When ASUS unveiled the ROG Phone 8 Series with its subdued gamer-esque aesthetic, we asked ourselves: Should gaming phones go mainstream? Now with the ROG Phone 9 Series, we’re asking: Should MORE gaming phones go mainstream?

The reason behind this sentiment stems from ASUS’ successful facelift of the ROG. Moving away from the hardcore gamer look might have attracted its critics, but it’s certainly won me over. And I’m not just speaking in terms of aesthetics; this new generation of ROGs is ironing out their flaws, while taking small yet meaningful steps in fortifying their gaming prowess.

This isn’t to say it’s free from imperfections. At least for the base ROG Phone 9, which we had the pleasure to review, there’s still room for improvement in one particular area (it’s a gaming phone, so you might have already guessed what it is).

Nevertheless, the ROG Phone 9 sports thoughtful and welcome upgrades across the board, which we’ll go in-depth here.

Specifications

AniMe Vision leads the way

For this year’s iteration, ASUS continues pursuing the mainstream path, and it doesn’t look like they’re turning back anytime soon.

As a little bit of a recap, the ROG Phone 8 Series sported two pretty drastic design differences between the base and Pro model. Back then, only the Pro model came with the new programmable AniMe Vision Mini-LEDs. The base model, on the other hand, kept to the iconic Fearless Eye Logo glowing through the Aura RGB lighting.

This time around, ASUS has made AniMe Vision the standard across the series. Yes, even the base model gets the LED treatment, which, I must say, is a great move from the Taiwanese brand. Apart from just being more functional, it’s just fun to have those dot matrix pixels flashing across the rear panels.

That being said, the Pro model does receive noticeably better attention with its 648 LEDs compared to the 85 LEDs on the base. Personally, I’d still take this all day long. Those 85 dots, when activated, do enough to get the message across: this is a gaming phone at its core.

If you need to suit up and don a formal persona, just turn it off and you’re back to a clean back typical of mainstream phones.

As for colours, the base ROG Phone 9 comes in either Phantom Black or Storm White. We got the Storm White unit, which does look a bit naked contrasted against the black camera module. It does feel great, though, with some parts textured possibly for grip.

If it were up to me, I would’ve gone for Phantom Black only because it would make the AniMe Vision stand out more; but Storm White still looks gorgeous and clean.

Aced benchmarks with performance to match

Perhaps the single most important upgrade is the step up to the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Qualcomm’s latest flagship chipset is already proving its mettle based on early benchmarks, foretelling a promising year for top-line Android phones.

In Malaysia, the ROG Phone 9 comes with 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB UFS 4.0 storage. You’ll still get the benefit of AirTriggers, as well as a USB-C port on the landscape edge for charging the phone and connecting the external AeroActive Cooler.

On that note, it’s worth mentioning that there’s a new AeroActive Cooler X Pro with a built-in subwoofer. We unfortunately didn’t receive this unit, but were still happy with last gen’s AeroActive Cooler X despite the absence of a subwoofer. If you’re wondering, the base ROG Phone 9 is compatible with the Cooler X Pro, but you’ll need to purchase it separately at RM399.

One department ASUS has kept largely untouched is the display. It remains identical to the ROG 8 Series, that is to say you’ll get punchy visuals through the 6.78″ AMOLED panel offering Full HD+ (2400×1080) resolution. The same goes for its peak brightness – which maxes at 2,500nits – and the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection. However, there’s a new 185Hz refresh rate option that can only be activated while gaming via the Game Genie overlay. Outside of that, there’s still a healthy 165Hz to be happy about.

Benchmarks

As you’d expect from ROG devices, the ROG Phone 9 aced benchmark scores with flying colours. Put through 3DMark’s WildLife Stress Test gauntlet, the phone maintained exceptional stability with only a slight dip in loop scores.

Similarly, running it through Geekbench 6, the ROG Phone 9 delivered exceptionally high scores in both CPU and GPU performance. We know numbers are only indicative and not necessarily true to the gaming experience. Even then, if the core comparisons are anything to go by, the ROG Phone 9 powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite is proving to be a real powerhouse.

Gaming Experience

Here’s the tl;dr version: the ROG Phone 9 is a beast. Honestly, were you expecting anything less?

We tested the phone across a variety of games, namely Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB), Call of Duty: Mobile, and Genshin Impact. We played all this with the phone set at its highest performing X Mode, with all the games toggled to their maximum graphical settings.

Switching between the three performance modes available (X Mode, Dynamic, and Ultra Durable) can be done via Game Genie. This, for me, is one of the better-looking game overlays in the business. It’s also easily accessible and can be summoned simply by swiping down diagonally from the corners.

Back to the gaming front, Mobile Legends – which doesn’t require much to begin with – ran as smooth as melted butter. There were absolutely no jerks or lags in gameplay or hero animations, nor were there any extensive loading times. In fact, this is a common theme across all the other games.

The more demanding COD: Mobile was a joy to play with its frame rates and graphics both maxed out. Also, how good are these AirTriggers? Super responsive, conveniently located, easy to set up – what’s not to like? They were a real treat to use, especially with first-person shooters like COD: Mobile, which felt like it gave me an edge. I do wish it had a larger surface area as my fingers tend to overextend sometimes, but it’s nothing a few timely adjustments can’t fix.

Perhaps the biggest hurdle for most phones is Genshin Impact. I am admittedly not too deep into the HoYoverse lore, but I do clock in every now and then if I’m ever in the mood for open world games. Spoiler alert: I have yet to make it out of Mondstadt. I know there are heavier maps out there that may tax on graphics a little more. But for what it’s worth, my experience gliding, fighting, and power sliding all over Mondstadt was a smooth-sailing and rather scenic one.

In regards to the cooling, the AeroActive Cooler X does a decent job at keeping temperatures low and sustainable for long gaming periods. However, I didn’t find it quite necessary as the on-device cooling system were enough to meet my thermal demands. ASUS says the new graphite sheet is 57% larger this time around, which no doubt played its part.

Battery

I have a hunch that those upgrading from the ROG 8 will be overjoyed with the battery performance on the ROG Phone 9. I can’t definitively confirm how much better it is on the ROG 9 (I didn’t get the chance to review the ROG 8), but even on paper, there’s plenty to look forward to.

The improvement to a 5,800mAh battery capacity is encouraging, but adding to longevity is the Snapdragon 8 Elite’s efficiency which adds significant gains in this department.

This is well and truly a 2-day phone, even with moderate usage and gaming. For some numbers, I could binge FIVE hours of YouTube and game for TWO hours, with the battery only dropping to 51%.

Adding to that is the 65W charging that’s quick enough to get it fully juiced in under an hour. It does get a little heaty though, so it’s probably best to plug in in an area where there’s at least some ventilation.

Cameras are good, but not quite there

Gaming phones aren’t really renowned for their cameras, and the same can be said for the ROG 9. The phone is carried largely by the 50MP 1/1.56″ Sony LYTIA 700 main camera. This is flanked by the 13MP ultra-wide and a 5MP macro lens. No telephoto lens here, but it is present on the Pro model if it’s something you want.

How do these fare? Well, they’re not ideal, but I think it’s a bit of a stretch to say they’re weak too. Colour reproduction is fairly decent provided the lighting is good. Anything less than ideal and the camera compensates with oversharpening. You’ll likely want to stay away from anything outside the 2x zoom; you do have the range to zoom up to 8x, but quality by then degrades big time.

I found most of my joy with the 50MP main camera where I did manage to capture sharp images with vivid colours.

ASUS ROG 9 makes all the right moves

All in all, I had a blast reviewing the ROG Phone 9 and being in awe of its performance. The way this chip is optimized – let’s just say I’m still picking my jaw off the floor after seeing those benchmarks.

ASUS has done with the ROG 9 what many brands struggle to pull off, and that is making their latest phones more appealing than their predecessors. There are big upgrades here that justify the jump from the ROG 8 to ROG 9 – even if the ROG 8 is still just under a year old. Upgrades like the AniMe Vision, Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, and larger batteries all make the case for upgrading.

I would love to see bigger, or at least more optimized camera sensors the next time around. I just think that’s what’s needed for the phone to really be categorized as an all-round flagship that can shake up the status quo.

For now, the ASUS ROG Phone 9 has made all the right moves in the right direction, and will completely be worth your dough if you decide to take this route.

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