Design of the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate

It’s worth mentioning that the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is quite bulky and heavy. It may take some time to get used to if you’re transitioning from a more average-sized smartphone. It’s 77mm wide, 173mm tall, and weighs 239 grams. To put things into perspective, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is 78mm wide, 163mm tall, and 233 grams; the iPhone 14 Pro Max is 160mm tall, 77mm wide, and 240 grams.

The measurements don’t reveal the whole truth. You’re aware that the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate will take up some space in your pants pocket, and you’ll feel extra weight when you put it in your bag. Carrying the ROG Phone all day is a trade-off; you’re agreeing to the fact that it’s bulky in exchange for the gaming-oriented ergonomics, amenities, and controls. If you’re not willing to make this trade, then the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate might not be the best choice for you.

The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate’s design has its good points. Its weight gives it a solid feel when playing games in landscape orientation, and even when using it for messaging and web browsing in portrait orientation, it feels comfortable. There’s plenty of grip thanks to its curved chassis, and your index fingers will easily reach the AirTriggers located on the phone’s shoulders. However, the flat display isn’t very stylish.

The USB Type-C connection is located on the side of the phone, allowing for easy charging as you use it. Additionally, the processor is situated in the center of the device, meaning the frame won’t become heated during use and your fingers and palms remain cool.

The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate from Asus has the motorized cooling port built in to its frame, but it’s only activated by the optional AeroActive Cooler fan. When not in use, the port is flush with the rest of the device’s back, and its presence is undetectable.

The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate has a pleasing combination of glossy and matte glass on the back, plus the attractive and well-known RGB display to show off animations and notifications. It is one of my favourite features of the phone – it gives the same design a bit of flair. The ROG Phone 6 Pro hasn’t changed much. Even with the exhaust port and headphone jack, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate has an IP54 splash-resistant rating, proving it is moderately durable. Kudos to Asus for putting the device through the accreditation.

The Republic of Gamers (ROG) arm of Asus is aware of its target audience. It comprehends the needs of those who enjoy extended gaming sessions, thus the ROG Phone 7 was created with their requirements in mind.

Are you curious if you are a part of Asus’ target demographic? Consider how much time you spend playing video games on your phone. If it’s 30 minutes or more every day on titles like Genshin Impact, PUBG, Fortnite, Call of duty, or Arena of Valor, then you are definitely the type of person Asus has in mind when they designed the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. You will truly get the most out of this device.

If you aren’t an avid gamer, there is another factor that should be taken into account before deciding on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate; however, if you only play Wordle and Super Mario Run occasionally, it is important to think carefully about whether you can handle the size of the phone on a daily basis.

Maximum Gaming Capabilities with the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate

The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate utilizes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, but it’s not a version that has been enhanced for the phone, similar to the one found in the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It is equipped with up to 16GB of the LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB UFS 4.0 storage. Asus has improved the cooling system of the ROG Phone 6 Pro by 168%, and has adjusted the game-specific X Mode to take full advantage of all the alterations and extra power.

It’s hardly necessary to emphasize that the performance is remarkable. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 has already shown its worth, and the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate handles gaming with ease. Activate the phone’s X Mode to either maximize or customize the performance, and your gaming experience will be seamlessly smooth.

The software on the Asus was fine-tuned to aim for a steady 60 frames-per-second in games like Genshin Impact , Diablo Immortal , Arena of Valor , and PUBG. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 also provides the mobile device with the capability to play games with ray tracing for more authentic visuals, even though, at present, there are no titles out with ray tracing support.

For our smartphone performance evaluation, we ran the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra through the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme Stress Test to compare how they perform in extended gaming situations. This was chosen as it is an area where the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate has the potential to outshine other mainstream high-performance phones, as opposed to short gaming sessions where the differences may be insignificant. The results were interesting as they showed where gamers can benefit the most from the phone’s capabilities.

During the trial, the Asus phone became warm but not overly so. Most of the heat was situated in the middle of the device, thus it was not unpleasant to keep in one’s hand. Over the course of the 20-minute intense examination, the battery depleted 13%, attaining a 3769 Best Loop with 99.7% dependability. The temperature fluctuated between 22°C and 43°C (71°F to 109°F) while the frame rate changed from 17 fps to 28 fps.

The results of the Galaxy S23 Ultra are intriguing. It had a slight rise in temperature, but the heat was distributed across the back. It reached a score of 3818 Best Loop, but its stability was not as high at 76.1%. Additionally, the frame rate decreased between 12 and 28 fps and the battery decreased by 16%. This evaluation implies that although the performance of the S23 Ultra is likely to remain the same, the Asus phone is much more secure and cooler to the touch, leading to enhanced efficiency and a better gaming experience over long sessions.

Playing my favourite games on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate vs the Galaxy S23 Ultra didn’t make a huge impression on me, but if I’m gaming for a longer duration, I’d much rather be doing so on the Asus. Its stability, heat management, controls, and battery are all noteworthy points to consider.

Display and Control Features

The Asus Republic of Gamers Phone 7 Ultimate is a device that features an impressive display and various control options. It has a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a 144 Hz refresh rate, 1ms response time, and a 270 Hz touch sampling rate. This phone also has many different controls, such as the AirTrigger 5, a joystick, and two shoulder buttons. All these features make the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate a powerful and versatile gaming device.

The Asus device boasts a Samsung AMOLED screen with a 2448 x 1080 pixel resolution, with a peak refresh rate of 165Hz and a max brightness of 1,500 nits. This is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, with noticeable bezels on the top and bottom of the display. This is beneficial for gaming purposes as the bezels are large enough to house the sizeable 12mm x 16mm stereo front-facing speakers, and also provide a secure grip on the phone, making it difficult to obscure the screen.

The touchscreen of the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is incredibly sensitive, and it does not take much to activate something on the home screen unintentionally, which can be somewhat irksome. The same holds true within apps, as my sporadic swipes that would go undetected on other gadgets result in more precise actions on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. While it takes some time to get accustomed to it, it does benefit when playing games. The built-in fingerprint sensor is quick and precise, and there is also a face unlock feature if it gets something wrong.

With Asus’s Game Genie, you can access a menu from the top left corner of your screen while playing a game. This menu enables you to customize various aspects of your gaming experience, including screen refresh rate, X Mode settings, notifications, screen recording, control macros, and adding a crosshair. This, in combination with X Mode and Armoury Crate (where all your games and settings are stored), makes the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate a great choice as it allows you to tailor the phone specifically to your gaming needs.

ROG Phone now offers X Capture, a feature that records important moments during gameplay when a certain pattern is detected (e.g. boss kills). Additionally, the new Background Mode allows the game to run in the background when set for auto-combat. Also, users can customise haptic feedback for different areas of the screen, helping them to differentiate between actions.

Audio and Visual Features

The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is crafted specifically with gaming in mind, and although it is best suited for those who engage in graphically intensive gaming daily, it is also worth considering for its phenomenal audio and visual capabilities. The screen is incredibly vibrant, and the phone even surpasses most of its peers in terms of audio enhancements and connectivity.

Dirac, known for their expertise in audio, have improved the sound of the phone’s dual speakers, allowing it to remain clear and loud even with a considerable amount of bass. Additionally, the AeroActive Cooler 7 accessory that comes with the phone has a small subwoofer that enhances the sound to a 2.1 system when connected. The phone also has a 3.5mm headphone jack with Dirac’s Virtuo tuning for wired headphones, and a range of Bluetooth 5.3 features such as AptX Adaptive, AptX Lossless, Hi-Res and Hi-Res Wireless, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Sound. It’s unusual to encounter all of these features in one device.

The audio capabilities of the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate are outstanding. This phone is ideal for those who watch a lot of videos and listen to music, as well as those who enjoy playing games.

Camera Feature of the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate

It would be unwise for someone to purchase the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate only for its camera, yet the device’s camera does deliver satisfactory results. Though the phone is designed for gaming, it can still take pictures that are not disappointing.

On the back of the device, you will find three cameras. At the forefront is a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766, with a 13MP wide-angle and 5MP macro providing additional support. You can also experiment with different modes, such as macro, night mode, light trail mode, and even 8K video recording at 24 frames-per-second.

When taking pictures in the daytime, the colours appear vivid and HDR is clearly visible, while the 2x zoom offers impressive results. Unfortunately, the main and wide-angle cameras do not have the same quality, but this is a common issue that cannot be blamed on the ROG Phone 7, since its camera is not its main feature.

The 32MP selfie camera produces vivid, vibrant and lifelike photos, but its edge recognition while using portrait mode can be a bit off. Despite this, the high megapixel count and consistent image quality make for a great choice for streaming. When it comes to the camera, the ROG Phone 7 produces photos of a quality that any user would be pleased to show off.

Battery and Charging Capabilities

The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is a marvel in power conservation. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and 6,000mAh battery function in unison, with the chip’s energy-efficiency capitalizing on the energy of the battery. You can use the phone lightly, with approximately two hours of screen time, and it will still maintain a charge of over 70% by the time the day is through. However, it is even more remarkable when you put it to the test.

Beginning at 8:00 in the morning and utilizing a variety of GPS, video call, game, and app applications, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate’s battery life was still at 36% by 1:00 in the morning after a six-hour period of use. This is an impressive performance and, barring extended gaming until the battery completely dies, it is more than capable of lasting a full day with no difficulty.

The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate comes with a 67W HyperCharge wired fast charger and a USB Type-C to Type-C cable, which allowed for recharging of the phone in 50 minutes. Wireless charging has not been included in the ROG Phone series, which Asus explains does not fit the phone’s design. Although some may miss this feature, it is preferable that the company make the phone it had intended to, rather than trying to squeeze in wireless charging to meet a technical requirement.

A Look at the Software and Connectivity

When it comes to the software of the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, users have the option to pick between two different takes of the Android 13 operating system. The ROG theme provides a more flashy look with its special icons, sound effects and wallpaper, while the Asus ZenUI offers a more Pixel-like, conventional approach. Both designs have the same features, and users can even combine them to create a hybrid design.

The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate’s software has proved dependable and straightforward to use, as it does not require a lot of upkeep nor does it constantly suggest activities or tasks. This is a plus, but it also contributes to some of the software’s problems. Due to the sheer number of features and game-specific modes to explore, several of which are tucked away in the X Mode menu or Armory Crate app, it can be hard to locate them initially. There is an informational page that covers some of these, but not all of them.

Trying to find the right balance is no easy task. Show too many features, and Asus could be creating a phone that is too complex and irksome; but, if they are hidden too much, those who may have wanted to take advantage of them could end up overlooking them. Personally, I appreciate the approach Asus has gone for, but be prepared to spend some time getting to know the ROG Phone’s capabilities after you buy. In terms of software support, Asus is offering two major OS updates and four years of security updates, which is sufficient, but lags behind what Samsung and OnePlus are offering.

The sound quality of phone calls on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is quite good, due to the phone’s excellent speakers. However, I have noticed that Wi-Fi Calling on this device isn’t always as steady as on other phones, and this may be due to the network rather than the phone itself. Nevertheless, Wi-Fi 7 is highly dependable on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate.

According to Asus, a remarkable four million hours are devoted to gaming on ROG Phones each week, a figure that shot up by 36% over the course of 2022. This indicates that mobile gaming is definitely no longer a mere niche, with a large number of people wanting a smartphone that can make gaming more enjoyable and enhance their performance. The ROG Phone series has been on the cutting edge for a while now, and the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate maintains that legacy.

The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is incredibly powerful, stylish without being over-the-top, its unique features are sensible and practical, and the software is reliable and well-developed. It was designed mainly with gaming in mind, however, it is also suitable for those looking for a quality multimedia phone. Although costly, this is the case with any top-spec flagship handset.

The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate isn’t a major advancement on the ROG Phone 6 Pro, but Asus has polished and enhanced the device in all the proper areas. Is it only for serious gamers? Yes and no. Most of the features are of most use to those who play power-intensive games for at least 30 minutes daily — however, it is also worth considering if video and audio performance is important to you. The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate performs very well in these areas and, if you are fine with the trade-offs, it is an excellent purchase and a phone that you will be able to use for years.