The new ROG Phone 9 phone series has just been released worldwide, to the delight of mobile gamers. But what do you need to know about this high-end smartphone from Asus?
The new series of phone ROG Phone 9, developed by Asus Republic of Gamers, was presented to the world this Tuesday, November 19. Including the basic model, the Pro and the Pro Edition, it presents new features and increased performance, which will further optimize gaming sessions.
Intended for video games, but not only that, the ROG Phone 9 presents itself as a ROG Phone 8 refined and improved in many aspects. Despite its relatively small audience, gamers, can this new series of smartphones conquer the hearts of ordinary customers?
Vsreworked visuals
With its ninth generation of ROG Phone, Asus has decided to rework the design of its devices. Deemed too modern and futuristic, the old models are no longer convincing. This is why the ROG Phone 9 sports more simplistic and versatile visuals. Thanks to this eccentricity which has now disappeared, Asus intends to reach a wider audience.
Asus has focused on a feature already present on the ROG Phone 8, significantly improved for its latest models: the back screen. Now equipped with 648 mini-LEDs on the Pro (compared to 340 for the previous generation), it can run animations pre-designed by Asus, but also drawn by the user himself. Note that the back screen can support some retro games, such as Space Invader, Snake, Pong…
Entitled “Anime Play”, this feature is however not available on the basic Rog Phone 9, which only has 85 mini-LEDs. No games or animations will be offered on this model.
While the basic ROG Phone 9 offers two different colors: Storm White and Phantom Black, the Pro only opts for a plain black shell.
Increased performance
Designed to support the largest gaming sessions, the ROG Phone 9 sees its performance significantly improved compared to the previous generation. Equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor and an advanced ROG GameCool 9 cooling system, Asus’ latest gadget intends to run the biggest mobile games, like Genshin Impact or even Honkai Star Rail.
Also note that artificial intelligence plays a major role in the performance of the ROG Phone 9. The model has many AI-boosted features, such as AI Noise Cancelation, which eliminates unwanted sounds during gaming, or the AI Grabber 2.0, which uses text recognition and makes it easier to find tips on a game.
The ROG Phone 9 finally offers a revolutionary refresh rate, which climbs up to 185 Hz (compared to 165 Hz on the ROG Phone 8 Pro). An admirable improvement but somewhat unnecessary, the human eye not necessarily being able to differentiate the two performances.
New AI features
As with all latest generation phones, Asus Republic of Gamers has given more importance to AI, adding many features not only geared towards gaming. Very useful new features that concern all areas and make it easier to use the ROG Phone 9.
With the addition of AI Call Translator, ROG Phone can instantly translate any foreign language conversation. For the moment, only a few languages are handled by this service (French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Chinese), but others may join the catalog in the future.
AI also makes it possible to design wallpapers according to several themes, to generate structured texts, or to make summaries of texts and internet pages.
A phone that turns into a controller
Equipped with the famous AirTrigger controls, the ROG Phone 9 is capable of transforming into a real game controller. Thanks to these tactile keys discreetly placed across the width of the phone, the player will see their gaming capabilities greatly facilitated and optimized.
Even more, it is possible to combine the ROG Phone 9 with a ROG Tessen mobile controller, which makes the phone an original and unique portable console. Please note that this is offered at a price of €119.99.
Price
High-end, the different R modelsO.G.Phone 9 offers high prices, which cannot fit every type of budget:
- ROG Phone 9 (12 GB RAM / 256 GB storage): Available from €1,099.99 including tax
- ROG Phone 9 Pro (16 GB RAM / 512 GB storage): Available from €1,299.99 incl. VAT (charger provided)
- ROG Phone 9 Pro Edition (24 GB RAM / 1 TB storage): Available from €1,499.99 including tax (knowing that the model is supplied with a charger + the AeroActive Cooler X Pro)
Release date
The three different ROG Phone 9 models, which have notable differences in performance, will not all be released on the same date:
- ROG Phone 9: Available mid-January 2025
- ROG Phone 9 Pro: Available from mid-December 2024
- ROG Phone 9 Pro Edition: Available exclusively on the ASUS eShop