introduction
Asus is a bit early with the launch of the ROG Phone this year, but you won’t hear us complain. It’s time to dive once again into the world of mobile gaming with what has consistently been the flagship of mobile gaming hardware.
We get the ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate edition this year. The Taiwanese giant is looking for a streamlined lineup, at least so far, and is only coming out with two devices. Both are based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and have essentially the same specifications.
Today we have the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate at home. As the name suggests, it’s the top-tier offering within the range. In this particular case, that means including the ROG Vision display on the back and the AeroActive cooling portal, both of which carry over from the ROG Phone 6 family. The Ultimate is only available in one white color option: Storm White.
The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate specs at a glance:
- Body: 173.0 x 77.0 x 10.3mm, 239g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 3), aluminum frame; Built-in motorized cooling vent (AeroActive Portal), IP54 water resistant, 2″ OLED display (on back), pressure sensitive zones (game trigger).
- Screen: 6.78″ AMOLED, 1B color, 165Hz, HDR10+, 1000 nits (HBM), 1500 nits (peak), 1080x2448px resolution, 20.4:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi.
- chipsets: Qualcomm SM8550-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4nm): Octa-core (1×3.2GHz Cortex-X3 & 2×2.8GHz Cortex-A715 & 2×2.8GHz Cortex-A710 & 3×2.0GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 740.
- Memory: 512GB RAM 16GB; UFS 4.0, NTFS support for external storage.
- Operating system/software: Android 13.
- Rear camera: Broad (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 13 MP, f/2.2, 120 degrees; Macros: 8MP, f/2.0.
- Front camera: 32 MP (wide), f/2.45, 1/3.2″, 0.7µm.
- Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 720p@480fps; Gyro EIS, HDR10+; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
- Drums: 6000mAh; 65W wired, PD3.0, QC5, 100% in 42 min (advertised), 10W wired reverse.
- Various: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; 3.5mm jack; stereo speakers (2 amplifiers).
Aside from the special “Ultimate” features, the ROG Phone 7 family is more or less an iterative update over its predecessor rather than a major departure from the familiar formula. After all, why change something that’s clearly working? Asus has just come out to refine the phone and make it better in every possible way. The ROG Phone 7 has better performance and cooling than its predecessor, better speaker performance, and a brighter AMOLED display, just to name a few highlights.
Other key features are also still present, such as the robust aluminum body and dual-glass design with Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and a degree of ingress protection. There’s also the massive 6,000mAh split battery with 65W fast charging, as well as the impressive controls and connectivity options, including ROG AirTrigger inputs and side port for accessories like the AeroActive cooler.
Unfortunately, things that haven’t changed with this generation of the ROG Phone 7 include the camera setup, which appears to be borrowed directly from the ROG Phone 6 and still lacks a telephoto lens. Even wireless charging is still a notable omission from the phone.
Putting all of this together, we end up with a rather familiar ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, refined in many significant ways but still true to the same basic formula. Let’s find out if it still has what it takes to be a top dog in the mobile gaming niche.
Unpacking
We just have to start with the unboxing experience of the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. And experience really is the right word here. The box is as sumptuous as ever. It has a bold geometric shape, which has already become a tradition, but this time the box is made entirely from recycled and recyclable biomass, which is nice to see. The two-piece box features a magnetic “strip” on the outside, which plays a big part in this year’s ROG AR setup experience. The cardboard piece has a cutout to place your phone inside and functional buttons that interact with the initial setup minigame. These kinds of experiences have become an expected part of ROG Phone unboxing and are always a real pleasure to enjoy.
Being the Ultimate edition of the phone, we would expect some goodies in the box and Asus hasn’t disappointed in that department.
As usual, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate comes bundled with the AeroActive Cooler 7. We will review the latest version of the optional cooling accessory in its dedicated section. For now, you should just be aware that it’s included in the box along with a nifty carrying pouch.
Also included in the box is a protective case for ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, compatible with the AeroActive Cooler.
You also get a 65W Asus wall charger and a USB Type-C to Type-C cable to go with it.
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