Asus ROG Phone 7: Everything you need to know

Asus’s Republic of Gamers phones are a favourite of those who enjoy gaming on the go, due to the power and dedicated features on the devices that make playing the latest titles a breeze.

Now, the company has unveiled the latest generation of handsets to wear the name: the ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. Here’s what you need to know about the world’s most powerful gaming phones – or read our ROG Phone 7 Ultimate review to get our first-hand thoughts.

When was the Asus ROG Phone 7 be released?

Asus unveiled the pair of phones at a launch event on 13 April, and both are available to order now direct from Asus.

Both the ROG Phone 7 and 7 Ultimate have launched in the UK and Europe, but there’s no word yet on US availability.

How much does the Asus ROG Phone 7 cost?

Here are the basic start prices for the two phones in the UK and Europe:

• ROG Phone 7: £999/€1,199
• ROG Phone 7 Ultimate: £1,199/€1,399

That’s a price increase for the regular model – the ROG Phone 6 started at $899/£899/€999 – though that makes sense since there’s no Pro this time around. The Ultimate model is the same price as last year’s 6D Ultimate however.

What are the Asus ROG Phone 7 specs and features?

To run through the specs, let’s break down the models one by one.

ROG Phone 7

The regular model is the more affordable of the two, but make no mistake: this is still a high-end gaming flagship, with plenty of power.

As you’d expect it’s powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, currently the most powerful Android chip on the market. It will come with a choice of 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, or 16GB RAM and 512GB storage.

Thanks to Asus’s Armoury Crate software and advanced cooling options, the phone’s performance can be further tweaked, tuned, and optimised to exceed what you’d achieve with traditional 8 Gen 2 flagship Android phones.

All that power helps drive the large 6.78in flat AMOLED display, which boasts a 165Hz refresh rate – the fastest you’ll find on the market right now. A 720Hz touch sampling rate should make it even more responsive, while peak brightness of 1,500 nits means it should be bright enough to game in almost any lighting.

Audio is just as impressive, with stereo speakers that can become a proper 2.1 sound system using a subwoofer built into the clip-on AeroActive Cooler 7 accessory. Plus, as before, you still get an actual 3.5mm headphone jack for wired audio, along with the phone’s pair of USB-C charging ports.

Speaking of charging, the 6000mAh battery can be topped up at 65W charging speeds. That’s fast, but far from the fastest around. There’s also no wireless charging option, but that’s no real surprise.

Then there are cameras. The 50Mp main camera on the rear uses the Sony IMX766 sensor, and it’s joined by a 13Mp ultrawide camera and 5Mp macro. Flip to the front and you find a 32Mp selfie shooter.

The ROG Phone 7 is available in Phantom Black or Storm White, and either way has an IP54 rating for dust and water protection plus Gorilla Glass Victus on the display. It’s big – 10.4mm thick – and heavy – 239g – but that’s the price you pay for a gaming device like this.

It ships running Android 13, and Asus has promised two Android version updates – so Android 14 and 15 – but four full years of software updates.

Here are the full specs:

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
• Android 13 (ROG UI & Zen UI)
• 6.78in 165Hz AMOLED display
• Qualcomm Adreno 740
• 12/16GB LPDDR5X RAM
• 256/512GB UFS 4.0 storage
• Cameras:
  • 50Mp main sensor
  • 13Mp ultrawide
  • 8Mp macro
  • 32Mp front facing
• Wi-Fi 6E (Wi-Fi 7 ready)
• Dual SIM dual standby
• Bluetooth 5.3
• 6000mAh battery
• 65W wired charging
• 173 x 77 x 10.3 mm
• 239g

ROG Phone 7 Ultimate

The Ultimate version of the phone is… similar. Very similar.

In fact, the specs are essentially identical except for the fact that it’s locked at 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, with no cheaper option available at lower specs.

The differences are all in the design. Only available in white, the Ultimate version features two extra features on the rear: an ROG Vision matrix colour display panel, and an AeroActive Portal cooling flap.

Neither are new to this generation – they return from last year’s Ultimate phones. The display is a small strip of screen primarily used to play custom animations, display graphics, and pop-up notification alerts. It’s a fun design flourish that adds a unique touch to the phone, though doesn’t enhance the functionality too much.

As for the Portal, this is a small flap that activates only when the Cooler 7 accessory is also attached, enhancing air flow and improving cooling to give you a little bit of extra performance when you really need it.

If it’s caught your eye, make sure to check out our ranking of the best gaming smartphones of 2023 to see how the ROG Phone 7s stack up.