The most powerful gaming smartphone of ASUS ROG to date, the ROG Phone 2, has finally arrived and if you think that its predecessor is impressive enough, wait till you see this one. You may be wondering how is it any different from the ROG Phone that launched last year — well, let’s talk about that further. Let’s start!
Here are their detailed specs:
| Specification | ASUS ROG Phone 2 | ASUS ROG Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 6.59-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080) 19.5:9 AMOLED display, 391ppi, 120hz | 6-inch FHD+ (2160 x 1080) 18:9 AMOLED display, 403ppi, 90Hz |
| Display Features | - HDR 10 - 240Hz touch-sensing | HDR 10 |
| Glass Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 | Corning Gorilla Glass 6 |
| CPU | Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ 2.96GHz octa-core | Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 2.96GHz octa-core |
| GPU | Adreno 640 | Adreno 630 |
| RAM | 12GB | 8GB |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB UFS 3.0 | 128GB/512GB UFS 2.1 |
| MicroSD | - | - |
| Rear Camera | 48MP F1.79 IMX586 + 13MP 125-degree ultra-wide | 12MP F1.8 main + 8MP 120-degrees wide-angle secondary |
| Front Camera | 24MP F2.0 front camera | 8MP F2.0 front camera |
| SIM | Dual-SIM card | Single-SIM card |
| LTE | 4G LTE Cat. 18 | |
| WiFi | - Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ad - Wi-Fi Direct and WiGig wireless display support | -Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad, 2×2 MIMO -Wi-Fi Direct and WiGig wireless display support |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| GPS | Dual-Band GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS | GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS |
| Audio | -Dual front-facing stereo speakers with smart amplifier -24-bit/192KHz Hi-Res audio -DTS Headphone:X™ 7.1 virtual surround-sound -Qualcomm aptX High-definition Bluetooth wireless audio | -Dual front-facing stereo speakers with smart amplifier -24-bit/192KHz Hi-Res audio -DTS Headphone:X™ 7.1 virtual surround-sound -Qualcomm aptX High-definition Bluetooth wireless audio |
| 3.5mm audio port | Yes | Yes |
| Port | 3x USB 3.1 Type-C | 3x USB 3.1 Type-C |
| Biometrics | -Fingerprint scanner (In-display -2x AirTrigger 2.0 -2x Advanced vibration -Face Unlock | -Fingerprint scanner -2x AirTrigger -Advanced vibration -Face Unlock |
| Other features | -GameCool vaper-chamber cooling system w/ detachable AeroActive Cooler II - Aero Case - ASUS RGB Lighting Support - ASUS Armoury Crate - ASUS Aura Sync support - ROG Kunai Gamepad - TwinView Dock II | -GameCool vaper-chamber cooling system w/ detachable AeroActive Coole -ASUS RGB lighting support -ASUS Aura Sync support -Mobile Desktop Dock -Twinview Dock -Gamepad accessory |
| OS | ROG UI (Android 9 Pie) | Android 8.1 Oreo |
| Battery | - 6,000mAh battery with HyperCharge technology - 30W Quick Charge 4.0 - 10W Reverse charging | 4,000mAh battery with HyperCharge technology |
| Dimensions | 171 x 77.6 x 9.5 mm | 158.8 x 76.2 x 8.6mm |
| Weight | 250g | 200g |
What’s different between the two phones?
ROG Phone 2
- Larger screen size
- 120Hz refresh rate
- 240Hz touch-sensing feature
- Better performing CPU
- Better performing GPU
- Larger RAM
- UFS 3.0 storage
- Higher rear and front camera resolution
- Dual-SIM card
- In-Display fingerprint scanner
- Upgraded version of accessories
- AirTriggers 2.0
- Android 9 Pie with ROG UI out-of-the-box
- Larger battery capacity
- Reverse charging feature
- Heavier weight
The ASUS ROG Phone 2 received a lot of improvements over its predecessor. The device has a significantly larger display as compared to the ROG Phone, and aside from that, it has an upgraded refresh rate of 120Hz, which smoothens your gaming performance more than the 90Hz. Both of the devices also sport a Corning Gorilla Glass 6, which should be very useful for people with butterfingers.
Powering the ROG Phone 2 is Qualcomm’s latest flagship chipset — the Snapdragon 855+. Compared to the ROG Phone’s Snapdragon 845, it comes with a faster CPU performance and better gaming capability. Also, if you think that 8GB of RAM is enough to power a gaming smartphone, ASUS took it to the next level and upgraded it to 12GB.
Another thing to note is that the ROG Phone 2 has a UFS 3.0 storage which better than ROG Phone’s UFS 2.1. This simply means that the former is faster and better in terms of file reading and writing speeds.
In terms of cameras, the ROG Phone 2’s rear shooter configuration comes from the cameras of the ASUS ZenFone 6. The rear and front camera resolutions are higher than the ROG Phone; however, the number of MegaPixels doesn’t automatically determine which phone has better photo quality. We’ll know more once we test out both devices if we manage to get our hands on them.
A lot of features have also been upgraded in the ROG Phone 2. The AirTrigger 2.0 is more accurate and more responsive, which is great. Not only that the ROG Phone’s single Advanced vibration now has two, which is more immersive when playing games. The detachable AeroActive Cooler also gets an upgrade giving it bigger fans which also made it bulkier.
What’s pretty impressive is that the ROG Kunai Gamepad can be connected to the TwinView Dock II to make it function like the Nintendo Switch console. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this as the BlackShark 2 also introduced this accessory but without the second screen.
If you thought that the 4,000mAh or 5,000mAh battery is enough to power a gaming smartphone, then you’re pretty much wrong. ASUS made it a point that you wouldn’t lack in battery life by putting in a massive 6,000mAh in the ROG Phone 2. Aside from the HyperCharge technology and 30W QuickCharge 4, it now comes with a 10W Reverse Charging, giving it the capability to charge other devices.
Here are the prices of each smartphone in Taiwan at launch:
- ROG Phone – NTD 31,990 (8GB + 512GB)
- ROG Phone 2 – NTD 26,990 (12GB + 512GB)
Looking at the Taiwan pricing, ROG Phone 2 is made more affordable than the original price of its predecessor, the option of getting this gaming beast should be considered. Do note that this doesn’t officially reflect pricing in the Philippines as it is yet to arrive in the country and is subject to taxes and duties.
So, should you get it? If you’re an existing ROG Phone user or a new buyer, and not concerned about the budget, then go for it as it will be worth the upgrade. But if you want to settle with the predecessor, that’s not bad as well as it can still go toe-to-toe with other 2019 flagship devices, especially when it comes to running heavy graphics games.
What do you guys think? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
