Asus ROG 2 Phone First Look: Gaming Device With Flagship Prowess

The upgraded ROG 2 phone from Asus isn’t targeting only gamers, it wants people to buy its for its flagship nature.

Asus ROG 2 makes its debut in India, at an aggressive price point.

(Photo: The Quint)

Asus is bringing the ROG 2 gaming phone this week, and unlike its predecessor, the company has gone for an aggressive starting price of Rs 37,999. At this price, you’re getting the 8GB + 128GB storage variant. The phone will be available online from 30 September onwards.

Asus will also sell the 12GB+512GB variant very soon, which has been priced at Rs 59,999.

This year’s ROG 2 phone packs meatier hardware, revamped design to suit gamers, and at the same time, satisfy even those with needs of a flagship phone.

We spent some time with the ROG 2, without getting to experience its full prowess and here’s what we liked and disliked about the upgraded gaming phone.

Asus ROG 2 Specifications:

• Display: 6.59-inch 2340x1080 pixels AMOLED with 120Hz
• OS: Android Pie
• Processor: Octa-core Snapdragon 855 Plus
  
• RAM: up to 12GB
• Storage: up to 512GB
• Battery: 6000mAh
• Rear Camera: 48+13MP
• Front Camera: 24MP

First thing you’ll notice are the visible upgrades. The display packs 120Hz refresh rate, for enhanced gaming as well as touch experience while navigating on the phone.

The improvement will be available only on few gaming titles as of now, and we’re hopeful that PUBG also gets support for 120Hz in the coming months.

The 6.59-inch screen on the ROG 2 packs 120Hz refresh rate.(Photo: The Quint)

We couldn’t experience the 120Hz quality during our brief time with the device but we’re hoping that gamers get a taste of its improvement with more gaming titles expected to support it in the foreseeable future.

New grill design on the ROG 2 for better cooling. (Photo: The Quint)

The next big change is the use of the latest Snapdragon 855 Plus processor, which was announced few weeks back. This chipset has maximum clock speed of 2.96Ghz, which is a marginal increase from the 2.84Ghz of the Snapdragon 855 from earlier this year.

Asus claims that the new chipset has been tailor made for gaming phones, with better focus on cooling and keeping the fan inside the phone quieter. 

This also gets reflected in the slight change in design of the back panel, with multiple layers of vents added to keep the device in normal temperature. Asus claims you’ll see a 5 degree drop in surface temperature compared to Asus ROG phone.

Other hardware on the ROG 2 includes up to 12GB RAM, and storage support maxes out at 512GB.

Making sure that gamers have ample power and memory to keep going for long hours.

Speaking of which, the ROG 2 manages to pack a 6000mAh battery, which can be used to charge other devices, just in case you’d want to.

Game settings have been enhanced to give the best experience. (Photo: The Quint)

Asus claims with this battery support, gamers can play PUBG for over 7 hours on a single charge, at its maximum 120Hz refresh rate settings. Now that’s a tall claim to make and we’ll put that to test when we get the device for review in the coming weeks.

Upgraded cameras at the back and front on the ROG 2.(Photo: The Quint)

While most of you might not be worried about the camera on a gaming phone, Asus has still upgraded the rear and front cameras to 48+13 megapixel and 24 megapixel respectively. This according to them will offer better video experience while multi-player gaming.

In addition to this, Asus has made some practical tweaks to the ROG 2.

ROG 2 retains the 3.5-mm audio jack for wired experience while gaming.(Photo: The Quint)

The Wi-Fi antennas have been moved around to make sure the internet reception doesn’t drop while you hold the phone from both the sides. Same has been done with speakers as well.

Even with the 6000mAh battery loaded, the phone weighs 240 grams but while holding it in your hand, the phone’s weight doesn’t strike you much. This has been worked out with better weight distribution, and the taller design profile helps as well.

The other thing worth mentioning about the ROG 2 is that one of its accessory, which doubles up as a screen, now supports 120Hz refresh rate as well.

This accessory with support for second screen now upgraded to run 120Hz refresh rate.(Photo: The Quint)

These improvements have kind of given Asus the confidence that ROG 2 will get better response from buyers and even markets like India, where gaming phone is still seen as a novelty device.

But with a price tag of under 40K for the base variant of ROG 2, it’s fair to say that Asus is not only competing with other gaming devices, but also brands like OnePlus, Oppo and the Google Pixel 3A in the country.