Asus ROG Phone II first impressions: Extraordinary phone; steal at Rs 37999

Taiwanese electronics manufacturer Asus was the first smartphone brand to bring a gaming-centric smartphone (last year’s Asus ROG Phone) in India. Though it was an impressive device, the phone’s prohibitive price tag of Rs 69,999 restricted its reach to the community of digital gaming fanatics.

Now, the company has launched the second iteration of its ROG-series smartphone, the ROG Phone II. At Rs 37,999 for the base model (8GB RAM + 256GB storage), the ROG Phone II comes for just about half the price of its predecessor. Interestingly, the company has cut no corners and the phone brings some major upgrades to be a power-packed premium gaming device. Let’s take a look at the phone’s specifications:

Asus ROG Phone first impressions

Display

Asus ROG Phone IIThe ROG Phone II’s AMOLED screen boasts several industry-first features, including 120Hz refresh rate and 10-bit HDR. These features might sound technical but they improve the experience and make the ROG Phone II’s display one of the best that you can get in any smartphone. Being a gaming smartphone, the phone’s display is tuned to deliver optimal experience while playing games. It also looks equally dazzling while rendering supported digital content available on several over-the-top apps like the Amazon Prime Videos, Netflix, etc.

Multimedia

Asus ROG Phone IIBesides an immersive display, the ROG Phone II also has front-facing dual stereo speakers with Dolby Ultra support that makes the phone a multimedia powerhouse. The speakers are loud, clear, and have balanced stereo crosstalk. The ROG Phone II seems to have one of the best speaker set-ups for gaming and multimedia — even otherwise. The phone also has Widevine L1 certification, allowing it to stream digital content available on OTT platforms in high definition.

Performance

Though a midrange phone, the ROG Phone II has flagship specifications, some that yo0u don’t find even in premium smartphones. It is the first smartphone in India to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ system-on-chip (SoC). Like its predecessor, the Asus ROG Phone II has a pressure-sensitive chassis with active sensors on the lower left and right sides. The phone also has ultrasonic sensors (Air Triggers) on the right side of the chassis, located on the top and bottom sides. However, the placement of Air Triggers has been improved and using them now feels much more natural. Similarly, the pressure sensors now recognise palm force with ease and allow instant transition from normal to X-mode for game-related settings enhancement.

Asus ROG Phone IIAt its price, the ROG Phone II has a lot for everyone. The phone is certainly aimed at gamers, but others might also appreciate it for its build quality, features, display, battery, etc. Therefore, the phone is being tested on several parameters and you will get a lowdown in a detailed soon-to-be-published review. Watch this space...