Update 1 (12/11/19 @ 00:00 AM EST): 12GB RAM variant of the ASUS ROG Phone II will be available in India starting today.
The original launch article from September 23, 2019, remains unchanged.
ASUS has been making smartphones for quite many years now but if there's something that has really turned heads is its gaming smartphones. Branded under ASUS' Republic of Gamers (ROG) trademark, the gaming phones are powered in line with the laptops under the ROG brand name. Back in July, ASUS launched its second gaming smartphone – the ASUS ROG Phone II – in a partnership with Tencent. Outrageously impressive in all senses, the ASUS ROG Phone II is the magnum opus of smartphone hardware and initial benchmarks tell us that it is one of the most powerful devices in the market. ASUS is now bringing the ROG Phone II to India with the same ludicrous hardware and startling pricing.
ASUS ROG Phone II XDA ForumsBuy: ASUS ROG Phone II 8GB/128GB (₹37,999) | ASUS ROG Phone II 12GB/512GB (₹59,999)
The ASUS ROG Phone II is no ordinary smartphone and was the first smartphone to be powered by the Snapdragon 855 Plus. In India too, the ROG Phone II will be the first smartphone to feature the Snapdragon 855 Plus but that's not the only highlight on the new device. The prime core on the CPU and the Adreno 640 GPU have been overclocked to 2.96GHz and 675MHz, respectively.
The ROG Phone II comes with a superb 120Hz refresh rate, a parameter still unmatched for AMOLED displays. The display is protected under Gorilla Glass 6 and is certified for 10-bit HDR content. Users can either set a global parameter for the higher refresh rate or even choose the refresh rate settings per app. The display has a touch sampling rate of 240Hz and a 49ms latency.
There's up to 12GB of RAM on the ASUS ROG Phone II and it gets up to 512GB of storage with a UFS 3.0 technology. There's a 3D vapor chamber to keep heat under control but if that's not adequate, ASUS has added a couple of heat real vents on the phone. The smartphone doesn't come with physical fans like on the Nubia Red Magic 3, but you can use one of the external fans available for purchase separately.
The ASUS ROG Phone II is perhaps the only flagship smartphone to have a massive 6,000mAh battery. There are two USB-C ports on the phone - one at the bottom and the other on the side to allow charging in both – landscape and portrait – configurations. The smartphone supports up to 30W fast charging and the proprietary HyperCharge technology allows gamers to use the phone even while charging without any heating. ASUS claims that one hour of charging reaps almost 36 hours of backup while the smartphone can last 7+ hours while continuous PUBG gameplay, but at 60Hz display refresh rate.
For an engaging gaming experience, there's a dual high-end XYZ vibrational motor for directional vibration. There are two front-facing speakers on the smartphone for a fierce throughput. For India, ASUS has also added an outdoor mode and FM radio to the smartphone. Additionally, the ultrasonic, pressure-sensitive air trigger buttons have been also been added to the smartphone just like the first generation ROG Phone. The functionality of these triggers can be customized and there's a protection for accidental touches. ASUS says they'll soon allow customization sliding actions on to the ROG Phone II.
In terms of camera, there's a 48MP Sony IMX586 camera along with a 13MP wide-angle sensor on the back. On the front, there's a 24MP camera. Since the rear camera setup is the same as the ASUS ZenFone 6 (ASUS 6Z India)
On the software front, there's little customization over the stock Android UI. ASUS also allows unlocking the bootloader on the ROG Phone II but there's currently a dearth of custom ROMs, especially those which support the triggers correctly. In the current interface, you can choose between an AOSP-like UI or a more aggressive ROG UI. There's only a single app on top of the clean UI and that is the Armory Crate app which lets users to manage gaming-related resources on the smartphone.
ASUS ROG Phone II Specifications
|
Specification |
ASUS ROG Phone II |
|---|---|
|
Dimensions |
170.99 x 77.6 x 9.48mm |
|
Weight |
240g |
|
Body |
Aura RGB lighting |
|
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 |
|
CPU |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus (1 x Kryo 485 @ 2.96GHz + 3 x Kryo 485 @ 2.42GHz + 4 x Kryo 385 @ 1.8GHz) |
|
GPU |
Adreno 640 @ 675MHz |
|
RAM |
8GB/12GB LPDDR4X |
|
Storage |
128GB/512GB UFS 3.0 |
|
Battery |
6,000mAh |
|
Software |
ROG UI (Android 9 Pie-based) with choice of stock Android-like UIGoogle ARCore support |
|
Front Camera |
24MP |
|
Rear Camera(s) |
48MP Sony IMX586 + 13MP (125° FOV) |
|
Audio |
3.5mm headphone jack, Dual front-facing stereo speakers with DTS:X Ultra, Quad mics with noise-cancellation, Voice wakeup |
|
Vibrations |
Dual high-end vibrating motors XYZ axis for surround feel |
|
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)NFC |
|
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) |
|
Sensors |
Accelerometer, e-compass, proximity sensor, Hall sensor, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, 2 x ultrasonic AirTrigger sensors |
|
Biometrics |
Optical under-display fingerprint scanner |
Pricing & Availability
The ASUS ROG Phone II comes in two variants in India with the 8GB/128GB variant priced at ₹37,999 (~$535) while the 12GB/512GB variant is priced at ₹59,999 (~$850). These prices are amazing considering the prices for the first-generation ROG Phone was priced at ₹69,999 in India.
The prices for the accessories available for purchase separately are:
- ROG 30W charger - ₹1,999 (~$30)
- AeroActive Cooler II - ₹3,999 (~$60)
- Professional USB-C dock - ₹5,499 (~$80)
- NFC-enabled Lightning Armour case - ₹2,999 (~$45)
- TwinView Dock II for a second display - ₹19,999 (~$285)
- Mobile Desktop dock for console-style gaming - ₹12,999 (~$185)
- ROG Kunai gamepad - ₹9,999 (~$140)
The ROG Phone II and the accessories will be available in India starting September 30th.
Buy: ASUS ROG Phone II 8GB/128GB (₹37,999) | ASUS ROG Phone II 12GB/512GB (₹59,999)
Update 1: 12GB RAM variant now available in India
The higher variant of the ASUS ROG Phone II with 12GB RAM and 512GB internal storage is going on sale in India today i.e. December 11th at 12PM IST via Flipkart for ₹59,999 (~$850). Along with this variant, you will get an AeroActive Cooler II worth ₹3,999 (~$60) free of cost.