From www.androidauthority.com

ASUS ROG Phone 6D Ultimate vs ROG Phone 5 Ultimate cameras

Oliver Cragg / Android Authority

Each year, we see a handful of gaming phones launch from prominent manufacturers. However, ASUS almost always takes the cake when it comes to features, design, and, of course, pure power, and in doing so consistently ranks among the best Android phones you can buy. This year, we expect to see the ASUS ROG Phone 7 — and it could be the best gaming-focused phone of 2023.

But what can we expect from this next ASUS flagship? We’ve rounded up all the credible rumors below! We’ve also added a few wish list items — things we hope to see, but have no evidence for quite yet.

Will there definitely be an ASUS ROG Phone 7?

ASUS has launched a new entry in its ROG Phone series every year without fail, all the way back to the first ROG Phone in 2018 and as recently as 2022 with the ROG Phone 6 series and later the ROG Phone 6D series. As such, there is little doubt that we’ll see another phone in 2023.

Regardless, early leaks essentially make a ROG Phone 7 launch guaranteed. Up-and-coming leaker Paras Guglani (via The Tech Outlook) says that not only would there be an ASUS ROG Phone 7, but there could be three distinct models. They would be as follows, with their corresponding model numbers:

  • ASUS ROG Phone 7 — AI2205_A (Global), AI2205_B (China), AI2205_C (India)
  • ASUS ROG Phone 7D — AI2205_D (China)
  • ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate — AI2205_E (Global), AI2205_F (China)

The model numbers suggest that North America, Europe, and other countries could see the ROG Phone 7 and the Ultimate variant. Meanwhile, India could only see the vanilla model. ASUS’ home base China would see all three models, of course.

What is the ASUS ROG Phone 7 release date?

ASUS ROG Phone 6D Ultimate rear display

Oliver Cragg / Android Authority

  • ROG Phone 3: July 2, 2020
  • ROG Phone 5: March 10, 2021
  • ROG Phone 6: July 5, 2022

Over the past few years, ASUS has launched a new ROG Phone in July. The only outlier there is 2021, when the company launched the new ROG Phone much earlier in March.

Considering we’re almost through the first quarter of the year and don’t have a ton of leaks yet, we can go ahead and assume ASUS isn’t launching the new gaming phone until at least the second quarter. Given the history of the series, we are expecting a July 2023 launch for the ASUS ROG Phone 7.

Don’t forget that ASUS also tends to launch a slightly different ROG Phone model after it launches the main series. In 2022 and 2021, we saw the ROG Phone 6D and ROG Phone 5s, respectively. Those launched in September and August — once again, respectively. As such, if you’re OK waiting, it might be a good idea to sit out buying a ROG Phone until ASUS finishes all its announcements. That way, you’re certain to get the phone you specifically want.

What will the ASUS ROG Phone 7 look like?

ASUS Rog Phone 6 front with accessories

Robert Triggs / Android Authority

We haven’t seen any reliable design leaks for the ASUS ROG Phone 7 yet. However, we can speculate a bit on what we’ve seen in the past.

The back panel of a ROG Phone almost always looks very “gamer.” Jagged lines, random bits of text, and RGB lighting abound. Given the history of the series, we doubt ASUS will move away from this, so you can go ahead and expect another gamer-centric design.

Higher-end ROG Phones also feature small rear displays, such as the one on the back of the ASUS ROG Phone 6 Pro. These usually act as a way to see notifications, express yourself, or simply just look cool. We wouldn’t be surprised to see ASUS include this in future models.

You can go ahead and expect a prominent ‘gamer’ aesthetic for the ROG Phone 7 series.

Based on previous designs, you can likely expect the ROG Phone 7 to have a headphone jack, an uninterrupted display (i.e. the selfie camera embedded into a thick top bezel), and two USB-C ports — one on the bottom and one on the side. The extra port there is for charging while playing in landscape mode and/or attaching peripherals, such as coolers and controllers.

Finally, ROG Phones are also almost always enormous. Don’t expect anything smaller than a 6.6-inch display with big bezels and a hefty weight.

What features and specs will the ASUS ROG Phone 7 have?

ASUS ROG Phone 5 product shot of the ROG logo on the included case

Ryan-Thomas Shaw / Android Authority

ROG Phones are beasts when it comes to specs. Early leaks suggest the ROG Phone 7 could come with the most powerful Android processor on the market right now: the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. This is almost assured at this point, based on the history of these phones.

An early leak also suggests the phones could come with 16GB of RAM, which is just ridiculous. The ROG Phone 7 could also come with 256GB of storage, with the Ultimate variant possibly coming with 512GB. We don’t expect any of the models to have microSD card slots, though.

We don’t have a leak for this yet, but the past three models in the ROG Phone series have had 6,000mAh batteries. Given this precedence, we expect to see the ROG Phone 7 also land with a 6,000mAh battery. Don’t expect wireless charging (none of the phones have ever had this), but fast wired charging is likely, as the ROG Phone 6 and ROG Phone 5 charge at 65W. It’s possible we might even see faster charging than that.

That’s what we’ve got for the inside of the phone. On the outside, you should expect a decent-enough camera system. Obviously, gaming phones are not designed to be photography powerhouses, but ASUS usually puts a surprising amount of effort into making the photography capabilities of the ROG Phone series pretty good. You can go ahead and expect a strong main sensor, a good ultrawide, and a macro lens. A telephoto is, of course, possible, but we wouldn’t bet on it.

Finally, the display will almost certainly be AMOLED with a 1080p resolution and a very high refresh rate (144Hz or more). ASUS has never deviated from that, so we’re betting the ROG Phone 7 will continue the trend.

How much will the ASUS ROG Phone 7 cost?

ASUS ROG Phone 5 product shot of the ROG LED logo

Ryan-Thomas Shaw / Android Authority

  • ROG Phone 3: $999
  • ROG Phone 5: $999
  • ROG Phone 6: $999

For the past three generations, ASUS has had the entry-level model in the ROG Phone series at $999. Therefore, it’s reasonable to assume the company will continue that trend with the 2023 models.

However, once you move away from the entry-level variants, you see some eye-watering prices. The 2022 ASUS ROG Phone 6D Ultimate, for example, launched in Europe for €1,399 (~$1,501). It’s possible the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate could meet or even exceed that price. You can also expect the ROG Phone 7 Pro to come in at a premium over the ROG Phone 7. The Pro version of the ROG Phone 6 came in at $300 more, for example.


ASUS ROG Phone 7: What we want to see

The ROG Phone 7 is almost certainly going to be a specs beast that will allow you to play games at the highest quality. However, there are a few things we hope to see from the ROG Phone 7 that don’t have much to do with gaming. These are not based on leaks or rumors; these are just things we would love to see from this gaming phone.

A better update promise

ASUS Rog Phone 6 homescreen in hand

Robert Triggs / Android Authority

The Android skin that comes with ROG Phones has two designs: ROG UI and Zen UI. The former looks like the image above, while the latter looks very close to stock Android. Both look great and are incredibly fast and smooth.

However, ASUS’ update commitment to all its phones is seriously lacking. The company only promises two Android versions, which, for the ROG Phone 7 (which will almost certainly launch with Android 13), would mean support through Android 15. While that’s pretty mediocre, ASUS makes things even worse by delivering those updates at a glacial pace.

With companies like Samsung, OnePlus, and more committing to upwards of four Android upgrades, it’s time for ASUS to up its game. We want at least three Android upgrades and a steady, fast pace for patches. If you spend over $1,000 on a phone, this is the least a company can do to make that worth the investment.

A flagship camera experience

ASUS Rog Phone 6 camera housing

Robert Triggs / Android Authority

ASUS delivers a great camera experience with its ROG Phones. Considering that the series is designed for gaming, we could easily forgive the company if it all but ignored this aspect of its devices. But it doesn’t, with ROG Phones being great for your standard snaps.

However, the camera experience still not being flagship-level is one of the biggest things preventing a ROG Phone from being someone’s daily driver. Yes, a ROG Phone is supposed to be for gaming, but with a big, beautiful display, an enormous battery, tons of RAM, and super-fast wired charging, this could be someone’s daily driver. But the camera makes it difficult to select something like this over a Galaxy S23 Ultra or even a Pixel 7 Pro.

We would love to see ASUS emphasize the camera this year and maybe even include that flagship-level lens: a telephoto. This would open up the device to more than just hardcore gamers.

Cool it with the ‘gamer’ aesthetic a bit

ASUS Rog Phone 6 Pro ROG Vision display

Robert Triggs / Android Authority

Our two wish list items so far have been mainly centered on the average user — i.e., not the typical gamer. ASUS could court this consumer even further by toning down the gamer aesthetic present on ROG Phones. We would love to see this on the ASUS ROG Phone 7!

ASUS ROG Phone 7: Everything we know so far and what we want to see

Obviously, we understand that this is a gaming phone. It’s going to need to have some gamer-centric design elements. However, Razer was able to make a gaming phone that didn’t look like it was just for gamers, and the REDMAGIC 8 Pro was able to straddle the line really well. We hope ASUS tones things down a bit with the ROG Phone 7 to help it appeal to people who want a gaming phone but not one that screams, “Look at me, I am a gamer!”

The post ASUS ROG Phone 7: Everything we know so far and what we want to see first appeared on www.androidauthority.com

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