Those who’d like to engage in some serious gaming on their smartphones can now look forward to the new Asus ROG Phone 5 which has emerged as the most powerful Android phone money can buy in India at the moment. The ROG 5 comes in three versions, the ROG 5, ROG 5 Pro, and the ROG 5 Ultimate, with prices starting at Rs. 49,999.
The ROG Phone 5 series and price breakup
The ROG Phone 5 series comprises of three models.
- ROG Phone 5 with 8 GB RAM and 128 GB storage is priced at Rs. 49,999
- ROG Phone 5 with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB storage is priced at Rs. 57,999
- ROG Phone 5 Pro with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage is priced at Rs. 69,999
- ROG Phone 5 Ultimate with 18 GB RAM and 512 GB storage is priced at Rs. 79,999.
Asus ROG 5 specs
The new ROG 5 scores several firsts in India in terms of specs. For instance, the phone is the first in India to come powered by the latest and greatest Qualcomm offering so far, the octa-core Snapdragon 888 chipset and is clocked at 2.84 GHz. Also, the 18 GB of LPDDR5 memory on the top model, the ROG 5 Ultimate is the highest it has ever been on any smartphone launched in India. Accompanying the SD 888 is the Adreno 660 GPU that Asus said will allow for a 33 percent improvement in GPU performance. Also, it’s UFS 3.1 storage that is found on the ROG 5 and is the fastest storage currently available. The phone supports an external HDD but no microSD card expansion slot available.
For display, it’s a 6.78-inch HD+ AMOLED panel sourced from Samsung that dominates the front and offers a 144 Hz refresh rate. Other salient features of the display include its 1200 nits of brightness along with HDR10+ and DC Dimming tech. The display with a 20.4:9 aspect ratio comes with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus and is stated to be 23 percent brighter than its predecessor, the ROG Phone 3.
Apart from the raw hardware specs, the one aspect that too adds to the game playing experience in no small measure is the sound. And for that, the ROG Phone 5 comes with twin symmetrical 7-magnet 12X16 Super Linear speakers that have been tuned by Dirac Audio. Another cool feature of the ROG Phone 5 is its Air Triggers, the shoulder-mounted buttons that are now all the more sensitive. Users will also be able to customize the buttons as per their preference.
For optics, there isn’t anything too exciting though as the same seems to have been taken directly from its predecessor. That includes a 64 MP Sony IMX686 sensor coupled to a 13 MP ultra wide-angle sensor and a 5 MP macro shooter. For selfies, there is a 24 MP front-facing camera.
Keeping everything functional is a 6000 mAh battery that is backed by a 65W fast charging tech. Another highlight of the phone is its new thermal design named GameCool 5 which is designed to expel excess heat. In fact, with that much processing capability onboard a smartphone form factor, it’s imperative to keep the heat at bay. It is for this reason that Asus also introduced the AeroActive Cooler 5 accessory that aims to keep the phone cool while also offering a pair of physical AirTrigger buttons, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a kickstand.
Connectivity options include 5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, GPS/ A-GPS, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Then there also is a pair of USB Type-C ports, one at the bottom and another along the side. A pogo pin connector can be found which allows for attachment of external accessories.
Colour Options and availability
The Asus ROG Phone 5 comes in shades of Phantom Black and Storm White having a glossy finish. The ROG Phone 5 Pro, on the other hand, comes in a shade of Phantom Black while the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate is done up in Storm White having a matte finish.
Asus is yet to reveal when the ROG Phone 5 will go on sale in the country.
