ASUS ROG Phone 9 series launched: Games on the front and back (???)

2 days ago 3

TL;DR

ASUS has announced the ROG Phone 9 and ROG Phone 9 Pro.
The ROG Phone 9 Pro lets you play games on the backlighting system.
Expect to pay a starting price of $999 for the standard model, but US consumers will need to wait a while.

The ASUS ROG Phone 8 series was a rather curious release by the Taiwanese brand. This was still a gaming phone but with a slimmer design more in line with conventional flagship Android phones. Now, the company has launched the ROG Phone 9 series, so what are you getting this time?

The firm has launched the ROG Phone 9 and ROG Phone 9 Pro, and the two handsets differ in a few key areas. For starters, the standard model is only available in a 12GB/256GB option, while the Pro model is available in a 16GB/512GB option and in a 24GB/1TB variant with a bundled AeroActive Cooler X Pro accessory. All models are equipped with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage.

Robert Triggs / Android Authority

The Pro model also features more impressive backlighting, with 648 mini LED lights compared to just 85 for the standard model. ASUS is putting these hundreds of mini LED lights to good use by letting you play four simple games via the backlighting and Air Triggers: Brick Smasher, Snake Venture, Aero Invaders, and Speedy Run. ASUS says it’ll consider adding more games down the line. The standard ROG Phone 9 doesn’t get these games, but its backlighting can still be used for notifications, customizations, and more.

Both phones feature the same 50MP LYT-700 main camera (with six-axis gimbal OIS) and 13MP ultrawide lens. However, the Pro model also offers a 32MP 3x telephoto camera while the standard variant drops this shooter in favor of a 5MP macro lens. Both phones pack a 32MP RGBW camera on the front. ASUS is also offering the ability to use the Air Triggers as shutter buttons. The company is offering a so-called Photo Vibe suite of photography styles too. These styles are Rich and Warm, Soft and Warm, Vivid Cold, and Gentle Cold.

ROG Phone 9 series: What to expect otherwise?

The ROG Phone 9 and ROG Phone 9 Pro share loads of features. These phones unsurprisingly pack the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and we’ve also got a few notable cooling measures in place. These include a so-called rapid cooling conductor with a claimed 20% boost to thermal efficiency and a 57% larger graphite sheet for an apparent 12% reduction in temperature. ASUS says the processor is now located in the middle of the phone too, away from your hands.

Expect a 6.78-inch LTPO OLED screen (2,400 x 1,080) on both handsets, featuring a super-fast 185Hz refresh rate and 2,500 nits of peak brightness. Otherwise, you’re getting a high brightness mode of over 1,500 nits and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection.

A 5,800mAh battery keeps the ROG Phone 9 series running, making for a modest 300mAh boost over the ROG Phone 8. Once you’ve run out of juice, you can top up with 65W wired charging (using USB-PD PPS) or 15W Qi wireless charging. The company still offers bypass charging functionality too, in case you want to bypass the battery to keep your phone powered via a wall plug.

Robert Triggs / Android Authority

The Taiwanese brand is bringing plenty of audio-related features, including a 3.5mm port. That makes it only the second Snapdragon 8 Elite phone with a headphone port after the RedMagic 10 Pro series. Other audio features include support for notable Bluetooth codecs (aptX lossless/adaptive, LDAC), Snapdragon Sound support, spatial audio via Dirac Virtuo, and per-app volume adjustments.

On-device AI features from previous phones make an appearance here too, including call translation, transcriptions, AI-generated wallpapers, and semantic search smarts. Furthermore, ASUS says the phones will support Circle to Search with an update later this year, joining Samsung, Google, Xiaomi, and other brands.

The company says you can expect “at least” two major OS updates and five years of security updates. The OS update pledge, in particular, lags far behind update policies from Google and Samsung.

Other notable features include the aforementioned Air Triggers (supporting four touch points) and an IP68 rating. Weirdly, the phone will only be available with eSIM support in Japan and Taiwan, while the rest of the world gets dual-SIM slots.

ASUS ROG Phone 9 price and availability

The ROG Phone 9 series will be available in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and several other markets in the APAC region today. Pre-orders go live today for Europe, too, with devices shipping from December. ASUS added that the phones will launch in January 2025 in the US.

ASUS ROG Phone 9 series: Hot or not?

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Expect to pay $999 / €1,099 for the base 12GB/256GB ROG Phone 9, which is available in Black and White color schemes. Europe is also getting a 12GB/512GB model for €1,149.

Fancy the ROG Phone 9 Pro? It’s only available in Black and starts at $1,199 / €1,299 for the 16GB/512GB model. The 24GB/1TB model with the bundled cooling fan will set you back $1,499 / €1,499.

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