ASUS' high-performance smartphones " ROG Phone 7 " and " ROG Phone 7 Ultimate " will be available in Japan from July 21, 2023. We had a chance to test the top-of-the-line ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, so we rushed to review it.
Package and main unit appearance
The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is a smartphone designed specifically for gaming. The package is also designed differently, with a mountain-shaped octagonal box that looks as if it were a realistic representation of the world of games. It is a design that makes you want to display it in your room.
Inside the package is the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, a case, a ROG-designed SIM eject pin, an external cooler "AeroActive Cooler 7" and its storage case, and a 65W USB charger. The AeroActive Cooler 7 can also be used with ROG Phone 7, but it will not be sold separately in Japan, only as part of the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate set.
ROG Phone 7 Ultimate and main accessories
Let's take a look at the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. It has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, 16GB of memory, and 512GB of storage. The display is a 6.78-inch 2448 x 1080 pixel AMOLED with refresh rate support up to 165 Hz, touch sampling rate of 720 Hz, and peak brightness of 1500 nits. The front camera is 32 megapixels built into the top bezel of the display, and its high image quality makes it easy to use for taking pictures of yourself when streaming games in a dark room, and there are no obtrusive holes to block your gameplay since the camera is driven out from the display.
Hands-on with the device
The back has a triple-camera design, including a 50-megapixel wide-angle camera on the main panel. The black part in the center of the top when the device is in landscape orientation is a retractable "hatch" that automatically opens when the AeroActive Cooler 7 is installed, allowing cool air to be blown directly to the cooling plate inside. The horizontal window at the bottom center is a 2-inch "ROG Vision" display, which can be switched to show six different scenes, including the time, charging status, and gaming mode "X Mode" on/off status. Customizable animations can also be displayed.
Sophisticated button layout and accessories
In addition to the power and volume buttons on the right side, the AirTrigger shoulder button is located on one side. The AirTrigger is an ultrasonic button that makes it easy to control games by simply touching the tip of the finger.
The left side is equipped with a USB Type-C port for easy charging while gaming. It also has a POGO pin for electrical signals to and from the AeroActive Cooler 7. The blue area on the edge is the nano SIM card slot. 
The included case is a special product that combines practicality and design, with an open ROG Vision section on the back. Even with the case attached, the ROG world view is not compromised.
The AeroActive Cooler 7 will change the look of the back of the case, which we will talk about later.
Performance and Gaming Settings
The OS is Android 13. Pre-installed apps included Google's standard apps, some ASUS proprietary apps, and two games.
The highest values were 2041 for single-core and 5659 for multi-core in GeekBench 6, and the AnTuTu 10 score exceeded 1.6 million. The AeroActive Cooler 7 seems to be very effective in cooling the device.
The "Armoury Crate" system app turns the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate into an ultra-compact portable gaming machine. It allows you to focus on the details of your gaming experience, such as turning off notifications so that you can concentrate on your game. The Armoury Crate menu includes a "Game Library" that displays a list of installed games, a "Console" that switches between console status and settings, a "Connect" that allows communication between users, and a "Featured" menu that displays recommended games. games, "Feature" to display the status and settings of the console, "Connect" to communicate with other users, and "My Profile" to enter the account. From the "Featured" section, games are displayed according to the refresh rate of the display.
The console displays the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate's CPU and other status information. The performance can be switched between "X Mode" for gaming, "Dynamic" for general use, and "Ultra Power Saving" for reduced power consumption. Other settings such as ROG Vision on the back, AeroActive Cooler 7 cooling settings, and AirTriggers settings for the side buttons can also be configured here.
While playing a game with the device in landscape mode, the "Game Genie" can be used to quickly swipe from the left or right corner to the center of the display to bring up a detailed settings panel.
Gameplay with AeroActive Cooler 7
The AeroActive Cooler 7 is quite large for an external cooler unit. It has an internal light that can be seen from the back, and its body is colored the same as the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, giving it an integrated look when worn.
To install, pull up the top of the AeroActive Cooler 7 and insert it into the Type-C port on the side of the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, then close the top. The AeroActive Cooler 7 is a Peltier cooler on the side that contacts the smartphone.
When the AeroActive Cooler 7 is installed, the "AeroActive Potal" hatch on the back of the device opens to allow cool air to circulate. Since dust and other debris can get through the hatch after prolonged use, a maintenance mode is also available: the hatch can be opened without the AeroActive Cooler 7 installed, and the interior can be cleaned with an air duster or other device. The AeroActive Cooler 7 has four buttons, two on each side. These buttons can be assigned to game controls. The AeroActive Cooler 7 is also equipped with a subwoofer. Together with the built-in stereo speakers, music playback performance is greatly enhanced.
While the heat generated by smartphone gameplay can be a concern, the AeroActive Cooler 7 can be used to significantly reduce the heat generated in the back of the device. The AeroActive Cooler 7 also has a USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. This allows the device to be powered during gameplay without going through the battery bypassing the power supply, which also prevents the device from heating up due to charging.
Check out the camera performance
The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate's camera has a 50-megapixel wide-angle, 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle, and 5-megapixel macro. The performance is probably sufficient to be considered a typical smartphone.
Below are some examples of the camera's work.
Ultimate Gaming Smartphone
The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is priced at 179,800 yen in Japan (16GB memory + 512GB storage). The sister model ROG Phone 7 is priced at 129,800 yen (12GB memory + 256GB storage) or 149,800 yen (16GB memory + 512GB storage). The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate can be purchased from Amazon.co.jp and other retailers. If you are interested in this product, please visit the official ASUS website or the product page on Amazon.co.jp!
▼ Photo & Written by Yasuhiro Yamane Blog: http: //www.hkyamane.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/hkyamane Note: https://note.com/hkyamane /