The ASUS ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate are official, with the company having announced the phones on April 13. I’ve spent the last couple of weeks or so using the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate as my daily driver, and if you’d like to see how that panned out you can read about it in my review here.
This is ASUS’s latest and greatest smartphone and it’s an absolutely insane powerhouse of a device. Built around mobile gaming just as all ROG Phones are, complete with the latest specs and features. This post is designed to leave nothing on the table, and tell you all there is to know about the ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate.
Whether you’re considering buying one or not, you’ll know every important detail about this phone. Which might even help you decide if the device is right for you in the first place.
What is the ASUS ROG Phone 7?
It’s ASUS’s latest gaming smartphone. Packed with some of if not the most powerful hardware components of any phone on the market. It’s catered towards gamers, and the features reflect that.
How many models are there?
ASUS has made two models of the device this year. Not too unlike it did with the ROG Phone 6 series. Though it has changed things ever so slightly.
There’s the standard ROG Phone 7 and then the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate which is essentially the Pro model this year. But there’s not really much of a change in terms of specs. The only real difference is the back design. The ROG Phone 7 comes with an RGB ROG Eye logo and the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate replaces that with the ROG Vision display. The Ultimate model also replaces the small light bar that the regular model has with the AeroActive Portal.
There is a chance ASUS will come out with at least one additional model down the line. Officially the company has said it has nothing to share about that at this time. But if it follows last year’s path, we could see something like the ROG Phone 7D.
What are the specs of the ASUS ROG Phone 7?
Usually the specs are different, even if only slightly, on each of the models ASUS ends up launching. But this year, the specs are entirely the same. Right down to storage options. This wasn’t true just a couple generations ago. Where the ROG Phone 5 and ROG Phone 5 Pro had less storage and RAM than the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate.
Here’s what you can look forward to with the ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate:
- Platform (Processor): 3.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- GPU: Qualcomm Adreno 740
- Storage: 512GB of UFS 4.0
- RAM: 16GB LPDDR5X
- OS & UI: Android 13 with ROG UI and Zen UI
- Display: 6.78-inch 1080p (2440 x 1080) 165Hz AMOLED – HDR10+ certified, 720Hz touch sampling rate, 23ms touch latency, peak brightness of 1500 nits, 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
- IP Rating: IP54
- Rear Camera: 50MP Sony IMX766 main sensor, 13MP Ultrawide sensor, 5MP macro sensor
- Front Camera: 32MP OV32 Quad Bayer sensor
- Back Cover: RGB ROG Eye Logo (ROG Phone 7) / ROG Vision Display (ROG Phone 7 Ultimate)
- Speakers: 5-magnet Super Linear front-facing speakers tuned by Dirac
- Battery: Dual 3,000mAh batteries for a total capacity of 6,000mAh
- Charging: 65W
- Colorways: Phantom Black and Storm White (ROG Phone 7) / Storm White (ROG Phone 7 Ultimate)
- Dimensions: 173 x 77 x 10.3 mm
- Weight: 239g
Does the phone have expandable storage?
The phone does not have expandable storage. And while that might seem like a bad thing to those that are used to having it on phones, it’s not really needed. Both models of the device have 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. That’s a lot of storage and most people are going to struggle to fill all that. It’s not impossible to use up all that space, but it’s unlikely many users would run out of all that room.
So in the end, expandable storage would just make the phone cost more. And with 512GB at hand, plus all of the other specs that make the phone cost what it will, expandable storage becomes unnecessary.
When does the phone launch?
ASUS hasn’t confirmed a US or North America launch date yet. But it did confirm that it will be sometime in Q2. So you’re probably looking at sometime closer to Summer, perhaps in June or July.
What will the phone cost?
This will obviously depend on which model you go with. The ROG Phone 7 will start at $999. ASUS hasn’t confirmed US or North America pricing on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate at this time. But with the $999 baseline price for the standard model, the Ultimate is probably going to be somewhere around the realm of $100 to $300 more. This is partially because of the ROG Vision display and the AeroActive Portal, and partially because it comes with the AeroActive Cooler 7 attachment.
This accessory is optional on the ROG Phone 7 and does not come in the box. Everything else about the two phone models is the same. All of that said, the ROG Phone 6 Pro from last year was $1,299. It’s possible ASUS could keep this price point for the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate this year.
Will the ASUS ROG Phone 7 work on all networks?
In the US it will work on AT&T and T-Mobile. This also means it will work with services like Google Fi. It will not work on Verizon. You’ll need to check the networks in your region to see if the phone is compatible. It’s also worth noting that you may need to do some tweaking to get it working on AT&T. This had to be done with the ROG Phone 6 Pro, which initially worked but then stopped working after a few months.
Are there any accessories for the device this year?
There are a few accessories, but there are technically less than what was available for last year’s models and previous years. There’s no new version of the ROG Kunai gamepad this year. At least not right now. You’ll get a slim shell case in the box with both phones.
And then there’s the AeroActive Cooler 7 as an optional accessory if you don’t have the Ultimate model, which it comes in the box with. Other optional accessories include a tempered glass screen protector and drop protection case from DevilCase which will fit both phones.
And that’s basically it. Keep in mind that if you want a controller, the ROG Kunai 3 will work with this new phone and function as it should. However, it does not quite fit properly since it wasn’t designed for this new phone. You could also use something like the Razer Kishi V2 which is our personal favorite mobile controller.
And as for headphones, there’s loads of options both new and old.
Does the ROG Phone 7 have a 3.5mm audio port?
It does have this port and it’s in the same spot as it’s been on every ROG Phone model over the years. The phone also still comes with the bottom and side-facing USB-C ports. And if you’re using the AeroActive Cooler 7, there’s a 3.5mm audio port on the bottom of that so you can plug your wired headphones into it instead of plugging them into the port on the phone itself. This way the cord for your headphones is facing downwards instead of coming out of the side of the phone while you’re holding it in landscape mode playing games.
Are the AirTriggers still present?
The AirTriggers are still there and honestly, these will likely never go anywhere. It’s been a signature feature of the ROG Phone since the beginning and they work so amazingly well now with all of the ways you can interact with them.
Don’t expect ASUS to ever cut these from the device feature list.
Has the camera improved?
Kind of? This is really a yes and no answer. The sensor for the main camera that ASUS is using in the ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is the same sensor that was used in the ROG Phone 6 series. But it does come with a few new features for pictures and video recording.
So while the hardware isn’t different, the new features can enhance the experience of using the camera, and the software feels like it’s improved. The photos might look better to you. That being said, the camera is still the same camera. So the experience will be pretty similar.
Overall the photos on the ROG Phone 7 series are just fine. The phone takes decent pictures and you aren’t really buying this phone for the camera quality anyway. ASUS knows this and continues to choose to focus on the gaming-centric features. If you end up buying one of these devices, just go into the purchase knowing that the camera won’t be as good as something like the Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy flagships. And you’ll be a happy camper.
Is the cooling better than last year?
The cooling is definitely better and has noticeably improved. So much so that in my review I mention that I don’t think the AeroActive Cooler 7 is needed. You can comfortably game on the device for a few hours without the phone getting excessively warm. And this is mostly thanks to the improved vapor chamber compared to last year.
This is a big step up for gaming on the go and it means you can easily leave the AeroActive Cooler 7 at home if you just don’t want to pack it or if you don’t have room.
Although, there are still definite benefits to using the cooler attachment. For one, it drops the temps of your device by a significant amount. And that will help with performance by helping to prevent things like frame rate dips. It also has a built-in subwoofer for enhanced audio. While I wouldn’t call this a true subwoofer, it definitely improves the lows in the audio levels and the sound of your games is noticeably improved.
Plus it has a built-in kickstand if you want to play with a Bluetooth controller.