Our Verdict
While the usual benefits of an expensive phone may be missing, Asus’ relentless focus on gaming means that nothing comes close to the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate if all you want to do is play games.
Here at SmartRead, we're mobile gaming enthusiasts, and Asus has always been our first choice in hardware. With the Asus ROG Phone 7 and 7 Ultimate, the firm is back at it again with two new iterations of its flagship smartphone.
After using the Asus Phone ROG 7 Ultimate for about a month, let's just say that Asus has excelled once again if you don't want to read the whole review. In terms of mobile gaming devices, the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is the finest available option if you're seeking for something different from an iPhone or a regular Android phone.
ROG Phone 7 Ultimate vs. Asus ROG Phone 7
|
Asus ROG Phone 7 |
Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate |
| Colours |
Black/White |
White |
| Platform |
3.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform |
| GPU |
Qualcomm AdrenoTM 740 |
| Display |
6.78” 2448×1080 (395ppi) 165 Hz, 1 ms AMOLED (720 Hz touch sampling rate, 23 ms touch latency) |
| Memory |
Up to 16GB LPDDR5X |
| Storage |
Up to 512GB UFS4.0 |
| Price |
£999 / £1,199 |
When comparing the specifications, there isn't much of a difference between the Asus ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. I haven't used the basic model for any time, so I can't make a straight comparison based on my actual experience. The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate sports a back screen and somewhat better cooling than the ROG Phone 7, even though the former is more affordable and available in two colours. Additionally, the price is many hundred dollars higher.
Supreme design of the Asus ROG Phone 7
Having said that, let's concentrate on the 7 Ultimate. Its exterior is a little bulky, with a chin and forehead around the screen for cameras and speakers. It is somewhat thicker than an iPhone 13 but much taller.
Though it's still a little too "hardcore gamercore" for my liking, the white back is more understated than the others. A small programmable screen with angular lines that displays the name, logo, and fading "ROG" at the base may all be seen, along with alarms. The aeroactive portal and the cameras are the other two areas that are completely black.
The cameras of the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate are .In all honesty, for a phone this pricey, the Asus Rog 7 Ultimate's cameras are not that great. See the comparison below between my iPhone 13, which is about half the price of the 7 Ultimate, on the left, and the 7 Ultimate, on the right. You can see which phone is more affordable.For gamers, this may not actually matter that much. Who cares about taking pictures and purchases a phone that reads "Republic of Gamers"? However, the resolution isn't the best, so if you're an avid player and photographer, keep that in mind.
Asus ROG Phone 7: Superior performance
The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate's user interface (UI) is simple to use and intuitive after it boots up. You can choose between a conventional and ROG theme, and the high refresh rate screen makes swiping across the screen fast and fluid.The display has a fingerprint sensor, however it may be a touch sluggish and sometimes requires many attempts. It seems to utilise machine learning to become better over time, so maybe misreads might decrease over an extended period of time.Numerous buttons and sensors, two charging connections, and a headphone jack are located all around the outside rim. It's nice that you can charge and play outside without having to worry about the wire getting in the way thanks to the charging port selection.
Total performance of the Asus ROG Phone 7
That concludes the tedious material, however. It's time to start having some games now. Games like Candy Crush, Mario Kart Tour, and Pokémon Go are incredibly popular and don't need much effort.Games like Ace Racer, Fortnite, Call of Duty, and Apex Legends are the most enjoyable ones. The on-device data indicate that the first three on maximum run at a consistent 60 frames per second and don't raise the internal temperature over 30°C.For instance, a single Apex game played at the default settings with everything set to maximum smoothly works without any issues. The phone only decreased from 100% to 90% during the roughly 25 minutes of playback, which is encouraging (to allay concerns about the battery, fast charging up to 65W is available; according to Asus, the ROG Phone 7 charges from 0 to 100% in 42 minutes). The gallery below lets you see the in-game analytics.
Thanks to Asus' air triggers, playing shooters like these on the 7 Ultimate is quite simple. Sure, we've extolled their virtues already, but it bears repeating. It seems much more natural to be able to aim down sights and fire without having to touch the screen. With a recent model, Poco attempted pop-up triggers, but it simply didn't work well; Asus has it figured out.But when you play a game like Ace Racer, the triggers' advantages are less clear. Despite this, the phone performs flawlessly given the level of graphical fidelity. Ace Racer is a fairly awful game, however, so I wouldn't advocate playing it. Well, at least it looks good.Nevertheless, if you feel that this is insufficient, Asus provides a plethora of products designed specifically for fans of mobile gaming. In-game, a straightforward swipe down from the upper corner displays a dashboard with a variety of toggles and buttons that may be interacted with, like a spaceship's deck.You may adjust the game mode to maximise power or minimise battery life, customise the location of the air triggers on the screen, modify your notification preferences, and make a tonne of other little adjustments here to customise the experience to your precise specifications. This is where I personally turn off since there are too many options, so I just ignore them all. However, if you're not like me, you should definitely enjoy yourself.Additionally, Asus designed a new cooler that can be attached to the phone and has a built-in speaker. In addition, there are several buttons on the rear that may be assigned to various locations on the touch screen. It's an ergonomic nightmare to try to use it with some fingers on the top rim, some behind the phone, and some on the screen. I can't see using more than one or maybe two buttons, but maybe having four is helpful to someone.But it isn't the device's primary function. It serves as a cooling agent. Do you recall the phone's third black cutout on the back? That is the exclusive feature of the 7 Ultimate—the aeroactive gateway. When the fan is mounted, a little door opens to let cool air in, dissipating heat with "nearly one litre of cold air per second." As to Asus, this may enhance the cooling impact by a factor of nine.During my own use, I failed to see any noticeable advantages in the game. Even so, I was unable to play Genshin Impact for four hours straight without pausing. This is maybe where it helps, although even in my longer periods without it, there was no discernible delay. The phone's cooling system is more than sufficient for all of my requirements.Everything else on the phone exacerbates all of this performance. The screen is large, bright, and gorgeous; in general, I may find it a little too contrasty, but that's just me being picky; for gaming, it's fantastic.Additionally, the phone's speakers are among the greatest I've ever used. When you don't have headphones on, their front-facing design creates a pretty excellent soundscape that lets you hear gunfire from all angles or take in the chirping birds of Genshin.Then, Asus' unending attention to detail helps with all these larger features. In addition to the very extensive customisation choices and dual charging ports, Asus has placed three distinct Wi-Fi antennae in such a manner that your hand won't get in the way. There just isn't enough material.But this kind of attention to detail isn't exactly novel. It is unlikely to be worthwhile to update if you already own a ROG Phone 6. Finding out for yourself is the best way to find out: start up the hardest game you play, play it for as long as you typically would, and see how it handles. If it's not good enough, only you know.Phones such as the
Xiaomi 13 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra have seen significant performance gains thanks to Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon processor; however, the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate combines that with a plethora of additional enhancements designed with gamers in mind. Although they are all powerful phones, their intended uses are distinct.
The Ultimate Asus ROG Phone 7 Conclusion
Personally, I couldn't see myself making daily use of the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. It's a little too large, and I don't think the bezels look well in regular wear. However, its size and additional bezel space make it possible for such a fantastic screen and superb speakers.Asus could have chosen to concentrate on mobile gamers above traditional flagship phone designs in some of its selections. But because of these selections, nothing can match the 7 Ultimate in terms of ergonomics and sheer gaming performance. It is without a doubt the greatest gaming phone available in 2023.
