The Asus ROG Phone 3 is the gaming centric phone line up from Asus. Like its predecessor ROG Phone 2, the ROG Phone 3 is also the spec king. It is packed with flagship grade specifications and some unique features that you won’t find in any other device. The presence of Air Trigger makes gaming a more fun and immersive experience.
Specifications
The ROG phone line-ups have always been the spec kings in the industry. The ROG Phone 3 also has a very impressive hardware specification.
| Key Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.6-inch 1080p with 144 Hz Refresh Rate |
| Camera | 64 MP Primary Camera 13 MP Ultrawide Camera 5 MP Macro Camera 24 MP Front Camera |
| Processor | Snapdragon 865+ clocked at 3.1 GHz |
| RAM | 8GB / 12GB / 16GB |
| Storage | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB |
| Operating System | ROG UI based on Android 10 |
The Asus ROG Phone 3 is powered by the Snapdragon 865+ clocked at 3.1 GHz. As this is a gaming device, higher clock speed means higher processing rate and a lag free experience. The device also has up to 16GB of RAM that can handle the heaviest of application with ease. The storage is uses UFS 3.1 which is the latest and offers better read/write speed compared to UFS 3.0 that can be seen on most other flagships. The phone has a massive 6000 mAh battery that will easily last for 2 days with moderate usage and can survive a day with gaming even with display set to 144 Hz. The Asus ROG Phone 3 supports 30W fast charging which might seem less compared to 65W and 120W offered by other brands. But as you know, fast chargers provide charging boost up to 70% of battery capacity and then they switch back to normal mode, so, with this huge battery, even 70% of fast charging will give you almost 5000mAh of charge that will easily last for a day.
Design and Form Factor
The Asus ROG Phone 3 comes with a unique design that stands out from the rest. From the initial launch in 2018, the ROG phone has maintained its cool design that will appeal more to gamers. The Asus ROG Phone 3 is a glass metal sandwich like most other flagship devices. The design has been toned down a bit compared to the Asus ROG Phone 2 but they have still maintained the unique RGB logo at the back. There is also a triple camera setup with a camera bump. The back also has a heat sink that’s again unique to this device. On the right side of the device (which will be the top in landscape mode) is the power button and volume rockers. There are also pressure sensitive “Air Triggers” that can be used for gaming. Asus claims a more precise and accurate Air Trigger on the ROG Phone 3. On the bottom we have the USB Type-C port. There is not headphone jack on this device. On the left side we have an additional Type-C port that can be used to interface gaming accessories. On the front we have a 6.6-inch display with a chin as well as a forehead. There are no notches or punch holes for the camera. The selfie camera and the other sensors rest on the forehead. There are also stereo speakers on the top and bottom of the display which have good stereo separation and are the loudest you can find on an android device. There is not official IP rating for water and dust resistance and no wireless charging available on this device.
Display and Sound
The Asus ROG Phone 3 has a 6.6-inch display with a resolution of 1080p. The AMOLED panel has a max refresh rate of 144 Hz. The display can be set to 60/90/120/144 Hz from the settings or can be set to auto mode where the phone will adjust the refresh rate according to the content. One noticeable thing here is that the massive 6000mAh battery and the absence of a Quad-HD displays means that the phone can be set to 144 Hz and still won’t drain out much battery. Even with 144 Hz refresh rate, you can end the day with more than 40% battery with moderate usage.
The Asus ROG Phone 3 has 2 front firing speakers which provide good stereo separation. The speakers have good audio quality and are the loudest that you can find in any Android phone. Asus has also added some software optimizations to enhance the bass and provide more punchier sound. Sadly, there is no headphone jack which is expected in a gaming phone as most gamers prefer wired headphones for a lag free audio. Asus has bundled an adapter dongle to connect wired headphone via the Type C port.
The large 1080p AMOLED panel with no distractions like notches or punch-holes along with good audio output makes media consumption on this phone a delight.
Camera
The Asus ROG Phone 3 has a triple camera setup with a 64-megapixel primary shooter with f/1.8 aperture along with a 13 Megapixel ultrawide camera with a 125-degree field of view. There is also a 5-megapixel macro camera. The primary camera performs well in outdoor conditions with good lighting. The pictures are crisp with punchy colours and details. However, the HDR performance on the camera is not very good and the dynamic range is average. The ultrawide camera has a 125 Degree field of view which is very wide as generally cameras have 110 degrees. The pictures are average without much details. The macro camera does its job well but most people wont use it much. The pictures from both the ultrawide and macro cameras look soft without much sharpness. As expected, the phone is more focused on the gaming aspects and packs an average camera setup which lacks good image processing software.
Overall Experience
The Asus ROG Phone 3 is a gaming phone. Every aspect of this phone is tuned to support a good gaming experience and it does make gaming a lot more fun. The presence of high-end hardware components means it can fly through everyday tasks with ease. The phone has a massive battery that can get you through a couple of days if you are an average smartphone user. Asus has maintained the same form factor as the ROG Phone 2, so any gaming accessory that works with the ROG Phone 2 will be compatible with this one also.
On the software front this phone falls behind a bit. The ASUS UI is not as polished as the Oxygen OS or the One UI. It does have a lot of small features here and there but suffers from glitches and occasional stutters. The cameras are average and the image processing is not very good so pictures turn out decent but not as exceptional as you may expect from a 64-megapixel sensor. There is no IP rating or wireless charging support which are commonly found in other flagships at this price point.
You should go for this device if you are a gamer and it will be surely worth your money.
Image Credits : Asus