Table of Contents
This year’s new ROG Phone has arrived a little bit earlier than normal, but that’s not something we’re going to grumble about. With only the ROG Phone 7 and the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate Edition available, Asus has pared down their portfolio significantly. Both have nearly the same specs, barring for the ROG Vision display on the rear of the Ultimate and its AeroActive Portal for additional cooling, which is only present on the Ultimate.
We’ve already taken a look at the Ultimate model, and now it’s time for the standard ROG Phone 7 to get the review treatment. As a result, you can count on seeing a lot of familiar elements and hearing a few nods to the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate review.
Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Model | ROG Phone 7 Ultimate |
| Display Size | 6.78 inches |
| Display Technology | AMOLED |
| Resolution | Full HD+ (2448 x 1080 pixels) |
| Refresh Rate | 144Hz |
Design and Display
The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is a gaming phone that doesn’t look too much like a gaming phone. There are some accents and logos all over the body, but it doesn’t really scream “gamer.” Some of the pre-set motions on the back display are the worst way that the gamer style shows through.
You may have already noticed that the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate looks a lot like the model from last year. It looks so much like the ROG Phone 6 that older accessories like the holder for the ROG Phone 6 on the Kunai GamePad 3 and the AeroActive Cooler 6 will fit, even though Asus says they aren’t approved. Not that these patterns are bad, but it’s clear that Asus has found its own style.
Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate: Camera
This phone is for playing games, so it’s not great at taking pictures. The main 50Mp camera is a Sony IMX766, which will also be in the 2021 Oppo Find X3 Pro. It’s not a bad sensor by any means, but the fact that it’s been around for two years shows that Asus cut some corners here. During the day, it takes great photos that are clear and have a lot of detail. It also has a good night mode that helps photos taken in low light stay in focus and brighter.
Zoo lets you get 2x pictures without losing quality, but there is no optical zoom lens. The 13Mp ultra-wide lens is less impressive. It still gets good detail in the middle of the frame, but it stretches the picture out at the edges. The 8Mp closeup camera helped me see how dirty my MacBook keyboard was, but if I got closer than 4cm, the picture got distorted. You can buy this phone from its official website
Software and Performance
Each year, Asus has a knack for putting its ROG phones in wacky packaging. This year, the heart-shaped box may be opened and closed with the help of a magnetic flap. When you lay this flap flat, you’ll find a place to set down your phone and some controls beneath it. The onboarding procedure will instruct you to set your phone on this cardboard flap in order to activate the remote controls.
We think it’s a great approach to teach and entertain people about the ROG Phone’s special software features, which is the whole point of the procedure. In order to get consumers to know about Armoury Crate, Asus’s gaming software, they make them pretend to launch a rocket when setting up the phone.
Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate: Battery life
All of this year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 devices share an exceptional battery life. The battery drains more quickly than expected when using X-Mode with the AeroActive Cooler plugged in, but it’s still manageable. Due to my high consumption, we usually get at least five or six hours of screen time every day. The included 65W USB-PD-compliant charger means you can charge other devices at full speed when plugged into the wall outlet.
Price and availability
It costs £1,199 or €1,399 for the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. You can buy it from Asus directly. Price and availability in the US haven’t been mentioned yet. This makes it, along with the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate from last year, the most expensive game phone you can buy. In April 2023, Asus also released a regular ROG Phone 7 for £999/€1,199, which we have not tried. At the same price, the iPhone 14 Pro Max only has 128GB of storage, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra costs £50 more and has 256GB.
Final Words
The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is a good phone in terms of speed, and it has a great screen and great sound. But since other top-of-the-line phones can also play the latest games, look great, and have better cameras, it’s hard to recommend the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. The AeroActive Portal, which is the coolest thing about it, is locked behind an extra accessory that we found more annoying than helpful. So, what does the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate have to offer? A good phone, but it’s too expensive and can’t keep up with phones that are better all around.
Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate review: The good and The bad
The Good
- Bold unique design
- Fan accessory in box
The Bad
- Huge
FAQS
The Asus ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate have a 6.78-inch AMOLED screen with a frame rate of 165Hz. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform with 3.2 GHz and the Qualcomm Adreno 740 GPU are what power the two game phones.
The ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is built like a tank, but can it handle being beaten up JerryRigEverything put the ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate through a reliability test, and it passed. Like the ROG Phone 5 and ROG Phone 6, the phone doesn’t break in half.