ASUS ROG Phone 9/9 Pro debut with Snapdragon 8 Elite and 185Hz display

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

ASUS launched the ROG Phone 8 series last year, a gaming phone with a slimmer and more conventional design. 

Today, ASUS launched its successor, the ROG Phone 9 series and the Taiwanese company adhered to the same design language. 

The ROG Phone 9 series includes two phones, the ROG Phone 9 and the 9 Pro. The devices differ only in a few key aspects. 

The standard model is only available in a 12GB/256GB configuration. However, the ROG Phone 9 Pro is available in 16GB/512GB and 24GB/1TB variants, bundled with the AeroActive Cooler X Pro accessory.

ASUS ROG Phone 9: display and design

ASUS ROG Phone 9 series packs a 6.78-inch LTPO OLED (2,400 x 1,080) screen.

The screen sports a whopping 185Hz refresh rate and 2,500 nits of peak brightness. You will also get over 1,500 nits in the high brightness mode and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection.

About the design, ASUS has gone a bit low-key like last year, but there are still a few gaming elements, such as impressive backlighting on the back featuring 648 mini LED lights for the Pro model, while the standard model only gets 85 LEDs. 

The Taiwanese brand also makes excellent use of the Mini LEDs by letting you play four games through the backlighting and Air Triggers: Brick Smasher, Snake Venture, Aero Invaders, and Speedy Run.

The company says it will add more games in the future. Unfortunately, the standard ROG Phone 9 variant doesn’t get these games, but you can still use its backlight for notifications and other functions. 

ASUS ROG Phone 9: performance and features 

Both the ASUS ROG Phone 9 and 9 Pro pack Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, and apparently, the company has added a few cooling measures.

This includes the so-called rapid cooling conductor, which claims to boost the thermal efficiency by 20%, and a 57% larger graphite sheet, which reduces the temperature by 12%.

ASUS also claims that the processor is placed at the phone’s center, farther away from your hands. 

Both models come with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage.

The ASUS ROG Phone camera never has that wow factor, as it’s a gaming-oriented smartphone.

This year’s ROG Phone 9 has the same 50MP LYT-700 primary camera (with six-axis gimbal OIS) and 13MP ultrawide lens as last year.

However, the Pro model offers a 32MP 3x telephoto camera, while the standard variant only offers a 5MP macro lens. On the front side, both phones offer a 32MP RGBW camera.

The company also offers the ability to use air triggers as shutter buttons. There’s also a Photo Vibe suite for different photography styles:  Rich and Warm, Soft and Warm, Vivid Cold, and Gentle Cold.

The ROG Phone 9 series packs a 5,800mAh battery, a modest 300mAh upgrade over last year’s ROG Phone 8. It supports 65W wired charging (using USB-PD PPS) and 15W Qi wireless charging. 

The company also offers a new bypass charging functionality, which allows you to bypass the battery and keep your phone on through the wall plug. 

Specs	ROG Phone 9	ROG Phone 9 Pro
Display	6.78-inch, 2K AMOLED, 165 Hz LTPO (185 Hz in Game Genie)	6.78-inch, 2K AMOLED, 165 Hz LTPO (185 Hz in Game Genie)
SoC	Snapdragon 8 Elite	Snapdragon 8 Elite
RAM	12GB	16GB 24GB – Pro Edition
Storage	256GB/512GB	512GB 1TB – Pro Edition
Cameras	Rear: 50MP primary + 5MP macro + 13MP ultrawide Front: 32MP selfie camera	Rear: 50MP primary + 32MP telephoto (3X optical) + 13MP ultrawide Front: 32MP selfie camera
Battery	5,800 mAh	5,800 mAh
Additional Features	IP68, 85 mini LEDs, AirTriggers Wireless charging (Qi)	IP68, 648 mini LEDs, AirTriggers Wireless charging (Qi)

Lastly, ASUS has brought on-device AI to ROG Phones, which offer features like call translation, transcriptions, AI-generated wallpapers, and semantic search smarts. 

ASUS has also stated that the phones will support Circle to Search later this year with an update.

The ROG Phone 9 has an IP68 dust and water-resistance rating. You can expect at least two years of major OS updates and five years of security updates, which is far behind what Google and Samsung offer. 

ASUS ROG Phone 9: price and availability 

Expect to pay $999 / €1,099 for the base model ASUS ROG Phone 9 with 12GB/256GB, available in Black and White. However, Europe is getting a 12GB/512GB variant for €1,149. 

Meanwhile, expect to pay $1,199 / €1,299 for the ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro for the 16GB/512GB model in Black, while the 24GB/1TB model with the bundled cooling fan will set you back $1,499 / €1,499.

Regarding availability, the ROG Phone 9 series will be available today in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, and several other markets in the APAC region.

Pre-orders will go live today in Europe, and shipping will start in December. ASUS has also added that the ROG Phone 9 series will grace the US market in January 2025. 

What do you think about the ASUS ROG Phone 9 and 9 Pro? Would you buy either of these models to be your next phone? Tell us your thoughts below in the comments, or reach out to us via our Twitter or Facebook.