Gadgets

5 reasons I love the ROG Phone 9

Published

1 month ago

November 22, 2024

Empowerment

Key Takeaways

Asus’ ROG Phone 9 features a stunning 165Hz AMOLED display with a high refresh rate for an exceptional visual experience.

The ROG Phone 9’s unique design, including its AniMe Vision display and crystallized nano-texture back, sets it apart.

Features like AirTriggers, AI Grabber, and its Snapdragon 8 Elite processor make it a powerhouse for gaming and performance.

The Asus ROG Phone 9 is unlike any smartphone I’ve used before. It’s built from the ground up with one goal: to be the best gaming experience on a smartphone yet. In that aspect alone, it certainly exceeds. With its crystallized nano-texture design, angular camera cutout, and AniMe vision back display, the ROG Phone 9 sure knows how to stand out in a crowd.

From the moment I turned on the phone for the first time, its beautiful AMOLED display entranced me. After setting it up, I was greeted by an intro cinematic introducing me to the phone’s gaming features in an interactive on-rail shooter in a spaceship. I was mind-blown.

It felt like I was using a gaming handheld like the Steam Deck, not a smartphone. However, despite its gaming focus, the ROG Phone 9 is still a great phone, thanks to Android 15 and its powerful hardware. Here are five reasons I love the ROG Phone 9.

Asus ROG Phone 9

Asus’ ROG Phone 9 is a robust gaming-first smartphone with innovating hardware and software perks made to play mobile games, including AirTriggers and AI-driven features.

Brand: Asus
Display: 6.78-inch AMOLED
RAM: Up to 16GB LPDDR 5
Storage: 512GB
Battery: 5800mAh
Ports: USB-C
Operating System: Android
Front camera: 32-megapixel f/2.5 (ultrawide)
Rear camera: 50-megapixel f/1.9, 1/1.56”(main), 32-megapixel f/2.4 (telephoto) , 13-megapixel f/2.2 (ultrawide)
Dimensions: 6.4 x 3 x .35-inches (163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9mm)
Colors: Storm White and Phantom Black
Release: November 19

Asus’ ROG Phone 9 review: the gaming powerhouse

Asus really emphasizes that the ROG Phone 9 is a beast for playing games — almost a little too much.

5 A stunning high refresh rate display

This phone has a higher refresh rate than my gaming monitor

The ROG Phone 9’s 6.78-inch AMOLED display is breathtaking, and it has the highest refresh rate I’ve ever used on a phone, 165Hz. In some supported games, the refresh rate can get as high as 185Hz when using Asus’ Game Genie feature. It’s crazy that the phone in my pocket has a higher refresh rate than the 144Hz monitor I use with my gaming PC.

It was hard to take my eyes away from the screen most of the time, even for non-gaming-related tasks, like sending a text message, replying to an email, or watching a YouTube video. The screen has a peak brightness of 2,500 nits, and the colors and contrast remained vivid even when I was outdoors with it.

Forget Android 15: Google’s Android 16 in now officially in preview

With many Android handsets still waiting on their Android 15 update, Google is trekking forward with Android 16 Developer Preview 1.

4 The design rocks

The ROG Phone 9 is like no other smartphone

Just on looks alone, the ROG Phone 9 stands out compared to any other smartphone on the market. Next to my Pixel 8a and iPhone 14 Pro, it pops thanks to its AniME Vision mini-LED display on the back of the phone and its crystalized nano-texture glass back cover. Though, I’ll admit this phone is an acquired taste, and if you aren’t into Asus’ ROG design philosophy, you may have a hard time liking its look.

The AniMe Vision display on the back of the phone steals the show for me. The phone has 85 LEDS on the back, and the Asus Armoury Crate app lets you customize how it appears. You can have it display the time, your battery life, or even have it react to specific