Weekly Poll: Can the Asus ROG Phone 7 and 7 Ultimate win the battle of your heart?

A few years ago, mobile games brought in more revenue than the PC and console markets combined. The scene has grown and evolved and there are some good AAA games on mobile, as well as tournaments and Twitch streams featuring said games.

Gaming phones have also evolved alongside these games – phones like the Asus ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. In fact, Asus ROG was the official sponsor of the CoD: Mobile World Championship 2022which promoted the ROG Phone 6 and 6 Pro.

All of this buildup aims to answer the question “Can’t I just play games on my flagship phone?” “Yes, you can” is the answer, but that’s not the point. Gaming phones are as much about hardware as they are about the ecosystem of accessories, as well as cross-promotion at esports events and gaming streams. ROG excels in both after years of experience in the PC market.

In terms of hardware, gaming phones bring a little extra to the table. For example, the two new ROG models carry on the family tradition of having two USB-C ports (the second is for accessories, we’ll get to that in a minute). The screen prioritizes high refresh rate over resolution (FHD+ 165Hz) and the phones are thick and heavy but pack a large 6000mAh battery. A typical flagship might make different choices and opt for a QHD+ display and slim build instead.

Props are a key part of the experience

Additionally, ROG Phone 7 Ultimate comes with the AeroActive Cooler 7 in the box, as well as the dedicated AeroActive Portal to increase cooler efficiency. The Cooler has other features too – it acts as a kickstand, it has a 3.5mm headphone jack and four programmable AirTrigger buttons.

That’s more or less the only difference to the vanilla Asus ROG Phone 7, which lacks the portal (and the cooler is a separate purchase). On the plus side, removing the physical opening from the phone has allowed it to achieve an IP54 dust and water resistance rating.

Naturally, you can buy a generic thermoelectric cooler from Amazon to use with any phone to boost long-lasting performance. What you get with a gaming phone like the ROG models is style to match and bespoke software integration. Speaking of software, there are so many settings and options that if you have the time, you can perfectly tune the phone to your favorite games and playstyle.

Oh, we almost forgot – there’s a 2-inch OLED display on the rear of the Pro, but that’s mostly for show.

Asus ROG Phone 7 • Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate

We’ll have a (very) brief rundown of the competition, skipping the non-gaming flagships – again, these may run games just fine, but if you’re looking for a gaming phone, then you want a gaming phone. And that doesn’t leave a ton of options, not right now at least.

nubia Red Magic 8 Pro and Pro+ have built-in cooling fans, which increase the level of sustained performance. Not as much as the AeroActive Cooler, but they do it without a bulky external accessory. On the other hand, the ROG Phone’s extra USB-C port is a godsend for those who prefer to use accessories instead of gaming on a bare phone.

ZTE nubia Red Magic 8 Pro • ZTE nubia Red Magic 8 Pro+

Okay, that was a pretty short list, but there’s a reason for it. Lenovo has pulled the plug on the Legion series, Black Shark has yet to be unveiled with its 2023 model (there is some evidence that it exists though). We might take a look at the Snapdragon 8(+) Gen 1 devices or even those with a Dimensity chip, but the 8 Gen 2 is a bit faster than the 2022 chips and without it you’d get a second best experience.

Picture this – you’re looking for a new gaming phone. Is the Asus ROG Phone 7 that phone? Or is the Ultimate model more your speed?