Jalen Sigh Tech

Verdict

The Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro is one of the fastest, flashiest and most feature-packed gaming phones available today. It’s also one of the easiest to live with, as it has a decent camera system, good software and a relatively slim construction. Unfortunately, high pricing will limit its mainstream appeal.

Introduction

The Asus ROG Phone 9 has landed, and at a glance, it looks a lot like the ROG Phone 8 Pro that came before it. As you might expect, it’s packing Qualcomm’s hot new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset on the inside, but what else is new?

Well, for starters, this model is even flashier than the last. Asus has revamped its AniMe Vision lighting system, almost doubling the pixel count and adding an additional colour. On a more practical note, it has a larger battery, a new main camera sensor and revamped cooling, too. There’s even some AI to help with daily tasks and gaming.

Gaming phones always deliver impressive specs, but living with one as your daily driver usually comes with compromises. With the ROG Phone 8 series, we saw the brand edge closer towards mainstream appeal, does the ROG Phone 9 Pro seal the deal? Let’s find out.

Design 

• 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9mm, 227g
• Aluminium frame, glass back
• 648 LED AniMe Vision matrix

As mentioned, the ROG Phone 9 Pro looks identical to the ROG Phone 8 Pro that we tested at the start of the year. The dimensions are exactly the same, only internal changes result in a two-gram weight increase, which is not something you’ll feel or notice in the real world.

It’s only when you turn the phone on that the difference shines through – quite literally. Just like the last model, the ROG Phone 9 Pro has a concealed LED matrix on its rear panel, it’s invisible when turned off, but shines through the rear glass panel when it’s active.

The number of LEDs has almost doubled, from 341 dots to 648, and it’s now two-tone. The LEDs at the top of the matrix are white, while the bottom portion has red pixels. By default, it cycles through the time, battery percentage and the ROG Logo. It’s a lot like an always-on display, it’s just on the rear of the phone, instead.

The LED matrix also displays a countdown timer for your photos, a recording indicator for videos and it can alert you to notifications. Asus has gone so far as to program a suite of games that you can play on the rear panel, too.

The games are controlled using the two capacitive-touch Air Triggers on the side of the phone. There’s a snake game, brick pong, and that one that Chrome lets you play when you lose connection (whatever that’s called). It’s not something you’re likely to use often, after all, you can play much more impressive games on the actual screen, but it’s a really cool party trick.

Aside from the light show, and a couple of minuscule print changes, it’s exactly the same as the previous model. However, that’s no bad thing; the ROG Phone 8 Pro was Asus’ most refined gaming handset to date, and it looks and feels just as impressive this time around.

You still get dual USB ports, so you can comfortably charge while playing, and you still get the headphone socket, too. The dual USB setup is so nice to have, and it really gives this phone a leg up over competing devices from the likes of RedMagic.

The ROG Phone 9 Pro is available in two different varieties. There’s the ROG Phone 9 Pro and the ROG Phone 9 Pro Edition. It’s a pretty confusing naming scheme, but all you need to know is that the “Edition” version comes with the AeroActive Cooler X Pro in the box and has more RAM and storage. If you opt for the regular model, you can buy the cooler separately for around £90.

The cooler looks a lot like the one for the ROG Phone 8 Pro, and it functions identically. The idea is that it keeps temperatures down for extended gaming sessions while also adding two additional shoulder buttons. There’s also a kickstand built-in, as well as a passthrough for the USB-C and audio jack.

However, while it may look very similar to the cooler that came with the ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition, this model has been tweaked to improve its performance. The fan blades are slightly larger, and apparently this can improve the cooling effect by up to 29%.

There’s also a subwoofer built-in, so your audio gets a nice bass boost whenever the cooler is connected. This was a feature of the cooler for the ROG Phone 7, but it was missing for the 8, so I’m very happy to see it return.

My review unit shipped with the Chill Case, which will be sold as an optional accessory. At first, I wasn’t too impressed. It’s made from a matte black plastic that doesn’t feel especially premium, and it’s oddly thick, too. Eventually, I realised its purpose, and it’s a pretty clever idea.

The reason the case is so thick is because it has a built-in vapour chamber. So, it’s not only there to keep your device protected, it’ll actually improve the performance too. It seems to work well, with the phone remaining much more comfortable to hold during long play sessions.

Screen 

• 6.78-inch 185Hz 1080×2400 OLED
• Fully flat-screen, Gorilla Glass Victus 2
• 2500 nits peak brightness

The display also shares most of its specifications with the ROG Phone 8 Pro, and again, there’s nothing wrong with that. This panel wowed us at the start of the year, and it’s just as impressive today.

The one thing that has changed is the maximum refresh rate. It can now boost to a blisteringly fast 185Hz. It’s not the fastest display ever to grace a smartphone, the 240Hz Sharp Aquos Zero 2 still carries that honour, but it’s the fastest on the market right now – by a significant margin.

Do you need your phone to refresh at 185Hz? Almost certainly not. Most games don’t even take advantage of the more common 120Hz standard, but this is a gaming phone, and pushing the limits is what it’s all about.

Otherwise, this is a very similar Samsung E6 LTPO OLED panel with 2400×1080 resolution and a peak brightness of 2500 nits. 

The brightness might not sound too astonishing, with some brands claiming upwards of 5000 nits, but these numbers can be deceiving. You’ll have to trust me when I say this is a very bright phone. You’ll have no trouble seeing the screen on a sunny day.

The colours appear vibrant and accurate throughout and if you want to tweak the image, you have a wealth of picture profiles at your disposal. Personally, I think it looks just about perfect as standard, and it only gets more impressive if you view some HDR content.

Cameras 

• 50MP main camera (1/1.56-inch sensor)
• 13MP ultrawide
• 32MP 3x telephoto (1/3-inch sensor)
• 32MP wide selfie camera

The Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro has a triple camera setup on its rear, and it’s mostly unchanged from the last generation. You still get a 50MP main camera, a 13MP ultrawide and a 32MP 3x telephoto. This time, though, the main sensor has been upgraded.

Asus is now using Sony’s new Lytia 700 sensor, rather than the IMX890. It’s still a 1/1.56-inch 50MP unit, but it should have better light-gathering abilities, and be less prone to motion blur when the light gets low.

It still uses Asus’ innovative 6-axis hybrid gimbal stabiliser, but this has been upgraded, too. The system, now in its fourth generation, adds 5 extra degrees of motion compensation, which apparently equates to 66% better performance.

I didn’t have the older model on hand, so it’s hard to assess how much of an improvement has been made, but regardless, the main camera performs very well. It’s easily one of the best cameras on a gaming phone, and it delivers sharp photos with accurate colours in all lighting conditions.

As usual, the ultrawide is the least impressive lens, and it lacks some detail compared to the sensors. There’s also no autofocus, so you can’t use it for close-ups. It’s still decent, just don’t expect to be wowed.

The 3x telephoto, meanwhile, delivers impressive shots in the daylight but struggles with noise and motion blur at night. It’s still very nice to have, and delivers a field of view that most gaming phones can’t match.

You can zoom beyond the optical range and get solid results up to around 10x zoom in the daylight. I wouldn’t recommend doing it at night, though, as the noise and grain of the image will ruin your shot.

The selfie camera has a relatively wide 22mm equivalent field of view, which means it’s pretty great for showing off your surroundings or taking group shots. Unfortunately, there’s no autofocus, so you’ll want to make sure you’re standing in the sweet spot for the best results.

When it comes to video shooting, Asus’ gimbal stabilisation does a great job on the main lens, autofocus is quick and the microphones sound decent. You can record at up to 8K@30fps or 4K@60fps but only on the main lens. The ultrawide supports shooting at up to 4K@30fps, while the 3x lens supports 1080p@60fps and the selfie maxes out at 1080p@30fps.

This lack of consistency is the system’s biggest weakness. It means you’ll need to think about which lenses you’ll want to use before setting your resolution. It’s safest to stick to 1080p@30fps if you’ll be switching lenses while recording, and that’s unfortunate, especially when the phone supports 8K.

All-in-all, I think this is probably the best camera system available on a gaming phone today. However, that’s not the highest bar to cross, and compared to mainstream flagship rivals, these cameras are very lacklustre. If you’re not that picky with your photos, you’ll be happy enough, but keen photographers will get more for their money elsewhere.

Performance 

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
• 16GB / 24GB RAM, 512GB / 1TB storage
• Dual stereo speakers, 3.5mm headphone jack

This is the first phone that I’m testing with Qualcomm’s latest top-tier chip, the Snapdragon 8 Elite. My sample is the Pro Edition variant, which means it comes paired with a massive 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, while the regular Pro model gets a more typical 16GB and 512GB configuration.

Of course, since this is a gaming handset, Asus has put lots of work into the cooling system, and it has been revamped to get the most out of this powerful chip. The internal graphite sheet is now 57% larger and a new rapid cooling conductor transfers heat away from the SoC with 20% better efficiency than the previous model.

In practice, this should equate to a 12% drop in temperatures while gaming, and if that’s not enough, you can always clamp on the AeroActive Cooler X Pro to keep temperatures in check.

To the surprise of absolutely no one, the ROG Phone 9 Pro achieved the best benchmark results of any phone that I have tested to date. The stability is decent, but the phone still throttles under sustained loads. Using the Wildlife Extreme stress test, the 9 Pro only scored 45% for stability with no accessories, but if you use the AeroActive cooler, that score jumps up to a staggering 98.5%. It’s well worth the additional bulk if you’re settling in for a long session.

Of course, this translates to real-world gaming, too. The ROG Phone 9 Pro can run essentially any Android game at maximum graphics settings, and it’ll provide a smooth stutter-free experience throughout.

Despite Asus’s best efforts with the cooling, it does get pretty hot when you’re playing a demanding title, but it never gets to a concerning level. Both the Chill Case and snap-on cooler make for a more comfortable experience when tapping away at Genshin for more than 30 minutes.

Outside of gaming, the system feels just as quick. Animations are fast and fluid, apps open in an instant and it multitasks without breaking a sweat.

The ROG Phone 9 Pro has dual stereo speakers, and they mean business. They’re among the most impressive I have heard from a smartphone, with much better bass response than the competition, excellent clarity and a wide soundstage. The only downside is that the maximum volume isn’t the highest.

If you plug in the AeroActive Cooler, it sounds even better, as the built-in subwoofer kicks the bass up a notch. With it attached, it starts to compete with budget Bluetooth speakers.

Software 

• Android 15 with Asus tweaks
• Extensive gaming features
• New AI features

From the first moment that you switch on the ROG Phone 9 Pro, it’s clear that this machine is all about gaming. On the first boot, you’re greeted with an introductory game, complete with a cyberpunk narrative, that introduces you to the various gaming features, like the AirTriggers.

After this, you can choose if you want your phone to have the edgy sci-fi ROG theme or a more typical Android look. Personally, I prefer a little more subtlety to my home screen, so I went the traditional route, but it’s easy to switch back and forth if you change your mind.

I was pleased to find that the operating system is completely free from bloatware, the only extras are a handful of Asus apps to control system functions. It’s always nice to be able to move into a phone without the hassle of cleaning up superfluous apps.

The system behaves a lot like stock Android, and it’s very easy to navigate. Everything is where you’d expect it to be, and the additional features, like the lighting and AirTrigger settings, are mostly confined to the preinstalled Armory Crate app.

One of the big things that makes a phone a gaming phone is the inclusion of software features to assist in games, and the ROG Phone 9 Pro has one of the most comprehensive tool sets available. 

These are mostly accessed by swiping from the corner of the display while a game is running to bring up the Game Genie overlay. There are all the features you would expect from a good game overlay, like performance modes, monitoring, notification blocking and messaging. But Asus takes things a step further.

There are a bunch of new AI-powered features to make your life easier in certain games. I particularly love the X Sense “Auto Pick Up” feature for Genshin Impact. It detects when items are available to pick up, and will automatically tap the correct area of the screen to pick them up for you. There are also Auto Run and Speed Up Conversation options for the same title.

Another AI-powered feature I found super useful is called “AI Grabber”. If you get stuck on a quest, you can open this feature, and it’ll automatically scan your screen for and copy the title of the active quest. Then, at the touch of a button, you can Google it and look for tips or a guide.

The AI features aren’t just for gaming, either. The operating system has lots of productivity tools built in, including AI transcription for voice notes, automatic call translation and AI wallpaper generation.

I was a little disappointed that there’s no Circle to Search with Google on this device, at least not yet. It’s becoming a more common feature on Android handsets, and I find it very useful. Besides that, though, I found the ROG OS a pleasure to live with. It feels quick, it’s easy to adapt to and it’s packed with game-centric goodies.

Battery life 

• 5800mAh battery
• 65W wired charging
• 15W wireless (Qi 1.3)

One of the biggest complaints about the ROG Phone 8 Pro was that, in an effort to make the handset slimmer, Asus reduced the battery capacity quite significantly. This time around, we get an increase to 5800mAh. It’s still shy of the ROG Phone 7’s 6000mAh capacity, but it’s much closer, and the efficiency gains should help to close the gap, too.

For my needs, the 5800mAh is more than enough, and I typically ended the day with over 30% battery remaining. Of course, if you stick the performance mode into high gear and play games for hours, it’ll drain faster, but that’s true of every phone.

I love that Asus has continued to add an additional USB port to its gaming handsets, and I wish other manufacturers would adopt this feature, too. It means you can comfortably game in landscape orientation while keeping the device topped up.

The phone comes with a 65W wall adapter in the box and a nice braided USB-C cable. I would have loved to see faster charging, but 65W is nothing to be sniffed at. It’ll get you from completely dead to about 40% charged in just 15 minutes.

The ROG Phone 9 Pro also supports wireless charging, and it’s one of the only gaming phones to do so. I’m a fan of wireless charging, so I’m happy to see it, but the speeds could certainly be better. It’ll only charge at 15W using the Qi 1.3 standard, and that means you’ll be waiting a good while if you want a full charge.

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