Review sản phẩm
Điện thoại chơi game có cảm giác như một flagship giá rẻ
Th3
Điện thoại chơi game có cảm giác như một flagship giá rẻ
Giống như năm ngoái, Asus đang nhắm đến người dùng điện thoại phổ thông trong năm nay, định vị ROG Phone 9 Pro như một sản phẩm hàng đầu. Tuy nhiên, nó thiếu một số tính năng mà bạn mong đợi ở mức giá này, chẳng hạn như màn hình 4K, cập nhật hệ điều hành hơn hai năm và hỗ trợ mmWave 5G, điều này tạo nên một sự kết hợp kỳ lạ giữa điện thoại chơi game và flagship, không làm hài lòng người dùng đam mê game như tôi. Tôi nhớ những loa hướng mặt trước, và tôi không thể chịu nổi lỗ camera trên màn hình. Chiếc điện thoại này muốn được khao khát bởi…
Điện thoại ROG Phone 9 Pro cố gắng kết hợp trải nghiệm chơi game mạnh mẽ với các tính năng của một flagship cao cấp, nhưng cuối cùng lại tạo ra một sản phẩm nửa vời. Mặc dù sở hữu hiệu năng mạnh mẽ, đủ sức đáp ứng nhu cầu chơi game đỉnh cao, việc thiếu màn hình 4K, thời gian hỗ trợ cập nhật hệ điều hành ngắn (chỉ hai năm), và không hỗ trợ mmWave 5G là những điểm trừ đáng kể, đặc biệt ở phân khúc giá cao. Những chi tiết nhỏ nhưng lại gây khó chịu như vị trí lỗ camera trên màn hình và việc thiếu loa hướng mặt trước cũng khiến trải nghiệm tổng thể bị giảm đi.
Asus rõ ràng đang hướng đến việc thu hút người dùng đại chúng, nhưng việc thiếu những tính năng thường thấy trên các flagship cùng tầm giá khiến ROG Phone 9 Pro trở nên khó cạnh tranh. Nó là một điện thoại chơi game tốt, không thể phủ nhận điều đó, nhưng liệu nó có đủ sức thuyết phục những người dùng đang tìm kiếm một flagship toàn diện? Câu trả lời còn tùy thuộc vào ưu tiên của từng người. Tuy nhiên, với những thiếu sót kể trên, ROG Phone 9 Pro vẫn chưa đạt đến tầm vóc của một flagship thực thụ.
#ROGPhone9Pro #Asus #ĐiệnThoạiChơiGame #Flagship #ĐánhGiá #CôngNghệ #Smartphone #Review #GameMobile #5G
Much like last year, Asus is courting the mainstream phone buyer this year, positioning the ROG Phone 9 Pro as flagship material. However, it lacks some of the accouterments you’d expect at this price, like a 4K screen, OS updates beyond two years, and mmWave 5G support, which adds up to a strange amalgamation of gaming phone and flagship that doesn’t gel with the gamer in me. I miss the front-firing speakers, and I can’t stand the camera hole on the screen. This phone wants to be desired by selfie-taking fashionistas as much as it wants to be lauded by hardcore gamers. Still, at $1,200+, it doesn’t feel like a phone that will make either crowd happy.
Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro
<p class="display-card-description">The ROG Phone 9 Pro takes everything great about the ROG Phone 9 and turns it up a notch. It still has the same powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, but it packs in more RAM and doubles the storage space, adding up to one of the most performant phones on the market.
<strong class="sub-title">Pros & Cons</strong>
<ul class="pro-list"><li class="icon">Very powerful for gaming</li>
<li class="icon">Blazing refresh rate</li>
<li class="icon">Solid build quality</li>
</ul>
<ul class="con-list"><li class="icon">Hole in the screen</li>
<li class="icon">Gigantic camera bump is unsightly</li>
<li class="icon">Needs longer support for the price</li>
</ul>
Price, availability, network, and specifications
You can purchase the ROG Phone 9 Pro and 9 Pro Edition from Asus. You must buy either version outright. There are no carrier plans or anything like that. The ROG Phone 9 Pro retails for $1,200, and the Pro Edition is $1,500. Both versions come in one color, Phantom Black, and the only difference is the amount of RAM and storage.
You won’t find a ROG Phone at a carrier because they won’t certify the phone, and it doesn’t have mmWave 5G. Asus feels comfortable selling the phone in the US because it works with enough bands that you won’t notice missing bands. My call quality was always clear, and my data was speedy, receiving the coverage I would expect from any phone I use daily on T-Mobile. This is the only carrier I tested, so your mileage may vary.
Specifications
<dl><!-- div --><p>
<dt>
<strong>SoC</strong> </dt>
<dd>
<span>
Snapdragon 8 Elite
</span>
</dd>
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<dt>
<strong>Display type</strong> </dt>
<dd>
<span>
AMOLED, 185Hz
</span>
</dd>
<!-- div -->
<dt>
<strong>Display dimensions</strong> </dt>
<dd>
<span>
6.78"
</span>
</dd>
<!-- div -->
<dt>
<strong>Display resolution</strong> </dt>
<dd>
<span>
2400×1080
</span>
</dd>
<!-- div -->
<dt>
<strong>RAM</strong> </dt>
<dd>
<span>
16GB, 24GB
</span>
</dd>
<!-- div -->
<dt>
<strong>Storage</strong> </dt>
<dd>
<span>
512GB, 1TB
</span>
</dd>
<!-- div -->
<dt>
<strong>Battery</strong> </dt>
<dd>
<span>
5800mAh
</span>
</dd>
<!-- div -->
<dt>
<strong>Charge speed</strong> </dt>
<dd>
<span>
65W
</span>
</dd>
<!-- div -->
<dt>
<strong>Charge options</strong> </dt>
<dd>
<span>
USB-C, Qi 1.3
</span>
</dd>
<!-- div -->
<dt>
<strong>Ports</strong> </dt>
<dd>
<span>
USB-C
</span>
</dd>
<!-- div -->
<dt>
<strong>Rear camera</strong> </dt>
<dd>
<span>
50MP, 32MP Telephoto, 13MP ultrawide
</span>
</dd>
<!-- div -->
<dt>
<strong>Weight</strong> </dt>
<dd>
<span>
227g
</span>
</dd>
<!-- div -->
<dt>
<strong>IP Rating</strong> </dt>
<dd>
<span>
IP68
</span>
</dd>
<!-- div -->
<dt>
<strong>Colors</strong> </dt>
<dd>
<span>
Black
</span>
</dd>
</dl>
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Design and display
Too many compromises
I don’t like the current design of the ROG Phone. The camera bump is bordering on ridiculous. It juts out too far and is too large. It’s also off-center, causing the phone to rock on the desk. This allows the rest of the phone to be svelter than if the rear cameras were flush. I don’t buy gaming phones that take part in some nonsensical race to be the slimmest. I buy them because I want them to game better than other phones.
I don’t see how an awkward camera bump for feigned thinness plays into that. Perhaps it could be excused if the cameras were worth the inconvenience, but nobody will buy this phone for its camera quality.
The frame is slightly curved on its edges. The screen is flat, with no curved glass edges, only a curved frame. Some may find it comfortable to hold, and others may dislike how slippery curved frames can be when combined with glass fronts and rears. I’m in the latter camp. Holding the ROG Phone without a case is like holding a bar of slippery soap.
I appreciate that the gamer aesthetic isn’t over the top. The LEDs in the back can be used to play mini-games, but you don’t have to turn them on. Asus allows full control of such features. If you don’t want to see the LEDs light up, turn them off.
The gamer aesthetic doesn’t stop with the goofy LEDs. The phone offers passthrough charging, so you can leave it plugged in for the more demanding games that chew through the battery. Since there are two USB-C ports, the cord won’t be in the way whether you play in portrait or landscape. Thanks to Armoury Crate, the ultrasonic air triggers on the upper corners of the device (when held in landscape) can be used with any game.
The headphone jack is still there, but only one of the stereo speakers is front-facing, with the other shooting sound out the side of the frame. Asus acknowledged the side-firing speaker isn’t ideal, so the included cases in the box have a little lip in front of the side-firing speaker to shoot the sound toward the user. This used to be built into the phone but is now missing thanks to Asus chasing thin bezels, which forced the front camera into the screen, bringing me to my next issue with the design.
There is a hole in the screen of this gaming phone that is made for playing video games at their highest possible performance. The design of this phone is supposed to be centered around playing games at their best. A hole in the screen doesn’t scream best. You can black out the screen edge that houses the camera to make it appear you have one large bezel, allowing games to be played without a disruptive hole in them. But why did Asus thin the bezels in the first place?
Why would I buy a bezel-less all-screen phone if I wanted to play games without using the entire screen? The decision to make the bezels too small to hold the camera (or the stereo front-firing speakers) didn’t solve anything. Instead, it created more issues, which lessens the gaming experience. Why? Is this phone made for gamers or not? I can’t tell with the current design, which may have something to do with the Zenfone line now sharing a similar design for two years in a row.
The good news is that the OLED screen is great, even though it’s only 1080p. Colors pop, blacks are black, and games perform reliably since the phone only has to push gaming graphics at 1080p.
0 Reliable performance is worth the cost of losing out on a screen with a higher resolution, much like how the Steam Deck is only 720p. The lower the res, the better the games perform. I also like that Asus bumped up the refresh rate this year to a blazing 185Hz. While many games do not support a high refresh rate, Asus did the harder work by listing supported titles within its Armoury Crate software.
<h2 id="other-hardware-and-what-rsquo-s-in-the-box">
Other hardware and what's in the box
</h2><h3 id="a-fast-charger-and-a-fan">
A fast charger and a fan
</h3>
For such an expensive phone, it’s nice that Asus included a few extras. Two cases are in the box, and both offer a lip to direct the side-firing speaker towards the user. One is a typical cheap plastic case that covers most of the phone. The other has a large hole in the back to fit the external cooling fan, which is included. You also get a little cloth case for the fan, so you can easily carry it around.
Instead of offering an optional proprietary controller designed for the off-center USB-C port on the bottom of the phone like in years past, the company has offered a controller that fits various devices for the last couple of generations. You can buy the ROG Tessen to pair with your ROG Phone, but you can also slap a Razer Kishi V2 or Backbone One on the phone just as easily.
Even though picking up a controller for the ROG Phone is an extra expense, I recommend purchasing any of the controllers mentioned. Nothing is better than tactile controls when playing games, especially when many of Android’s best games are console ports designed for controllers.
There’s also a USB-C cord in the box, along with a 65w power brick, which is a nice touch when many companies want to sell you their fast-charging brick as an optional accessory.
<h2 id="software-and-performance">
Software and performance
</h2><h3 id="no-problems-here">
No problems here
</h3>
The ROG Phone 9 Pro ships with Android 15 installed, though Asus only promises two OS updates with five years of security updates. This isn’t competitive compared to similarly-priced phones. Even though Asus wants to brand the ROG Phone as a flagship, it lacks some of the perks you’d find with the competition, such as lengthier support.
I find this yardstick of support a little silly when few of us will use our phones for seven years. Many users now expect manufacturers to match Samsung and Google despite the high costs such support could bring to smaller companies.
Worse than the minimum support, Asus has stopped offering a way to unlock the bootloader of its devices. Despite promises it would update its unlocking tool, this never came to be. It silently decided it wouldn’t offer the ability for future devices, only letting customers know when they asked for support. I am not pleased to see the company behave this way, leaving users hanging. Some bought their phones for the specific reason of unlocking after support was over, which is short-lived.
This makes purchasing an Asus phone more of a compromise than other brands because, after five years of security updates, you can’t sideload a ROM to get more use out of your device. Let’s not get into how ungreen this is, sending devices to the trash bin after five years. Planned obsolescence are the words that come to mind in such situations. I am not a fan.
I am a fan of how Asus handles the software theming of the device. Users choose whether they want things to look mostly stock or use Asus’s theming and tweaks for the benefits they may bring. I tend to lean towards stock. However, I tweak the notification drawer to use Asus’s theming because it places the screen brightness slider where it belongs, below the quick settings tiles. I can use my device however I choose, with neither locked into Google’s nor Asus’s UI designs. I can’t applaud Asus enough for giving us a choice. More carriers should do this.
I also like Armoury Crate. I’m not big on using launchers for my games, but I appreciate that I can launch all my games with Armoury Crate. It allows me to hide my games in the app drawer to keep things looking clean. What draws me to Armoury Crate is that it includes all the settings you need to dial in your gaming performance, from adjusting the framerate and blocking notifications to performance profiles, screen recording, and a widget that shows stats, perfect for recording how a game performs.
These tools are instrumental to my work covering Android games at AP, and I imagine streamers and YouTubers also find them handy. If you record or stream mobile games, ROG’s Armoury Crate is a blessing.
You can also use Armoury Crate to adjust the phone’s air triggers, which are ultrasonic sensors that function like the triggers on a controller. Just tap the corners and perform an action. Since you can manually program what the triggers do, you can use them with any game by placing the corresponding software sensor above any onscreen control. It’s a well-thought-out design that is easy to set up and use.
When it comes to performance, you won’t find much on the market that outperforms this device. The Snapdragon 8 Elite pulls its weight and then some. Since there is a minimum of 16GB of RAM (up to 24GB for the Pro Edition), you won’t run out of memory easily. Games perform well, with few that buckle the chip (unless you are emulating).
Genshin held 60FPS with no problems, like the last two years, and newer games, like the recent CIV VI release from Netflix and the open-world gacha Infinity Nikki, perform exceptionally well. Plus, if a game is too demanding for the ROG Phone 9 Pro, put the included fan on the back to eke out a few more frames at the expense of battery (the fan plugs into the phone’s USB for power).
<h2 id="camera">
Cameras
</h2><h3 id="about-what-you-39-d-expect">
About what you'd expect
</h3>
Last year, Asus ditched its macro camera in the ROG Phone line for a dedicated telephoto. This year, things are similar, with no macro available. Instead, we get a 32MP Telephoto Camera and a 13MP 120° ultrawide angle camera. The Gimbal OIS introduced with the Asus Zenfone 10 is here (which rattles a little when you shake the phone), paired with the main Sony Lytia 700 sensor at 50MP. Lastly, you get a 32MP RGBW front-facing camera, which is embedded in the screen of this gaming phone.
Asus has solid camera tech in the ROG Phone. Still, software processing is the key to great photos, which is why Asus added AI this year. However, it doesn’t add much to the experience or improve photos to the level of a Pixel Phone.
<span data-field="label" class="article-card-label">Read our review</span>
Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro: I’m not sure this is a gaming phone
<p class="display-card-excerpt">Asus has changed the ROG Phone formula, and I'm not convinced it's for the better
Like in previous years, the lighting determines how good your shots are with the ROG Phone 9 Pro. If the lighting is good, you can take great images, but things like the paintbrush effect and washed-out details are the norm when the lighting is bad. I compared similar shots between my Pixel and my ROG, and the Pixel dominated dark shots every time.
Selfies come out clear, especially if the lighting is good, which feels like a feature that’s bleeding over from the Zenfone line rather than something that exists for gamers. Still, if you plan to stream your mobile games from the device, a clear selfie cam is helpful to ensure things look as professional as possible.
The cameras have improved over the years, and I said as much in my ROG Phone 8 Pro review. However, with this effort, time, money, and hardware that goes towards cameras that don’t outpace many high-end phones (despite Asus charging a high-end price for the phone), the high price of the ROG Phone Pro could be lower if Asus concentrated on what matters to gamers instead of a world market. This is the downside of developing two devices that share the same design but target different demographics, as the ROG Phone and Zenfone lines and Asus will not please either, which happened last year.
Most of my images came out acceptable on the ROG Phone 9 Pro, but judge things yourself and comb through my examples.
<h2 id="battery-life-and-charging">
Battery life and charging
</h2><h3 id="absolutely-phenomenal">
Absolutely phenomenal
</h3>
The claims that the Snapdragon 8 Elite offers exceptional battery life aren’t unfounded. I charged the device the day I got it and left it on my desk for six days. It still had another day of battery left when I plopped it on a charger. The standby time is phenomenal, simply outstanding. Regular use gets me two days easily. Plus, you get passthrough charging, two USB-C ports, and a 65W charger in the box, so keeping the phone charged is rarely a worry.
The battery life is excellent, and you can fully charge the 5,800mAh battery in under two hours. While I’ve heard complaints that the battery could be bigger, Qualcomm’s improvements to battery life on the Snapdragon 8 Elite are nothing to sneeze at.
I’m pleased with the ROG Phone 9 Pro’s battery life in my daily life, which is a trend for the phone line. I use gaming phones like the ROG Phone 9 because I never worry about battery life. Exceptional battery life is a perk of owning a gaming phone. Asus once again knocks things out of the park with the ROG Phone 9 Pro.
<h2 id="competition">
Competition
</h2><h3 id="redmagic-is-the-cheaper-choice">
Redmagic is the cheaper choice
</h3>
There aren’t many gaming phones, but one company still plugging along is Redmagic. The Redmagic 10 Pro offers similar specs but at a lower price, starting at $650. Plus, Redmagic gaming phones have a built-in fan, no need for attachments, no unsightly camera bump, and no hole in the screen. Redmagic devices are phones designed for gamers. If you want to save some cash while getting a similar performance, if not better performance (thanks to the internal fan), the Redmagic 10 Pro should be on your radar.
<span data-field="label" class="article-card-label">Read our review</span>
The Redmagic 10 Pro is an unapologetic gaming phone
<p class="display-card-excerpt">Performance that outclasses its price point
Should you buy it?
If you have money to burn and want a polished gaming-adjacent phone, the ROG Phone 9 Pro is that phone. It isn’t a flagship competitor due to its weak cameras, short support, and a lack of mmWave 5G. I’m befuddled about the loss of the dual front-firing speakers and the egregious camera hole in the screen a generation ago. It feels like Asus doesn’t know who it is designing this phone for, offering a mishmash of flagship and gaming features that never feel focused.
This problem started last year and continues into 2025 with the ROG Phone 9 Pro, likely due to the Zenfone now sharing a similar design. This keeps costs down for Asus, but it muddies the branding of each phone, where both share many features of the other, culminating into a hodgepodge that doesn’t feel focused for either audience. I miss the small size of the OG Zenfone and the gamer-centric features of the ROG Phone.
I would never purchase a gaming phone with a camera hole in the screen. This tells me the manufacturer didn’t design the phone’s core for gaming, which is why I would splash out on a gaming phone as a lifelong gamer. It may be a common compromise for many Android flagships. Still, those flagships offer better support and cameras at prices similar to Asus’s ROG Phone Pro. If you’re in the market for a flagship, spend your money elsewhere. If you’re set on purchasing a gaming phone, you’ll find cheaper hardware with similar specs but better core-gamer features.
This is why I have difficulty recommending the ROG Phone 9 Pro. It’s a fine enough device that offers some of the best specs (24GB of RAM can be difficult to find in the US). However, when comparing the ROG Phone 9 to the likes of Samsung, OnePlus, and Redmagic, you get less for your money if you go with Asus. Since the company doesn’t allow its users to unlock their bootloaders, you can’t take matters into your own hands when your five years of security updates are over, ensuring your phone will become e-waste.
The ROG Phone 9 Pro is too expensive, at $1,200 to $1400, for what you get. Asus needs to make its gaming phone line for gamers instead of whatever it’s doing now by combining the ROG Phone and Zenfone lines into a boring pile of compromises.
Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro
<p class="display-card-description">The ROG Phone 9 Pro takes everything great about the ROG Phone 9 and turns it up a notch. It still has the same powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, but it packs in more RAM and doubles the storage space, adding up to one of the most performant phones on the market.
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