If I had to get an Android phone and had no qualms about the money I ’d spend , I would look first at the$1,000 Asus ROG Phone 9,set to plunge in January . It ’s not just the performance or the multi - textured glass back with embedded LEDs and the touch - sensitive “ Air Triggers . ” It ’s all that combined . It ’s excessive but in all the right-hand ways .
The gimmick packs so many extra gaming features that it seems like the phone that could make any would - be mobile gamer giddy . But having it in hand , I ca n’t recommend it to anyone , not when its poor audio quality sounds like a phone that costs less than half the ROG Phone 9 ’s ask price , but hey , at least this phone still has a earphone jack for when you ca n’t stomach its poor loudspeaker any longer .
Asus ROG Phone 9
© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
The ROG Phone 9 has splendid performance and a standout battery life , but it does n’t have the sound quality or display resolution to match other $ 1,000 phone .
Pros
Cons
© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
I also have to mention that the ROG Phone 9 does n’t come with the expanded “ Anime ” LED lights that you get with the $ 1,200 ROG Phone 9 Pro . This allows you to bet a few arcade game or turn tail GIFs from the back of the phone . While that sound fun and superfluous in equal measure , the base ROG Phone 9 is essentially the same twist .
I also need to sayupfront that I did not get to employ last year’sROG Phone 8 , but Asus itself noted some of the complaints user had aboutthe previous year ’s gamer earphone . player complained about the placement and specs of its speakers and the lack of dedicated amps . Fans feel miffed about the meager promised two long time of software program update .
On that front , absolutely nothing has change . The telephone set only offer two year of software and five of surety updates . TheGoogle Pixel 9offers seven years of OS and security system updates . The sound on the ROG telephone set ca n’t hold a candle to other $ 1,000 + phone like theiPhone 16 Proor theSamsung Galaxy S24 Ultra . The sound is punk and thin . Even worse , it ’s easy to choke up the loudspeaker system with your medallion . This is the kind of speech sound that needs headphones . There ’s no way you could get around the fact your earphone will be locked out of fresh software system update after just two years .
© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
The earpiece ’s functioning has been boost with the newQualcomm Snapdragon 8 elect chip , which Asus put into nitro - fueled overdrive with on - instrument panel overclocking . Yes , this speech sound can get red-hot even with its firm caloric systems . You have n’t lived the gamer phone life style until you ’ve strap a massive external cooler whole to the back of your equipment , feeling like a physician urgently trying to help a fever - macabre patient achieve homeostasis .
Now that today ’s speech sound sport chips that can equal some humbled - end PCs , the motive for personal computer - storey cooling feels all the more necessary . The ROG Phone 9 does n’t draw as much power as expected . The assault and battery liveliness on the ROG Phone 9 is still up there , and it has the best speech sound available . I could utilize it for a full day , even after a morning spend gaming .
Asus ROG Phone 9 Review: Build Quality and Audio
Asus ’ latest gamer phone is n’t a vast revolution from the ROG Phone 8 professional . The Non - pro speech sound 9 has a shrunken presentation at the phone ’s bottom butt . you could set this section to show the sentence and battery or show an alarm if somebody ’s calling you . I do n’t know how many citizenry coif their phone cover - side down on their desks , but it could now and then be handy . It ’s as much of a novelty as Nothing ’s devices with rearward LED lights , but those devices trade well enough for the party to keep make them .
At the very least , this is a overnice phone to hold . The sloped side give the ROG Phone 9 a more old - schooltime Android timber than the latest Google Pixel 9 telephone . compare to yourusual iPhone , Asus ’ glass back and its range of texture all help cue you of the sound you hold in your paw , though inevitably , you ’ll need to detect a very specific case that wo n’t cover up all the bottom LEDs .
The redesignedAeroActive Cooler X Prois a standout accessory , though it may cost you $ 120 extra . It slots directly into the middle of the phone without comprehend up any verbaliser and still offers access to the power button . You ’ll by all odds hear it going off , but it ’s not so loud it will distract you from the in - game audio . The cooler adds two extra induction that , combined with the AirTriggers ( which you manually wrench on in Asus Armoury Crate ) , act as role player - R2 and L2 clit .
© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
you’re able to use the construct - in Armoury Crate computer software to download secret plan - specific control profile . you may apply the triggers for a game like Diablo Immortal to plunk up items or bring up the mapping . This work relatively well ; you get force feedback and on - screen signals when using either AirTrigger .
Unfortunately , that audio is nowhere near where you may require it for such an expensive phone . It ’s somewhere between tinny and shallow , even if it can get loud . I compare it side - by - side with aniPhone 16 Proand aPixel 9 professional , and Asus ’ twist was not anything I would mind to by itself .
And it seems a pair of earpiece is exactly where Asus wants you to go . The company further the use of Dirac Virtuo for spacial sound in phone . The company exact its AeroCase and ChillCase airt strait from the bottom speaker to the front , but I do n’t have either . The AeroActive Cooler X Pro is supposed to integrate a loudspeaker , which Asus says is equivalent to a subwoofer , to raise bass performance . I did n’t sense the audio was good with the ice chest attached .
© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
Asus ROG Phone 9 Review: Display
If you ’re pay this much for a speech sound , you ’d want a showing that can hit the eminent framerates call by its young CPU . The ROG Phone 9 include the same 6.78 - in AMOLED exhibit as the Phone 8 Pro with a dynamic refresh charge per unit between 1 and 120 Hz . The only way to get the fabled 185 Hz is by enabling it while in a plot through the Game Genie UI . If the game even supports such high underframe rates , that matters .
The ROG Phone supports a very burnished screen , so much sothat I could playGenshin Impactunder verbatim sun with practically no exit . I was overall satisfied with the colors on the screen door , though I also have to point out that this is n’t jam the highest resolution silver screen . It ’s an FHD , 2400 by 1080 settlement video display . The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is packing a 1440 by 3120 display . A Pixel 9 Pro XL is1344 by 2992 .
Asus ROG Phone 9 Review: Performance
If the ROG Phone 9 is doing anything , it ’s spelling out good tidings for 2025 ’s premiere Android devices from the the like of Samsung and more . The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite result in some of the best mobile performance we ’ve seen . It ’s been great in benchmarking , and in - game performance is equally telling , finagle to flap Apple ’s latest . It ’s good enough that we may finally understand why Qualcomm abandoned its mobile buffalo chip ’ “ Gen 3 ” nickname and called it “ Elite . ”
Along with the fresh chip , my version of the Phone 9 included 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage , but if you choose for the “ Pro Edition ” version , you ’ll get 32 GB of LPDDR5x store . They both corroborate an overclocked “ X manner ” that supercharge CPU and GPU performance ( one of the reasons Asus suggests you use the international ice chest ) . ’
Benchmarks were the most impressive part of the ROG Phone 9 , especially running on the overclocking X Mode . In Geekbench 6 , I saw CPU scores of more than 200 point more in single - core mount and 1,200 points more in multi - core setting than the iPhone 16 professional . If you require something more apples to apple , the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip score 800 points worse in single - pith and 2,700 points better in multi - core under the overclocked mode .
© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
In 3D Mark tests like Steel Nomade Lite , the ROG Phone 9 outmatch an iPhone 16 Pro by 488 points . It ’s 661 points substantially under the same test . This is all without thermic throttling , thanks to the extraneous cool down unit . If I turn off X Mode and hightail it it under “ Dynamic ” CPU setting with a put forward 1.02 GHz clock upper , the telephone hits below Apple ’s A18 Pro chip . You ’ll want to put it into 10 - modality whenever you get into a secret plan and be honor with some strong carrying out .
The earpiece can easily hit the 60 FPS hood in a game like Diablo Immortal . PlayingCall of Duty Warzone : Mobilewith all configurations put to high , I got just under 60 FPS regularly without hitting any thermal throttling and below 40 degree Celsius without using the extraneous cooler .
The new 185 Hz refresh rates wo n’t number into turn unless you find a game without any framerate caps and graphics that will rent the ROG Phone 9 hit those peak . Games likeDead Cellscan get up to the fabled 160 FPS and palpate much smooth than you might feel on phones typically , but it does n’t really change the experience than if you were using it at 60 FPS . The real reason you want high refresh rates is for competitive games .
© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
Even when I lower graphic setting in a game like Warzone to maximise FPS , I can get anywhere close eminent enough for above 120 Hz refresh rates to weigh . That being said , it ’s still a unique feature for the phone that could make a difference to those tender to buttery smooth gameplay .
Asus ROG Phone 9 Review: Software
I involve to take a moment to hash out all the little extra software touches specific to the ROG Phone , some of which work well , while others do n’t . Armoury Crate is astonishingly useful , not just for setting your performance place setting but also for alter the AirTriggers presets . It ’s easy to use and remind you of the remaining stamp battery life .
I also found Game Genie , which you access by swiping off the top remaining corner of the sieve , to be fast and responsive . It ’s the only way of life to activate the AirTriggers in - game or show real - time FPS or temperature data , so it ’s dainty that it work so well right out of the box .
There ’s so much extra take into the phone that you ’ll eventually find something less than utile . The ROG Phone 9 does n’t go to sleep by default . It enters a “ Lock touch ” mode to darken the screen and keep the game hightail it in the background . You exit the fashion by swiping two fingers , but the phone never seems to recognize the gesture .
While every other equipment maker is boost AI as the futurity , even if it ’s one we do n’t desire , Asus has instead used AI to automatize verbose in - biz tasks . alas , as it currently stand up , most of these feature only ferment withGenshin ImpactorHonkai : Star Rail . Some of these characteristic let you automatically pick up objects on the terra firma or “ speed up conversations . ” To say that they ’re useless would be missing the stain . Asus jazz what variety of gamers have an edge toward the ROG Phone , but it ’s still missing out on people like me , who have absolutely no interest in a game where a standout feature is blow past half the content .
Asus ROG Phone 9 Review: Battery Life
ROG telephone usually boast some of the great batteries on any peregrine twist . The latest from Asus contains a 5800mAh battery capacity ( more than the 5500mAh from the ROG Phone 8 professional ) , but a lot of software mold on the back end to keep things going even in - game .
Even with the cooler unit of measurement put in and running continuously for hour , then dip in and out of several game over a full workday , I only reached 50 % assault and battery after four minute . That ’s moderately spectacular , though , while running on the Dynamic context to keep up battery life in off periods .
Running the phone on X Mode run down the barrage much faster , even more so if you ’re using the outside cooler . Still , after almost an hour of changeless gaming one morn , I was only down to 70 % . The battery is already vainglorious , but the setting software is doing the oeuvre to take you out of 10 Mode when not in - game . If there ’s any other ground to get the ROG Phone 9 beyond other gadget on the market , it ’s shelling , maybe it ’s it .
Asus ROG Phone 9 Review: Camera
Asus opted for Sony ’s Lytia 700 main television camera compared to last yr ’s IMX890 . The ROG Phone 9 carry a 50 MP , 1/1.56 - inch main lens alongside a .7x 13 MP radical - wide and a 5 MP Macro lens . Only the Pro version gets the 32 MP 3x telephotograph , but the large innovation this year is the 6 - axis gimbal system that is opine to make photos and videos on the go depend that much better .
Left : ROG Phone 9 ; rightfield : iPhone 16 professional
I was n’t able to essay that stabilization outdoors , just take the air around with video , so I did n’t see anything sincerely alone compared to other high - destruction telephone on the market . The two other standout photographic camera features are the “ Portrait Video ” , which keeps a subject frame for a cinematic look , and “ AI Panning ” which can make a speed result while save a run subject in figure .
Left : iPhone 16 Pro ; Right : ROG Phone 9
Those are nice distraction , but the literal photos it can take are good but not exceptional . I compare it straight with an iPhone 16 Pro ( which tends to shoot warm ) , and while they were dear and detail enough for casual shooting , I constitute the ROG Phone 9 ’s tv camera can lead in some haloing in direct light and nighttime snap can seem specially sorry .
Asus ROG Phone 9 Review: Verdict
Asus is still confusing client with the ROG Phone 9 Pro and ROG Phone 9 Pro Edition , the latter having better RAM and amount with the cooling unit in the boxful . However , as it stand , the Pro variation truly take gamer earphone over the top . It includes a new “ Anime ” inflammation setup with 648 LED compared to the ROG 8 Pro ’s 341 and ROG Phone 9 ’s 85 . This should allow you to upload impost GIFs and even work four colonnade - flair games . Yes , the Pro is a gamer speech sound with games you could play on the front and back of it .
Compared to that , the unconstipated ROG Phone 9 may ab initio seem like a forgotten stepchild . However , if you really do n’t care for fancy LEDs , this is the dependable phone to buy for its price . It ’s lack out on 1 TB of storage , but 512 GB is good enough for most peregrine games unless you want to turn yours into an emulation post ( in which pillowcase , you may be good off with a mini microcomputer or a solid gambling handheld ) .
The performance is so strong that I want to give it a good account , but the lingering issues hold it back . This earphone has no right to sound as bad as it does at this price . The camera is only so - so , and the want of long - term promised software system updates name it a hard sell for anybody who cares about keep devices out of the junk heap .
It ’s a solid performer , and I ’m excited to see the hereafter of Android with Qualcomm chips . If you simply want the best - performing Android earpiece , this is the best on the securities industry . Just know you ’ll need to use headphones to get the honorable audio and also cut out the whirring fan jutting from your gadget ’s back end .
AsusROG earphone
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© Photo: Kyle Barr / Gizmodo
