In this market, gaming phones are becoming more saturated, especially in an Asian country like Malaysia. You have, of course, the ASUS ROG, Red Magic, and Black Shark, as well as some other brands that are also promoting gaming features on their non-gaming phones. But are the consumers feeling burnt out yet?
Well, with the overwhelming response of the recently launched ROG Ally, we think not. The ROG Phone series also remains the market leader in the gaming phone race. And in this review, we tested the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. Read on below to check out all its pros and cons.
Design - More or less the same
Over the years, the ROG Phone series hasn't strayed too far from its original design. At most, it would have more RGB lighting and some extra cool aesthetics here and there. But with the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, we got used to its large body build and quite like what it has to offer. By the way, the Ultimate edition is only in white.
The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate in Matte White
A mini flap that can open
The ports on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate
Weighing 239g, the ultimate in the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is for a good reason. It has a port to fit in the new AeroActive Cooler 7, which isn't compatible with its predecessor. It's also IP54 water and dust-resistant, houses a small 2-inch rear ROG Vision OLED screen, and the build quality is excellent. It's worth mentioning that the back doesn't attract any fingerprint smudges.
Just like its predecessor, the rear OLED screen can display several animations. This includes the charging status, incoming calls, activation of X Mode, installation of accessories and when starting up mobile games. You can also create personal animations according to your own creativity, which is a nice touch for the younger crowd.
Tech specs and features - By gamers for gamers
Below is the list of specifications for the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate:
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform
- 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM
- 512GB UFS 4.0 storage
- Measures 173 x 77x 10.4 mm, weighs 239g
- 6.78-inch 165Hz AMOLED Corning Gorilla Glass Victus display
- Triple rear camera - 50MP Sony IMX766 (main) + 13MP (ultrawide) + 5MP (macro)
- Front camera - 32MP
- Features ROG Vision, GameCool 7 thermal system, AeroActive Portal, Dirac Virtuo audio (for headphones), Ray Tracing (via Snapdragon Elite Gaming), AirTrigger Ultrasonic Buttons, IP54 rated
- Support 5G, WiFi 7, 2x2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC connectivity
- 6000mAh battery with 65W HyperCharge
It has a thick bezel at the bottom and top, but that doesn't bother us much since there's no cutout front camera
Having a 165Hz refresh rate on this gaming phone is no surprise. But if you dig deeper, you will find that ASUS has integrated a few high-end technologies for the display. The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate also has a 720Hz touch sampling rate and a Delta-E < 1 colour accuracy for the best visual presentation possible. Moreover, the peak brightness is an insane 1500 nits, so you can view the display outdoors easily. Don't worry about getting your eyes 'fried' in the dark, as it has DC Dimming technology.
Additionally, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate comes with dual front-facing stereo speakers. And they are really loud, but not to the point of getting distorted if the volume is maxed. This is not something new, but it's a nice feature to have, as your palms won't cover the sounds when gaming. However, you won't be able to stop the fan noise if you're on turbo mode.
The AirTrigger
How many of these gestures do you actually use?
Most fancy cooler fan to date
Speaking of the fan, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate comes with the aforementioned AeroActive Cooler 7. Since the ROG Phone series first launched, the cooling fan has always been an essential accessory. And in this latest model, it can be attached to the side of the phone. Also, the cooling fan has been upgraded with four physical buttons that can be set for specific movements. Geez, as if the existing AirTrigger buttons aren't enough.
To control the fan speed, you can do so in the Armoury Crate on the phone. It has four levels, and if you want to get the maximum level (Frosted), you will need to plug in the charger to the cooler because it requires more power. Honestly, we think it's a bit overkill, but we aren't stopping you from using it.
The UI on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate
Very cool to customise your own ROG Vision animation
These are the default ROG Vision animations
Performance - Ulti-mode
Game Genie controls
Armoury Crate
Besides the Armoury Crate, where you can access mobile games and monitor system performance, there's also the Game Genie software. It allows you to disable notifications, adjust refresh rates and set various customisations. Needless to say, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is indeed a powerful device that not only lets you play your favourite games seamlessly. There won't be any heat issue or lag, even after playing for 3-4 hours.
In terms of charging, the 65W HyperCharge is really fast for the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate's huge 6000mAh battery. You only need 30 minutes to charge it to 70%. But do keep in mind there's no wireless charging option. For the camera part, we need to remind you that gaming phones don't really emphasise the photography aspect.
Maxed out on 3DMark Wild Life? That's something you don't see everyday
Great scores on Geekbench 6
On paper, the Sony IMX766 camera is pretty good as the main camera on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. However, that sensor has already been available for two years since the OPPO Find X3 Pro in 2021. So the fact that ASUS is using a relatively old sensor shows the company is not focusing on its camera performance.
We aren't trying to play it down, but the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate still produces clear photos with good details during the day and an alright night mode performance. You can also record videos at 8K@24FPS or 4K at either 60 or 30FPS. Anyway, we shall let the photos speak for themselves below.
Selfie photo
Close-up
The overall photo-taking experience is alright
Ultrawide shot in 0.6x
Normal shot before zooming
2x optical zoom in
8x zoom in
Night shots
Video demo on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate
Conclusion - The perfect gaming phone for hardcore mobile gamers
Undoubtedly, the ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is the best gaming phone to date which is no surprise. It has the best specs in its segment with a great display, large battery capacity and software settings that can be easily set. It also comes with a nice cooling fan, so we think this phone is worth RM4999.
That being said, if you're looking for cheaper options due to budget constraints, you can still check out the Black Shark Pro 5 with a 108MP camera at RM3999. There's also the Red Magic 8 Pro, which has the same chipset but is slightly more affordable at RM4299. The choice is yours.
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