Introduction
If you already know what the ROG Phone line is, get ready because the ROG Phone 9 is as packed with hardware and software features as ever, and most of them are aimed at great gaming. Experience. Although, coincidentally, what makes a great gaming phone is actually a great formula for a solid flagship In general, you can appreciate the ROG Phone 9 series even if you’re not interested in gaming.
The ROG line received a massive redesign with last year’s ROG Phone 8 generation. A new design that aimed to make the phone more appealing to a broader, non-gamer crowd. This year, we get something more of the same, with the ROG Phone 9 family being a continuation or refinement of the same formula.
In keeping with tradition, there are a total of three ROG Phone 9 models this year: vanilla, Pro, and Pro edition. The Pro version is the easiest to explain. This is basically the Pro version, but it has 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, and the Aeroactive CoolX Pro is bundled.
Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro specs at a glance:
- Body: 163.8×76.8×8.9 mm, 227 g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass), aluminum frame; IP68/IP69K dust/water resistant (up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes), Mini-LED programmable matrix (on the back), pressure sensitive area (gaming trigger).
- Display: 6.78″ LTPO AMOLED, 1B color, 185Hz, HDR10, 1600 nits (HBM), 2500 nits (peak), 1080x2400px resolution, 20:9 aspect ratio, 388ppi; always-on display.
- Chipset: Qualcomm SM8750-AB Snapdragon 8 Elite (3 nm): octa-core (2×4.32 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix L + 6×3.53 GHz Oryon V2 Phoenix M); Adreno 830.
- Memory: 512GB 16GB RAM, 1TB 24GB RAM; UFS 4.0, NTFS support for external storage.
- OS/Software: Up to Android 15, 2 major Android upgrades.
- rear camera: wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm, 1/1.56″, 1.0µm, PDAF, gimbal OIS; telephoto: 32 MP, f/2.4, 1/3.2″, 0.7µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom; ultra wide angle: 13 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120-degree.
- Front Camera: 32 MP, f/2.5, 22mm (wide), 1/3.2″, 0.7µm.
- video capture: rear camera: 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 720p@480fps; Gyro-EIS, HDR10+; front camera:1080p@30fps.
- Battery: 5800mAh; 65W Wired, PD3.0, PPS, QC5, 15W Wireless (Qi), 10W Reverse Wired.
- Connectivity: 5G; dual SIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 5.4, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive; NFC; 3.5 mm jack.
- various: Fingerprint reader (under the display, optical); Stereo speaker.
There aren’t really too many differences between vanilla and Pro. Both devices get the same Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, with the same design inside and out, including a new cooling system, IP68 ingress protection, and AirTriggers. The only physical difference is that the vanilla gets a cut-down version of the Anime Vision Mini LED display on the back with only 85 dots, while the Pro gets a total of 648 dots. Additionally, both phones have the same excellent 185Hz LTPO display and 5,800 mAh battery – which is bigger than last year’s.
Another difference between the vanilla and Pro is the camera setup. While both versions get the same 50MP Sony Lytia 700 main camera and the same 13MP ultrawide and 32MP selfies, only the Pro model has a 32MP, 3x telephoto camera. On vanilla, this is swapped for a 5MP macro unit.
| rog phone 9 | rog phone 9 pro | rog phone 9 pro edition |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 16GB RAM and 512GB storage | 16GB RAM and 512GB storage | 24GB RAM and 1TB storage |
| Anime Vision Mini-LED (85 points) | Anime Vision Mini-LED (648 dots) | Anime Vision Mini-LED (648 dots) |
| 5MP macro camera | 32MP, 3x telephoto camera with OIS | 32MP, 3x telephoto camera with OIS |
| Aeroactive Cooler X Pro Bundle |
We’ll be sure to test both cameras in the camera section for completeness. You’re not really giving up that much by choosing the vanilla ROG Phone 9 instead of the ROG Phone 9 Pro. That said, Asus says the ROG Phone 8 generation has seen a significant increase in interest towards the Pro model compared to the vanilla, and they expect this behavior to continue in the ROG Phone 9 as well.
unbox
The ROG Phone 9 comes in a standard two-piece black box. It is quite thick and solid and protects the phone well. There is no plastic in the packaging, which is good. In terms of accessories, the regular ROG Phone 9 gets a charger and a braided USB Type-C to Type-C cable. Additionally, the box also comes with a hard, transparent clip-on case.
The ROG Phone 9 Pro edition, which we also got for review, has a much more detailed case. First of all, you get the Aeroactive Cooler X Pro with a soft carrying case. Then, there is a snap-on case that is compatible with the AeroActive cooler. You also get a regular protective case, as well as a charger and cable.
