Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro review: Return of the king

The ROG Telephone 9 is able to ship off 2024 with a bang. Packing the yr’s flagship Qualcomm chipset as normal, it’s a powerhouse of a gaming telephone with a value to match.

Half a decade in the past, an excellent gaming telephone prioritised CPU, reminiscence, and show, providing a laser-focused rig in your pocket at a value that wouldn’t burn a gap by way of it. However with cell video games shortly turning into as formidable as console titles, the paradigm has shifted.

The Asus ROG handsets have at all times been the luxurious on-the-go gaming system. Might this generational change within the common gamer’s wants flip this as soon as pointless expense right into a close to necessity? Right here’s my assessment of the ROG Telephone 9 Professional.

Design & Construct

• Understated branding
• Capacitive triggers and an LED matrix
• Fingerprint-resistant rear

On first inspection, the ROG Telephone 9 Professional could possibly be mistaken for a lot of different black-backed handsets. Which may not attraction to everybody, but it surely’s a great factor in my opinion.

Asus’ ROG merchandise are usually identified for edgy, gamer-inspired appears, which made them a troublesome promote for some.

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Right here, the evenly textured matt again solely offers strategy to a easy diagonal stripe. There’s covert ROG branding with a emblem, slogan, and a few different hints of its gaming prowess scattered about, however they’re tiny and stay invisible till scrutinised.

The rear particulars are etched onto a sheet of glass that in some way appears, feels, and seems like coated plastic. And Asus isn’t fallacious in saying it resists fingerprints. The triple digital camera array appears a little bit robotic, adopting an uncommon form, but it surely’s straightforward to get used to.

Again to the branding, it’s a “there if you would like it, gone in the event you don’t” strategy. You actually can have it. Debuting on ROG laptops years again and that includes on the ROG Telephone 8 Professional telephone, each ROG Telephone 9 mannequin now comes with the AniMe Imaginative and prescient LED matrix baked into the again.

The Professional mannequin makes use of a bewildering 648 LEDs to show detailed photographs and sophisticated GIFs. It even performs video games utilizing the invisible touch-sensitive AirTriggers on the sting. Faucet it towards one other ROG 9 telephone, say at a cell sport event, to unlock extra. It’s a cute contact. Nevertheless, non-Professional fashions get an 85 LED array for easy graphics solely.

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The ROG Telephone 9 Professional retains the three.5mm headphone jack. This isn’t a shock given the issues of Bluetooth-induced latency and the way that may have an effect on aggressive efficiency.

With a headphone jack on one nook and the USB-C charging port on the sting beneath, you’re proper to suppose it may spell an ergonomic nightmare in panorama.

In actuality, it’s genius for a few causes: in the event you’re utilizing wi-fi headphones (or none in any respect) you’ll be able to maintain it panorama and solely cowl the jack. Second, there’s a second USB-C port on the centre of the lengthy aspect. You’ll be able to have wired headphones, cost, and nonetheless get a strong, uninterrupted grip when you want to lock in.

Apparently, it means the ROG Tessen cell controller (or typically any snap-on cell sport controller) has the entire setup wanting extra like a PlayStation Portal than a Nintendo Swap.

Display screen & Audio system

• Shiny, vibrant AMOLED panel
• Lightning-fast refresh charges and contact sampling
• Stereo audio system with room to broaden through exterior cooling fan

The ROG Telephone 9 Professional, surprisingly, follows within the footsteps of most fashionable handsets relating to audio system. There’s a two-piece speaker grille nestled between the SIM tray and charging port on the underside and nothing however a microphone on the opposite aspect.

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That earpiece speaker provides further oomph that pairs properly with the primary speaker to supply very loud audio. It’s additionally pretty bass-focused and largely fantastic for directional audio of in-game gunshots, for instance. It’s not the very best for immersing your self in a film or journey video, but it surely’s no slouch.

The ROG Telephone 9 Professional has the identical show as its predecessor – a 6.78-inch 2400×1080 AMOLED that enjoys the inky blacks of OLED whereas retaining vibrant highlights. Can the Gorilla Glass Victis 2 resist game-induced scratches and repeated journeys to the pocket? It’s doing an admiral job to date.

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Whereas not the sharpest panel round, it’s excellent for a gaming-focused handset. Greater resolutions demand extra energy – there’s a cause you’ll see execs dial issues again. Each body issues, and driving extra pixels invitations hassle and low battery notifications.

The AMOLED tech makes colors pop, and with as much as 1,600 nits when wanted, HDR content material shines vibrant.

The ROG Telephone 9 and 9 Professional’s shows additionally set a brand new commonplace for display screen refresh charges. The screens can hit 185Hz, increased than some other telephone on the time of launch.

Nevertheless, there are caveats to this. It’s solely accessible as an possibility inside the ‘Sport Genie’ app, that means common content material is proscribed to the (nonetheless unimaginable) 165Hz. Additionally, so few apps can truly benefit from the 185Hz that it’s not a significant improve.

Nonetheless, the show on the 9 Professional is fantastically easy throughout all eventualities. Go away it on Auto and it’ll modify to match on-screen content material, remaining easy whilst framerates fluctuate.

There’s additionally a 960Hz contact sampling charge (what number of occasions the display screen can register a contact enter every second), serving to make the telephone extremely fluid and responsive, which is very essential when gaming with out an connected pad.

Specs & Efficiency

• Excellent basic efficiency
• Sensible in-game body charges
• Robust cooling

Like all of the ROG Telephone 9 fashions, the Professional makes use of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. These are a few of the first telephones to make use of Qualcomm’s new silicon, which is paired with an improved cooling answer to assist preserve issues operating easily.

The place issues deviate closely is with reminiscence. The bottom ROG Telephone 9 makes use of “as much as 16GB” of LPDDR5X reminiscence. Transfer as much as the Professional mannequin and also you’ll get little greater than the complete AniMe Imaginative and prescient configuration.

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Climb to the Professional Version (sure, that’s completely different to simply the Professional) reviewed right here and also you’ll bump issues as much as 24GB and an enormous 1TB of storage. Each mannequin makes use of UFS 4.0 storage that opens apps, hundreds sport maps and applies updates like lightning. There’s no concern there.

If you need your fashionable, large-scale open-world cell titles to run as easily as potential, the Professional Version has its place.

I hardly ever noticed greater than 6GB used whereas gaming; it’s extra for leaving a number of video games going without delay offered you don’t let it clear up the reminiscence periodically. Go massive and also you shouldn’t have to improve for some time.

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In testing, the Snapdragon 8 Elite achieved 9957 within the Geekbench 6 multi-core take a look at and 3144 within the Single Core take a look at.

On the multi-core aspect, the chip beneath the hood exhibits round a 38% enchancment over the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 present in final yr’s ROG Telephone 8 Professional and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely. In Wildlife Excessive, it manages a playable 35fps. A marvel.

In follow, on Fortnite, the ROG Telephone 9 Version managed a close to rock-solid 90fps on the best settings potential. Higher visuals are unlocked at a 60fps cap, which it nonetheless managed to take care of.

Asus ROG Telephone 9 Professional benchmarks

It will possibly’t rival the console or PC variations when it comes to visible parity, however cell gaming at this value level is basically aggressive. Once more, each body counts. The actual fact you’ll be able to have your cake (body charge) and eat it too (graphics) is extraordinary.

Equally, Genshin Impression maintained its 60fps cap on the prime settings each on the town and whereas smashing components and enemies collectively within the Spiral Abyss. There’s the odd stutter as new assaults are cached, however as soon as all the things is wedged into the reminiscence, you’re good to go for hours.

That very same goes for a frantic boss battle in Honkai Star Rail. Extra into MOBA video games? Wild Rift, one of many solely extra graphically intense, aggressive titles with excessive framerate assist, sings at 120Hz.

When you do handle to push it to the sting, Asus nonetheless presents its personal exterior fan cooling system. This snaps onto the again of the system, with it (and a case to match) included with the Professional Version.

In testing through the 20-minute 3DMark Wildlife Excessive stress take a look at, efficiency shortly dropped by round 44% because the chip settled at 40c, presumably to take care of the battery. Allow it to go to full energy by way of Armoury Crate and the efficiency drop-off is diminished to round 9% because it hits round 54c.

Artful cooling on this setting made the brief edges comfortably heat by redirecting warmth to make the lengthy aspect too scorching to deal with. With the exterior fan included within the Professional Version connected, efficiency stability hit 98%, sustaining its full potential because the temperature was saved to that common 40c candy spot.

Cameras

• Nice 50Mp fundamental shooter
• Selfie digital camera does an admiral job
• Pictures can need slight adjustment

There’s loads to speak about relating to cameras on the ROG Telephone 9 Professional.

The entrance digital camera is a 32Mp ultrawide sensor that’s able to taking spectacular portrait pictures in cloudy situations. There are many beautifying filters right here, which can seemingly divide opinion.

As an alternative of the common ROG Telephone 9’s macro lens, the Professional fashions get a 32Mp telephoto with assist for 3x optical zoom and 30x digital zoom. It’s joined by a 13Mp ultrawide, plus the primary occasion – a 50Mp Sony Lytia 700 rear shooter, which has a barely upgraded picture stabiliser in comparison with the Sony IMX890 on the ROG Telephone 8 Professional.

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The outcomes are spectacular. In primary point-and-shoot testing, the rear cameras precisely captured a jaunt round a northern England city having fun with its first autumn frost. Gray bricks, murky waters, autumn leaves and vibrant slender boats had been the day’s targets.

Whereas pictures got here out a little bit chilly or darker than they appeared, one-tap fixes had been sufficient so as to add any lacking character. There’s little doubt higher pure lighting would resolve the difficulty, however that’s laborious to search out this time of yr.

The 50Mp lens can be quick sufficient by default to obviously seize fast-moving objects outdoor. I didn’t get to check the AI Panning characteristic designed to maintain one in focus throughout a panoramic shot, however after the bridge snap, I imagine it could.

That very same snapper settles on a barely aggressive bokeh (background blur) at brief vary. This might not be to everybody’s tastes or swimsuit the scenario you’re making an attempt to seize, but it surely achieves an excellent look. Publicity is tweaked a tad increased in portrait mode, with barely stronger background blurring.

On the entrance, portrait blurring is very sturdy however suitably correct, with minimal hair wisps misplaced to the depth algorithms.

Brighter colors, like vibrant pink flowers blooming by way of the frost, appeared crushed. I’d hoped this was only a side-effect of the show, however viewing them again on my PC monitor displayed the identical subject.

Might it have been brought on by the sharp distinction within the scene’s distinction? It’s potential. It’s one thing I struggled to duplicate, but it surely’s value holding in thoughts. Equally, low-light pictures, whereas definitely usable, are nothing particular by in the present day’s requirements.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5800mAh battery with 65W quick charging
• Nice battery life on most settings
• Standby time can take an actual hit

Improved over final yr’s mannequin is the battery. Whereas holding the chassis the identical measurement (and solely two grams heavier at 227g), the battery has gained an additional 300mAh to balloon to a whopping 5800mAh. It nonetheless helps 15W wi-fi and 65W wired charging, with a succesful wired plug included within the field.

Even nonetheless, the lack of battery whereas on standby is noticeable in the event you don’t frequently shut your apps. In use, it powers some extremely prolonged gameplay periods, with a 60fps Fortnite match draining round 1% of the cell per 5-minute battle.

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A 15-minute increase nets round 41% from empty, with a 30-minute cost managing as much as round 70%. It’s an effective way to gas hours of Wild Rift rounds as you cool off and replicate on a brutal defeat.

Throughout a gaming stress take a look at, the 20-minute run misplaced us 8% on the balanced mode. At full spec, that turned a merciless 18%.

In simulating real-world eventualities by way of the PCMark Work 3.0 take a look at, 8 hours of screen-on time solely depleted 52% of the cell, with it lastly tapping out simply after 14 hours and 40 minutes. As long as you’re not leaping right into a event, you’ll be able to go all day with a 15-minute recharge.

Even charging at half its most velocity by way of an after-market charger, the ROG Telephone 9 Professional gained virtually 20% in round 10 minutes whereas enjoying Genshin Impression on the best settings.

It additionally stayed comfortably heat. The Sport Genie software program reported a system temperature of round 40c throughout this little train. Battery drain whereas related and gaming is a non-issue. The side-mounted charging port proves very helpful in these eventualities.

Software program & Apps

• Numerous interruptive suggestions and tutorials
• Sport Genie is useful with out being unintrusive
• Hit-and-miss Armoury Crate app

The ROG Telephone 9 Professional runs Android 14 out of the field, however with Asus’ customized ROG OS excessive.

That is the place issues can get a little bit cloudy. Setup feels prefer it takes an age with near-endless tutorials and tooltips getting in the best way. The Armoury Crate overlay used to spice up (or restrict) gaming efficiency additionally feels poorly designed for panorama use, usually getting in the best way.

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The Sport Genie overlay, nonetheless, is a pleasant and concise built-in supervisor with nifty options like useful resource displays, display screen shrinking, recording (together with AI-assisted auto second recording in supported video games), background play assist and extra. You’ll be able to go for a extra streamlined expertise too, in the event you’d desire.

Apart from these gamer-specific tweaks and some different Asus apps and instruments, it’s comparatively near so-called ‘inventory Android’. It means the overall software program expertise feels slick and intuitive, offered you’re already acquainted with Android telephones.

Asus hasn’t how lengthy the ROG Telephone 9 Professional can be supported with software program updates. Hopefully, it’s an enchancment on the 8 Professional, which is proscribed to 2 main OS updates and 4 years of safety patches.

Worth & Availability

The ROG Telephone 9 Professional begins at £1,099.99 within the UK. That’ll get you the 16GB/512GB mannequin, however stepping as much as the 24GB/1TB Professional Version reviewed right here prices £1,299.

It’s accessible pre-order straight from Asus, but in addition through Amazon, Currys and Scan, forward of launch on 1 January. No UK operators are promoting it on contract, so that you’ll have to purchase outright and pair it with a SIM-only deal.

Within the US, the usual 9 Professional will value $1,199.99 (earlier than tax), whereas the Professional Version will set you again $1,499.99 (earlier than tax). Nevertheless, a launch date within the States is but to be confirmed.

The ROG Telephone 9 Professional appears set to go up towards the perfect gaming telephones you should purchase, together with the upcoming Nubia Redmagic 10 Pro. Don’t rule out a few of the finest telephones outright both, together with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely.

Do you have to purchase the Asus ROG Telephone 9 Professional?

The ROG Telephone 9 Professional is simply too costly to be a sensible possibility for many individuals. However in the event you can afford it and wish the best possible gaming efficiency on the market, that is the telephone to get, particularly the Professional Version mannequin.

If uncooked efficiency is what you’re after, it’s the go-to, with sufficient further options to set it aside from others operating the identical chip.

Will you get related efficiency in a less expensive gaming handset like a successor to the Nubia Z60S Extremely, Redmagic 9 Professional, or Poco X6 Professional in 2025? It’s seemingly. However with a aspect port for simple charging and people fan-favourite AirTriggers, it’s a tough telephone to cross up.

Better of all, it’s nonetheless an excellent general-use telephone. Battery life is robust when wanted and all the things it manages is straightforward on the eyes. The digital camera system pulls off correct pictures with minimal tweaking, and scrolling the net is quick, easy, and hitch-free.

When you want one thing for work and severe play, it’s a genuinely thrilling telephone that’s laborious to beat.

Specs

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset
• As much as 24GB of LPDDR5 RAM
• As much as 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage
• 6.78”, 2400×1080, 185Hz AMOLED show (2500 nits peak brightness)
• 5,800mAh battery
• 65W wired charging (15W wi-fi)
• AniME Imaginative and prescient addressable LED matrix
• Corning Gorilla Glass Victis 2
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• 2x USB-C charging ports
• Contact-sensitive “AirTriggers”
• 3x rear cameras (50MP, 32MP telephoto, 13MP ultra-wide)
• 1x entrance digital camera (32MP)
• 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9mm
• 227g