ASUS released the ROG Phone 5 earlier this year, but it wasn't available to purchase in many countries outside of China and Europe. The phone recently become available in India, and now Asus is finally bringing it to the United States for a hefty price tag of $999.99.

The ROG Phone 5 is one of the most powerful Android phones currently available, with a Snapdragon 888 chipset, front-facing stereo speakers, a massive 6.78-inch 144Hz AMOLED screen, up to 16GB RAM and 256GB storage, a 6,000mAh battery, virtual AirTrigger buttons, and more. Many other devices from this year use the same Snapdragon 888 chipset, like the Galaxy S21 and ASUS' own ZenFone 8, but the ROG Phone 5 can still squeeze out slightly better performance with its abundance of RAM, software tweaks, and better cooling.

Right now, ASUS is only selling the entry-level ROG Phone 5 in the United States — the Pro and Ultimate variants won't be available until sometime in the third quarter of this year. The base model with 256GB of storage and 16GB RAM will cost you $999.99 from ASUS' online store. It's advertised as compatible with GSM networks like AT&T and T-Mobile (sorry, Verizon subscribers), and ASUS recently updated the phone with support for T-Mobile's VoLTE. You can find the full list of supported bands on the product page linked below.

The base model of ASUS' newest gaming phone is now available in the United States at a price of $999.99.
Asus ROG Phone 5

The base model of ASUS' newest gaming phone is now available in the United States. It costs $999.99.

The ROG Phone 5 is already a niche product, appealing to anyone more interested in smartphone gaming than picking up a Nintendo Switch, but the $1,000 price tag might still scare away some potential buyers — especially when the same processor and graphics can be found in $700 phones. Sadly, the AeroActive Cooler 5 accessory doesn't seem to be included in a purchase, so you'll have to shell out an additional $69.99 (discounted to $62.99 at the time of publication). The ROG Kunai 3 gamepad is also a separate purchase that costs $149.99 (discounted to $134.99 right now), but you can pick it up alongside the ROG Phone 5 in a bundle that costs $1,039.99 (just $40 more than the phone itself!)

ASUS ROG Phone 5 Forums