Asus ROG Phone II

The Asus ROG (Republic of Gamers) Phone II claims an unmatched portable gaming experience. If gaming on the go is your focus, it may be the phone to beat. But does it work as something you’d use every day?

Design

One of the most unique looking phones on the market right now, there’s no mistaking it for another phone. It has a rounded back plate which makes for easier handling and it’s all metal and glass with a design that looks like armor. Like most gaming devices, it features some visual flair, including a backlit logo on the back with alternating color schemes and an air vent with a copper accent. The prismatic circuit lines on the back complete that sci-fi feel.

Display

Measuring 6.59-inches, reviewers praised the phone’s display for its vibrance and clarity. The most noticeable feature is the 120Hz refresh rate which means lightning fast and smooth motion. Gorilla Glass 6 covers the AMOLED screen for extra durability.

Performance

This phone ranks near the top of mobile performance charts for Android. Reviewers note that the lightning-fast refresh rate makes it feel even faster. It’s designed to run full tilt without so much as a stutter and reviewers said it does not disappoint.

Software & Storage

This phone comes up to 1TB of storage to ensure there is room for all your favorite games. The ROG Phone II shipped with Android 9 Pie with an upgrade to Android 10 expected by reviewers.

Cameras

While this phone is not specifically geared toward photography, it’s no slouch either. The cameras will not rival something specifically designed to take good photos — like the ever-popular Apple and Samsung models — but it’s more than capable of taking sharable photos. The camera on the back is 48MP, and there’s a 13MP wide-angle lens.

TechRadar says, “The Asus ROG Phone 2 lets you shoot virtually any scene in good light and you’ll almost always get a decent photo out of it despite the phone’s lack of optical image stabilization (OIS). HDR+ processing also kicks in to avoid blown-out highlights and too many dark-looking areas.”

Battery Life

The battery life of the phone keeps pace with the power it has. Packing a 6,000mAh battery, reviewers reported almost 14 hours of use before needing to find a charger. But there is no fast charge option and it doesn’t support wireless charging. Instead it has two separate USB-C ports so you can charge the phone in either portrait or landscape mode while you keep playing.

Audio

Audio for the phone received good feedback as well. Reviewers stated that it was plenty loud, and they were particularly pleased that the speakers flanked the screen in landscape mode.

Android Authority writes, “Otherwise, the front-facing stereo speakers are well placed, get nice and loud, and sound great considering they’re on a phone.”

Specs at a Glance

• Metal and glass chassis
• 6.59-inch, 120Hz AMOLED display
• 2.96 GHz Octa-core Snapdragon 855 Plus processor
• 12GB of RAM
• Android 9.0 Pie (Update Available: 10)
• 256GB to 1TB of storage
• 48MP camera with 13MP wide-angle lens
• 6,000mAh battery

Bottom Line

There was very little bad to say about the Asus ROG Phone II. Most complaints centered around the phone’s weight. But if you don’t mind carrying it around, reviewers found it performs exactly as promised. While the phone is far from budget-friendly, reviews indicate you get what you paid for.

TechRadar states, “The Asus ROG Phone 2 is the ultimate gaming phone, with fierce looks, a suite of over-the-top accessories, truckloads of power and a unique screen that’s as smooth as they come.”

Android Authority says, “Considering we’ve seen phones with less power and features than this start at significantly higher prices, it seems like Asus is making a statement: You don’t need to spend over a grand to get the fastest phone in the world.”

The Verge writes, “Asus’ ambitious gaming phone offers a lot of power for [the price], and thanks to its accessories, it’s capable of more than almost any other phone out there. There’s an audience for this kind of package, but for most people, it probably comes with too many compromises.”