Asus ROG Phone 7 review

Introduction

The new ROG Phone arrived a little earlier than its usual schedule this year, but you won’t hear us complain. Asus has simplified the lineup this time around, and there are just two devices – the ROG Phone 7 and the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate Edition. Both have essentially the same specs, minus for the ROG Vision display on the back of the Ultimate and its AeroActive portal for additional cooling, which is only present on the Ultimate.

We’ve already taken a look at the Ultimate model, and now it’s time for the ROG Phone 7 to get the review treatment. So you can expect many of the same features to make an appearance and some references to the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate review.

Asus ROG Phone 7 features at a glance:

• Body: 173.0 x 77.0 x 10.3mm, 239g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 3), aluminum frame; IP54 water resistant, illuminated RGB logo (on the back), pressure sensitive areas (game triggers).
• Display: 6.78″ AMOLED, 1B colors, 165Hz, HDR10+, 1000 nits (HBM), 1500 nits (peak), 1080x2448px resolution, 20.4:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8550-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4nm): Octa-core (1×3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2×2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3×2.0 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 740.
• Memory: Up to 512 GB 16 GB RAM; UFS 4.0, NTFS support for external storage.
• Operating System/Software: Android 13.
• Rear camera:Wide (main): 50MP, f/1.9, 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 13 MP, f/2.2, 120 degrees; Macro: 8MP, f/2.0.
• Front camera: 32 MP (wide), f/2.45, 1/3.2″, 0.7µm.
• Video capture:Rear camera: 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 720p@480fps; gyro-EIS, HDR10+; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 6000mAh; 65W wired, PD3.0, QC5, 100% in 42 min (advertised), 10W wired inverted.
• Various : Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; 3.5mm jack; stereo speakers (2 amplifiers).

Asus hasn’t changed much with the next-gen ROG Phone 7. Most of the features are carried over from the ROG Phone 6, which is a good thing. After all, why change something that clearly works?

Asus has just come out to refine the phone in every possible way. Highlights include better compute performance, better speaker performance, and a brighter AMOLED display.

Other key features are also present, such as the sturdy aluminum body and dual-glass design with Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and an ingress protection rating. The massive 6,000mAh battery with 65W fast charging is also there, as are the impressive controls and connectivity options, including ROG AirTrigger inputs and the side port for accessories like the AeroActive cooler.

Other things that unfortunately haven’t changed with this generation of ROG Phone 7 include the camera setup, which seems to have been borrowed directly from the ROG Phone 6 and still lacks a telephoto lens. Wireless charging is also a notable omission from the phone.

Add all the pieces together and you’re left with a rather familiar ROG Phone 7 that sticks to the same basic formula as before, with more or less iterative upgrades. Even so, we still think he has what it takes to maintain his playing crown. Let’s dive into it.

Unpacking

First, let’s unbox the ROG Phone 7. Unlike its Ultimate sibling, the standard ROG Phone 7 comes in a much simpler two-piece cardboard box. It’s still adorned with some “gamery” graphics, so you know what kind of product you’re getting. The box is thick, solid and good enough to keep the phone safe.

One thing worth pointing out right away about the box contents is that the standard ROG Phone 7 doesn’t come with the AeroActive Cooler 7 in the box like the Ultimate does. It’s a separate optional purchase (€110 at the time of writing).

Our unit comes with a bumper case, which is a great additional accessory. The Asus 65W wall charger and a USB Type-C to Type-C cable are also included in the box.