Update (9/23/19 @ 2:40 PM ET): The ASUS ROG Phone II and accessories go on sale today in the US and next week in India.
The ASUS ROG Phone II is a successor to the original ROG Phone which launched last year. It featured the first high refresh rate OLED panel, coming in at 90Hz. It had a number of things which made it unique, such as an overclocked Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, 90Hz FHD AMOLED, three USB Type-C ports, ultrasonic pressure-sensitive “Air Trigger” buttons, and a clip-on fan accessory, The ASUS ROG Phone II launched in China at the end of July in collaboration with Tencent, with the first 120Hz OLED panel. It's also the first smartphone with the newly announced Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus. Now it's finally available for purchase outside of China, with a few extra bits and pieces as well.
ASUS ROG Phone II Specifications
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ASUS ROG Phone II |
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Dimensions |
170.99 x 77.6 x 9.48mm |
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Weight |
240g |
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Body |
Aura RGB lighting |
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Display |
6.6-inch 19.5:9 FHD+ (2340×1080), 120Hz/1ms AMOLED, 240Hz touch sampling rate, 108% DCI-P3, 10000:1 contrast, Gorilla Glass 6, dE<1, 10-bit HDR, capacitive touch panel with 10 points multi-touch, SDR2HDR upsampling coming with Worldwide launch |
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CPU |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus (1 x Kryo 485 @ 2.96GHz + 3 x Kryo 485 @ 2.42GHz + 4 x Kryo 385 @ 1.8GHz) |
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GPU |
Adreno 640 @ 675MHz |
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RAM |
12GB LPDDR4X |
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Storage |
512GB UFS 3.0Ultimate Edition: 1TB UFS 3.0 |
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Battery |
6,000mAh |
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Software |
ROG UI (Android 9 Pie-based) with choice of stock Android-like UIGoogle ARCore support |
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Front Camera |
24MP |
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Rear Camera(s) |
48MP Sony IMX586 + 13MP (125° FOV) |
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Audio |
3.5mm headphone jack, Dual front-facing stereo speakers with DTS:X Ultra, Quad mics with noise-cancellation, Voice wakeup |
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Vibrations |
Dual high-end vibrating motors XYZ axis for surround feel |
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Connectivity |
Wi-Fi: Integrated 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad (5G, 2×2 MIMO); Wi-Fi Direct; 802.11ad for low-latency wireless displayBluetooth: Bluetooth 5.0 (EDR + A2DP); Profiles: HFP + A2DP + AVRCP + HID + PAN + OPPGNSS: GPS(L1+L5), GLONASS, BDS, Galileo(E1+E5a), QZSS(L1+L5)NFCUltimate Edition: as above, but with up to 2Gbps 4G LTE (Cat 20) downloads. |
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Ports |
Side: Customized connector (USB 3.1 Gen 2/DP 1.4[4K]/fast charging [QC 3.0 + QC 4.0/PD 3.0]/direct charge) – 30W HyperChargeBottom: Type-C connector (USB 2.0/Fast Charging [QC 3.0/PD 3.0]/direct charge) |
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Sensors |
Accelerometer, e-compass, proximity sensor, Hall sensor, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, 2 x ultrasonic AirTrigger sensors |
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Biometrics |
Optical under-display fingerprint scanner |
The ASUS ROG Phone II is an all-around beast
The ASUS ROG Phone II outside of China is more or less the exact same device as inside of China, with some key differences. To learn more, you should check out our initial coverage of the device's launch, which you can find here. Nearly everything is the same. You get the same stellar performance, same 120Hz panel, and support for the exact same accessories, which you can find a list of below. In the global edition, you also get the AeroActive Cooler II clip-on fan in the box, pre-installed Google services, and more global LTE bands.
- AeroActive Cooler II
- Aero Case
- TwinView Dock II
- ROG Kunai Gamepad
- Mobile Desktop Dock
- Pro Dock
- WiGig Display Dock Plus
- ROG Lighting Armor Case
If you're a user who really cares about their device being unlockable or not, then the fact that there is already a bootloader unlock tool and kernel source available will excite you. If you prefer your phone to look more like stock Android, ASUS has included that option as well at setup, so that you don't need to deal with ROG UI if you don't want to. You even get a headphone jack, two USB-C ports, a massive 6,000 mAh battery, and AirTriggers - physical buttons which can be mapped to touch inputs.
You just can't really go wrong with the ASUS ROG Phone II. It throws everything you could ever want in abundance into one device.
ASUS ROG Phone II Ultimate Edition
ASUS has also announced the Ultimate Edition of the ASUS ROG Phone II, which features faster LTE download speeds, a new design, and 1TB of UFS 3.0 storage. It's a Matte Black finish as well, while the regular device has a glossy back.
ASUS partners with Blazing Games Inc., Capcom, Gameloft, and MADFINGER Games
Smartphone companies partnering with gaming companies seem to be all the rage in the last few months, with device makers such as Honor partnering with Epic Games to deliver exclusive in-game items. ASUS has taken the same approach with some other companies, offering exclusives in-game should you pick up the ROG Phone II.
Blazing Games Inc.
Blazing Games Inc. is a Japanese company that expects to be launching an RPG optimized for the ASUS ROG Phone II and its TwinView Dock II, Dual Surrounding Vibration and Aura RGB lighting. All ROG Phone users will also get exclusive in-game content from launch, as well as exclusive early access to a Closed Beta Test.
Capcom
From September 12th, ROG Phone II users can enjoy the Closed Beta Test of ROCKMAN X DiVE, the company's first mobile game. ROCKMAN X DiVE will include an exclusive custom weapon and also optimizations for the ROG Kunai Gamepad and 120Hz display.
Gameloft
Asphalt 9: Legends by Gameloft will be pre-installed on every ROG Phone II, which will have a number of device-specific optimizations and an in-game exclusive car. It also has full support for the TwinView Dock II and Dual Surrounding Vibration.
MADFINGER Games
MADFINGER Games developer Shadowgun Legends, which will be optimized for ROG Phone II, TwinView Dock II, ROG Kunai Gamepad, and Dual Surrounding Vibration. All ROG Phone users will get access to exclusive customized suits and weapons.
ASUS ROG Phone II Pricing
The ASUS ROG Phone II "Elite Version" (the regular one) will be available globally at the end of September, while the Ultimate Edition will be available sometime in October via the ASUS e-Shop. The Elite Version will MSRP at €899, while the Ultimate Edition will MSRP at €1,119.
This article was updated on September 5th, 2019 at 3:05PM EST to correct the launch details of Capcom's ROCKMAN X DiVE games.
Update: US & India Details
The ASUS ROG Phone II is available today in the US from a few different places. You can buy it now for $899 from Mobile Advance and the ASUS Store or pre-order it from B&H Photo. The ASUS Store also has four accessories, including the Phone Pro Dock ($119), WiGig Dock ($329), Mobile Desktop ($229), and 30 W Adapter & USB-C cable ($49).
As we reported early this morning, the ROG Phone II is also coming to India next week. It will come in two variants: 8GB/128GB priced at ₹37,999 (~$535) and 12GB/512GB priced at ₹59,999 (~$850). They will be available with the accessories as well, starting September 30th.