Yesterday ASUS ROG Phone 9 was unexpectedly shown during the Snapdragon Summit event in Hawaii. I was lucky enough to get my hands on the device and here are my thoughts on the device launching next October.
First, I'm sorry that I'm only allowed to say that this device is equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip because the ASUS representative said that the specifications of the device need to be kept secret before it is launched. What can be confirmed is that two models will be launched and they will be equipped with flagship class hardware for a gaming device.
From a design point of view it is not much different from ROG Phone 8. Large screen with high refresh rate support. This is necessary because gaming devices should support higher refresh rates than normal devices. The fingerprint scanner is also placed under the screen with a high enough location to facilitate the unlocking process.
At the bottom there is a 3.5mm audio jack, SIM tray, speaker grill and charging port. On the right side is the power button and the audio adjustment button. Another USB-C charging port is placed on the left side of the device to allow the device to be charged even in a horizontal position.
The back panel is made of polycarbonate material with a finish that feels like rough granite. This finish was chosen because it is non-slip and ensures that the device will not slip out of the hand when being used for hectic gaming sessions.
The camera bump still has a design with five sides. There are three cameras on the back but as I said above the sensor size cannot be specified at this time. As a flagship device I know the camera may not be given importance but hopefully it can be improved compared to last year's 50+13+5 MP configuration.
The big change lies in the dot-matrix screen on the back. No more RGB lights on the same prototype device I'm using. It's a square panel that displays the battery level and can also be programmed to display personal messages by the user. With the use of Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, ROG Phone 9 supports LPDDR5X memory and UFS 4.0 storage. This will ensure that it will be able to run at the highest settings.
In using for 15 minutes, I realized that the screen is smooth and the device does not feel hot when in use. The software also operates well even though it is still in the prototype stage. One of the devices that was also shown showed the internal design. Two batteries are used with it sandwiching the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip in the middle. This rather unique arrangement is to make it easier to cool the device using the AeroActive Cooler accessory.
These are just my initial thoughts on the ROG Phone 9. I'll try to do a more in-depth look after it launches next month.