ROG Phone 2 First Impressions

Where do I even start with this phone? It's actually my first time experiencing the ROG Phone so having the ROG Phone 2 without trying out the first one would kind of leave me clueless on what to expect. So what is the ROG phone? Well, to put it simply, the ROG Phone (stands for Republic of Gamers) is an android gaming smartphone made by ASUS. First introduced at the Computex computer expo in June 2018, this ASUS smartphone is the first one made which is targetted mainly for gamers. Now, officially launching the ROG Phone 2 in the Philippines, there are some notable improvements from the first one and also some cool new features that will surely excite mobile gamers.

If you see my previous post here. You'll see that the ROG Phone 2 revolutionizers mobile gaming AGAIN with the world's first Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus, best mobile gaming display with 120hz/1ms AMOLED display and its monster 6000mAh battery capacity! (mind blown)

(L-R): Leoren Violan, ASUS Philippines Gaming Product Marketer, George Su, ASUS Philippines Country Manager,
and Lenny Lin, ASUS Philippines Gaming Business Development Manager

Feels

I mean, looking at the size, you can see that it's huge. My hands even look small holding this ROG Phone 2. The 6.59-inch immersive screen display when you play games or even YouTube videos pulls you into whatever you're watching. 

The weight of it is around 240g. I mean it's not too heavy but you can definitely feel it there. Heavier than most phones, the body is also built in a plastic-type of material with a gloss finish that has a premium feel to it.

At the back, you'll also notice the ROG Aerodynamic System. It's actually a cooling system. Newly designed 3D vapor chamber that's even more effective at removing heat from the phone during full-speed operation. This is the second-generation GameCool II in the ROG Phone II.

If you explore the body of the ROG Phone 2 more, you can see that each button, ports, and slots are strategically placed and well thought of to give you the best mobile gaming experience. Subtlely place, you can feel the AirTrigger II ultrasonic sensors. Now upgraded this will definitely up every gamer's game. Dual Surrounding Vibration technology and powerful dual front-facing stereo speakers are positioned at the top and bottom of the phone for perfect stereo imaging in landscape mode.

There's also a side-mount connector, a 3.5mm jack, and a USB-C where you can install the AeroActive Cooler II which comes with the box. It provides an extra cooling boost to sustain maximum performance. In the app, you can actually control up to 4 fan speed and setup color and light effects. The ROG Aero Case also comes in the box so at least you have a bit of protection for your ROG device. Nice that the AeroActive Cooler II can be installed even when the Aero case is installed.

Of course, the device wouldn't be all worth it if it doesn't have enough juice in 'em right? So they gave the ASUS ROG Phone 2 with a monster 6000mAh for non-stop gaming power anywhere. It comes with a 30W charger and with the ROG HyperCharge direct-charging technology giving the ROG Phone 2 shorter and safer charge times.

Camera

If you look at the camera, it's not your usual shape or form. You can see that it stands out with its edges. It sports 48MP + 13MP (125 degree ultrawide angle) while the front camera sports 24MP.

Here are some sample shots.

I personally think that the camera performs nicely. Nice colors and contrast. Even the selfie shot isn't so bad. I will try to take more shots of it on my next post for your reference.

Performance

Alright, here we go. This is why this phone is built, for mobile gaming to the next level. The Updated AirTrigger II is definitely something. its technology provides extra-precise ultrasonic touch controls with a vibration latency of just 20ms. Now supporting both tap and slide motions. What's noticeable is also the Dual Surrounding VIbrations technology that creates a powerful 3D force-feedback experience.

Now, remember the unique side-mounted USB-C charging port and 3.5mm audio jack? Well, it wasn't a coincidence but the team of ROG thought of putting it there so that the user can keep their phone topped up and their headphones plugged in without ruining their game during their marathon series. Not to mention combining it with the dual front-facing speakers! The ROG Phone 2 also has groundbreaking multi-antenna WiFi that delivers maximum landscape-mode performance. ROG Phone 2 also supports Qualcomm® aptX™, aptX HD and aptX Adaptive for low-latency high-quality audio over Bluetooth connections.

The ROG Phone II has the world's first 120Hz/1ms AMOLED HDR Delta-E < 1 display. Amazing color accuracy and unrivaled touch latency for gaming edge! The images & video on the 6.59-inch screen on that phone delivers a fluid, blur-free gaming and entertainment!

Thoughts

Truly the ROG Phone II is the next evolution of mobile gaming. Never have I seen a device that give us enough power to perform our best on the games that we play. Having the world's fastest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus under its hood makes a lot of difference. Not to mention 12GB RAM giving a full-speed performance and the 6000mAh battery gives us enough juice to get our game-on for the whole day.

So far I'm loving the ASUS ROG Phone II and using it as my main phone. I've downloaded some more games and will be pushing its performance. 

Now if you ask my initial impressions on the ROG Phone II, I would have to say that the Asus ROG Phone II is the ultimate gaming smartphone for 2019. Watch out for the next full review on this phone.