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Asus ROG II Smartphone Has Some Insanely High-End Specs

You might call Asus's latest attempt to produce a gaming-focused smartphone overkill, but the device is designed to appeal to hardcore gamers looking for the best performance.

 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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Asus's newest smartphone, the ROG II, has almost every high-end spec you can imagine, from a 120Hz AMOLED screen and Qualcomm's newest Snapdragon 855 Plus processor to 12GB of RAM and two USB-C ports.

You might call Asus's latest attempt to produce a gaming-focused smartphone overkill, but the device is designed to appeal to hardcore gamers looking for the best performance. "The ROG Phone II incorporates everything we've learned from our first foray into high-end gaming phones and then some to create another pocketable gaming powerhouse," the company said in today's announcement.

ASUS ROG 2

That first foray was pretty impressive, but the second-gen model takes the specs up a notch. The result is an even bigger device, which boasts a 6.59-inch screen and weighs in at over half a pound.

The new model also addresses two gripes we had with the first ROG phone: poor battery life and the odd, off-center placement of the rear fingerprint sensor. You're now getting a 6000mAh battery over last year's 4,000mAh capacity, and a fingerprint sensor conveniently embedded under the phone's screen.

Asus also thought having one USB-C port wasn't enough, so it added second one, which supports DisplayPort 1.4 and USB 3.1 Gen 2 connections. There's also a third Asus proprietary port, which can connect to the company's accessories, including its gaming pad, desktop docking station, and a fan cooler.

ASUS ROG 2

Other specs include the 12GB LPDDR4X RAM, either 128GB of storage or 512GB UFS 3.0 flash storage, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. In the back of the phone is a dual-lens 48MP and 13MP camera system.

However, the ROG II doesn't have every cutting-edge smartphone feature. For instance, you won't find an edge-to-edge screen here. Instead, the product sports bezels on the top and bottom of the screen to house the twin speakers and a front-facing camera. The bezels also prevent your grip from accidentally interfering with the screen when you game two-handed.

There's no word on price or if the phone will support 5G connections. But you can expect it to be expensive when it arrives in September. The last-generation ROG phone cost $899 unlocked.

About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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