The most anticipated gaming smartphone is upon us – the ASUS ROG Phone 3 has been launched globally and it’s as every bit as awesome as we’ve expected.
Display and body
The ROG Phone 3 comes with sizeable 6.59-inch FHD+ 144Hz display that boasts a 25ms touch latency and 270Hz touch sampling rate for better responsiveness. On top of that, the display comes with HDR 10 or HDR10+ and Delta-E calibration for the best colour output and accuracy.
The body of the phone itself looks similar to its predecessor bar a few updates, which includes a transparent back panel.
Hardware
In terms of specs, you’ll have two options to choose from – the regular ROG Phone 3 which packs a Snapdragon 865+, and the ROG Phone 3 Strix which comes with the normal vanilla Snapdragon 865 chipset. The former comes with up to 16GB RAM and 512GB storage; the latter will only pack 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. All phones are, of course, 5G-ready.
Features
When it comes to features, all models sport the new-and-improved AirTrigger 3 system that allows users to to use touch sensors on the top of the phone (while gaming) as shoulder buttons. They can be customised with different gestures like tap and slide to perform different functions in-game.
There’s also a new motion-based control feature that lets you control in-game actions by moving your phone like tilting it or shaking it.
It also boasts a vapor chamber cooling system which helps keep the phone cool during long hours of gaming. There’s also a set of dual front-firing stereo speakers that ASUS claims allow you to hear more of your in-game surroundings. The dedicated Game Mode lets you enhance sound effects should you need an audio boost.
Camera
For imaging, the phone comes with a 64MP main lens powered by a Sony IMX 686 sensor; complementing that are a 13MP ultrawide shooter, and a macro lens. For selfies, you get a capable 24MP shooter too.
Battery and charging
Powering the phone is a massive 6,000mAh battery with support of up to 30W of HyperCharge fast charging – and like before, there’s also a side-mounted charging port that gets cables away from your hand when you’re gaming.
Price
The ROG Phone 3 12GB+512GB model is priced at €999 (RM4,930), while the 16GB+512GB variant will cost €1,099 (RM5,424); the most affordable version of the series is the ROG Phone Strix which will set you back €799 (RM3,943). In Malaysia, the ROG Phone 3 series will go on sale this September – and because European prices adhere to steep VAT rates, we can expect its local pricing to be lower too.