Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate review

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Introduction

Asus is a bit early with the ROG Phone launch this year, but you won't hear us complaining. It's time to once again take a deep dive into the mobile gaming world with what has consistently been the cream of the crop of mobile gaming hardware.

We get the ROG Phone 7 and the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate edition this year. The Taiwanese giant is going for a simplified lineup, at least thus far and is only coming out with two devices. Both are based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and are rocking essentially the same specs.

Today we have the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate in the house. As its name suggests, it is the top-tier offering within the lineup. In this particular case, this means including the ROG Vision display on the back and the AeroActive cooling Portal - both features making a comeback from the ROG Phone 6 family. The Ultimate only comes in one white color option - Storm White.

Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate specs at a glance:

• Body: 173.0x77.0x10.3mm, 239g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 3), aluminum frame; Built-in motorized cooling air vent (AeroActive Portal), IP54 water resistant, 2" OLED display (on the back), Pressure sensitive zones (Gaming triggers).
• Display: 6.78" AMOLED, 1B colors, 165Hz, HDR10+, 1000 nits (HBM), 1500 nits (peak), 1080x2448px resolution, 20.4:9 aspect ratio, 395ppi.
• Chipset: Qualcomm SM8550-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (4 nm): Octa-core (1x3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 & 2x2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 & 3x2.0 GHz Cortex-A510); Adreno 740.
• Memory: 512GB 16GB RAM; UFS 4.0, NTFS support for external storage.
• OS/Software: Android 13.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.9, 1/1.56", 1.0µm, PDAF; Ultra wide angle: 13 MP, f/2.2, 120-degree; Macro: 8 MP, f/2.0.
• Front camera: 32 MP (wide), f/2.45, 1/3.2", 0.7µm.
• Video capture: Rear camera: 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 720p@480fps; gyro-EIS, HDR10+; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 6000mAh; 65W wired, PD3.0, QC5, 100% in 42 min (advertised), 10W reverse wired.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical); NFC; 3.5mm jack; stereo speakers (2 amplifiers).

Special "Ultimate" features aside, the ROG Phone 7 family is more or less an iterative upgrade over its predecessor rather than a major departure from the familiar formula. After all, why change something that is clearly working? Asus just went out to refine the phone and make it better in any way possible. The ROG Phone 7 has better performance and cooling than its predecessor, better speaker performance, and a brighter AMOLED display, to name just a few highlights.

Other key features are still present as well, like the sturdy aluminum body and dual-glass design with Gorilla Glass Victus on the front and an ingress protection rating. The massive 6,000 mAh split battery with 65W fast charging is also here, and so are the impressive controls and connectivity options, including the ROG AirTrigger inputs and the side port for accessories like the AeroActive cooler.

Unfortunately, things that haven't changed with this generation of the ROG Phone 7 include the camera setup, which appears to be borrowed straight from the ROG Phone 6 and still lacks a telephoto cam. Wireless charging is also still a notable omission from the phone.

Adding all of this together, we end up with a rather familiar ROG Phone 7 Ultimate - refined in many meaningful ways but still sticking to the same core formula. Let's find out if it still has what it takes to be a top dog in the mobile gaming niche.

Unboxing Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate

We just have to start with the unboxing experience of the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. And experience really is the right word here. The box is as lavish as always. It is shaped in a bold geometrical manner, which has become a tradition already, but this time around, the box is entirely made of recycled and recyclable biomass, which is great to see. The two-piece box features a magnetic "strip" on the outside, which plays a role in this year's ROG AR setup experience. The cardboard piece has a cutout to place the phone inside and functional buttons that interact with the initial setup mini-game. These types of experiences have become an expected part of ROG Phone unboxing and are always a real treat to enjoy.

Being the Ultimate edition of the phone, we would expect some goodies in the box, and Asus did not disappoint in that department.

As has usually been the case, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate comes bundled with the AeroActive Cooler 7. We will review the latest version of the optional cooling accessory in its dedicated section. For now, you should just be aware that it is included in the box alongside a nifty carrying pouch.

Also in the box is a bumper case for the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, compatible with the AeroActive Cooler.

You also get an Asus 65W wall charger and a USB Type-C to Type-C cable to go with it.