The first ASUS ROG Phone in many ways became an example of how to design a smartphone designed specifically for games. Just putting a more powerful processor and sticking more memory into an aggressively designed case is a simple and understandable way, but ASUS approached the issue much more comprehensively. Additional AirTriggers controls, an additional input for the power cable so that it does not interfere with the game, and a whole suitcase of accessories that turn the smartphone almost into a full-fledged game console - this is already serious.
At the same time, the first ROG Phone still turned out to be far from ideal: an insufficiently capacious battery, serious problems with throttling, and the mediocre work of a specially created shell for Android – there was quite a lot of space for improving its follower. And ROG Phone II covers this space with maximum diligence - at least the set of characteristics looks very impressive. Have the Taiwanese managed to get rid of the problems that are hidden from the first sight?
We have already from its European presentation, which took place as part of IFA 2019, where it was announced that the smartphone will go on sale on September 20. It is already October, but it is not yet available in Russia, just as there is not even an official price in rubles, both of which are expected in the near future. First, the Elite Edition version will appear on sale, with a simpler LTE modem and a 512 GB drive, later - the Ultimate Edition version, with support for LTE Cat.20 and a 1 TB drive. We got the Elite Edition version on our hands, but with a paradoxical matte case - they said at the presentation that such a performance would be typical for the Ultimate Edition, and Elite will get a glossy case.
Technical specifications
| ASUS ROG Phone II | Huawei Mate 30 Pro | ||||
| Display | 6,59" AMOLED 2340 × 1080 dots, 391 ppi, 120 Hz, capacitive multi-touch |
6 inch AMOLED 2160 × 1080 dots, 402 ppi, capacitive multi-touch |
6,53" OLED 2400 × 1176 dots, 409 ppi, capacitive multi-touch |
6,8 inches, Dynamic AMOLED, 1440×3040, 498 ppi, capacitive multi-touch | 6,5", Super AMOLED, 2688 × 1242 (19,5:9), 458 ppi, capacitive multi-touch, TrueTone technology |
| Protective glass | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | No information |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus: One Kryo 485 Gold Core @ 2,96GHz + Three Kryo 485 Gold Cores @ 2,42GHz + Four Kryo 485 Silver Cores @ 1,8GHz | Qualcomm Snapdragon 845: Quad-core Kryo 385 Gold @ 2,96GHz + Quad-core Kryo 385 Silver @ 1,7GHz | HiSilicon Kirin 990: eight cores (2 x ARM Cortex-A76 @ 2,86GHz + 2 x ARM Cortex-A76 @ 2,09GHz + 4 x ARM Cortex-A55 @ 1,86GHz); HiAI architecture | Samsung Exynos 9825 Octa: eight cores (2 × Mongoose M4, 2,73 GHz + 2 × Cortex-A75, 2,4 GHz + 4 × Cortex-A55, 1,9 GHz) | Apple A13 Bionic: six cores (2 × Lightning, 2,65 GHz + 4 × Thunder, 1,8 GHz) |
| Graphics controller | Adreno 640, 700 Мц | Adreno 630, 710 Мц | ARM Mali-G76 MP16 | ARM Mali-G76 MP12 | Apple GPU (4 cores) |
| RAM | 12 GB | 8 GB | 8 GB | 12 GB | 4 GB |
| Flash memory | 512/1024 GB | 128/512 GB | 256 GB | 256/512 GB | 64/256/512 GB |
| Memory card support | No | No | Yes (Huawei nanoSD only) | There is | No |
| Разъемы | USB Type-C, 3,5 mm mini-jack, side accessory jack | USB Type-C, 3,5 mm mini-jack, side accessory jack | USB Type-C | USB Type-C | lightning |
| SIM cards | Two nano-SIMs | Two nano-SIMs | Two nano-SIMs | Two nano-SIMs | One nano-SIM and one eSIM |
| Cellular 2G | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz | GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz CDMA 800/1900 |
| Cellular 3G | WCDMA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 | WCDMA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 MHz | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 MHz | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 MHz |
| Cellular 4G | LTE Cat. 18 (up to 1,2 Gbps) for Elite Edition, LTE Cat. 20 (up to 2 Gbps) for the Ultimate Edition. Ranges: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 29, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 66 |
LTE Cat. 18 (up to 1,2Gbps): bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 28, 29, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46 | LTE: information unknown | LTE Cat. 20 (2000/150 Mbps), bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 38 , 39, 40, 41, 66 | LTE-A (up to 1600/150 Mbps), bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 29, 30, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71 |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 802.11ad 60GHz | 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, 802.11ad 60GHz | 802.11a / b / g / n / ac | 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax | 802.11a / b / g / n / ac / ax |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| NFC | There is | There is | There is | There is | Yes (Apple Pay) |
| Navigation | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS | GPS (dual band), A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo | GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS |
| SENSORS | Light, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), ultrasonic sensors AirTrigger II | Light, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), AirTrigger ultrasonic sensors | Light, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), IR sensor, Face ID | Light, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), barometer | Light, proximity, accelerometer/gyroscope, magnetometer (digital compass), barometer |
| The fingerprint scanner | Yes, on screen | There is | Yes, on screen | Yes, on screen | No |
| Main camera | Dual module, 48 MP, ƒ / 1,79 + 13 MP, ƒ / 2,4, hybrid autofocus and optical stabilization on the main camera, dual LED flash | Dual module, 12 MP, ƒ / 1,7 + 8 MP, ƒ / 2,0, phase detection autofocus and optical stabilization on the main camera, single LED flash | Quad module, 40 + 40 + 8 MP + TOF, ƒ / 1,6 + ƒ / 1,8 + ƒ / 2,4, hybrid autofocus, optical stabilization, dual LED flash | Quadruple module: 12 MP with variable aperture ƒ / 1,5-2,4 + 12 MP, ƒ / 2,1 + 16 MP, ƒ / 2,2 + TOF camera, phase detection autofocus, optical stabilization in the main and telemodules, led flash | Triple module, 12 + 12 + 12 MP, ƒ / 1,8 + ƒ / 2,0 + ƒ / 2,4, LED flash, phase detection autofocus and five-axis optical stabilization - in the main and telemodules |
| Front-camera | 24 MP, ƒ/2,2, fixed focus | 8 MP, ƒ/2,0, fixed focus | 32 MP, ƒ / 2,0, fixed focus, no flash | 10 MP, ƒ/2,2, autofocus, no flash | 12 MP, ƒ/2,2, no autofocus, no flash |
| Food | Non-removable battery: 22,8 Wh (6000 mAh, 3,8 V) | Non-removable battery: 15,2 Wh (4000 mAh, 3,8 V) | Non-removable battery: 17,1 Wh (4500 mAh, 3,8 V) | Non-removable battery: 16,34 Wh (4300 mAh, 3,8 V) | Non-removable battery: 15,04 Wh (3969 mAh, 3,8 V) |
| Size | 171 × 77,6 × 9,5 mm | 158,8 × 76,2 × 8,3 mm | 158,1 × 73,1 × 8,8 mm | 162,3 × 77,2 × 7,9 mm | 158 × 77,8 × 8,1 mm |
| Weight | 240 grams | 200 grams | 198 grams | 196 grams | 226 grams |
| Housing protection | No | IPX4 (splash proof) | IP68 | IP68 | IP68 |
| Operating system | Android 9.0 Pie, two shells: ROG UI and Zen UI | Android 8.1 Oreo, ROG UI shell | Android 10, EMUI 10 shell | Android 9.0 Pie, native shell | iOS 13 |
| Actual price | $899 for 512GB Elite Edition, $1 for 199TB Ultimate Edition | 1 099 euro |
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Design, ergonomics and software
At first glance, ASUS ROG Phone II is almost no different from its predecessor. The frames in front have become smaller, but have not completely disappeared - and stereo speakers are again hiding in them, with grilles highlighted in color against a general black background.
The rear panel is made in the same style - with broken corners, drawn lines and a "copper" decorative grille, as if hinting at the active cooling of the filling. In the center is a hefty Republic of Gamers logo that glows when you turn on the enhanced combat capability (“X mode”). The dual camera is hidden in an asymmetrical window. Everything seems to be the same, except for the fingerprint scanner that left the back under the screen. But at the same time, every single detail in the new ROG Phone is made differently - the colors are slightly different, and the shape of the very window with the cameras is different, and the second flash appeared. Well, the glass coating itself in this case is matte, not glossy, which has a great effect on perception - as well as on practicality.
This is that rare glass front and back smartphone that is not so eager to slip out of your hand, but quite confidently stays in its place. It's better anyway, of course, to pack the gadget in a complete plastic case, which is also greatly improved and now does not consist of two parts, but is a one-piece design. It is inconvenient to take it off and put it on, but still not as much as last time.
The general sensations from ASUS ROG Phone II are quite expected - this is a variation on the theme of all other devices that come out under the Republic of Gamers brand: the corporate identity with all its frills and atypical aggression for smartphones is preserved. But I would not say that ASUS turned out to be an ugly thing - here it is quite possible to talk about the correspondence of the form to the content. Color variations are not provided, ASUS ROG Phone II can only be black.
The new ROG Phone has a 6,59-inch display, while the old one had a six-inch one. It is logical that the dimensions have grown - neither the elongated format (19,5: 9), nor the reduced frames helped here, this is a really big gadget. And weighty - 240 grams. At least among flagships and direct competitors (Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro, Nubia Red Magic 3), this is the heaviest device. You just have to be ready for this.
The layout has not changed - touch-sensitive AirTriggers have been added to the standard keys on the right side, there is a USB Type-C port both on the bottom and on the left, as part of a special ROG Phone accessory connector (now, by the way, covered with a plug - it looks much neater ). The mini-jack is also preserved - a smartphone, and in this it also acts across the fashion.
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The fingerprint scanner, as I noted above, is located under the screen - and this is an ultrasonic, not an optical sensor, it reacts, among other things, to the touch of a wet finger. And it reacts quickly, with a minimum percentage of marriage. The screen scanner is one of the best I've seen to date. There is also a face recognition system, but a basic one that works on the basis of the front camera alone. However, I did not manage to deceive the smartphone with a photo.
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ASUS ROG Phone II runs Android 9.0 with a special modification of the Zen UI shell, called ROG UI. I had a lot of complaints about last year's shell, which concerned not so much a specific interface (a matter of taste), but stability and problems with load distribution. I will say right away: these problems disappeared, the smartphone worked normally during the two weeks of testing, without any problems, it reacted adequately to various chargers and did not warm up in ordinary situations. The design and functionality of the shell remained almost unchanged: a light theme was added to the red and black theme that rhymed with the appearance of the gadget, and there were even more settings for everything and everything, which were already in abundance. When overclocking is activated, that very “X mode”, the background hi-tech cube opens up again and starts glowing demonically red. In a light theme - purple.
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In the game center - a key element of the shell - it is possible to monitor various parameters of the hardware stuffing up to its temperature, as well as control external lighting, an external fan and game profiles that can be registered for each of the installed games.
Source: 3dnews.ru