A Modular Megadevice By Gamers, For Gamers

We’re in an interesting phase for smartphones when it comes to gaming credentials – massive titles like Call of Duty, Pokemon and Mario Kart have mobile iterations which are every bit as popular and playable as their console counterparts.

The ROG Phone 2 comes through with frankly ridiculous specs, promising to turbo-charge mobile gaming experiences with additional accessories – much like its desktop brethren.

Does the ROG Phone 2 have what it takes to dominate sleek multi-purpose smartphones by putting gaming front and centre?

Let’s find out.

Design

In a word, striking. 

This device wears its Republic of Gamers branding front-and-centre, with a reflective colour-changing rear complete with light-up ROG logo, which can be customised to flash in unique ways based on status and alerts.

The decision to attack the ROG Phone 2 with a barrage of USB-C ports – one of the bottom, and two adjacent on the left side – is the first telltale sign that this device is the gateway to an entire ecosystem of add-ons and Asus accessories.

The front gives way to a crisp and expansive 6.6-inch AMOLED display, coated in Gorilla Glass 6 for protection. 

Even more impressive is the decision to go for an HDR 10 capable, 120Hz display – making the custom ROG menus, optimised games including Asphalt 9 and its general user interface both visually arresting and buttery smooth.

HDR support means Netflix looks lush with deep blacks and vivid colours, whilst faster frame-rate YouTube videos are deftly handled.

ROG UI is definitely in keeping with the ‘hardcore gamer’ aesthetic but can be decidedly toned down to make for an attractive device in daily use.

Booming stereo sound is supplied by a pair of front-facing speakers, complete with support for DTS:X Ultra, Hi-Res Audio, and DTSX 7.1-channel surround sound. 

They’ve also kept on the 3.5mm audio jack if you’re not brave enough to leap to a wireless audio world. 

The bronze accents, angular lines and strong styling are definitely at odds with the procession of identical black monoliths from major manufacturers, so the ROG Phone 2 has to be praised for owning its gaming credentials and placing them front and centre.

In this phone’s case, these aren’t for show – vents on the cover dissipate heat, whilst a copper heat sink allows for the phone to not run hot…which means more time to game! 

As mentioned, this phone is SERIOUS business when it comes to play. 

On that point, the experience of gaming – optionally managed through its dedicated portal dubbed the ‘Armoury Crate’- is equally as intense as the device looks.

With colourful menu graphics straight out of an e-sports live stream, this area does everything from showing CPU and GPU temperatures to serving as a unique way to access your gaming library – it’s impressive in its over-the-top splendour.

This is also where you can turn on…X Mode.

X Mode is a dedicated option to optimise your gaming experience, throwing out the extraneous abilities like making and receiving phone calls or getting text alerts to be able to turbo-charge your device and go for the win. 

There’s a dizzying degree of customisation and overclocking functionality out of the box, which can make the difference during your playtime.

There’s also a novel solution to the age-old issue of a lack of physical keys with a customisable feature named ‘Air Triggers’. 

Nestled on the top of the phone is a pair of sensors which you can set to various actions in a title – weapon changing in PUBG, for example – effectively offering a pair of highly-responsive virtual shoulder buttons, an essential feature for getting the drop on an opponent.

They can equally be used akin to the ‘squeezing’ functionality you’d find on a Pixel 4 to bring up Google Assistant, giving a practical purpose in addition to it being tied to gameplay.

The above just outlines the degree to which the ROG Phone 2 has an inexhaustible array of features, functions and tweaks to make it decidedly the ultimate gamer’s phone. But does that compromise the phone part in doing so?

Size and Weight

Once again, the ROG Phone 2 is built for the long haul, tipping the scales at a hefty 240g – some 15g heavier than the portliest iPhone 11 Pro Max. 

Its 171mm x 77.6mm x 9.5mm frame is sizable, making for good heft when gripping the device – the bronze forehead and chin making for great purchase for the hands without blocking the display. 

An 80.3% screen-to-body ratio seems unheard of in this era of slender-phones with protruding camera sensors, but the ROG Phone 2 does carry those few extra grams for good reason – a fantastic battery…

 

Battery

6000mAh. Let that sink in. This means a real two full days of incredibly heavy use – calls, WhatsApp, gaming and multiple hours of streaming music – and you might have barely made a 50% dent in its lifespan over 24 hours. 

Even at a time when every manufacturer focussed on – and delivering – better battery life, a phone you can bring out with not even the tiniest fear of running out of juice for days at a time is a revelation.

In the unlikely event that you do, fast charging via Quick Charge 4.0 support means that a full charge takes around 90 minutes to two hours. For 48 hours running time, that’s still rapid.

A small, yet meaningful price is paid with that extra weight, but I think it’s worth it for the peace of mind such a massive battery brings with it.

 

Camera

Okay – this is one area where cracks start to show. The dual-lens camera sings on paper with a 48MP main effort packing laser auto-focus and HDR support, whilst a 13MP ultrawide snapper offers supporting duties.

But a woefully slow shutter speed means that taking any photo is a rather hit-and-miss affair, moving shots tend to come out both blurry and oversaturated, whilst night images are noisy and lack clarity. 

In an age where mobile phones are delivering beautiful and arresting images to rival dedicated cameras, being so far behind in the photography stakes is a bit of a stumbling block for the ROG Phone 2.

 

Price 

In the spirit of smartphones delivering a premium experience, the ROG Phone 2 certainly falls in that bracket with an RRP of £830.

That’s before getting those serious accessories, from fans to grips to all manner of add-ons, you could easily stray into four-figure territory for the ultimate portable gaming experience.

If games are your life, then the ROG Phone 2 is a powerhouse without equal nor compromise…but also without the restraint to make it as great a smartphone as it is a gaming phone.

The camera leaves quite a lot to desire and the design won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but with that Snapdragon 855 processor, clever customisation throughout and a beautiful screen, the ROG Phone 2 is the apex predator of gaming phones.