Asus has launched its flagship high-performance gaming ROG phone in India at INR 69,999 and will be available on Flipkart. The device is powered by the world’s fastest specially-binned octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC that clocks at 2.96 GHz.

Although the same chipset powers a number of flagship Android smartphones, including the recently launched OnePlus 6T and Pixel 3 devices, Asus has managed to get more power out of the processor.

The Asus ROG (Republic of Gamers) gaming phone comes with a IPX4 splash resistant certificate. The device isn’t waterproof by any means but has been certified to withstand a splash from any direction. The company does not warranty any form of water damage.

“Qualcomm Technologies and ASUS have enjoyed great successes over many years and we are thrilled to be at the core of their newest cutting-edge device, the ROG Phone,” said Don McGuire, Vice President, Product Marketing, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

The device runs on a custom ROG UI on top of Android 8.1 Oreo, which is a little disappointing as all of the newer flagships — especially those that cost a premium — are expected to be launched with the latest Android 9 Pie.

“Our entirely re-architected Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform with the gaming-optimized Adreno 630 GPU is designed for speed, minimizing thermal throttling and maximizing battery efficiency so users can play longer. Snapdragon 845 is engineered to deliver an unparalleled gaming experience; supporting exceptional performance, fast and smooth graphics, and Gigabit speeds whether on LTE or 802.11ad Wi-Fi.”

The phone has a unique “GameCool” vapour chamber cooling system, with detachable “AeroActive” cooler for an extra cooling boost.

Also read: Flagship Huawei Mate 20 Pro launched in India for INR 69,990

ASUS ROG Phone Specs

Display: The Asus ROG comes with a 6-inch (2160 x 1080) AMOLED display with an aspect ration of 18:9, 90Hz, 1ms response time and 550nits brightness. It also gets a dedicated hardware chip to support gaming and mobile HDR. The screen is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6 and also supports always-on display.
Design: Precision-crafted front 2.5D Corning Gorilla glass 6 and rear 3D-curved Corning Gorilla glass 5 with diamond-cut highlights and copper detailing on the device.
Camera: The ROG gaming phone sports a dual-lens camera at the rear with a 120° wide-angle lens and a Sony IMX363 12MP dual pixel sensor. At the front there is a 8MP camera. The device can record 4K videos at 30/60 FPS, and slow motion videos at 1080p (240 FPS) and 720p (240 FPS).
Processor: Asus ROG is powered by 2.96GHz specially-binned Qualcomm^® Snapdragon™ 845 Mobile Platform with 10nm, 64-bit Octa-core Processor, supported with Adreno 630 GPU.
Memory and Storage: The phone comes in two storage options — 128GB and 512GB — and supports up to 8GB LPDDR4X RAM.
OS: ROG UI running on top of Android 8.1 Oreo.
Battery: The Asus ROG phone is backed by a 4000 mAh battery pack that comes with AI and scheduled charging for battery protection. It can be charged quickly as it supports up to 30W with the QuickCharge 4.0 tech.
Sensors: Rear fingerprint sensor (0.3 seconds unlock, supports 5 fingerprints), Face recognition, Accelerator, E-Compass, Gyroscope, Proximity sensor, Ambient light sensor, Hall Sensor, Ultrasonic sensor for AirTriggers and grip press.
Connectivity: WLAN 802.11a/b/g/n/ac 2.4 & 5GHz; WLAN 802.11ad 60GHz (32 Antennas); Bluetooth 5.0; Wi-Fi direct; NFC
Navigation: GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS.
Audio: Dual front-facing speakers; 5-magnet speaker with dual NXP 9874 smart amplifier for louder, deeper and less distorted sound effect
Dimensions: 158.83mm x 16.16mm x 8.3mm and weighs 200 grams

ASUS flagship gaming ROG phone launched in India at INR 69,999 — ROG has also partnered with Garena — developer of one of the world’s best-ranking survival shooter games: Free Fire — to explore the endless possibilities that ROG Phone brings to the gaming scene.

What’s in the box?

AeroActive Cooler
Type-C to C cable
Ejector pin (SIM tray needle)
USB power adapter (30W)
Side Mount Connector Rubber *2
Documentation (user guide, warranty card)

The company has announced a no cost EMI for all credit and debit cards. ASUS’ accessories Professional Dock would cost Rs 5,499, GameVice (Joy stick) Rs 5,999, TwinView Dock Rs 21,999, Desktop Dock Rs 12,999 and ROG Phone case Rs 2499.

“We are thrilled to bring our revolutionary cutting-edge smartphone, the ROG Phone to India, to deliver an ultimate smartphone and mobile gaming experience to passionate community of gamers and tech enthusiasts,” Leon Yu, Regional Head India and South Asia, ASUS, said in a statement.

The design of ROG Phone includes unique side-mounted ports and responsive game controls, including two programmable ultrasonic “AirTriggers” and advanced force-feedback haptics.

The company also claims flagship audio quality with the dual front-firing 5-magnets speakers powered by dual “NXP SmartAmps” for an immersive audio experience.

The company has announced a no cost EMI for all credit and debit cards.

ASUS’ accessories Professional Dock would cost Rs 5,499, GameVice (Joy stick) Rs 5,999, TwinView Dock Rs 21,999, Desktop Dock Rs 12,999 and ROG Phone case Rs 2499.

Also read: Acer OJO 500 Windows Mixed Reality headset launched in India at INR 39,999

With inputs from IANS