Asus officially launches its new ROG Phone 9 series. This new generation promises to push the boundaries of mobile performance, while adopting a more sophisticated approach than its predecessors.
Gone are the aggressive, flashy designs of previous generations. the new ROG Phone 9 and 9 Pro adopt a sleeker style, with a sleek finish available in deux coloris : Storm White et Phantom Black. A change which suggests that Asus is trying to seduce a wider audience than just hardcore gamers.
These arrive just a few days after the Redmagic 10, their main competitors in the gaming smartphone market. If the two series are based on the same chip from Qualcomm, the rest of the technical sheet is very different.
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Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro review: the combination of power and fun
Power and fluidity always in the spotlight
As expected, the ROG Phone 9 are powered by the brand new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, accompanied by the Adreno 830 GPU. The memory configurations are quite generous, with 12 GB of RAM for the standard model, 16 GB for the Pro and 24 GB for the version Editionwith internal storage of up to 1TB.
The 6.78-inch screen displays a definition of 2400 x 1080 pixels with technology LTPOwhich allows you to dynamically adapt its refresh rate according to the content displayed. But the real highlight is hidden in the Game Genie mode, capable of going up to 185 Hz in certain applications. The maximum brightness is announced at 2500 nitsand the screen still uses protective glass Gorilla Glass 2
Smartphones are powered by a battery of 5800 mAhfar from the 7050 mAh of its Chinese competitor. To compensate, these accumulators are compatible with a 65 Watt wired fast chargingand especially with the fast wireless charging 15 Watts. Unfortunately, the latter still follows the Qi 1.3 standard, and not the new Qi 2 standard announced last year.
Note also that the smartphones are certified IP68 for water and dust resistance. They both measure 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9 mm for a weight of 227 gdespite some differences inside. These smartphones don’t skimp on connectivity either. Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth, NFC, and even a 3.5 mm jack port, rather rare in 2024.
What are the differences between the ROG Phone 9 and the ROG Phone 9 Pro?
Consumers sometimes have difficulty differentiating between regular and Pro ROG Phones. This year, both ASUS Phone 9 and 9 Pro should be easier to recognize, in particular thanks to the Anime Vision mini-LED screen found on the back of the smartphone. On the classic model, Asus simply used 85 customizable LEDs, compared to no less than 648 LEDs on the Pro model. This is almost double compared to the previous ROG Phone 8 Pro model.
On the photo side, both models have a main sensor 50 megapixel LYT 700 and a 32-megapixel front camera. The main camera is accompanied by a 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor, but it’s the third lens that is different on the two devices. The ROG Phone 9 uses a 5-megapixel macro sensor, while the Pro model gets a 5-megapixel macro sensor. a 32-megapixel telephoto lens offering 3X optical zoom.
As was to be expected, Asus places a lot of emphasis on the gaming experience, particularly on its Pro model. The ROG Phone 9 Pro Edition will come with the AeroActive Cooler X Proan accessory combining fan and shoulder buttons. Enough to guarantee optimal performance even during the most intense gaming sessions.
Price and availability
Prices start at 1099 euros for the ROG Phone 9 with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. You will have to pay 1299 euros for the ROG Phone 9 Pro with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, and up to 1499 euros for the ROG Phone 9 Pro Edition version with no less than 24 GB of RAM, 1 TB of storage, and above all the AeroActive Cooler X Pro.
The ROG Phone 9 will be available in white and black from mid-January 2025, while the Pro and Pro Edition models will only arrive in black from mid-December 2024. Note that it will also be possible to obtain the AeroActive Cooler X Pro separately for 79.99 euros. Pre-orders start today, with various launch offers.