Asus ROG Phone 3

The Asus ROG Phone 3 is a gaming phone from Asus' ROG family. That means the latest specifications, the best screen and the best multimedia features. It also means a high price tag. Whether that is justified is something we have to find out here.

Gaming phone pur sang

What's a gaming phone? Of course one with the latest and most powerful processor but more phones have that. Asus as a manufacturer of gaming PC's, monitors and graphics cards has a lot of experience. And the fact that this ROG Phone 3 is part of the Republic Of Gamers subbrand says something, of course. The third generation ROG Phone features an even smoother screen, improved cooling, AirTrigger 3 and modular accessories.

Accurate display

Starting with the screen. It now has a maximum refresh rate of 144Hz with only 1ms delay. Because of this, movements look extremely fluent. The 6.59-inch AMOLED panel is calibrated to correctly display HDR10+ content so colours look true. Speakers are located on either side of the screen so the sound literally flies around your ears. The sound is tuned with the help of Dirac specialists. Even with wireless earbuds in, the sound is good thanks to aptX support. Wired plugging in is not available this year due to the lack of a 3.5mm headphone input.

Main Asus ROG Phone 3 specifications

• Overclocked Snapdragon 865(+) processor at 3.1 GHz with active cooling
• Accurate 6,59 inch large AMOLED display with 144Hz refresh rate
• Many gaming features including ROG connect & Game Genie
• Aura RGB backlighting
• Forward facing stereo speakers with Dirac-sound
• 6000 mAh large battery with 30W fast charging
• AirTrigger 3 motion sensor for console-like operation
• 64+13+5MP camera with ultra-wide-angle and macro
• 24MP selfie camera with 27mm focal length

Active cooling

To keep the ROG Phone 3 cool during intensive gaming there is a new cooling system. Heat from the overclocked Snapdragon 865+ is transferred via a layer of graphite to a vapour chamber. Thru a 6x larger heat sink than before and fans on the back the Phone 3 literally blows heat out. If all this is not enough you can use the AeroActive Cooler 3. It clicks on the back of your device and cools it with another 4°C by blowing ambient air on the most critical components. All in order to achieve the highest possible performance, lose no frames and ultimately walk away a winner. The AeroActive Cooler 3 comes standard in the box, along with an Aero case and a USB-C to 3.5mm adaptor.

ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition

Let's not forget that the ROG Phone 3 is also just another phone. One with Android 10 out of the box, 64+13+5MP camera system with 125° ultra-wide-angle, macro and 8K video, 24MP selfie camera, 5G support and a thick 6000 mAh battery. The latter can be charged up to 30W fast via the included USB charger. There are a number of variants of the Phone 3 in circulation. One with 12GB of RAM memory and one with 16GB. Both come with 512GB of storage memory. There is also a slightly simpler version with 8GB of RAM memory and 256GB of storage; the ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition. Its processor is also different; a Snapdragon 865 instead of the 865+. That is reflected in the price, if you can find one at least because its availability is sometimes difficult.

Pro and cons Asus ROG Phone 3

• Overclocked processor
• Smooth 144Hz screen
• AirTrigger 3 controls
• Large 6000mAh battery

• With 240 grammes a little bit heavy