bought this sub-brand in the market way back in 2018? The word ROG stands for the
. In 2018, the first ROG phone came to market and had all the standalone specs to take on competitors like the
This year the
Asus ROG Phone 3 brings along a
144Hz display, a powerful Snapdragon 865+ chipset, a 6000mAh battery, and has minimalistic design when compared to its predecessor, the ROG Phone 3. Do these powerful figures translate into a top-notch experience?
ASUS ROG Phone 3 Design:
Asus has kept the minimalistic design on the ROG Phone 3 compared to last year’s ROG Phone 2. As we all know, the Asus ROG smartphones are gaming-centric smartphones that have a copper cooling system, some flash design, and the ROG logo embossed at the back.
The ROG Phone 2 had a striking look and you can see the ROG Phone 3 carry the almost same design architecture. The front of the ROG Phone 3 has Gorilla Glass 5 whereas the back gets a Gorilla Glass 3 for protection. The back has dark grey lines near the edges in a different triangular shape which is the cooling system.
Another change from the ROG Phone 2 is the triple camera setup on the ROG Phone 3. The camera array looks almost similar but now there is an additional 5MP macro camera which will be discussed later.
At the center lies the ROG logo which is an RGB light sensor and has cool lighting to it. The camera has a bump that is felt when resting the smartphone on a table and accompanied by the triple cameras is a dual-LED flash.
The back of the smartphone does catch fingerprints and Asus does provide a hard case to protect and with the ROG Phone 3, you get a whole lot of accessories that can be used at the back.
At 240 grams, the smartphone feels a tad bit heavier which mainly due to the massive 6000mAh battery underneath and the copper cooling system also. On the front, the ROG Phone 3 has a 6.59 inches screen which has thicker bezels both on the top as well as in bottom.
The top bezel houses the front camera, an RGB LED notification light, and an earpiece that acts as stereo speakers with the loudspeaker at the bottom on the bezels. On the top, there are no buttons and is completely clean whereas, at the bottom, there is a USB 2.0 Type-C port that is located to the left of the center which distinguishes from other smartphones that have a USB port at the center.
There is also a customized dual USB Type-C port which can be used for charging the smartphone while playing games and also used for AeroActive Cooler and TwinView Dock attachments. On the right side, you get the volume controls, power button, and ultrasonic buttons which Asus calls the Air Triggers that provide ease while gaming.
These
Air Triggers are improved on the ones present on the
ROG Phone 2 and now you can add back and forth slides by tapping on it, ASUS has also increased the microphones to four in number including one at the top left of the smartphone, and other three ones are positioned on the bezel at the bottom, on the right side, below the power button and the one next to the camera module.
One thing which will be a downside to many users is the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack as while gaming you may plug in the earphones for a better gaming experience.
Then there is no support for wireless charging which would have been great since there are a lot of controls, it is not present there.
There are also many accessories like the Nintendo switch, a dock to use the smartphone on a monitor with a mouse and keyboard, and some more. The ROG Phone 3 lacks IP rating which is a big miss for a smartphone at this price range.
However, you get a 3.5mm dongle inside the box which is a good addition, and overall, from the design point of view, the ROG Phone 3 may not have the premium look of some of its rivals but what it focuses on on the gamer’s perspective by providing those extras.
ASUS ROG Phone 3 Display:
The ROG Phone 3 screen size is similar to the one found on its predecessor, the ROG Phone 2. There is a 6.59 inches AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution and has a screen to body ratio of 19.5:9. As with AMOLED, you do get inky blues and blacks.
So the viewing angles of the smartphone remain good and the colors pop out well. The display supports HDR content and can stream HD content from third-party applications like Prime, Hotstar, etc. However, Netflix still needs support for HDR which may be fixed in a future software update.
The brightness stands at 1000nits which is good and taking under direct sunlight, the screen is easily visible. Similarly, at night, the brightness levels are good but not the best and there are the reading mode and the Blue Light filter.
With each generation of the ROG Phone, ASUS seems to bring a higher refresh rate which makes transitions and playing games smoother, The first generation of the ROG Phone had a 90Hz display, the ROG Phone 2 came with 120Hz display and now the ROG Phone 3 has a 144Hz display.
The 144Hz display when compared to a 120Hz display, will not show much of a difference as it makes multitasking, scrolling through web pages and playing games smoother.
The touch latency is now increased from 240Hz to 270Hz which means the screen can register a touchpoint 270 times per second which makes it very responsive while playing games and has better tap latency of 25 milliseconds.
In the settings, there is also an option to switch between 60Hz,90Hz,120Hz, and 144Hz and also an Auto option which automatically adjusts the refresh rate depending on application usage.
There is an optical in-display fingerprint scanner underneath the display which works faster and the facial recognition works well too.
There is also an Always-On display that looks good and in the settings, you can change different clock styles accordingly.
The ROG Phone 3 display also supports DCI-P3 gamut color technology as seen on most AMOLED displays. For the display, there are a whole lot of modes to choose from which include Default, Natural, Cinematic, Custom, and Standard.
There is also an additional slider using which you can adjust the color temperature and the level of saturation of the content in the display.
Overall, Asus seems to work on providing a very good display but does not provide a full screen or punch hole displays like many flagships in the market. What it has is the highest refresh rate capped at 144Hz and the AMOLED display with support for front-facing speakers provides a great multimedia experience.
ASUS ROG Phone 3 Performance:
As the name ROG means the ultimate gaming smartphone, ASUS has quipped with the ROG Phone 3 with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ chipset which is the fastest one in the Android side of things. The 144Hz display with a powerful chipset makes a great combination for playing games and day to day performance.
This chipset is a slightly overclocked version of the Snapdragon 865 found on many smartphones like the OnePlus 8 Pro, Xiaomi Mi 10 5G, etc. Here the Prime core is clocked at 3.1 GHz compared to 2.96 GHz on the Snapdragon 865 chipset.
So this makes it very powerful considering the Prime core being clocked above the 3 GHz mark. The other configuration remains the same which includes 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 585 Gold cores for performance and another 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 585 Silver cores for efficiency.
This chipset is also built on the same 7nm Samsung EUV process and is coupled with an Adreno 650GPU. But here Qualcomm has bumped the clock speed to 645MHz from 587MHz on the Snapdragon 865. So gaming feels a tad bit better as compared to the Snapdragon 865 but there is not any such difference.
As the ROG Phone 3 is a gaming smartphone, it ships with 8/12 and a massive 16GB LPDDR5 RAM and has UFS 3.1 storage on board. Technically, UFS 3.1 is not much different from the UFS 3.0 storage, still, this makes ROG Phone 3 slightly faster during read/write speeds or scrolling through applications.
The ROG Phone 3 has three different storage variants ranging from 128GB to 512GB. However, there is no 1TB storage variant, and coming to India, we only get an 8GB and 12GB RAM variant. There is no microSD card slot for storage expansion.
The reason one should consider ROG Phone 3 is the gaming experience that has no match to any smartphone. On the hardware side, there are the Air Triggers which allow for six inputs that target certain specific points in the display. And the smartphone can be shaken for some change in controls in many games.
For example, in PUBG Mobile, you can map the Air Triggers where we can map the left for the shooting and the right one to aim or change the gun and both of them can be interchanged. All heavy games when pushed at the highest frame rates does generate heat at the back of the smartphone.
The ROG Phone 3 has been equipped with a “GameCool 3” system which consists of a layered sandwich design that contains the large graphite film, aluminum frame, a larger copper sink that is larger than the one found on the ROG Phone 2 and a vapor chamber.
There are also the vents that are seen clearly on the back and the AeroActive Cooler 3 accessory.
Many games like Real Racing 3, Call of Duty support the higher refresh rate which makes the gameplay feel smoother and the controls feel gentle by a small touch. Asus has also equipped the ROG Phone 3 with a GameGenie app.
Coming to the GameGenie, this is a good feature as swiping inward from the top-right edge of the screen.
It displays the clock speeds of both the CPU as well as the GPU, thermal temperature, toggles screen recording with the Do Not Disturb mode present, and also configures the AirTriggers.
In the GameGenie, there is a Networks tab that has control which can switch between networks and WiFi and also restricts background sync thus improving the overall gameplay on the smartphone. The Display tab present lets you choose the refresh rate while playing games and the Touch where you can control the touch sensitivity while gaming.
There is also an X-Mode that provides touch improvements for better performance by switching on the Performance Tab, touch latency, and also for better network reception. With the X-Mode turned on, the ROG logo on the back that lights up with different lighting patterns which make it look quite interesting.
Coming to synthetic benchmarks like Geekbench 5.1, the ROG Phone 3 scores 987 in single-core and 3387 in multi-core tests which are slightly ly lower than that of the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max which has an Apple A13 Bionic chipset, but right now in Android, these are best scores.
But in Antutu v8, which is a graphics-intensive benchmark, the ROG Phone 3 scores 623450 which is a whole lot higher than the 542219 on the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max.
So to conclude, the ROG Phone 3 pampers the users for an unparalleled gaming Experience whether it is the Air Triggers combined with a cooling system and a whole lot of customizations using the GameGenie application and the X-Mode.
The Snapdragon 865+ (overclocked) with a whopping 16GB RAM is enormous and gives the ROG Phone 3 the royal badge and king of all smartphones when it comes to performance and gaming.
ASUS ROG Phone 3 Software:
The ROG Phone 3 runs on the latest Android 10 with the UI which resembles Stock Android skin built on top. So with each version of ROG Phone, the software gets refined and there is no such bloatware that is found on other user interfaces.
There are three different ROG themes built-in with different wallpapers, newer colors with different icon packs. There is the system-wide dark mode, Android 10 based navigation gestures, and some ROG specific applications like the GameGenie and the X-Mode.
Turning on the X-Mode, a cool tech-centric wallpaper with borders glowing and the RGB logo lights up at the back. There are also controls like the Screen recording and screen capturing are present.
There are three levels of X-Mode which are the L1 that optimizes responses, L2 increases the performance from the CPU and GPU, and L3.
There is a tone of cool features that we get with the ZenUI which includes a one-handed mode, Always-On display like the Samsung smartphones, different gestures turn on and off the display, answer, or mute calls, etc. The dialler application has a call recorder which can record call while using it.
There are various battery modes which will be discussed in the battery life section and the presence of AirTriggers, GameGenie, Auto Wizard, and ArmouryCrate. There is also an X-mode where all the look and appeal of the smartphone changes with a new gamer-centric look to the UI.
Overall, in terms of software and updates without any bloatware and the higher 144Hz display, the ROG Phone 3 is worth considering for excellent user experience.
ASUS ROG Phone 3 Cameras:
The ROG Phone 3 has a triple camera setup at the back and it is an incremental upgrade over the ROG Phone 2. ASUS has been improving its camera with each of its generation of the ROG smartphone. The main camera is a 64MP one which is the Sony IMX686 sensor seen on the POCO X2.
The other two cameras are the
13MP f/2.4 ultrawide camera and a
5MP macro camera. The camera application is easy to use with all the simple controls and the stock camera app looks much cleaner and offers many customizations.
Coming to the main camera, which is the 64MP Sony IMX686 sensor it takes images with good details and the colors pop out well. The dynamic range is not so wide and there is a lack of sharpness most times but still, you get pretty much good contrast and the noise is lower.
However, it may not be as good as some of the flagships like the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra or the Xiaomi Mi 10 5G which have a 108MP primary camera, but still considering this as a gaming smartphone, Asus has done a pretty good job with the main camera.
These images result in 16MP images and have good details when zoomed in. There is also a 64MP Mode that does take nice detailed images but the level of contrast falls a bit short. Though the color reproduction is good.
At night, the main camera takes some good looking images with a good amount of sharpness but here also the dynamic range takes a hit and the noise is quite prominent. Turning on the night mode provided by Asus, things quite a bit as it brings some good highlights in shadows and improves the exposure.
The noise still remains and the details captured are good. There is no OIS on the ROG Phone 3 which is a big miss considering the specs but on its won, it is still good and gets the work done.
The main camera can take zoomed images ranging from 1x to 8x with good detail. At 2x, the images retain a good amount of detail but at 8x they do lack detail as the color in the images looks washed out and the dynamic range is very narrow.
Still, without a telephoto camera, the ROG Phone 3 does a good job. So with the 13MP ultrawide camera which is decent as it has good color reproduction but not as good as the main camera. The dynamic range is wider and with HDR turned on, the colors do look over boosted and the exposure in the background is improved slightly.
This camera lacks autofocus which is sort of disappointing and then at night, the images lack detail and the noise is quite present. Turning the night mode does take some better images with a wider aperture thus reducing noise to a good extent.
The 5MP macro camera does a good job in taking close up images with plenty of detail and it can focus as close as 4-6cm and the edge detection works well too. The macro camera is pretty good compared to the ones found on the OnePlus 8, Xiaomi Mi 10 5G.
Coming to portraits, the details are good with proper background blur but the dynamic range is not so wide as it tends to overexpose some of them thus bringing more light.
On the front, there is a 24MP f/2.0 camera on the bezel which takes images with good colors and sharpness. The selfies result in 6MP images which has a good dynamic range and less noise. Similarly, for portraits, the images taken from the front camera have good subject separation and the details look good.
At night, the 6MP images do an average job in terms of details and sharpness. The edge detection in portraits and the background blur works well.
With the videos, Asus has provided a plethora of features that include a Pro video mode, a directional audio recording HDR video, and Hyper Stable video recording from the ultrawide camera. There is also a Wind Filter that can be turned on to reduce noise while shooting videos.
The ROG Phone 3 can record videos up to 8K at 30fps. The video quality does degrade a bit with a narrow dynamic range and the colors do not look good. But the details look good and switching to 4k at 60fps, the videos have good color reproduction with a wider dynamic range.
The videos taken from the ultrawide camera are decent but lack the dynamic range and the noise is present. The main camera lacks an OIS which means the details captured are not good as on the OnePlus 8 Pro which has OIS.
There is also a HyperStable mode that comes in handy while taking videos from the ultrawide camera thus improving the dynamic range and also reducing the noise in the frame.
So to conclude, the ROG Phone 3 has a good set of cameras but the not the best as there is no OIS, the ultrawide camera is average but one thing Asus has done well is by providing a Sony IMX686 sensor for the main camera instead of the older Sony IMX586 seen on most smartphones.
ASUS ROG Phone 3 Battery Life:
The ROG Phone 3 has a massive 6000mAh battery which is the largest battery capacity in any Android smartphone till now. This is the same capacity that is found on its predecessor, the ROG Phone 2.
With the display set to 144Hz, the smartphone can easily last the day with heavy usage that includes 3-4 hours of playing Call of Duty at the highest frames, browsing social media and also multitasking, etc. The standard screen on time with the 144Hz display is capped at 4-5 hours.
Switching to the 60Hz display, the ROG Phone 3 can easily last for two days with heavy usage and more than two days with normal usage. Asus Zen UI provides a tone of customizations for the battery to enhance life.
There are various battery modes which include
Adaptive Battery, Doze Mode, and another what Asus likes to call the
Power Master Mode which tweaks the CPU and GPU performance for better battery results.
There is also a standard power saving mode as well as a super saving mode that turns off the mobile data, restricts the background applications, and enables the dark theme in the UI.
The ROG Phone 3 is equipped with a 30W fast charger which takes around 1 hour 30 minutes to completely charge it. The initial 0 to 50 percent comes in just half an hour and another 50 percent takes around 57 minutes where the smartphone slowly charges the smartphone to maintain a cooler temperature at the back.
It may not be the fastest charger like the ones found on the Oppo, Realme, etc. but still it is charging a mammoth 6000mAh battery which will surely take time. Here also like the Warp charger on the OnePlus smartphones, the ROG Phone 3 maintains heat in the 30W adapter rather than sending it to the whole smartphone.
With a massive battery and a higher refresh rate display, the ROG Phone 3 is a power user but the lack of wireless charging and slightly slower charging does let it down considering this is a flagship smartphone.
ASUS ROG Phone 3 Audio Quality:
The ROG Phone 3 has speakers placed both at the top as well as on the bottom bezels to provide a stereo sound effect and also enhances recording capabilities while gaming and shooting a video. The ROG Phone 3 is Hi-Res audio certified so it supports playback of 24-bit/96kHz when paired with an HRA device.
There is also an AutoWizard application that offers 7-band customizable equalizer with Treble and Bass sliders and provides a good output on all ROG smartphones. The sound is comparatively the best in the class and easily beat some of its competitors.
However, one thing that lets the whole experience down is the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack which would have been a great feature while letting sound during gaming by plugging the earphone. There is a whole set of wireless earphones in the market, and you can use them.
Still, for the replacement of the 3.5mm headphone jack, Asus provides a 3.5mm dongle to connect earphones to the USB Type-C port. So playing games and watching videos feels great on the ROG Phone 3.
Verdict:
Last year, the ROG Phone 2 was an absolutely amazing smartphone and the ROG Phone 3 improves upon it by providing some extras and slightly powerful chipset at a slightly higher price. This is an absolute gaming smartphone for all users.
The ROG Phone 3 has a good AMOLED display, that great 144Hz refresh rate, a powerful Snapdragon 865+ chipset combined with 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, and faster UFS 3.1 storage which is a big head turner. There are also various modes provided by Asus for a richer gaming experience.
The Air Triggers with the X-Mode, GameGenie, and the massive 6000mAh battery do add some extra appeal overall. Combining all this hardware, we have a cleaner almost Stock Android experience with the Zen UI that has less bloatware and provides a tone of customizations.
The cameras are good with the main camera being better than others. However, there are some caveats that include an average ultrawide camera and low-light image performance. Being a flagship smartphone, it lacks an IP rating and wireless charging.
The biggest miss is the 3.5mm headphone jack which all gamers will face and the design is not so good with thicker bezels when compared against a punch hole or a full-screen display. But most gamers will not face this problem.
The ROG Phone 3 has been slightly more than its predecessor, so the base variant which is the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage model is slightly expensive than its predecessor as it does miss out on wireless charging and IP rating which both the OnePlus 8 Pro provides.
If you look past the cameras, design, and some factors mentioned above, what you are getting is the best display with a powerful chipset, a mammoth battery, and a much-refined software with the ROG Phone 3.
So truly for gamers, this smartphone is worshipped with all of its capabilities and gives an adrenaline rush that no other smartphone can provide in the market.
