TAIPEI—The new Asus ROG phone is the fastest smartphone in the world, according to the company’s internal benchmark testing.
That claim could turn out to be pretty accurate, if only because this phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 system on a chip (SoC)—itself arguably the fastest smartphone SoC—running at a slightly higher clock speed than all the other phones that use it. But speed isn't everything; here are some of the ROG Phone's other intriguing features.
This article originally appeared on PCMag.com.
Heavily Skinned
The ROG Phone is running a heavily skinned version of Android, with its icons encased in red circles to amplify the gamer aesthetic. Since the phone is designed primarily for gaming, the default orientation of the home screen is horizontal, with a row of apps along the bottom.
AMOLED Display
The display uses a full HD AMOLED panel, which Asus claims is an ideal setup for gaming because of its lightning-fast response time of 1ms, even if the 90Hz refresh rate is below what you’d expect from a desktop or laptop gaming display.
Side Charging Ports
In keeping with the horizontal theme, Asus placed a dedicated port on the side for charging while you're playing games in landscape mode. That way, the charging cable doesn't restrict your movement.
A 'Speed-Binned' Processor
The Snapdragon 845 in the ROG phone runs at 2.96GHz instead of the normal 2.8GHz. It’s not overclocked, but rather Qualcomm has supplied Asus with "speed-binned" versions, meaning that they're manufactured more accurately than otherwise identical chips.
Dealing With the Heat
To deal with extra heat during intense gaming, Asus came up with a snap-on cooling fan, called Aeroactive.
RGB Lighting
When attached, the Aeroactive fan activates its RGB lighting, as you'd expect from a piece of gaming hardware.
Passthrough USB and Audio
The Aeroactive fan also has a passthrough USB-C port and 3.5mm headphone jack for use in landscape mode, since it blocks the side ports on the ROG Phone when it's in use.
Docking on the Desktop
A desktop dock is also an optional accessory, allowing you to connect the ROG phone to a desktop monitor, keyboard, and mouse.
Lots of Ports
It's big and bulky, with lots of ports, including several USB 3.0 Type A ports, HDMI, and Ethernet.
Augmented Reality
The Asus ROG Phone isn't designed for photographers, but its rear-facing camera supports augmented reality (AR) games.
Twin View Dock
Finally, there's an attachment with a second screen that vaguely resembles a Nintendo 3DS. Asus envisions that the Twin View Dock will be used for game streaming, and hopes that developers will also create dual-screen content for their titles.
Behind the Dock
At the rear, the Twin View Dock includes cutouts for the AR cameras so as not to inhibit game functionality.