ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) has announced the new ROG Phone 7 series of gaming smartphones at its “For Those Who Dare” virtual launch event. The phone will launch in Malaysia on the 10th of May 2023 although the price has not been revealed yet.

The ROG Phone 7 series includes the ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate models. This futuristically-styled phone, which sports a new two-tone design, combines the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform with an advanced thermal system and special ROG performance software to deliver a high-quality mobile gaming experience.

Performance

The ROG Phone 7 series is certainly a powerful device. It features the company’s flagship 3.2 GHz Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform, which is 15% faster and 15% more power-efficient than the previous generation. It’s paired with up to 16 GB of 8,533 Mbps LPDDR5X RAM, and 512 GB UFS 4.0 ROM that’s twice as fast as UFS 3.0. It’s suited for Wi-Fi 7 with the Qualcomm FastConnect 7800, supporting ultra-fast 320 MHz channels and Multi-Link operation, with well-built latency performance benefits.

Thanks to Snapdragon Elite Gaming, the ROG Phone 7 also supports real-time hardware-accelerated ray tracing. This means that for supported games, you can enjoy hyper-realistic reflections, particularly on water and metal surfaces.

The smartphone will also feature the Armoury Crate performance manager. A set of options that allow for greater control over performance and settings. 

The Visuals

To keep pace with the action of any game, the ROG Phone 7 series uses a 165 Hz Samsung AMOLED display with a 720 Hz touch-sampling rate and a Delta E <1 color accuracy for superb visuals. They’ve also increased the brightness to 1,500 nits for easier outside viewing. The superb visuals are tuned in collaboration with leading visual-processing company Pixelworks for world-beating color accuracy. 

Additionally, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate features ROG Vision. This is a unique matrix color display on the rear of the phone. This creative feature can showcase awesome animations triggered by system events, such as charging status, incoming calls, X-Mode activation, and more. You can even create your own personalized animations.

Power Efficiency 

To minimize power consumption without compromising performance, the ROG 7 leverages the 15% improvement in power efficiency offered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform, enhanced with the GameCool 7 thermal system to cool the CPU from all directions.

This uses a three-pronged approach. For short sessions, the Boron Nitride (BN) thermal compound on one side of the CPU reduces throttling. Mid-length sessions are taken care of by the bigger vapor chamber and graphite sheets on the other side of the CPU. Lastly, for true marathon LAN-party sessions, the AeroActive Cooler 7, with its fan positioned right over the CPU module, kicks into play for AI-powered active cooling, featuring a Peltier element for extra cooling performance.

AeroActive Cooler 7

In the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, cooling is enhanced even further with the AeroActive Cooler accessory and the coinciding AeroActive Portal Software. This air inlet portal activates automatically when the AeroActive Cooler is attached, directing a constant flow of cool air from the cooler onto the cooling fins of the vapor chamber. This efficiently dispels the heat generated by the SoC, leading to a notable boost in both gaming performance and battery endurance. Furthermore, when the AeroActive Portal is activated, the phone’s thermal efficiency can increase by up to 20%.

The new rapid-cycle vapor chamber in the ROG Phone 7 has been completely redesigned. It’s bigger and uses new technology inside. Instead of the usual pillar-shaped structures, it uses special trident-shaped wick columns on the long edges of the chamber to improve efficiency. Additionally, there are six liquid-return channels that act as highways for water to flow back to the SoC ready for the next thermal cycle. The thermally-efficient graphite sheets in the ROG Phone 7 have also been made bigger and have been reshaped to maximize heat transfer from the mainboard and RF board. 

Finally, the AeroActive Cooler 7 features not only an improved fan with more blades for higher back pressure but also a built-in thermoelectric Peltier cooler for maximum cooling power. The DualCool design ensures that while the rear of the phone is cooled by the Peltier cooler, cooling air is also directed across the phone’s screen for maximum cooling efficiency.

Sound Quality

The twin front-firing 12 x 16 mm speakers of the Smartphone has 50% more effective volume than previously. They are aided by the five-magnet, super-linear 13 x 38 mm sub-woofer in the AeroActive 7 cooler, which enhances bass volume by 77% for unbeatable 2.1 sound in games or movies when the cooler is attached.

Gaming Experience

New software features have been implemented to enhance the phone’s gaming experience further. X Sense helps users to detect key onscreen events, such as when an important new item appears on the map or an enemy is approaching, with a pop-up notification. X Capture is also an AI tool that automatically records memorable moments in the battle, such as beating an enemy or winning the match. If you want to savor that sweet taste of victory, you can now do so in style. 

The AirTrigger ultrasonic controls give gamers unrivaled fingertip control over their games for a console-like experience. They support a wide range of gestures, including Dual Action, Press and Lift, and Gyroscope Aiming. There are also 10 motion controls and an X-axis linear motor that provides powerful haptic feedback. It also enables the superb Vibration Mapping feature, which enhances the touch experience by providing adjustable haptic feedback for virtual on-screen buttons. 

If you’re looking for a device that can be adjusted specifically for your gaming needs, ROG says that this is it.

Specifications