The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is a gaming telephone that does not change very a lot about its look, however makes appreciable leaps forward on the subject of its internals and software program. The telephone, revealed Thursday with a beginning value of $1,000, retains most of the design aesthetics and character of final yr’s Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro. These embrace its LED indicator on the again, a 6,000-mAh battery that may simply final two days and a extremely responsive touchscreen with a 720Hz contact sampling price. But it is inside the place essentially the most substantial modifications are together with an upgraded Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and new software program options for customizing recreation play. There’s even a hidden door on the again of the telephone, dubbed the AeroActive portal, that opens if you connect the included AeroActive Cooler 7 fan. This door helps blow cool air immediately into the telephone to maintain it from overheating throughout longer gaming periods. These gaming-specific options arrive alongside enhancements to how the brand new ROG capabilities as a telephone, too. Asus is committing to 2 years of software program updates and 4 years of safety updates. That’s on the low aspect in comparison with the 4 years of software program updates Samsung gives for its Galaxy S sequence, however it’s nonetheless good to see Asus now decide to such a assist timeline. The Phone 7 Ultimate additionally has a Background mode to set an computerized process up in any recreation and have that run when you use the telephone for the rest.
LikeHanging designLots of customized optionsAeroActive Portal opening for cooling
Don’t LikeTall and heavyPhotos lack detailNo wi-fi charging
Yet even with these enhancements, the Phone 7 Ultimate nonetheless prioritizes gaming over different capabilities and options that sometimes get the highlight on this value vary. Specifically, the Asus telephone is tall, partly as a result of the front-facing digital camera is positioned in a bezel above the 6.7-inch AMOLED display screen as a substitute of inside a show cutout like on many different Android telephones. This may benefit players since you do not have something obstructing the gameplay in your display screen. But in case you’re used to a large-screen telephone just like the Galaxy S23 Plus or the iPhone 14 Pro Max, you may wince on the ROG being even greater than its show. The telephone additionally feels heavy, coming in at 239 grams (only a gram shy of the iPhone 14 Pro Max) in contrast with the equally sized 196-gram Galaxy S23 Plus. The telephone lacks wi-fi charging, however makes up for that with speedy wired 65-watt charging. And sure, the facility brick is even included within the field. Background mode permits you to proceed working a recreation when you use your telephone to do different issues.
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Photography is okay. It’s not in the identical league as what the cameras and software program shoot on equally priced Galaxy or Pixel telephones. Photos from the Phone 7 Ultimate have an inexpensive quantity of element in each indoor and out of doors settings. The Phone 7 Ultimate additionally arrives as the hand held PC gaming market is gaining traction, with Asus itself even saying the ROG Ally as a competitor to Valve’s Steam Deck. While the Phone 7 Ultimate — at the moment set to reach within the US by June — is not claiming to be the cell gaming machine to your PC recreation library, it does embrace numerous options and customizations for these searching for to get essentially the most out of video games constructed for Android.
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Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate specs, software program and gaming efficiency The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate has specs which may outperform your PC, despite the fact that it isn’t attempting to be one. The overview unit I examined contains 16GB of reminiscence and 512GB of space for storing, which is a small step down from the 18GB of RAM seen on final yr’s Phone 6 Pro, however nonetheless a ridiculous quantity. Alongside the aforementioned Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, the telephone has a Qualcomm Adreno 740 GPU. The Phone 7 Ultimate’s show has a 165Hz refresh price. It runs Android 13, has two front-facing stereo audio system and a headphone jack. Like with final yr’s Phone 6 Pro, the telephone’s rear LED show reveals customizable animations and notification icons. There’s two USB-C ports, one on the underside and one other on the left aspect, meant to make it simpler to cost whereas enjoying a recreation horizontally. Passthrough charging can be obtainable, which helps you to play video games with out charging the battery so the telephone does not get hotter. You can add a persistent gauge throughout video games exhibiting stats just like the temperature of the telephone, frames per second and the battery.
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The Phone 7 Ultimate is very speedy, and once I open video games I can simply crank up the graphics and body price settings to their highest. Setting Fortnite to run at 90 frames per second did not lavatory down the telephone, nor did enjoying Mortal Kombat at 160 frames per second. Even video games that do not assist a excessive body price nonetheless profit from the Snapdragon chip and the telephone’s reminiscence. For occasion, Marvel Snap’s card animations regarded very clean, as did Mario Kart. In benchmark exams, the Phone 7 Ultimate carried out corresponding to telephones just like the Samsung Galaxy S23 and the OnePlus 11. While uncooked energy is not essentially what separates gaming telephones from mainstream ones, it does underscore that Asus’ software program additions and {hardware} customizations are centered on its gamer viewers.
Benchmarks
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Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate
Galaxy S23
Galaxy S22
iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Pro
Pixel 7 Pro
OnePlus 11
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Higher scores are higher
3DMark frames per second
Legend:
Asus ROG Phone 7 Pro
Galaxy S23
Galaxy S22
iPhone 14
iPhone 14 Pro
Pixel 7 Pro
OnePlus 11
Note:
Higher scores are higher.
The Phone 7 Ultimate emphasizes horizontal recreation play. It has an up to date model of its AirTriggers system to program the telephone’s varied sensors on a recreation by recreation foundation. Like RedMagic gaming telephones, you should use the corners of the telephone to reply as shoulder buttons. For occasion, when enjoying Fortnite, I arrange the precise shoulder button to shoot and the left shoulder button to swap between aiming modes. The Game Genie dashboard permits you to activate most of the telephone’s settings if you are enjoying a recreation.
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Asus additionally permits you to program the telephone’s gyroscope for varied movement controls and gestures. Overall, there’s a whole lot of choices for those who hyperlink to tinker, however I wish to see Asus embrace advised controller templates for widespread cell video games in future updates. There’s additionally program macros — a sequence of instructions that repeat time and again — which, when mixed with Background mode, permits you to set and neglect sure recreation duties. In order to guard your telephone’s battery, a persistent notification will show when a recreation is in Background mode so you finally bear in mind to show it off. The AeroActive Cooler 7 attaches to the again of the telephone. When connected, a door opens on the telephone to let in additional of the fan’s air.
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Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate cooling system The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate makes cooling a precedence, whether or not or not you’re utilizing the included AeroActive Cooler attachment. Asus designed the within of the telephone to assist with warmth dissipation, and whereas I might actually really feel the telephone change into heat whereas enjoying video games or quick charging, it was by no means uncomfortable to carry. Though including a case goes a protracted method to maintain warmth away out of your palms. According to the telephone’s temperature gauge, after 30 minutes of gameplay it reached 40 levels Celsius (104 levels Fahrenheit). The AeroActive Cooler plugs into the aspect USB-C port and clamps down over the facility button. The attachment has cooling followers and opens the hidden door on the again to push cool air inside. There’s additionally programmable buttons and LED lights on it. During one other 30-minute stretch of gameplay with the fan connected, the telephone’s temperature dropped to 38 levels Celsius (100 levels Fahrenheit). Cooling apart, the AeroActive Cooler looks like there is a large metallic spider on the again of the telephone. It’s uncomfortable, particularly once I performed touchscreen-heavy video games. The accent additionally has a kickstand for propping it up on a desk and utilizing a Bluetooth recreation controller, which could possibly be extra snug. The backside of the cooling accent contains one other USB-C port and a headphone jack.
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Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate cameras, images The Phone 7 Ultimate has a 50-megapixel most important digital camera, a 13-megapixel ultrawide digital camera and an 8-megapixel macro digital camera. The front-facing digital camera has a 32-megapixel sensor. There’s Portrait mode and Night mode. You can report movies at 8K 24fps (frames per second) and in 4K at both 60fps or 30fps.
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Photos are satisfactory. The Phone 7 Ultimate carried out simply nice in quite a lot of settings like at Citi Field or in Central Park for a marriage. This is not going to be a telephone that you simply use for taking the most effective Instagram photographs, however it works as a method to seize a fast image in most environments.
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On the entire, Phone 7 Ultimate photographs lacked element, particularly in comparison with photos from my iPhone 12 Pro Max. Take a take a look at the photographs under of me standing in Central Park. You can see the flowers’ particulars considerably clearer within the iPhone picture. I’m shocked at how completely different the lighting appears within the two photographs. Here’s the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate’s picture…
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…and this is the one from the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
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The Asus’ Portrait mode fared barely higher, regardless of the background blur on the flowers trying inconsistent. Selfies equally lacked element, however the front-facing digital camera is serviceable for video calls. Photo and video seize is a standard compromise for many gaming telephones.Using Portrait mode on the Phone 7 Ultimate helped convey out extra coloration throughout this Central Park scene.
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Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate backside line The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is tailor-made for cell phone players that need to tweak Android video games whereas enjoying them at their highest graphics settings. New additions just like the telephone’s new Snapdragon chip, controller choices and upgraded cooling system additional refine that have, whereas offering a pointy refresh price with quick speeds that profit nongaming duties like apps and studying. Indoor front-facing digital camera picture on the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, taken whereas filming the video overview for this telephone.
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Most individuals will possible be happier with a telephone like a Galaxy S23 that has higher cameras and a slimmer physique. Also, many Android video games run simply nice on common telephones. For a gamer that places specs above all and needs tons and plenty of customizable choices, this ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is full of them. We have not but reviewed the competing RedMagic 8 Pro sequence which has the identical chip with a decrease $649 beginning value. However, the software program expertise on the Asus is excellent, attaining a pleasant stability between being a gaming machine and a cell phone. How we check telephones Every telephone examined by CNET’s critiques group was truly utilized in the actual world. We check a telephone’s options, play video games and take photographs. We look at the show to see if it is shiny, sharp and vibrant. We analyze the design and construct to see how it’s to carry and whether or not it has an IP-rating for water resistance. We push the processor’s efficiency to the extremes utilizing each standardized benchmark instruments like GeekBench and 3DMark, together with our personal anecdotal observations navigating the interface, recording high-resolution movies and enjoying graphically intense video games at excessive refresh charges. All the cameras are examined in quite a lot of situations from shiny daylight to darkish indoor scenes. We check out particular options like evening mode and portrait mode and examine our findings in opposition to equally priced competing telephones. We additionally take a look at the battery life through the use of it each day in addition to working a sequence of battery drain exams. We take note of extra options like assist for 5G, satellite tv for pc connectivity, fingerprint and face sensors, stylus assist, quick charging speeds, foldable shows amongst others that may be helpful. And we stability all of this in opposition to the worth to provide the verdict on whether or not that telephone, no matter value it’s, truly represents good worth.