Aimed at the gaming demographics, the Asus ROG phone 6 boasts 18 GB of RAM, a 165 Hz OLED Display, and a powerful Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor. All these features are packed in a very stylish geeky design. We must look closely at what this phone offers to answer that question. In this brief review, we’ll look at:
Asus ROG Phone 6 – An OverviewROG Pro 6 – Geeky but Smart DesignAsus ROG Phone 6 Pro: The Mind-Blowing DisplayAsus ROG Phone 6 Pro: The Air Triggers and HapticsAsus ROG Phone 6 Pro: Power-Packed PerformanceROG 6 Comes With Kicker Accessories ROG 6 PRO Cameras: Good But Not ImpressiveROG 6 OS and UI: Fine-Tuned for GamesROG 6 PRO – Final Verdict
Asus ROG Phone 6 – An Overview
The Asus ROG Phone 6 and Phone 6 Pro are the latest additions to the brand’s flagship phone series. If you ask me, the ROG phone series are not so popular among Android users. This may be because most gaming Phones are not polished for everyday use. But, the ASUS ROG Phone 6 is an exception. It houses the powerful Snapdragon 8 Plus processor, which gives a smooth gaming experience and takes even Samsung’s flagships for a ride. All the same, we wish the camera on this phone could have been better. But, all said and done, the Asus ROG 6 is a wonderful gaming phone at the end of the day. With that out, let us jump right into this phone’s features. By the end of this review, you’ll have a clear idea of what the ROG 6 Pro is all about and if it suits you. Pros: Cons:
ROG Pro 6 – Geeky but Smart Design
The ASUS Phone 6 Pro perfectly balances geeky gaming aesthetics and a stylish flagship look. If you are seen using the phone in public, you will not get weird stares anymore. The phone screams “gamer” without uttering a single word, if you know what I mean. The power button and the SIM tray are mildly accented to induce a tiny bit of gaming aesthetics. The aluminum frame with ROG branding, the contrasting camera module, and the “dare to play” inscribed on the back give the phone a sleek and powerful look. The mini-display on the back can be used to set custom animations or simply as a notification ticker.
Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro: The Mind-Blowing Display
The display on the ROG 6 Pro is simply amazing. It has a – 1200 nits, 165 Hz AMOLED display without any notches or punch-holes. If you ask me, it is pushing the boundaries with its 1440p display resolution. To top it all off, it has a 23 ms touch latency and 1.4 ms touch sampling rate. Wait, but there’s more; The display supports HDR10+ and Pixelworks, which improves your display performance by allowing better tone mapping and refresh rate calibration. Also, the Off-screen gesture recognition is an amazing feature that allows you to draw gestures on your switched-off screen to trigger actions.
Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro: The Air Triggers and Haptics
What makes this phone the ultimate gaming machine? Answer: The ultrasonic “Air Triggers” on the sides of the ROG 6 can be used as a semi-controller in games. Moreover, set custom actions for these triggers throughout the phone and use them as you please. The ROG 6 Pro’s Air Triggers detect the following gestures:
TapDual-partition buttons (tap each side of the button)Swipe acrossSlide across Tap and swipeTap and slide
Finally, Asus seems to have hit the nail when it comes to the haptic feedback with the ROG 6. It simply feels amazing both in games and receiving notifications. Again, balance is the key here; these vibrations are neither too strong nor too faint to be noticed.
Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro: Power-Packed Performance
The ROG 6 Pro houses the all-new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor and a whopping 18 GB of LPDDR5 RAM. What more do you need out of a gaming phone? It comes with ample space of 512 GB of UFS 3.1 Storage. What does all this mean to you, the end-user? You can practically play all games at 60FPS without a stutter. The ROG 6 Pro is the fastest and meanest Android smartphone ever on the market right now The fact that there are two USB-C-type ports on this bad boy is the icing on the cake. The second one on the top side of the phone even supports HDMI and can be used for charging the phone using a power bank or connecting to its accessories.
ROG 6 Comes With Kicker Accessories
Talking about accessories, the ROG phone supports two dedicated gaming accessories: The Kunai GamePad and the AeroActive cooler. Combined with them, the ROG 6 will become a complete gaming monster, giving you a flawless gaming experience. The gamepad allows for complete customization of the controls. It will look and feel like you are playing on a Nintendo Switch. The cooler will ensure that the processor and other electronics remain cool even during heavy-duty gaming.
Cameras: Good But Not Impressive
The ROG 6 Pro has a Sony IMX 766 50 MP primary camera sensor. Although this is a good piece of equipment, it is poorly optimized for the device and yields only above-average results. The other ultra-wide 13 MP f/2.2 and 5 MP f/2 macro cameras also yield decent performance.
ROG 6 OS and UI: Fine-Tuned for Games
Out of the box, the ROG 6 Pro will run on Android 12, but don’t expect any pre-loaded games. But, the entire look and feel of the UI are designed keeping only gaming in mind. By default, you will get a more gamy, techy UI experience with live wallpapers and animations. However, you have the option to switch back to a more stock Android experience if you desire. But, the real kicker is that the phone runs two critical apps: The Armoury Crate and the Game Genie. Armoury Crate is your one-stop solution for all your gaming apps. You can manage your accessories, discover new games and participate in community discussions. Basically, this is a Steam of sorts for mobile gaming. The Game Genie lets you customize anything under the sun inside your phone. For example, you can use it to set custom controller keys, map keys for non-supported games, and tweak it to play games on your TV via the USB-C HDMI cable.
ROG 6 PRO – Final Verdict
You can buy this phone with your eyes closed if its average camera quality doesn’t bother you. The ROG 6 will be the ultimate gaming flagship for at least a year before someone else tries to replace it. If you are an avid gamer, the ROG 6 has everything you need and more. You will never regret the purchase if you are planning to play games heavily on this smartphone. However, a word of caution for casual gamers and normal buyers. You can use the ROG 6 for day-to-day use, and it will definitely exceed your expectations. But, keep in mind that its camera sensor is not optimized and will only yield average-quality photographs. If you expect a flagship-level camera quality out of the ROG 6, you will certainly be disappointed.
