Asus is showing its dedication to the gaming smartphone market with the release of the new Asus ROG Phone 7 and 7 Ultimate. The updated lineup builds upon the previous generation with improved specifications, providing gamers with the increased power they crave. However, prioritizing gaming features and performance may not necessarily result in the best overall smartphone experience. Despite the enhancements, the ROG Phone 7 still shares many similarities with its predecessor, the ROG Phone 6 Pro, and unfortunately, it falls victim to the same pitfalls. Is the Asus ROG Phone 7 worth the hype? Read on to find out.
Asus ROG Phone 7 – Design and Features
Here’s what to expect from the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate:
• At first glance, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate looks remarkably similar to the ROG Phone 6 Pro, with only minor differences in the styling of the back cover.
• The phone has a more subtle design, with accents like the “ROG” letters along the bottom edge that almost hide until light hits them in just the right way.
• The back of the phone has a geometric camera bump and lines of faux seams between panels, creating a robot-like appearance.
• The phone still features a POLED display on the back for displaying call notifications and device status indicators, but it’s more refined than the previous model.
• The rear of the phone has a pearly two-tone finish of Gorilla Glass 3 that’s visually stunning.
• The front of the phone is covered in Gorilla Glass Victus, just like the ROG Phone 6, but the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate has an IP54 rating, providing better protection against dust ingress than the previous model’s IPX4 rating.
• However, the phone’s ruggedness still falls short compared to other smartphones, as it lacks the IP68 rating found on many devices.
Overall, while the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate has some refinements and upgrades compared to its predecessor, it still shares many similarities with the ROG Phone 6 Pro.
Asus ROG Phone 7 – Software
Asus has taken a different approach with the software on the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, avoiding the common pitfalls of excessive gaming apps and a flashy UI. The phone runs Android 13 and has minimal pre-installed software, with the exception of the Armoury Crate app. This app is a crucial component for maximizing the phone’s gaming features and performance, making it an essential tool for gamers. Asus offers a Dark Matter Flow theme for the UI that showcases edgy, gamer aesthetics, but it also has a classic theme that resembles a standard Android phone. During initial setup, Asus even provides the option for Stock Android. The phone also comes with a promise of two OS updates and four years of security updates. While this is commendable, Samsung and Google provide better updates for their smartphones.
Asus ROG Phone 7 – Gaming and Performance
The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is a powerhouse in terms of performance, making it ideal for current and future games. Here are some points to consider:
• The phone runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, which is currently the best available for Android phones.
• The Ultimate model comes with 16GB of LPDDR5x memory, which is more than enough for most phone tasks.
• The phone is incredibly fast for day-to-day use, including switching between apps and using the camera.
• The Ultimate model provides ample storage space with 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage.
• With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and advanced cooling, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate can run games like Genshin Impact and Apex Legends at maxed-out settings with smooth 60fps performance, while hardly taxing the CPU and GPU in the latter game.
• The AeroActive Cooler 7 helps keep the system temperature at a tidy 33 degrees Celsius, with heat localized near the power button, keeping the phone comfortable to the touch.
• Genshin Impact runs smoothly most of the time, with only occasional hitches.
• While the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate performs great, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra can also run these games with the same level of smoothness.
Asus ROG Phone 7 – Camera
The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate comes equipped with three rear cameras and a selfie camera on the front. Here’s a breakdown of the cameras on this smartphone:
1. 50MP Wide
2. 13MP Ultra wide
3. 8MP Macro
4. 32MP Selfie
Here are some key points to consider when it comes to the camera performance of the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate:
• The camera hardware on this phone is shared between models in the ROG Phone 7 lineup, so performance is similar across the board.
• The 50MP main sensor captures clear and lifelike photos, but it struggles in low-light situations.
• The camera’s performance doesn’t hold up to close scrutiny, as images can appear soft when zoomed in.
• While photos look fine on the phone’s screen, they don’t compare favorably to those taken on a Pixel 7 Pro.
In summary, while the camera performance on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate isn’t the best out there, it’s still a decent option for everyday use. However, if you’re looking for top-tier camera quality, you may want to consider other smartphones.