Asus ROG Phone 6 and ROG Phone 6 Pro: style and power to spare

If the first ROG smartphones embraced the gaming aesthetic without holding back aggressive lines, LEDs or even a color scheme consisting of black and red, things have changed today. The company seems to be moving away from its IT division, by delivering smartphones that are “softer” on the eye this year. If the gaming spirit is still present, this ROG Phone 6 is more inspired by aerospace – although their appearance also reminds us of Japanese animation and “mechas”. An aesthetic displayed even in the box, which might make you think of a space capsule. On the back, the Asian firm renews its ROG Vision, an Oled screen that allows you to display various information that can be configured from a specific menu. The photo island, which contains three modules, also changes style. Finally, as a good gaming smartphone, the new ROGs come with triggers. The latter, called AirTriggers, are tactile.

A refined design and a smooth screen

In terms of photography, Asus has abandoned the main 64-megapixel module this year in favor of Sony’s IMX766, which means 50 megapixels. On the other hand, the 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle modules as well as the 5-megapixel macro module are maintained. On the front, it is a 24 megapixel module that rules.

At the screen level, the ROG Phone 6 series remains the same size as the 5S Pro. There is a 6.78-inch AMOLED panel with a touch sampling rate of 720 Hz, but above all an adaptive refresh rate of up to 165 Hz. Asus indicates a touch latency of 23 ms – one of the lowest on the market –, which we did not fail to verify in our laboratories. Obviously, the display is compatible with HDR10+. A screen that is both perfect for gaming, but also for watching content.

Power over controls

As is often the case, ROG smartphones are the first models to be released during the summer, which usually coincides with the announcement of new high-end chips from Qualcomm. So, these two new ROG Phone 6 are the first mobiles to incorporate the American’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 platform. In the classic version, the chip is paired with 12 or 16 GB of RAM, while in the Pro model, 18 GB of RAM is allocated. Suffice it to say that Asus is out of the loop this year, offering power monsters capable of keeping up, no matter what you throw at them.

And no matter how powerful a smartphone is, it’s worthless without decent battery life. This is why Asus continues and signs with the large 6000 mAh battery that has provided models in the range since ROG Phone 2. An autonomy that promises to be consistent, even as much as the previous version. For charging, the company takes its 65 W block, which it inaugurated with the ROG Phone 5S Pro in 2021, and indicates that it will take about 42 minutes to recover its full autonomy.

Controlled heating

The fact of including a large battery as well as the most powerful chip on the market can lead to unpleasant heating of the smartphone. To remedy this possible problem, the 6000 mAh battery is split into two 3000 mAh accumulators positioned on the right and left of the smartphone. The SoC is also placed right in the middle of the ROG Phone 6, which means that in theory, your fingers will never be out of place during gaming sessions. Heat dissipation is greatly improved with 80% larger graphene sheets and a 30% larger steam chamber compared to the brand’s previous model. Boron nitride is also used for short-term cooling of the ROG Phone 6. Asus indicates that thanks to all this, chip heating can be reduced by up to 10°C, which is not negligible.

And just in case the indoor method isn’t enough, the Taiwanese company is also releasing a new version of its fan, the AeroActive Cooler. The latter is more impressive than its elder, and it is not without reason. Powered by artificial intelligence, it offers a fairly significant reduction in heat released, which can be up to 25°C lower. Asus recommends it for gaming sessions longer than an hour. As such, the AeroActive Cooler manages to analyze the heating of the smartphone when it is connected to it. It thus adapts its cooling power by using the principle of thermoelectricity and based on the components of the Peltier effect. The heat released is thus moved by electric current. A function that we can also find in… a cooler. In addition, the Asus accessory has a humidity sensor.

Price and availability

The basic ROG Phone 6, in its 12 + 256 GB version, will be launched at 1029 €. For 16 GB and the double storage side, it will cost 1149 €. The Pro version of the smartphone, equipped with 18 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage, will be launched at 1329 €. The first two ROG Phone 6 will go on sale at the end of July, while the ROG Phone 6 Pro will go on sale from mid-August.

A pre-order offer will be offered from the announcement (July 5) to August 7. For any order of one of the two smartphones, Asus will offer the AeroActive Cooler 6, the famous fan, offered for sale at a price of 89 €.