No one would have imagined that the mobile gaming industry would take off like it did, making gaming phones a fledgling niche in 2019. It’s all thanks to PUBG Mobile that we now are seeing phones with higher refresh rates, a physical cooling fan, and certainly a dash of RGB lighting. The original ROG Phone set a benchmark for what a true gaming phone should look like. However, the market has since been swamped with contenders, such as the Nubia Red Magic 3 and Black Shark 2, offering more features for less.
ROG Phone 2: Design and Build
One look at the second-generation ROG Phone and you will be able to tell that the core design of this device isn’t much different from the original ROG Phone. Asus hasn’t changed a whole lot here and is not chasing trendy builds or minimalism for its gaming smartphone. Starting off with the rear, ROG Phone 2 still has that bold aesthetic we’ve already seen on its predecessor but Asus has subtly toned it down – removing all of the asymmetrical and sharp elements, making the device easier to hold when you game.
Asus told us that it has upgraded the design of the ROG Phone 2, achieving an optimal width of 7.8cm and height of 17.1cm for comfortable use of its gaming phone. Asus is looking to offer you a better grip while using the phone on the daily and a huge 19.5:9 screen for immersive gameplay experience. Overall, in my brief time with the phone, I found the ROG Phone 2 to be considerably taller but feature a much better build and in-hand grip than its predecessor.
On the front, you will see that the ROG Phone 2 doesn’t really look a whole lot different from its predecessor – except for its taller size. It has, however, bagged an eye-popping and world-first upgrade, which we’re going to talk about next. Otherwise, the dual-USB Type-C charging ports (with QC 4.0 support), 3.5mm headphone jack (with DTS X Ultra support), and the usual tactile buttons.
ROG Phone 2: Display
The original ROG Phone included a 90Hz display, which is pretty good for smartphones as not a whole lot of mobile games support higher refresh rates. However, Asus is taking the leap and has baked a 120Hz AMOLED display into the ROG Phone 2. Yeah, a 120Hz AMOLED display. Not an LCD display. No other smartphone in the market currently has a similar display on board. Even Razer Phone 2, which has a 120Hz refresh rate, houses an IPS LCD screen instead of an AMOLED one.
Well, I bet you’ll already know this but here’s a quick recap. ROG Phone 2 is the first smartphone to be powered by the recently launched Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset. It includes an overclocked primary core, which can be clocked up to 2.96GHz. You could check out the deets on this mobile platform right here, but another upgrade that it is packing is the overclocked GPU.
Yes, the Adreno 640 GPU aboard the Snapdragon 855 Plus runs at 675MHz, offering the users a 15% performance uptick. In my brief usage, the 120Hz display made a ton of difference and the experience was really breezy. Though it was just a quick hands-on session, I was able to sneak in a couple Asphalt 9 races and Team Deathmatch mode matches for funsies.
Not much has changed on the thermal front. Asus is still using a 3-pronged strategy for cooling down the ROG Phone 2. The most vital component of the thermal setup here is obviously the vapor chamber, which is paired with a copper heat spreader and graphite pads to further improve heat dissipation. This is a setup similar to previous year’s ROG Phone, so I don’t expect much improvement here, but the third component could sure make a difference.
Apart from this, you will be able to get your hands on the second-gen Aeroactive cooler which Asus has redesigned to make it 4x quieter (the sound output is 24 dBA) and improve heat dissipation. The airflow from the clip-on fan is now directed towards the phone’s rear vent to help keep its temperature from rising. Asus told us that the vent on the original ROG Phone did heat up pretty quickly, so this is a nifty addition to avoid the same.
The original ROG Phone ran a skinned version of the company’s Zen UI with the ROG UI on-top for an added gaming flare. Well, Asus has introduced a stripped-down version of ZenUI, called ZenUI 6, with Asus 6z. It’s closer to stock Android and packs features for added functionality, akin to OxygenOS. ROG Phone 2 is backed by the same ZenUI 6 experience, based on Android 9 Pie, but with the ROG UI skin in tow. However, you could also pick the Zen UI Classic theme if you want to keep your setup minimal.
The Armory Crate shows you the list of games installed on your device, which you could optimize by running them from inside this dedicated app. You can still adjust the ROG logo’s Aura lighting effect, the cooler attachment, or go into overdrive with “X Mode.”
Since the ROG Phone is synonymous to raw mobile gaming power, the cameras won’t necessarily be the focal point for users when deciding to get this phone. The Taiwanese giant, however, thinks the opposite and is offering a flagship camera setup onboard. Asus ROG Phone 2 comes equipped with the same dual-camera setup we’ve already seen on the Asus 6z, which was launched in India earlier last month.
ROG Phone 2: Battery
Are you ready for your jaws to hit the floor? Well, the rumors were indeed true and the ROG Phone 2 comes equipped with a whopping 6,000mAh battery in comparison to your 4,000mAh battery pack on the original ROG Phone. Yes, this certainly makes ROG Phone 2 the world’s first gaming phone with such a massive battery pack and you can enjoy a PUBG Mobile session for hours-on-end on this device.
ROG Phone 2: Accessories
Finally, the ROG Phone 2 will be incomplete without the accessories that Asus launches to complement your gaming experience. Most of the accessories that you see below are the same ones from last year, but with upgrades that make them future-proof and compatible with any upcoming ROG Phones.
ROG Phone 2 First Impressions: The Gaming Beast Finds its Footing
The first wave of gaming smartphones was truly experimental and we did see various different approaches adopted by phone makers. Asus went all-in with a game-centric vision, only to realize that gamers spending heavily on a smartphone also expect the flagship experience as other premium devices.
