ASUS ROG Phone 9 Keeps Beating the Gaming Smartphone Heart
Reports of ROG Phone’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Asus just announced a new generation of its gaming smartphone. The ROG Phone 9 is coming for yet another round packing the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, and its official launch is only a couple of weeks away.
With the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor unleashed, the race is on for the release of flagship phones. And while Xiaomi will be first out of the gates in China with the new Xiaomi 15 family, Asus has a good shot at being the first 8 Elite launch outside the Great Walls of China.
At the Snapdragon Summit stage, Sascha Krohn, Asus’ Director of Technical Marketing, dodged a few technical issues in good spirits to tease the ROG Phone 9.
Boasting the “biggest leap in performance” ever for the gaming phone series, Krohn highlighted that the ROG Phone 9 offers 30% better power efficiency compared to the previous generation, promising longer gaming sessions with only the battery.
The ROG Phone 9 keeps the second USB-C port to allow for charging while gaming in the landscape orientation. The “landscape port” is actually the main one, carrying also display output, while the traditional bottom port can only do charging and data transfer.
The ROG Phone 9 has a similar form factor to the previous generation, which was admittedly very similar to the Zenfone 11 Ultra. The AirTriggers are back, and so is the AeroActive cooler accessory.
The frosted glass back has a small dot matrix display, similar to the one on the Zephyrus G14 laptop, capable of displaying simple messages.
Asus also teased a couple of AI-powered software features that may or may not be seen as software cheating: The first is a harmless fast-forward option to speed up through cut scenes—a popular feature in some game remakes and emulation.
The second is a bit worrisome, and it adds an auto pick up features for in-game itens. If well implemented, it promises to cut the hassle of looting itens in action and shooters. It remains to be seen if the feature will be considered cheating, especially in competitive games, evoking memories of auto-aim and transparent wall drivers that sparked controversy in the PC space decades ago.
Asus didn’t disclose pricing but confirmed that the ROG Phone 9 will be launching in November 2024 and we should expect more details and specifications then.
Recommended editorial content
With your consent, external content is loaded here.
By clicking on the button above, you agree that external content may be displayed to you. Personal data may be transmitted to third-party providers in the process. You can find more information about this in our Privacy Policy.