Asus ROG Phone 5
During all this gaming a few things stood 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 quickly. Also, this review comes out just weeks ahead of the launch of the RedMagic 6 gaming phone with a 165Hz screen.
Sarah Tew/CNET

Asus ROG Phone 5 photo
The ROG Phone 5 brilliantly lets you control 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 power from the cable instead of charging the battery. This prevents the phone from getting warmer which can affect gaming performance. 

Like

  • Amazing battery life

  • 144Hz display

  • Numerous controls for charging and performance

  • Ultimate edition with ROG Vision display

Don’t Like

  • Weight: It’s a heavy phone

  • Cameras don’t live up to the rest of the phone

  • US price is unknown, so it’s not clear if the phone is worth it

What do you do if you have a powerful gaming phone to review? You game. I played driving games, war games, problem-solving games, zombie games, vertical games and a weird silent movie game. Sometimes I played games with the fan attached and other times I used the nifty Kunai 3 Gamepad accessory, which Asus sells separately.

144Hz screen and the longest battery life we tested

Asus ROG Phone 5
Asus ROG Phone 5 CNET Mobile
Asus ROG Phone 5

ROG Phone 5 has even more touch game controls

Asus ROG Phone 3

Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
Asus ROG Phone 3
Sarah Tew/CNET

The ROG Phone 5 is heavy and cameras are mediocre

The ROG is capable of shooting up to 8K resolution at 30 frames per second, 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 advantage of all the power it has from the processor, RAM and GPU to help the ROG phones take better photos.
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Asus ROG Phone 5 photo
Patrick Holland/CNET
Asus ROG Phone 5 photo
Patrick Holland/CNET
Asus ROG Phone 5 photo
Patrick Holland/CNET
Asus ROG Phone 5 photo
Patrick Holland/CNET
Asus ROG Phone 5 photo
Patrick Holland/CNET

Perhaps the biggest change this year is that there are three new ROG phones instead of just one. There’s the regular ROG Phone 5 with the ’80s punk vibe. Then there’s the ROG Phone 5 Pro that comes with a detachable fan called the AeroActive Cooler 5. And instead of a logo that lights up, the Pro has the ROG Vision display which is a mini color display strip on the back to show off graphics. It can display alerts and animations for incoming calls, when the battery is charging and more. In fact, you can even make your own custom graphics for the back display. It’s an absolute blast to use and my inner 9-year-old approves.

There isn’t a US price for the ROG Phone 5 yet

There are so many ways to control and interact with the games you play. AirTriggers, which are touch 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 extra sensor on the back for input. Add the AeroActive Cooler 5 to the phone, and you get the addition of two mini paddle buttons. That said, I noticed a lot of mobile games have simplistic controls. But I imagine having more options for game control mapping will appeal to people who are into esports.
Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate

3DMARK SLINGSHOT UNLIMITED

The third model is the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate. It has a matte white back decorated with black hairlines and neon blue accents, all of which stole my heart as soon as I laid eyes on it. Like the Pro, there’s a back display strip, but it’s black and white. The Ultimate also comes with an AeroActive Cooler 5 but what really makes 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 and a beefy GPU to all that RAM, you get the most powerful Android phone we’ve ever tested. You can see our performance test results at the bottom of the review.
The third model is the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate. It has a matte white back decorated with black hairlines and neon blue accents, all of which stole my heart as soon as I laid eyes on it. Like the Pro, there’s a back display strip, but it’s black and white. The Ultimate also comes with an AeroActive Cooler 5 but what really makes 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 and a beefy GPU to all that RAM, you get the most powerful Android phone we’ve ever tested. You can see our performance test results at the bottom of the review.
The third model is the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate. It has a matte white back decorated with black hairlines and neon blue accents, all of which stole my heart as soon as I laid eyes on it. Like the Pro, there’s a back display strip, but it’s black and white. The Ultimate also comes with an AeroActive Cooler 5 but what really makes 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 and a beefy GPU to all that RAM, you get the most powerful Android phone we’ve ever tested. You can see our performance test results at the bottom of the review.
The AeroActive Cooler 5 has two mini paddle buttons you can map for games.
Asus ROG Phone 3
Apple iPhone 12 Pro

Note:

Longer bars indicate 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 (ultrawide), 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 display, Wi-Fi 6E, Dual-SIM, Comes with case and AeroActive Cooler 5 IP68 rating, 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 price converts to $1,420 (16GB RAM, 512GB storage) TBA, but European price 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 price converts to £1,025 (16GB RAM, 512GB storage) TBA, but European price 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 price converts to AU$1,850 (16GB RAM, 512GB storage) TBA, but European price converts to AU$2,000 (18GB RAM, 512GB storage) AU$1,849

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