Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro review

Gaming telephones are a comparatively trendy idea, with the primary handsets arriving simply 5 years in the past. A number of manufacturers have been vying in your consideration since then, together with Razer, Black Shark and Pink Magic. 
 
However it’s Asus that has emerged because the market chief, going above and past what you’d anticipate from any telephone. Nonetheless, ROG (Republic of avid gamers) Telephones are sometimes costlier than rival handsets, so it’s not all the time an apparent selection. 
 
With regards to the ROG Cellphone 6 Collection, issues get much more sophisticated. There are common and Professional fashions to select from, with the latter reviewed right here.  

Does it do sufficient to justify the premium price ticket, or would paying much less nonetheless get you the whole lot you need from a gaming telephone? I spent a number of weeks with 6 Professional to seek out out. 

Design and construct

• Premium however cumbersome design 
• Eye-catching gamer aesthetic 
• Secondary show has restricted performance 

The ROG Telephones have by no means tried to cover the truth that they’re gaming telephones, and that’s no totally different right here. Asus has caught with a cumbersome, imposing design for the 6 Professional, within the information that it’ll not be to everybody’s tastes.  

A handset that weighs 239g may additionally put individuals off, though it’s not a lot heavier than the Galaxy S22 Extremely (229g). Certainly, I had no downside holding the telephone for lengthy durations, though any one-handed utilization is sort of uncomfortable. 

That’s primarily as a result of a big 6.78in show, with Asus choosing small bezels fairly than a notch of any variety. It offers the 6 Professional a gorgeous symmetry, particularly when gaming in panorama mode. 

Asus has put this area to good use, providing twin front-facing audio system and a 12Mp selfie digital camera. The latter can be used for face unlock, however the optical in-display fingerprint scanner is mostly higher for comfort and safety. My expertise utilizing the sensor was principally optimistic, though it wasn’t fairly as seamless as I’d hoped. On a number of events, I needed to regulate my grip or take away extra moisture earlier than it will work correctly. 

Flipping the telephone over reveals that traditional gamer aesthetic the ROG Cellphone is understood for. It’s significantly obvious on the eye-catching ‘Storm White’ mannequin I examined, however it’s additionally accessible in ‘Metallic’ if you happen to’d desire a extra muted design. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

The secondary ‘ROG Imaginative and prescient’ show makes its return to the again of the telephone, however shifts to a vertical place on the suitable aspect. It may be used to show battery proportion, incoming calls and particulars about equipment you’ve gotten linked, however there’s nonetheless no assist for notifications. This is without doubt one of the key upgrades in comparison with the common mannequin, however it provides comparatively little to the general expertise. 

Choosing metallic on the again of the telephone provides to the general weight, however makes the 6 Professional really feel impressively sturdy. It’s additionally the primary era of ROG Cellphone with any official waterproofing score – IPX4 – that means it’s secure from splashes of water. You continue to gained’t wish to drop it within the pool, although, as this isn’t lined. 

The opposite defining characteristic on the again of the telephone is a triple rear digital camera module. It has a brand new form and has shifted up the system barely in comparison with earlier ROG telephones, however this a refined change I quickly forgot about. Regardless of it making a slight digital camera bump, utilizing the 6 Professional face up on a desk isn’t a problem. 

The edges of the system make it very clear which method spherical you have to be gaming. On the suitable (or high, when used horizontally), you’ll discover energy and quantity controls, alongside twin shoulder triggers. In the meantime, the alternative aspect provides a second USB-C port to allow you to comfortably play video games whereas charging. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

It’s a easy however very efficient design, with the side-mounted port taking precedence ought to each be linked on the similar time. The twin SIM card tray subsequent to it provides a splash of blue on the white mannequin, however it doesn’t assist expandable storage through microSD. 

The one different design characteristic of be aware is a 3.5mm headphone jack, nestled discreetly subsequent to the opposite USB-C port. This turns into the top-right nook when gaming in panorama mode, which doesn’t are inclined to get in the best way if you happen to’re plugged in.

Show and audio

• Gorgeous 165Hz OLED show 
• Spectacular 720Hz contact sampling 
• Wonderful audio system 

The ROG Cellphone 6 Professional’s show is similar to its predecessor. It’s nonetheless a 6.78in, 2448×1080 OLED panel, however the most refresh fee is now 165Hz fairly than 144Hz. This can be a refined change, however brings it degree with the Pink Magic 7 and seven Professional as one of many highest refresh fee telephones you should buy. 

The responsiveness and fluidity it provides is gorgeous, however most individuals are higher off staying in ‘Auto’ mode. This could robotically transfer between 165Hz, 144Hz, 120Hz, 90Hz and 60Hz relying on the app or state of affairs, saving battery life with out impacting efficiency. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Asus has additionally improved the telephone’s contact sampling fee, a measure of the variety of occasions a show can register contact enter each second. It’s now 720Hz, matching what you’ll discover on the Pink Magic 7. The Pink Magic 7 Professional is even greater at 960Hz, however drops all the way down to a 120Hz show refresh fee to realize it. 

Even in on a regular basis utilization, it’s arduous to not be impressed by the 6 Professional’s show. It delivers glorious element and vibrant colors, making for an immersive viewing expertise. The panel additionally will get impressively shiny, reaching 500 nits at max brightness in testing. In consequence, outside visibility in most circumstances isn’t an issue. 

Audio is one thing that’s typically neglected on trendy smartphones, however the ROG Cellphone 6 Professional makes it a precedence. A big front-facing speaker combines with the earpiece for a stereo setup that’s very spectacular.  

Music and sport sound results are wealthy and full-bodied, serving to to essentially add to the general expertise. You additionally get a satisfying hit of bass, one thing that’s typically missing on different handsets. After all, you may all the time join Bluetooth headphones or wired audio units through the three.5mm jack if you happen to’d desire. 

Specs and efficiency

• Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and 18GB RAM 
• Stellar efficiency, however can run scorching 
• 512GB non-expandable storage 

The ROG Cellphone 6 Professional’s most notable improve might be discovered underneath the hood. It makes use of the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, Qualcomm’s new top-of-the-line 5G chip. On the time of writing, it’s one among solely three handsets on sale to make use of it, however a lot extra are on the best way.  

Efficiency positive aspects in comparison with the common 8 Gen 1 are minor, however you’ll discover a much bigger soar in comparison with the sooner Snapdragon 888+ that powered the ROG Cellphone 5S and 5S Professional. Right here, Asus pairs it with an Adreno 730 GPU and 18GB of RAM on the one configuration accessible. 

That is arguably probably the most highly effective telephone you should buy proper now, so it ought to come as no shock to study that efficiency is stellar. The 6 Professional handles each demanding sport you may throw at it with ease, whether or not it’s Name of Responsibility: Cell, PUBG Cell, FIFA Cell or Actual Racing 3. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Nonetheless, none of these video games can output at 165Hz, and even 144Hz. Solely a small number of titles assist these ultra-high refresh charges, they usually’re in all probability not what you’re shopping for this telephone for. Subway Surfers and Hill Climb Racing are a pleasure to play, however even some finances telephones can run these video games easily. 

The ROG Cellphone 6 Professional barely breaks a sweat most of time, and it looks like the system has loads of efficiency in hand. That’s much more obvious whenever you use it as a daily smartphone, the place it feels virtually ridiculously overpowered. 

Nonetheless, that’s not essentially mirrored within the benchmarks beneath, with the 6 Professional supposedly lagging behind some rivals:

With no built-in fan, the telephone will get noticeably heat to the contact after just some minutes. Asus depends on an improved thermal system to get the job completed, however it’s noticeably much less efficient.

You may join the non-obligatory AeroActive Cooler 6 for an on the spot hit of cooling, however it’s cumbersome and annoying to make use of. No marvel Asus solely recommends utilizing it whenever you’re gaming for longer than an hour. 

Whereas on the topic, it’s value highlighting one other accent you should buy for the 6 Professional. The Kunai 3 Gamepad transforms the telephone into a correct console through two totally different modes.  

You may dock the controls on all sides of the telephone for a Swap-like expertise or mix them into an Xbox-style controller that connects through Bluetooth or USB-C. Solely a handful of video games are supported, however enjoying the likes of Asphalt 9 was loads of enjoyable. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

As I alluded to earlier, there’s no expandable storage on the 6 Professional. You’ll need to be happy with 512GB, though that’s a lot for most individuals. 

Battery and charging

• 6000mAh complete battery capability 
• Very good battery life, even at 165Hz 
• 65W quick charging, plus additional options 

Just like the final 4 generations of ROG Cellphone, the 6 Professional is provided with twin 3000mAh batteries, offering a complete capability of 6000mAh. That’s nonetheless one of many largest you’ll discover in any handset, so there was no actual cause to improve it. 

Certainly, battery life is without doubt one of the telephone’s key strengths. With the refresh fee set to ‘Auto’ mode, I may comfortably get a full day of reasonable utilization, plus an hour or two of gaming. For on a regular basis use instances, you’re nearer to 2 days. 

Inner testing backs that up. With the brightness set to a reasonably typical 200 nits, I recorded 11 hours and 51 minutes in PC Mark’s battery benchmark. Slightly than present a measure of screen-on time, this goals to simulate real-world utilization. It was additionally carried out at 165Hz and with none battery saver modes turned on – altering both of those will extend battery life even additional. 

Once you do run out, Asus helpfully consists of its 65W quick charger within the field, which can be utilized with both of the USB-C ports. My pattern went from 0-59% in quarter-hour, then 88% by the half-hour mark. In underneath 45 minutes, the system was totally charged – that’s per Asus’s claims. 

To assist extend the battery’s lifespan, you may even set it to cease charging when it hits 80% or 90%, which continues to be a lot for a full day’s common utilization. You too can schedule it to solely cost at sure occasions, similar to within the couple of minutes main as much as your alarm. There’s no wi-fi charging right here, however it is a nice substitute. 

Digital camera and video

• Spectacular 50Mp essential sensor 
• Ultrawide and macro much less spectacular 
• Respectable selfie digital camera 

The ROG Cellphone 6 Professional’s essential focus is gaming, however it must be a strong common smartphone too. In that regard, cameras are crucially vital. 

Apparently, the 6 Professional makes use of a 50Mp essential digital camera fairly than the 64Mp one on the 5S Professional. Nonetheless, a better megapixel depend not often interprets into robotically higher picture high quality. That is an upgraded sensor, and I used to be impressed with the stills it produced. 

That’s significantly obvious in good lighting circumstances, the place it produces vibrant pictures brimming with element. These aren’t fairly true to life, however it means many individuals gained’t must edit their pictures later.

It dealt with some difficult shadows higher than anticipated, avoiding overexposing the background. Pictures of structure are an actual power, however it additionally performs properly in road images and panorama imagery. Nonetheless, with out a devoted depth sensor, portrait-style pictures are underwhelming. Edge detection is an actual subject, though you may change the quantity of background blur after the picture is taken.  

It’s nice to have the flexibleness of an ultra-wide lens, however at 13Mp it’s a noticeable drop in high quality. You may nonetheless get some pleasing pictures, however most of the refined particulars are misplaced and the sky tends to be overexposed. The 5Mp macro sense avoids a few of these points, however delivers poor close-up pictures with washed-out colors. 

There’s a software-based night time mode too, however it doesn’t do an incredible job of brightening or including element to low-light pictures. 

Fortuitously, the 12Mp selfie digital camera is far more usable. It nonetheless struggles in harsh lighting, however more often than not you’ll get a crisp shot that retains loads of particulars within the background. 

See a spread of digital camera samples within the slideshow beneath: 

On the video aspect, the 6 Professional can seize footage as much as 8K at 24fps. However for most individuals, the default 1080p at 30fps will just do superb. There’s no OIS, however digital picture stabilisation on the primary and ultrawide lenses helps video to stay regular more often than not. 

Software program and updates

• Zen UI & ROG UI over Android 12 
• A number of additional instruments for avid gamers 
• Solely two years of updates 

On the ROG Cellphone 6 Professional, you’ll discover a mixture of Asus’ Zen UI and ROG UI skins over Android 12. Regardless of this, it’s surprisingly just like the model you’ll discover on Pixel telephones, with rounded icon corners, the brand new fast settings design, and a Google Uncover feed subsequent to the house display. 

Nonetheless, the ROG tweaks kick in when you activate X Mode, Asus’ devoted area for gaming. When activated, it’s an efficient option to increase sport efficiency and minimise the distracting impact of notifications.  

The Armoury Crate companion app provides a variety of customisation choices, however most of those add little to the general expertise. A social feed referred to as ‘ROG Join’ could also be extra helpful, however just for sure individuals. 

When you’ve began enjoying, Sport Genie kicks in with fast entry to all of the instruments you’ve come to anticipate from gaming telephones – together with a number of totally different efficiency modes. 

By way of software program updates, Asus ensures two main variations of Android for its telephones. Which means the ROG Cellphone 6 Professional will solely get Android 13 and its successor (possible Android 14), with safety updates coming to an finish after round 24 months. 

That meets Google’s minimal suggestions, however many telephone firms are far more beneficiant nowadays. Contemplating you’re spending a lot on the 6 Professional, it actually must be lasting greater than two years. 

Anyron Copeman / Foundry

Worth and availability

Contemplating the whole lot you’re getting right here, it’s no shock to study that the ROG Cellphone 6 Professional doesn’t come low cost. There’s just one configuration accessible, providing 18GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for £1,099/€1,299. Pre-orders might be reside in early August however a particular launch date isn’t but identified. The telephone might be accessible within the US sooner or later, however Asus hasn’t revealed when.

Its value places it firmly in flagship telephone territory, and it’s the costliest gaming telephone by far. Because it seems, the common mannequin (from £899/€999) is the subsequent most inexpensive, with the Black Shark 5 Professional and Pink Magic 7 Professional considerably cheaper. 

It’s additionally value contemplating whether or not you really want a gaming telephone. At this value, you might get an iPhone 13 Professional or Samsung Galaxy S22 Extremely, each of which provide flagship-level efficiency and a 120Hz refresh fee inside a extra well-rounded system, with for much longer software program assist.

The ROG Cellphone 6 Professional is an unbelievable telephone, however it is vitally costly.

Verdict

The ROG Cellphone 5S and 5S Professional had been a bit underwhelming by Asus’ lofty requirements, however the firm has emphatically put that proper this time round.  

The ROG Cellphone 6 Professional is powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, Qualcomm’s newest top-of-the-line chip. Mixed with 18GB of RAM, you’ll battle to seek out higher efficiency on any smartphone.  

The telephone additionally has the joint-highest refresh fee of any telephone at 165Hz, enhancing a show that was already glorious. Due to the 6000mAh battery, battery life stays an actual spotlight. 

Elsewhere, you now get a greater essential digital camera on the again than on older fashions, plus IPX4 water resistance for the primary time and a few spectacular charging options. 

Nonetheless, it’s not all excellent news. The opposite rear cameras are underwhelming, whereas a heavy, cumbersome design gained’t please all cellular avid gamers. Asus nonetheless hasn’t included a built-in fan both, so the telephone can run scorching until you join an exterior model that’s bought individually. 

None of those must be dealbreakers on a gaming telephone, however they grow to be extra important whenever you’re paying so much. Should you don’t want 18GB of RAM or a small secondary show on the again, the common ROG Cellphone 6 (or one thing much more inexpensive) may supply the whole lot you need for much less. 

Specs

• Android 12 with ROG UI & Zen UI 
• 6.78in FHD+ (1448×1080) AMOLED show, 120Hz refresh fee, 720Hz contact sampling 
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 
• 18GB RAM 
• 512GB inside storage (non-expandable) 
• 50Mp essential lens with EIS 
• 13Mp ultrawide lens with EIS 
• 5Mp macro lens 
• 12Mp selfie lens 
• Fingerprint scanner (in-screen) 
• Bluetooth 5.2 
• GPS 
• NFC 
• 5G 
• Twin-SIM 
• IPX4 score 
• Twin 3000mAh non-removable batteries (6000mAh complete capability) 
• 65W wired charging 
• 173 x 77 x 10.3 mm 
• 239g