Review: ASUS ROG Phone II – Mobile gaming powerhouse

Gaming on mobile has evolved tremendously in the past decade. From GameBoy to PSP and now we have games on our phones that are probably more fun than those on those traditional mobile gaming devices. There is a mother lode of games available and the way we play via touch is quite different from buttons and triggers.

With mobile gaming becoming a larger market for individuals to game, ASUS updated their gaming phone with the new ROG Phone II. ROG is a familiar brand for those who game on PC so you can expect the same amount of power from the trusted ROG brand.

But let’s be clear about this phone. This phone is meant for individuals who really maxes out their phone for gaming. At S$1,598, you can easily purchase any flagship phone so there must really be a good enough reason for you to buy it.

Unboxing

The ROG Phone comes in a pretty cool box, where you lift it up to reveal the contents. Here’s what you get inside:

  • ROG Phone II
  • AeroActive Cooler II
  • Aero Case
  • USB Type-C to C Cable (1.2m)
  • SIM Ejector Pin
  • USB Power Adapter (30W)
  • AeroActive Cooler II feet stickers x2
  • Spare USB plug x2
  • User guide

The phone case that comes in the box, Aero Case, is pretty cool as it has cutouts. Here’s how it looks like on the ROG Phone II:

Let’s talk about the ROG Phone II by discussing the following aspects – (1) screen, (2) speaker, (3) gaming performance, (4) battery, (5) camera.

Screen

The screen is amazing. It’s a super large 6.6-inch 1080 x 2340 AMOLED HDR screen. Equipped with 120Hz refresh rate, everything feels buttery smooth scrolling. The high refresh rate is great for gaming, though not all games support 120fps, there are more and more starting to support it and you can refer to this list here that ASUS has been curating.

Oh speaking about screen, the ROG Phone II comes with in-screen fingerprint sensor and face unlock, so two choices to setup how you want to unlock your phone.

Speaker

Front facing speakers are always great. These speakers can great pretty loud, and the sound quality is great. Bass presence great for a phone, and has good amounts of clarity.

3.5mm audio jack lives!

What’s good is that you get the 3.5mm audio jack. Whether you use it or not I think it is always good to have it. The ROG Phone II also supports Qualcomm aptX codec so using Bluetooth earbuds that support aptX, you will be getting stable connection and quality audio.

Gaming performance

This is the main criteria of evaluation. Armed with crazy high end internals, the ROG Phone is powerful as heck. Here are some of the insane specs:

  • Snapdragon 855 Plus
  • 2.96Ghz Octa-core Processor
  • 12GB RAM
  • 512GB storage (UFS 3.0)

The ROG Phone II is fast. Everything opens in a snap and the whole system flows fluid. And when it comes to gaming, you can expect the same.

On PUBG or Call of Duty Mobile, you can set the highest settings for every single aspect and the game still runs super smooth. The main reason why it can handle these intensive settings is because of the cooling mechanism in the phone.

The ROG Phone II has what it dubs the GameCool II cooling system which has a newly designed 3D vapor chamber that’s even more effective at removing heat from the phone. Playing PUBG for about an hour, the phone doesn’t really heat up and I couldn’t even hear any fan noise.

And if you want to charge and play at the same time, you can now do so without the wire dangling in your way. There are two USB-C ports – one at the bottom, one at the side (48-pin custom connector + Type-C port).

And if you want even more cooling performance, you can attach the AeroActive Cooler II that is designed to direct airflow more effectively into the ROG Aerodynamic System for even better cooling at high loads. What’s more, it comes with a USB-C port and 3.5m jack for you to plug your cables there so it won’t obstruct your hands at the sides – thoughtful.

ASUS also included feet stickers to stick on the cooler so that it can stand.

AirTriggers

When I first read about it, I thought it was a little gimmicky. But I was so wrong. It became some what a game changer when I’m playing PUBG. So what exactly is AirTriggers?

There are two of these on the side of the phone

AirTriggers are two touch sensitive areas on the top left and right of the phone, simulating triggers on a controller. This feature is switched on through ASUS’ Game Genie app. And in the app, you can even access more features to level up your gaming experience.

Setting of my AirTriggers on PUBG
Setting of AirTriggers in PUBG using Game Genie

But let’s focus on AirTriggers. So what you do is you set a location on the phone that will be tapped when you press on either the left or right trigger. In the case of PUBG, I mapped the left trigger to scope and right trigger to shoot. Because those two actions are mapped to AirTriggers not on my screen, I can strafe, scope, aim and shoot even greater precision and accuracy. It takes while to get used to tapping on the AirTriggers and tapping shoot with your thumbs. But once you get used to it, you will miss for such a feature when you’re playing on another phone.

Playing PUBG using AirTriggers

AirTriggers also provide haptic feedback so that you know that you are registering a press. I did not experience any latency from the taping of the AirTriggers to action on the screen. It has work very well for me and I’m impressed.

X-Mode

X-Mode essentially dedicates all system performance to whatever game you are playing for best optimisation and efficiency of cooling.

Game Genie

Game Genie is basically like a gaming assistant. You can prevent alerts and calls so you won’t be disrupted during your gaming sessions. You can even lock brightness and display real-time info when gaming so you can see your frame rates, battery, etc – if you’re into that.

There are also features such as AirTriggers (mentioned above), game recording, live streaming and the even the ability to set Macros. What macros do is you record a set of actions (ie. your taps). So if you have repetitive actions on a game like claiming loots or farming, then you can set a Macro and play it. The macro will keep replaying until you put a stop to it.

Battery

The ROG Phone II comes with a 6000mAh battery which is huge and really long lasting. What’s more, ASUS adds a Hypercharge feature that allows you to get from 0% to 70% in about an hour, using the 30W charger provided in the box. The ROG Phone II supports PD charging and Quick Charge 4.0.

From my own test, I was able to get the battery up from 27% to 100% in about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Camera

The ROG Phone II comes with two camera lens on the back – (1) 48MP main wide camera and (2) 13MP ultra-wide, accompanied by a 24MP front facing camera. Despite the 48MP marketing, you should know that the 48MP setting does not support HDR+ photos. And if you decide not to go with 48MP, the default goes back to 12MP.

Features wise the default camera app has some nice features such as Night Mode (which is pretty sub-par if you’re expecting Apple or Google’s result), Pro Mode, Portrait Mode, Time Lapse, Pano, and a Motion Tracking Mode.

Here are some shots taken handheld at different modes:

To get a sense of the Night Mode capabilities, here’s the iPhone 11 one for comparison:

Camera performance overall is decent. Don’t expect flagship level of performance like on the iPhone, Pixel or Galaxy range.

Conclusion

If you’re a gamer then this phone should spark your interest. With some of the cool and useful features such as AirTriggers and Macros, it could make your gaming experience better. Also, the sheer amount of power and speed in this device is extra-ordinary which could justify the S$1,598 price tag.

But if you’re also looking for other features to be of flagship quality, then the speakers and cameras may let you down. I believe this phone is marketed towards a targeted audience, and if you are that person then I think the ROG Phone II is something that no competitors can provide in terms of gaming ability.

Where to buy

You can buy the ROG Phone II online here, or head down to ASUS Experience store in Bugis Junction @ 200 Victoria St, Bugis Junction Zone IT 3, Singapore 188021.