ASUS ROG Phone 7 Review

The ASUS ROG Phone 7 is the latest gaming smartphone from the gaming brand and the smartphone series comes in two variants – the base variant and also the ultimate version but the one that we got today is the base variant but for hardcore gamers, is it more than enough?

The ROG design

As expected, the ASUS ROG Phone 7 will still pack the design that we love from the previous ASUS ROG smartphones as it shares the same design language of the ASUS ROG notebooks in the market right now. The ROG Phone 7 that we’re reviewing right now might be the standard or the base version but it still has the premium design that we’re wanting on a flagship smartphone.

It features a two-tone design with the bottom half having a matte finish. Make no mistake, despite having this material on the smartphone, I still love its feel but there some fingerprints on it after some usage but the matte look of this doesn’t make it too visible sometimes.

There’s the ROG logo at the back as well that lights up in X mode. Unfortunately, there’s no ROG Vision Display on the smartphone which is a cool gimmick and adds to the flare of the smartphone but that feature isn’t really essential for me especially when it comes to gaming.

We still got the triggers on the smartphone and just like any other gaming smartphone. the AirTrigger system of the ASUS ROG Phone 7 is awesome and it was very responsive to whatever game I want to use it. The good thing about this one is that I can use this one outside of gaming as well as for shortcuts for other apps.

The ASUS ROG Phone 7 also features a side USB-C port that you can use for the AeroActive cooler and also for charging when using the smartphone in landscape mode. Unfortunately, only the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate packs a better AeroActive Portal but nonetheless, the AeroActive Cooler is more than enough for most people and with its chipset included.

Amazing audio quality

Having a gaming smartphone also means that we can also expect an amazing audio experience on the smartphone. It packs a 2x Cirrus Logic CS35L45 with 15V boost and boy, the speaker is crisp, clear and loud especially when playing games. This is by far the best audio experience that I had on a smartphone speaker.

Crisp display

Thankfully, the ASUS ROG Phone 7 still packs a display that doesn’t come with a notch. It’s a flat glass with a large 6.78-inch AMOLED panel with a resolution of 2448×1080. It’s perfect for gaming not just because it’s flat and it doesn’t have a notch but because this one is really responsive and the refresh rate was excellent thanks to the 165Hz refresh rate of the smartphone.

Using the smartphone outside won’t be a problem as this one features really good legibility when being used outside and even in direct sunlight and as for the colors, it was excellent as well.

While it’s nice to see that there’s the 165Hz refresh rate on the smartphone, there are only a handful of and apps that supports that refresh rate but hey, at least we know that the smartphone is future proof and it does give you an advantage when playing games especially the FPS ones.

And of course, you can pick the refresh rate that suits your taste and the app that you’re using on the smartphone so you can have a more optimized experience and also save some battery life.

As expected, when playing games on the smartphone, I was able to have a smoother refresh rate but again, not all games does support 165Hz refresh rate but it’s still nice to see that feature on the ASUS ROG Phone 7.

Long battery life

Just like the previous generations of ASUS ROG Phones, the ROG Phone 7 will still feature a long battery life. There’s the 6000mAh battery inside and then there’s the 65W charging as well that doesn’t heat up that much. This is a good thing as the smartphone doesn’t create too much heat that can degrade the battery in the long run. 

In our battery test, we were definitely happy with the result that we got on the PC Mark Work 2.0 Battery test because the ASUS ROG Phone 7 was able to last up to 24 hours. It’s one of the longest battery test we’ve ever seen in PC Mark Work 2.0 Battery Test.

As for charging, the smartphone does support 65W which is fast but definitely not the fastest one in the market right now as we’ve been seeing smartphones featuring a 100W and more charging speeds. Nonetheless, it can still fully charge the smartphone in less  than an hour

Game-centric software

One of the things to love about the smartphone is its software and its UI that is really made for gaming. Theres’s Armoury Crate on the smartphone just like before and it does show more details and everything that we need on the smartphone especially when it comes to gaming.

It can also show the games that we can download on the smartphone that takes advantage of the 165Hz refresh rate on the smartphone. A small but really neat feature that I like if I want to test out the game’s display

Excellent performance

The ASUS ROG Phone 7 is the most powerful smartphone we’ve ever reviewed. It comes with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and also an up to 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM. On paper, that already is awesome but if you’re going for the ultimate, you can even get an up to 16GB of LPDDR5X of RAM which gives you more memory for games and apps. 

In our benchmarks, the ASUS ROG Phone 7 got an exciting and high scores but surprisingly, we got a better scores in our review of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Nonetheless, the ASUS ROG Phone 7 still performed pretty well for a flagship smartphone.

While we don’t have the AeroActive Cooler on the smartphone, the smartphone tends to be cooler than expected on a longer playtime – a must for gaming smartphones. I also like that we have here a 3.5mm headphone jack and also the ability to charge the smartphone via the side USB-C port. 

Playing games on the ASUS ROG Phone 7 is a piece of cake. First, the handheld experience when playing on the smartphone was really good. The ergonomics on landscape mode was fine and the display was enjoyable to use. There’s a long battery life as well. As for the performance, I’ve played Genshin Impact and also Honkai Star Rail on the smartphone and everything was smooth and playing on the smartphone for a longer time, again, was great as the vapor chamber can handle the heat of the smartphone pretty well.

Just a normal camera

For the camera, the ASUS ROG Phone 7 packs a 50MP Sony IMX766 camera for the main sensor and then there’s the 13MP ultra-wide and 8MP macro camera. For the front-facing camera, there’s the 32MP front-facing camera.

For the camera quality, the ASUS ROG Phone 7 is nothing stellar, just an average one for a flagship smartphone unlike the older generations which has surprised us with a powerful camera. Nowadays, more smartphones are getting more powerful cameras and larger sensors but make no mistake because the ASUS ROG Phone 7 will do just fine for most social media post and stories. 

Check out some of the shots that I took using the smartphone.

As for the camera, I wished that it packed a telephoto lens instead of a macro camera for better zoom capabilities similar to most flagship smartphones out there. Nonetheless, my opinion about the camera is still the same — just an average one for a flagship smartphone.

Verdict

The ASUS ROG Phone features everything that we need on a gaming smartphone – it features a powerful hardware, an excellent display, powerful audio, and unique gaming features such as X Mode, AirTriggers, Aero Active Cooler and more. 

While these features sounds amazing on paper and on our eyes. The experience is great but the magic is just not really here unlike before. Yes. it’s a gaming smartphone and yes, it’s very powerful but it doesn’t have anything big that really differentiates it or separate it with other gaming smartphones. 

The ASUS ROG Phone 7 is now available in Black or White for Php50,995 and it comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB storage. To be fair, despite the lack of “magic”, that’s a really good price considering the performance that you’re getting.