The ASUS ROG Phone has managed to secure a strong place in the smartphone niche aimed at gamers, earning the title of flagship gaming phone king for several consecutive years. To effectively test the ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, I consulted two technology and gaming experts. They acknowledged that this is a very interesting device, but they wouldn’t replace their Xbox for it. The packaging itself is a showcase, highlighting the ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate’s impressive audiovisual capabilities and the functionality of the AirTriggers. This is a clever marketing move that emphasizes the smartphone’s impressive features while drawing attention away from some shortcomings and smoothly bringing users into the ROG community.
However, there are not many differences from the previous model that would make current users rush to embrace the ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. Still, older ROG Phone owners will feel the improvements. Let’s go through everything step by step.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | Details |
| Operating System | Android 13 |
| Display | 6.78-inch AMOLED, 1080 x 2448, ~395 ppi, 165Hz, HDR10+, 1500 nits, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm), 8 cores, Adreno 740 |
| RAM | 16 GB |
| Storage | 512 GB, UFS 4.0, NTFS support |
| Connections | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, Bluetooth 5.3, USB Type-C, NFC, 3.5 mm headphone jack |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC |
| Additional Features | Fingerprint reader, IP54 rating, stereo speakers, 32-bit/384kHz audio |
| Cameras | Rear: 50 MP, 13 MP, 5 MP; Front: 32 MP |
| Battery | Li-Po 6000 mAh, 65W fast charging |
| Dimensions | 173 x 77 x 10.3 mm, 239 g |
| Price | $799 |
Cyborg Aesthetic Dominates the Design
It seems manufacturers agree that gaming smartphones should have a sci-fi or cyborg-inspired design. The ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate has a simpler look on the back, featuring various lines, text, areas and illustrated screws. The back glass has a soft matte finish, smoothly blending with the matte aluminum frame and feels pleasant to touch. However, the size might not suit everyone. This phone is one of the largest flagships this year, being about a centimeter longer than the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. It may not fit in all pockets, but it is perfectly designed for gaming, prioritizing the best experience for gamers over daily usability.
Gaming smartphones often have colorful LEDs on the back. Previously, the ROG Phone featured synchronized lights with other ROG accessories. The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate still has this but now places the colorful LEDs on the cooling fan. A new addition is a 2-inch OLED display on the back. It can notify users of calls and notifications but mainly entertains with retro-style animations, which users can choose from the software. While not practical, this display adds a stylish touch, giving the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate a unique personality.
Another notable feature is the motorized cooling vent on the back. It opens when the cooling fan is connected to release excess warm air. Despite using a small motor and moving parts, it maintains dust and water resistance with an IP54 rating for splash protection. At this price, full protection would be expected, but the current rating is still commendable. The front has Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, while the back uses Gorilla Glass 3, all framed in matte aluminum. On the left, there’s a USB port, magnetic points for ROG accessories and a blue accent for the SIM slot.
On the other side are the power and volume buttons, which could be firmer. They’re surrounded by a textured ROG logo, making it easier to find the AirTriggers touch buttons. While they help gamers, I’d like to see more functionality, like using one button as a camera shutter. The top is empty, with another USB port on the bottom left and a classic 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom right.
Compared to regular flagships, the design feels bulky and clumsy. However, this is a niche device designed for specific needs. It’s comfortable to hold horizontally, which gamers will appreciate. Good job! Still, the body shape hasn’t changed since the ROG Phone 5 and is starting to look outdated.
Screen Suitable for Gaming
First, the screen has a large chin and forehead, which makes it look a bit outdated. ASUS’s thick bezel has its benefits, It hides the front-facing speakers and provides grip areas to avoid accidental touches during gaming. This design ensures an uninterrupted screen experience, with no distractions or cutouts—just clear content.
The display is good but feels like it has been outperformed by competitors. With a resolution of 1080 x 2448, the screen delivers sharp images while optimizing performance and battery life. It can register touches at 720Hz, so gaming relies on finger speed for accurate input. The 165Hz refresh rate is impressive, but not all games support it and very few apps take advantage of this speed. Other brands now use LTPO displays that can lower refresh rates to 1Hz for static images, saving battery life. Fortunately, the software adjusts refresh rates for different games and users can choose from 60Hz, 90Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz or 165Hz. This year, brightness goes up to 1500 nits, but that’s mainly for HDR content. Unfortunately, competitors handle bright sunlight better. Still, indoors, the image quality is excellent, with great contrast, viewing angles and well-calibrated colors.
The software provides many customization options. Users can change color profiles, adjust settings, modify refresh rates and enable the always-on display. There’s also a notification LED above the screen that can be turned off if it’s distracting, but it adds a nice touch.
Quick Unlocking
There’s nothing new to say here: ASUS uses fast face unlock and a very good optical fingerprint reader under the screen. The first method depends on ambient light and isn’t considered biometrically secure, so I’ll focus on the second. The fingerprint reader is quick, reliable and recognizes a finger 9 times out of 10. I like its placement; it’s easy to reach and comfortable for both right- and left-handed users. Great job!
Some of the Best Speakers in the Industry
For gaming smartphones, a good screen is just one part; sound matters too. ASUS knows this well. The thick top and bottom of the screen hold two front-facing speakers. This design keeps your hands from blocking the sound while you play and the speakers direct sound toward you, creating a rich audio experience. Sony is the only other brand with a similar feature. The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate has two powerful 12 x 16 mm speakers that deliver loud, high-quality sound. It can fill a medium-sized room without needing a wireless speaker. The bass is strong and can be boosted with the cooler that comes with it, which has a built-in 13 x 38 mm subwoofer. With software tuned by Swedish audio expert Dirac, the audio experience is truly impressive!
The audio features go even further. The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate also has a 3.5 mm headphone jack, making ASUS and Sony some of the last brands to include this in flagship phones. ASUS supports high-resolution headphones for better sound quality. The AeroActive 7 cooler also includes a 3.5 mm headphone jack to keep cables out of the way during gameplay. For those who prefer wireless headphones, the phone supports several audio codecs like aptX adaptive, aptX low latency, LDAC and AAC. Plus, the upgraded vibration motor provides clear feedback and strong vibrations for calls and notifications. Overall, this phone is perfect for audiophiles, offering great sound quality and enjoyment.
AeroActive 7 Cooler
The ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is worth its high price because it comes with several accessories. One of these is the AeroActive 7 cooler and a nice carrying case. ASUS improves the cooler each year. For example, two years ago, it added rear buttons for gaming and this year it includes a low-frequency speaker that works with the powerful front speakers to create a strong 2.1 audio system. The cooler also has USB and 3.5 mm headphone jacks. While the buttons aren’t super comfortable, I appreciate their added functionality. However, the cooler cannot be used with the included case. There’s a small stand on the bottom to hold the phone up horizontally and it features colorful LED lights, which are great for gaming.
The AeroActive 7’s main function is cooling. It uses a vent in the phone case to release hot air. This year, it added a top outlet that blows cool air onto both the back and the screen. The manufacturer claims this can lower the screen temperature by 8 degrees and the back by 25 degrees. I don’t have a thermometer to confirm this, but it definitely improves performance, as shown by better scores in performance tests. Additionally, the ROG Phone 7 supports other ROG accessories, including some from older models, though not all are compatible. If the fan noise is distracting, you can turn it off in the software when using the microphone.
Impressive Battery, Fast Charging, Generous Package
How good is your battery? ASUS thinks gamers need a strong Li-Po 6000 mAh battery, which is larger than most competitors. The battery is divided into two parts for quick 65W charging. If you’re not gaming all the time, it can last 2-3 days, which is impressive. I didn’t need to charge it even while playing games. My daily usage drains 2-3% on the ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, compared to 6-10% on other devices.
Charging from zero to full took about an hour. The package includes a 65W wall charger and a strong USB Type-C cable. I also charged my ASUS laptop without issues. The side USB port is recommended for charging to keep it cool. ASUS offers battery-saving software that lets you use power without draining the battery, although there’s no wireless charging. Overall, the battery performance is excellent.
The package contains a wall charger, USB cable, cooler, carrying case and phone case, making it one of the best deals around. However, I found the included case to be a bit loose and creaky, which raises doubts about its protection. The cooler’s parts also seem a bit flimsy. Still, the overall package justifies the price and is much better than the basic offerings from Apple, Samsung, Google and Sony.
Performance – Reactor Power in Your Pocket
ROG Phone 7 Ultimate excels in performance tests thanks to its effective cooling system. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, it also features LPDDR5X RAM operating at 8533 Mbps and fast UFS 4.0 storage reaching 4324 Mbps. The X-mode prioritizes gaming performance by optimizing the chipset for a smoother experience and using the active cooler further enhances these results.
However, performance tests don’t tell the full story. When you launch the Geekbench 6 app, the ASUS automatically switches to X-mode, which is good since many brands don’t disclose this. In everyday use, apps run smoothly without lag and the phone’s passive cooling is effective for long gaming sessions. If you need even more power, the active cooler supports extended play without issues.
The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate includes all the latest connection options. It has two USB Type-C ports: one at the bottom (USB Type-C 2.0) and one on the side (USB Type-C 3.1 with DisplayPort 1.4), which lets you connect the phone to a TV and use it like a console. With only one memory option of 512 GB, it should be enough for a device without expandable storage. Overall, performance is excellent!
One of the Most Comprehensive Gaming Software
ASUS consistently provides great software for gamers and the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is no different. Its Armoury Crate is a game library with pre-loaded games and options for additional recommendations. The cybernetic design shows it’s made for serious gaming. If you’re using it at work or school, keep in mind the loud music, so switch to silent mode or turn off the background music in settings. There are also many helpful tools available, like customizable performance profiles for each game, which the app remembers and allows you to export.
You can customize everything from CPU performance to AirTriggers and screen sensitivity. The app shows which games support different screen refresh rates, though some popular titles may not support the highest refresh rates.
The phone includes a detailed assistant called Game Genie, which you can access with a simple gesture from the upper corner.
You can customize your gaming experience further by adjusting vibration settings for specific virtual buttons. X Sense can alert you when an enemy is nearby. In the beta version, AI can identify and record key game events. There are also options to customize touch-sensitive areas and use the gyroscope for position tracking, enhancing your gaming experience.
Does all this improve the gaming experience? Yes! However, setting everything up can take time, so don’t procrastinate. Once you finish the setup, you’ll find plenty of help for various gaming scenarios. These tools can also benefit serious eSports players.
The Rest of the Interface Also Follows the Cyborg Aesthetic
It runs on Android 13, with the promise of two major updates and four years of security patches. This seems limited for such a high price, especially since even slower brands like Sony offer at least three major updates. Samsung, Google and Xiaomi provide even longer support.
The interface features a cybernetic aesthetic to appeal to gamers, offering background images and customized icons. However, the icons are only tailored for ASUS’s original apps, which can make things feel a bit chaotic. The good news is there’s a wide theme store, plus you can choose a simpler design during setup.
When setting up the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, you can pick between ASUS’s custom options or a pure Android experience. This lets you customize the look and functions of the volume, incoming call, power off and notification blocks. ASUS noted in the Zenfone 10 presentation that 82% of users prefer their notification block over the default one.
Overall, gaming enthusiasts will find plenty of customization options in the interface. However, the short support period feels inadequate given the high price.
Camera
Let’s be honest: gamers usually don’t care much about camera quality. ASUS isn’t known for great cameras, but the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate offers the best camera performance in gaming phones so far. It impresses with its processing capabilities, despite having mid-range hardware. The main camera uses the same Sony IMX766 sensor. Unfortunately, the underwhelming macro camera detracts from the overall experience and isn’t worth recommending, even in the budget category.
The ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate features:
ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate
$799Conclusion – The True Choice for Gaming Enthusiasts
The ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is a standout device for gaming enthusiasts and eSports players. While it costs around 1500 euros and isn’t the most comfortable for everyday use, it excels in multimedia with a vibrant screen and powerful speakers—best enjoyed indoors or in the shade, as it struggles in bright sunlight. Its strong performance can handle any task and the improved cooling system enhances both gaming and media experiences. The generous accessories and detailed gaming customizations also add to its appeal.
So, does the ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate justify its price? Partially. It excels for gaming, but not so much for daily use. Its large size may not be suitable for everyone and the design feels outdated. The plastic frame and cooler connections raise durability concerns. While the gaming screen is great, it lacks brightness for outdoor use and the camera performance is just average. Overall, despite its high price, it remains a top choice for serious gamers, setting a high standard in the market.
