The year of phones isn’t over yet, as Asus readies a couple of high-end models made for folks who love to game.
If you’re one of those folks that believes the future of gaming is in your pocket, specifically that of your phone, there’s a good chance your needs are a little different from everyone else.
While a good phone is in demand by pretty much everyone, “good” means different things to everyone. You might be after a phone that does both types of 5G like the Pixel 6 Pro, a phone with a staggeringly good camera like the iPhone 13 Pro and 13 Pro Max, or even a phone that unfolds into a tablet such as the Galaxy Z Fold 3.
Or you might be after a phone spec’d like a laptop, because we’re getting to those levels, as gaming brands make phones more like computers, bolstering the performance capabilities considerably.
The latest comes from the Asus Republic of Gamers brand — “ROG” — with a new generation of its ROG Phone, coming in the ROG Phone 5s and 5s Pro, models that are practically identical save for the memory and storage. It’ll sport a similar dark but colour-accented look to previous ROG Phones we’ve checked out, such as the ROG Phone 2 and ROG Phone 3.
Both will include a sizeable 6.78 inch Full HD+ AMOLED screen running at 144Hz, making it fast for games, given that’s the main focus here.
They’ll include a 64 megapixel standard wide camera plus a 13 megapixel ultra-wide and 5 megapixel macro camera, with the big camera capable of 8K video capture, while the little ones less so. Asus is also equipping a 24 megapixel camera to the front, so the specs are relatively up there for cameras.
However the performance hardware underneath is clearly where the focus is, with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888+ 5G on-board here, plus up to 18GB RAM on the ROG Phone 5s, or just an easy 18GB RAM on the 5s Pro.
It’s a similar situation on the storage side of things, with up to 512GB on the ROG Phone 5s, but just 512GB on the 5s Pro, and pretty much everything else being the same: WiFi 6E, Bluetooth, HPS, NFC, plus touch-triggers on the body for gaming and a cooling system with extra physical buttons for gaming. Interestingly, Australians may only get the 512GB Asus ROG Phone 5s with 16GB RAM, meaning the ROG Phone 5s Pro’s extra price has to come with a little more, which it does.
Even if it’s not as easily spotted, that little bit extra on the 5s Pro model includes extra touch sensors in the body for extra control in games, plus an improved speaker system.
The result for either is a phone focused almost entirely on gamers, with a fast screen, fast WiFi, fast 5G, and controls in the body for fast mobilise gaming.
However, neither Asus fast gaming phone will come cheap, with the standard ROG Phone 5s costing $1699 in Australia, while the Pro variation will cost $1899. You can expect them both this week, though, possibly making them Australia’s last new phones for 2021.
