The problem with smartphones is that if you need top-notch performance, you have to go for a premium phone but phones are getting costlier every year.
A premium end phone might cost you around 1 lakh rupees which is a huge some.
If you don’t want to spend 1 lakh rupees on a phone, then Asus has provided you a better option in half price.
Asus’s latest ROG 5 smartphone is not only a beast for gamers but also a perfect companion for a regular user who is looking for high performance as well as long lasting battery life.
Benefits of Asus ROG 5
#1. Blazing Fast Performance
Asus ROG 5 smartphone is equipped with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor that provides you super fast performance without any lag while playing any graphic intensive game such as Call of Duty.
Accompanied by Adreno 660, you can play any android game available in the market without any glitch.
You can see the ATUNTU performance statistics of Asus ROG 5 (796718) and OnePlus 9 Pro (735535) below. Thanks to an effective cooling system that allows ROG to perform better without heating up much.
Image Courtesy – GeekyRanjit
You also get Qualcomm’s X60 modem for 5G and WiFi6 connectivity. The best part of ROG 5 is that you get 11 different 5G bands support so whenever it launches in India. Unlike OnePlus 9 which comes with only two 5G bands.
Also read – OnePlus 9 Pro vs Vivo X60 Pro Plus
#2. Effective Thermal Management
The in built thermal management system has multi level cooling stages that includes Copper 3D Vapor Chamber and Graphite Cooling Pad.
The copper coils & cooling liquid in the vapor chamber absorb heat to ensure that the inside temperature is very low.
You get 2 large graphite cooling pads on both sides that absorb the maximum heat before reaching the outer body.
The ultimate cooling system also improves the overall performance as compared with peers.
However, if you are a pro gamer, you must go for the AeroActive Cooler 5 accessory which is an external fan that keeps the temperature low up to 10 degrees.
#2. Practical Design
You get a very practical design from a usability point of view whether its about air triggers, dual charging ports or curved back that easily fits in your palm.
#1. Side Ports
On the right side, you get two ports – Asus side port and Type-C charging port.
Asus side port is a typical Asus connection port to connect various accessories such as gamepad with your smartphone.
Whereas, a side charging port is provided to let you charge your phone while gaming in landscape mode while the charging cable doesn’t disturb your finger movements.
#2. Ultrasonic Buttons
The ultrasonic air trigger buttons enable your smartphone into the gamepad and that gives you an edge over opponents as you get additional control in your game right from your smartphone.
Regular day usage of these buttons
If you are not a hardcore gamer, you can still utilize these air triggers for regular functions such as taking screenshot, open camera or torch light and many more options available.
#3. No Intruding Notch
Notch is common these days but it’s sometimes intruding especially while watching movies and you see a hole in the screen all the times.
Asus has done a good job here as you get a clean display without any notch to give you better experience. You got a pop-up camera and a solid bezel on the top and bottom that hold the speakers and other sensors.
You’ll get to know more about display in the next section.
#3. Super Smooth Display
You get a large 6.78 inches full HD AMOLED display that has an E4 panel.
E4 display panel is a new technology that allows high levels of brightness, deeper contrasts and consumes less energy.
You get a 144Hz refresh rate that gives you a super smooth experience in gaming. Apart from gaming, 144Hz refresh rate makes your UI experience insanely smoother and quicker.
You can change the refresh rate of the ROG Phone 5 to 60Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz and 144Hz from the settings menu. There’s an Auto mode by default which works well.
I got to know in my research that the 144 Hz refresh rate doesn’t put much strain on your battery which is a good thing.
Screen legibility in sunlight is good as it has 1200 nits of brightness at peak level.
You also get HDR10+ certified display to play HDR content with rich details and high contrast levels.
You would love to watch HDR content available on Amazon prime or Netflix. You also get an in-display fingerprint sensor which during my research I found quick and snappier.
#4. Immersive Sound Output
You get 2 superior quality (7-magnet) front firing speakers in ROG 5 which are seriously very loud.
Both speakers have dedicated amplifiers that deliver 21% more sound than ROG 3.
If you love to play music on your portable speaker often, then you won’t need any portable speaker to carry. ROG 5 will fill the gap with rich and dynamic sound output.
And the best part is you get a 3.5mm jack which Asus brought back in ROG 5. You would mostly miss the Aux port in every premium phone these days.
The 3.5mm jack provides HyperStream II QUAD DAC™ technology that offers you immersive sound experience over headphones or earphones.
#5. 2-Day Battery Life
You get 2-day battery life if you use Asus ROG regularly. Thanks to the 6000 mAh dual battery package which gives a long usage time.
You get two 3000 mAh batteries connected with each other to provide you uninterrupted power all the time.
But if you are a hardcore gamer, then also you still get a full day of battery easily.
GSMARENA has given ROG 5 phone an endurance of 110 hours which is quite high. You can see the details below –
Since you get 2 charging ports, you can charge both batteries simultaneously at a time which is amazing.
You get a 30W charger with this smartphone which is less faster than the global variant where people would get a 65W charger.
But still it is fast enough to charge the battery in around 90 mins which is impressive.
Specifications of Asus ROG 5
| Specifications | Details |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 (5 nm) Octa-core processor |
| Graphics Processor | Adreno 660 |
| Display | 6.78″ AMOLED, 1080x2448px resolution, 20.4:9 aspect ratio, with 395ppi. 144Hz Refresh Rate, HDR10+ Support Brightness – 1200 nits (peak), |
| Dimensions and Weight | 172.8×77.3×10.3mm, 238g |
| RAM/Storage | 8GB/128GB, 12 GB/256GB UFS 3.1 storage |
| Main Camera | Main – 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (Wide) Ultra wide angle – 13 MP, f/2.4, 11mm Macro – 5 MP, f/2.0 |
| Front Camera | 24 MP, f/2.5, 27mm (wide) |
| Video Recording | Main Camera [email protected]@30/60/[email protected]/60/120/[email protected] Front Camera [email protected] |
| OS Version | Android 11 (ROG UI) |
| Battery | 6000 mAh (2 x 3000 mAh), 30W fast charger |
| Other | In-display fingerprint sensor, EIS, 3.5mm port, NFC, ROG backlit logo on back |
What I Liked in Asus ROG 5
- Ultra smoothing gaming experience
- Louder audio output on speaker with incredible bass and depth
- Airtel Wifi Calling is there, which was missing in earlier ROG phones
- ROG UI looks very close to Stock Android
- X-mode to overclock the performance
- Fast and accurate in-display fingerprint scanner
- Quick air triggers for real-time action in game
- Superb battery life of more than 1.5 days if you are a normal user with an average on screen time of more than 10 hours. For heavy gamers, you would get 1 day battery life easily.
- You can record up to 8K videos and take 33 MP images from the recorded video.
- Corning Gorilla Glass Victus on the display to protect from scratches.
What I didn’t Like in Asus ROG 5
- Heavy in weight at 238g
- No IP-rating to protect phone from water splashes and dust
- Body less durable and prone to bend
- Only 30W charger in India (it is still fast)
- Camera not at par with other competitors in the market
- No OIS in camera for hardware level image stabilization
Other Alternatives
If you need a gaming smartphone that is better in camera, lightweight and sleek design, then go with Mi 11X Pro. You would get similar configurations such as SD 888 processor, ram and storage. But you would get a 108 MP main camera which is a plus point.
Mi 11X Pro is sleek, lightweight and you would get at 10K lower price.
However you would have to compromise over battery life and screen refresh rate as you would get only 4520 mAh battery and 120 Hz refresh rate which is manageable if you are not a hardcore gamer.
Second option is Vivo sub-branded iQOO’s latest premium phone iQOO7 Legend that is equipped with similar configuration with a BMW racing theme design at the similar price range as Mi 11X Pro.
You would have to compromise over camera resolution at 48 MP but OIS is there for blur free photos and smooth video recording. iQOO is claiming that iQOO7 Legend is the fastest gaming phone ever with 830K+ ANTUTU score.
Conclusion
You can go for Asus ROG 5 if you are a pro gamer or if you need top notch performance like a premium phone with a monster battery life.
If you are okay with not having water and dust resistance and an above average camera, then Asus ROG 5 is a value for money performer that offers you premium phone performance at half of the price.
