In a recent livestream, ASUS Republic of Gamers revealed their latest gaming smartphone lineup, the ROG Phone 9 series. Coming off the heels of this year’s popular ROG Phone 8 series, these new devices are set to bring the hype, and provide a provide an even more powerful gaming experience than its predecessor. Eric Cedervall, Europe Phone Marketing Director, give us the lowdown.
There’s more focus on AI Gaming this time, courtesy of their updated X-Sense feature. The ROG Phone 8 series had the beta version of this software, and while functional, required a bit of work at the time. These features include auto-pickup, auto-run, and dialogue skipping for certain titles like Genshin Impact. For MOBAs, it comes in the tracking of key events and certain in-game moments. X-Capture gives players an easy way to share screenshots of memorable gaming moments. Now that X-Sense has exited beta testing, it’ll likely be readily available at launch–firing on all cylinders.
At the heart of the ROG Phone 9, we’re getting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform–the brand’s first 3-nanometer processor. This is quite the substantial upgrade, which should boost the device’s overall performance even further. This comes alongside the generous RAM and storage, going up to 24GB and 1TB, respectively.
Thermals are yet another feature that receiving an update with Gamecool 9 and an interesting five-section structure that promotes even more cooling than before. Aside from the new AeroActive Cooler X Pro, the new ROG Chill Case–which comes with metal-free composite vapor chamber material, provides a slimmer option to reduce overall heat. In terms of overall protection, the ROG Phone 9 sports IP68 water and dust resistance, the current highest level in the market.
The ROG Phone’s quirky AniMe Vision feature gets an upgrade, starting with an addition red strip of lighting. We also get double the lights with 648 programmable mini-LEDs. What’s more is this feature is no longer a “Pro” variant exclusive, as the base model will also come with it. Another luminescent feature exclusive to the ROG Phone 9 Pro is AniMe Play. This basically transforms the backside of the phone into a retro gaming device, thanks to the phone’s patented AirTriggers.
Hardware-wise, we don’t see a huge jump when it comes to the cameras, as we’re still treated to the triple-camera setup with a Sony Lytia 700: 50 MP main shooter, 13MP ultrawide camera, and 32MP telephoto for the Pro version. For the base variant, we’re getting a 5MP macro lens. Up front, we’re getting the familiar 32MP selfie camera. The overall shooting experience from the previous ROG Phone was quite decent, and we’re looking forward to the AI upgrades that the ROG Phone 9 has to offer–such as AI Panning and AI Night Vision.
Lastly, we’re getting a few new of AI features, such as AI transcript and AI call translator. These will definitely be interesting to look out for, as they’re not the simplest programs to work with. Hopefully, we’ll be able to make the most out of them once the phone comes out.
The ROG Phone 9 (12GB/256GB) will be priced at €1099. The ROG Phone 9 Pro (16GB/512GB) for €1299, and the ROG Phone 9 Pro Edition (24GB/1TB + AeroActive Cooler X Pro) will come in at €1499, For more updates and announcements, visit the official website and Facebook page.
