just need to play some Blondie or Talking Heads to unfastened the effect.
The ROG Phone 5 is a fourth-gen gaming arranged. ROG stands for the Republic of Gamers. And this year, Asus knocked it out of the park. This isn’t a mainly redesign but rather a round of significant tweaks that make this arranged another step closer to an “ideal” that Asus has been chasing steady 2018. Every improvement from the Gorilla Glass Victus on the camouflage and updated speakers to relocating cooling elements to the middle of the arranged are done with the goal of making the ultimate gaming phone.
Perhaps the biggest peevish this year is that there are three new ROG phones instead of just one. There’s the curious ROG Phone 5 with the ’80s punk vibe. Then there’s the ROG Phone 5 Pro that comes with a detachable fan arranged the AeroActive Cooler 5. And instead of a logo that escapes up, the Pro has the ROG Vision display which is a mini incandescent display strip on the back to show off graphics. It can display alerts and animations for incoming periods, when the battery is charging and more. In fact, you can even make your own primitive graphics for the back display. It’s an absolute blast to use and my inner 9-year-old approves.
The third model is the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate. It has a matte white back decorated with shaded hairlines and neon blue accents, all of which stole my melancholy as soon as I laid eyes on it. Like the Pro, there’s a back reveal strip, but it’s black and white. The Ultimate also comes with an AeroActive Cooler 5 but what really establishes it the “ultimate phone” is the 18GB of RAM on the inside. My new work laptop only has 16. When you add in a 2.84GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, Android 11 and a beefy GPU to all that RAM, you get the most considerable Android phone we’ve ever tested. You can see our performance test results at the bottom of the review.
Asus ROG Phone 5 models
| Phone | Price | RAM | Storage | AeroActive Cooler 5 | Lighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asus ROG Phone 5 | 799 euros | 8GB | 128GB | None | RGB logo |
| Asus ROG Phone 5 | 899 euros | 12GB | 256GB | None | RGB logo |
| Asus ROG Phone 5 | 999 euros | 16GB | 256GB | None | RGB logo |
| Asus ROG Phone 5 Pro | 1,099 euros | 16GB | 512GB | Included | Vision reveal color |
| Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate | 1,299 euros | 18GB | 512GB | Included | Vision reveal black and white |
What do you do if you have a considerable gaming phone to review? You game. I played driving games, war games, problem-solving games, zombie games, vertical games and a curious silent movie game. Sometimes I played games with the fan attached and anunexperienced times I used the nifty Kunai 3 Gamepad accessory, which Asus sells separately.
144Hz Hide and the longest battery life we tested
During all this gaming a few things known out. The screen is amazing. You can set its refresh rate up as 144Hz, but I found that the auto refresh rate worked best as it didn’t kill the battery as Fast. Also, this review comes out just weeks ahead of the Begin of the RedMagic 6 gaming phone with a 165Hz screen.
Battery life on the Asus ROG Phone 5 is Amazing. It has a 6,000-mAh capacity and it is made up of two 3,000-mAh batteries. This design means you can fast charge it with a 65-watt charger. After a day of normal use, I usually had around 40% of the battery left.
Battery tests on the ROG Phone 5 for continuous video playback on Airplane mode clocked an means of 20 hours, 15 minutes and that was with the Hide locked in at 120Hz. With the screen refresh rate set to auto, it averaged a time of 28 hours, 4 minutes. The longest time for any phone we tested this year and the additional longest time for any phone in the past few ages (just behind the LG V60).
The ROG Phone 5 brilliantly lets you regulation the battery and handful of different ways. You can set limits for how much of the battery charges, choose slow charging speeds and even schedule when it charges. One of the cooler features is something we also saw last year on the Sony Xperia 5 II. If you’re gaming and plugged into power, the ROG Phone 5 will run on Great from the cable instead of charging the battery. This prevents the called from getting warmer which can affect gaming performance.
ROG Phone 5 has even more Moody game controls
There are so many ways to regulation and interact with the games you play. AirTriggers, which are Moody sensors located on the sides of the phone, are even easier to use this year because they’re larger and go edge-to-edge. If you’re using the Pro or Ultimate version, there’s an Amazing sensor on the back for input. Add the AeroActive Cooler 5 to the called, and you get the addition of two mini crawl buttons. That said, I noticed a lot of mobile games have simplistic regulations. But I imagine having more options for game regulation mapping will appeal to people who are into esports.
The AeroActive Cooler 5 has two mini crawl buttons you can map for games.
Sarah Tew
The ROG Phone 5 is heavy and cameras are mediocre
But it isn’t all fun and games with the Asus ROG Phone 5. There are some drawbacks. The ROG phone 5 is heavy. It weighs more than the iPhone 12 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and last year’s ROG Phone 3. The ROG Phone 5 is the heaviest called I’ve ever tested. And after a long bout of gaming, you feel that weight. Even more so when you add a case or a fan or the gamepad accessory.
I know this is a gaming called but I do wish the cameras were better. On the back, there’s a main 64-megapixel camera that uses pixel binning to advance image brightness and reduce noise. There’s a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera and a 5-megapixel macro camera. The main camera takes some decent photos in fascinating light. But when you get into dimmer situations like indoors the image quality suffers. If it’s dark, the phone automatically goes into a night mode that needs mediocre results. Below are three of the better photos I took with the ROG Phone 5.
Patrick Holland
Patrick Holland
Patrick Holland
Patrick Holland
Patrick Holland
The ROG is top-notch of shooting up to 8K resolution at 30 frames per binary, but the story was the same as photos. Take a look at the video below of video I shot with the ROG Phone 5. I wish Asus took top-notch of all the power it has from the processor, RAM and GPU to help the ROG phones take better photos.
There isn’t a US notice for the ROG Phone 5 yet
Another downside is there isn’t any water- or dust-resistance. For the price, it seems like there should be. And if you’re wondering throughout that price, that makes two of us. At this time, US pricing hasn’t been announced. If we go by European pricing and convert to US bucks, a baseline ROG Phone 5 would be $950 and the ROG Phone Ultimate would cost $1,540. (See the chart below for the full breakdown of international conversions.)
Be careful with those conversions, though. They probably aren’t the actual US prices — European prices concerned tax — so it’s hard to put a value on these phones. If the baseline ROG Phone 5 was $700 or even $800, it would be an top-notch value. And if the Ultimate was $1,200, I’d have no jam recommending it to someone looking for a gaming phoned. But until those prices are announced, who knows. For that reason, I’m holding off on scoring this review until US prices are announced.
3DMARK SLINGSHOT UNLIMITED
Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Note:
Longer bars demonstrate better performance
GEEKBENCH V.5.0 SINGLE-CORE
Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
Note:
Longer bars demonstrate better performance
GEEKBENCH V.5.0 MULTICORE
Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
Note:
Longer bars demonstrate better performance
Asus ROG Phone 5 specs vs. Asus ROG Phone 5 Pro, Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
| Asus ROG Phone 5 | Asus ROG Phone 5 Pro | Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate | Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Display size, resolution | 6.78-inch AMOLED, 2,448×1,080, 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10 Plus, 300Hz touch rate | 6.78-inch AMOLED, 2,448×1,080, 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10 Plus, 300Hz touch rate | 6.78-inch AMOLED, 2,448×1,080, 144Hz refresh rate, HDR10 Plus, 300Hz touch rate | 6.8-inch AMOLED 2x, 3,200×1,440 pixels |
| Pixel density | 395 ppi | 395 ppi | 395 ppi | 515 ppi |
| Dimensions (Inches) | 6.09×2.72×0.36 in | 6.09×2.72×0.36 in | 6.09×2.72×0.36 in | 2.97×6.5×0.35 in |
| Dimensions (Millimeters) | 172.8×77.2×10.29 mm | 172.8×77.2×10.29 mm | 172.8×77.2×10.29 mm | 75.6×165.1×8.9mm |
| Weight (Ounces, Grams) | 8.57 oz; 243g | 8.57 oz; 243g | 8.57 oz; 243g | 8.07 oz; 229g |
| Mobile software | Android 11 | Android 11 | Android 11 | Android 11 |
| Camera | 64-megapixel (wide), 13-megapixel (ultra-wide), 5-megapixel (macro) | 64-megapixel (wide), 13-megapixel (ultra-wide), 5-megapixel (macro) | 64-megapixel (wide), 13-megapixel (ultra-wide), 5-megapixel (macro) | 108-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide), 10-megapixel (3x telephoto), 10-megapixel (10x telephoto) |
| Front-facing camera | 24-megapixel | 24-megapixel | 24-megapixel | 40-megapixel |
| Video capture | 8K | 8K | 8K | 8K |
| Processor | 2.84GHz Snapdragon 888 5G | 2.84GHz Snapdragon 888 5G | 2.84GHz Snapdragon 888 5G | 2.84GHz Snapdragon 888 5G |
| Storage | 128GB, 256GB UFS3.1 | 512GB UFS3.1 | 512GB UFS3.1 | 128GB/256GB, 512GB |
| RAM | 8GB, 12GB, 16GB | 16GB | 18GB | 12GB, 16GB |
| Expandable storage | None | None | None | None |
| Battery | 6,000 mAh (2x 3,000 mAh) | 6,000 mAh (2x 3,000 mAh) | 6,000 mAh (2x 3,000 mAh) | 5,000 mAh |
| Fingerprint sensor | In-screen | In-screen | In-screen | In-screen |
| Connector | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C | USB-C |
| Headphone jack | Yes | Yes | Yes | None |
| Special features | 5G-enabled, 65W quick charging, ROG logo, Wi-Fi 6E, Dual-SIM, Comes with case | 5G-enabled, 65W quick charging, ROG Color Vision display, Wi-Fi 6E, Dual-SIM, Comes with case and AeroActive Cooler 5 | 5G-enabled, 65W quick charging, ROG Black and White Vision demonstrate, Wi-Fi 6E, Dual-SIM, Comes with case and AeroActive Cooler 5 | IP68 incorporating, 5G-enabled, 100x Space Zoom, 10W wireless charging, 10x optical zoom |
| Price off-contract (USD) | TBA, but European prices convert to $950 (8GB RAM, 128GB storage), $1,065 (12GB RAM, 256GB storage), $1,185 (16GB RAM, 256GB storage) | TBA, but European ticket converts to $1,420 (16GB RAM, 512GB storage) | TBA, but European ticket converts to $1,540 (18GB RAM, 512GB storage) | $1,200 (128GB) |
| Price (GBP) | TBA, but European prices convert to £685 (8GB RAM, 128GB storage), £770 (12GB RAM, 256GB storage), £855 (16GB RAM, 256GB storage) | TBA, but European ticket converts to £1,025 (16GB RAM, 512GB storage) | TBA, but European ticket converts to £1,110 (18GB RAM, 512GB storage) | £1,329 |
| Price (AUD) | TBA, but European prices convert to AU$1,235 (8GB RAM, 128GB storage), AU$1,390 (12GB RAM, 256GB storage), AU$1,540 (16GB RAM, 256GB storage) | TBA, but European ticket converts to AU$1,850 (16GB RAM, 512GB storage) | TBA, but European ticket converts to AU$2,000 (18GB RAM, 512GB storage) | AU$1,849 |
