Maintaining the same design also means that the newer phone inherits almost all of the physical specifications from before, but with some notable improvements. The 6.59-inch 2,340 x 1,080 AMOLED panel now comes with a faster refresh rate of 144Hz and a touch sampling rate of 270Hz, both of which are best in class right now. ASUS claims more than 100 games now support 144Hz gameplay, with popular titles including Forsaken world, Dead cells, Slam dunk and Rockman X Dive. Each display is also calibrated to maintain high color accuracy.
The front stereo speakers no longer have orange accents, because some players apparently found them a bit annoying. (To be honest, I didn’t actually notice its demise until I placed both models side by side.) However, what the speakers have gained is an additional boost in audio performance, courtesy of Swedish audio company Dirac. More on that later.
There’s also the same 24-megapixel selfie camera in the upper-right corner, which can be used to stream yourself and your game to YouTube via the ASUS Game Genie app.
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The ROG Phone 3 comes with three rear cameras instead of two. Joining the old 125-megapixel and 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera is a new 64-megapixel main camera with seemingly improved low-light performance, along with a new 5-megapixel macro camera. A single sheet of glass now covers the back of the phone, with the old decorative trapezoidal piece replaced by a clear window, revealing the heat sink underneath. It is a nice touch. And the ROG logo in the center still lights up in all the colors and patterns you could want.
The capacitive shoulder triggers, now called “AirTrigger 3”, are on the right side, each marked with an “ROG” engraving. Since last year, these buttons allow you to do the usual touch as well as slide and rest your fingers on them. On the ROG Phone 3, ASUS added support for slip input, continuous trigger (hold down to fire multiple clicks), and double partition buttons (doubling the number of triggers). I can set them up in the ASUS Armory Crate game launcher, though I had to adjust my grip to get used to the dual partition buttons in the actual game.
Internally, ASUS includes a generous 6,000 mAh battery, which accounts for the same bulky 240g weight as last time, with a 30W fast charge, which now reaches 4,510 mAh in 45 minutes. You’ll also find a redesigned and improved cooling system, which can apparently eliminate CPU acceleration and maintain a constant frame rate in ASUS ‘own tests. This system features a new heat sink that’s six times bigger than before to cover both the processor and 5G modem, and this is backed by a redesigned 3D steam chamber underneath.
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The phone comes with a new AeroActive Cooler 3 clip-on fan that not only blows air into the heat sink area, but also adds a kickstand for landscape orientation, in case you want to use the new detachable Kunai 3 Gamepad (or its predecessor) via Bluetooth or simply to watch videos on the phone.
I played a little PUBG and Kingdom: two crowns on the ROG Phone 3, and while I did notice the visual and tactile enhancements on the first, it was the speakers that impressed me the most in both games (and in any high-quality video I watched). I won’t bore you with the essential details here, but basically, this is all thanks to Dirac’s clever correction algorithms for increased audio clarity, along with artificial nuances for bass. sensation louder than it is AND with some tuning magic, these relatively small speakers can produce what looks like a much larger sound stage.
These are bold claims, but you could certainly tell the difference. I heard very fine details that would otherwise only be available in a good pair of headphones, and with my eyes closed I could almost determine where some sounds were coming from. These are the best speakers I’ve ever heard on a smartphone.
Richard Lai / Engadget
Based on that, a dedicated “Game Mode” is automatically activated during the game to enhance specific types of sounds in the game, namely shooting and footsteps, to give players a better sense of the surroundings on the playing field. virtual battle. The company added that this game mode works on both speakers and headphones, and said it was exploring what it may add in the future.
Actually, many mobile gamers trust their headphones, especially when they travel daily or when they don’t want any distraction. Interestingly, the ROG Phone 3 doesn’t come with headphones, as ASUS assumes that most gamers prefer to use their own audio gear. But for those who want to enjoy similar audio enhancements in their ears, they will have to opt for one of the ROG headphones, to take advantage of Dirac’s tuned sound profiles.
This is perhaps a fitting time to mention that the headphone jack is gone on the ROG Phone 3, but you can use the included USB-C dongle or the 3.5mm jack on the external cooler. ASUS claims it ran out of space due to the new 5G modem plus antenna. Apparently I didn’t want to sacrifice anything else, especially the battery, just to keep the headphone jack on this similar package. For the same reason, there is no wireless charging here.
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When it comes to peripherals, the ROG Phone 3 is compatible with all of last year’s accessories except the external fan and cases – the new third camera gets in the way of the latter. The good news is that a new lighting armor case, illuminated by a secondary LED near the rear cameras, looks much better than the old one. It follows the same design language as the ROG Zephyrus G14, except that it’s stuck with the ROG logo instead of a customizable LED dot matrix. If you prefer something lighter, the phone still comes with a black Aero case, but you can also buy the more striking Neon Aero orange case.
Just as LG continues to offer its dual-screen casing for its recent phones, ASUS offers the same support for its ROG 3 phone. The new TwinView Dock 3 supports a 144Hz refresh rate on both displays, while its predecessor will limit this to 120Hz. So far, there are four games that support dual-screen gaming: Asphalt 9 use the second screen to show the race map, Dungeon Hunter Champions use it to display your stats, Modern Combat 5 uses it to design more weapon options, and Dungeon Hunter 5 uses it to display inventory. For other games or applications, you can use the second screen to manage your social networks, watch videos or run any other application you want.
ASUS
The new Kunai 3 Gamepad has a more rounded and ergonomic design, and a new bumper case that fits the ROG Phone 3. And yes, you can still mount both the Kunai 3 and the dual-screen dock (either the 3 or II ) on the new phone together throughout the shebang.
Another new accessory here is the ROG Clip, which allows you to clip your phone to a controller for Google Stadia, PlayStation, or Xbox. This attachment is compatible with any phone, but only the ROG Phone 3 will soon support key mapping on the three drivers mentioned above. The phone comes with a three-month Stadia Pro trial subscription in markets where the service is available.
As for those who are extremely Competitively, you can take the existing ASUS Mobile Desktop Dock (around $ 200) to share your PC peripherals, including monitor, mouse, keyboard, and LAN connection, with your ROG Phone 3 at the click of a button. button. Also, there is an internal fan to help cool the phone. But if you want to save a little money, there’s also the cheapest ASUS Professional Dock, or just about any USB-C hub with an HDMI jack, USB-A ports, and, if you want, an RJ-45 port will do.
Richard Lai / Engadget
In summary, the ROG Phone 3 is a much improved ROG Phone II. As a gaming phone, last year’s model was already a solid foundation with plenty of sensible design options, including front speakers, shoulder triggers, massive battery, and a silk-smooth screen in the size I found. The accessory treasure was also a nice bonus.
With the performance boost, 5G radio, and various multimedia enhancements, the ROG Phone 3 will remain one of the best gaming phones for some time, though it would have been nice if ASUS had discovered a way to reduce weight.
When it comes to future competition, I’m interested to see how Lenovo’s Legion Phone Duel, the only other contender sporting a Snapdragon 865 Plus at the moment, will do well with its own 144Hz display and a side-mounted pop-up selfie camera. I’m sure more will join soon as other Chinese smartphone brands like Xiaomi, Vivo and Nubia have also been aggressive in this space, proving just how lucrative the mobile gaming market can be.
Richard Lai / Engadget
While the ROG Phone 3 may not launch in the US until the third quarter, people in Europe will be able to reserve one today and receive it starting in late July. There is the € 999 base model with 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM with 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage, or you can go for the € 1,099 version with 16GB of RAM.
If you don’t mind the normal Snapdragon 865 chipset and missing the heatsink window, you can save a bit of money by choosing the € 799 ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition, which comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
