Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro review: The craziest smartphone of the year

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The Asus ROG Phone 6 (Pro) is the first smartphone with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and is aimed specifically at gamers and those who want a particularly unusual smartphone with lots of performance and special accessories like fans or controllers. In the test, the device also impresses with an ample battery.

Table of contents

  1. 1 The craziest smartphone of the year< ol>
  2. Pre-orders today, market launch in August
  3. Specifications of the ROG Phone 6 (Pro)
  4. Delicate is different
  5. Symmetrical design without notch
  6. Samsung delivers 165 Hz fast OLED display
  7. Bright panel, but not record-breaking
  • 2 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 in the benchmark
    1. More performance and more efficiency
    2. Asus builds a smartphone like a tablet
    3. Active cooling with fan and Peltier element
    4. ROG Phone 6 Pro under constant load
    5. AeroActive Cooler 6 in action
    6. ROG Phone 6 Pro in the benchmark
  • 3 Battery life and accessories
    1. Efficient chip meets large battery
    2. Accessories for the ROG Phone 6
  • 4 Conclusion
  • The republic of gamers is one smartphone richer. Asus was the first manufacturer to grab the new Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 from Qualcomm, which is no longer manufactured by Samsung but by TSMC, achieves higher clock rates and improved efficiency. Asus offers the new gaming smartphone in two versions: ROG Phone 6 and ROG Phone 6 Pro (test device). The fastest Qualcomm processor is available for both models, the main differences are in the amount of RAM and the display on the back. Only the Pro model has an OLED screen on the back that can display all sorts of status information.

    Pre-orders today, market launch in August

    In Germany, the ROG Phone 6 will launch in early August in 12GB/256GB and 16GB/512GB configurations, priced at €999 and €1,149 respectively. Asus is already accepting pre-orders during the course of the day. Pre-orders for the ROG Phone 6 Pro in a configuration with 18 GB/512 GB at a price of 1,299 euros are only to start on August 1st, the market launch is planned for the end of August.

    ROG Phone 6 (Pro) Specifications

    Asus ROG Phone 6 Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro Software:
    (upon release) Android 12.0 Display: 6.78″, 1080 × 2,448
    395ppi, 165Hz
    AMOLED, HDR, Gorilla Glass Victus Operation: touch, fingerprint sensor, face scanner, status LED SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
    1 × Cortex-X2, 3.20 GHz
    3 × Cortex-A710, 2, 75GHz
    4 × Cortex-A510, 2.00GHz
    4nm, 64-bit GPU: Adreno 730
    900MHz RAM: 12,288MB
    LPDDR5 12,288MB
    LPDDR5 variant 18,432MB LPDDR5 Storage: 256/512GB 256/512GB 1st Camera: 50.0MP, 4320p
    LED, f/1.9, AF 2nd Camera: 13.0MP, f/2.2 3rd Camera: No 4th Camera: No 5th Camera: No 1st Front Camera: 12.0 MP 2160p
    Display flash, f/2.5 2. Front camera: No GSM: GPRS + EDGE UMTS: HSPA+
    ↓42.2 ↑5.76 Mbit/s LTE: Advanced Pro 5G: NSA/SA WLAN: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax
    Wi-Fi Direct Bluetooth: 5.2 Location: A-GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo, QZSS, NavIC Other standards: USB 3.2 Type-C, NFC, 3.5 mm Jack SIM card: Nano SIM, Dual SIM Battery: 6,000 mAh, 65.0 W
    Permanently installed Size (W×H×D): 77.0 × 173.0 × 10.30 mm Protection category: IPX4 Weight: 239 g Price: €999/€1,149 –/€1,299

    Decent goes different

    Friends of simple smartphones will not be happy with the ROG Phone 6. “Look, I'm a gaming smartphone!” screams the back with its decorations, countless lettering and the evil eye of the ROG logo. The normal variant comes in black or white, while the tested Pro model only comes in white, which is matte and thus remains free of visible fingerprints. The frame remains black and blue is used as an accent color for the SIM compartment and power button. As I said: There is another way to be discreet, but the ROG Phone 6 is always an eye-catcher.

    Symmetrical structure without notch

    The dimensions and weight of the smartphone are just as unremarkable. The colossus, in which Asus accommodates a 6.78 inch display, measures 77.0 × 173.0 × 10.30 mm (W × H × D) and 239 g. Not only does the front offer that, but also a symmetrical structure with front-facing stereo speakers, which can play particularly loud without distorting. The lack of a notch and features such as the very large battery pay tribute to the dimensions. Asus makes the compromise at these points instead of cutting corners when it comes to gaming. You can tell where the focus has been placed, rather than creating a half-baked product meant to make everyone happy.

    Image 1 of 6

    Rear display for Pro version only
    50 and 13 Megapixel Camera Module
    “Dare to Play” as additional ad
    AirTrigger in the frame of the case
    Additional USB-C port on the long side

    Splash water protection for gamers

    Just because it is a gaming smartphone does not mean that buyers have to make compromises in every other discipline. You can't go swimming with the ROG Phone 6, but with the IPX4 certification, it can at least withstand a few splashes of water in the rain. A seal on the dual nano SIM compartment shows that Asus also has a certain basic protection against the liquid element.

    Pretentious , but well made

    You might find the ROG Phone 6 cheap because it's pretentious and anything but reserved, but it still has high-quality workmanship. Asus manages to retain features such as a classic headphone jack even in 2022 without making any compromises.

    Samsung delivers a 165 Hz fast OLED display

    Asus explained in advance that the AMOLED panel is being contributed specifically for this smartphone by Samsung, and cites the increased maximum refresh rate from 144 to 165 Hz and the touch frequency that has been doubled from 360 to 720 Hz as one of the most important features. The screen can alternatively be operated with 60, 90, 120 or 144 Hz and also offers an automatic mode that is supposed to select the best refresh rate depending on the content. According to internal measurements, the touch latency can be reduced to a minimum of 23 ms with the new display at 165 Hz.

    Image 1 of 3

    The Samsung panel measures 6.78 inches
    The display shows all kinds of status information

    The screen is not only fast, but is also said to provide an accurate representation of Delta-E < 1 offer. However, Asus has opted for an OLED-typical, particularly intensive display with a white point that deviates from the norm. This looks particularly gaudy, but misses its own advertising promise. A standard profile can be loaded in the settings, which is curiously not the standard, which activates a more natural display. The measured values ​​for brightness were determined in the actual standard profile “Optimal”.

    Bright panel, but not record-breaking

    Asus, like other manufacturers, limits the peak brightness to small areas of the panel and only releases these values ​​when the brightness sensor is in automatic mode correspondingly bright ambient light is determined. With the ROG Phone 6, the “Average Picture Level” is also decisive for how bright the display can shine.

    Over 1,100 cd/m² at peak

    In manual mode, the screen produces rather mediocre measurements, culminating in 622 cd/m² with a 10 percent window. Full screen white only is capped at 478 nits by default. Only in automatic mode does the ROG Phone 6 reach the four-digit range and achieve up to 1,116 cd/m². This is also bright enough to make content easy to read even on summer days. But considering the screen was “bespoke by Samsung” designed for this device, it could have been a little more. Apple and Samsung manage over 1,000 cd/m² even in full screen and the Galaxy S22 series in particular achieve over 1,800 cd/m² at the top and are impressive even on the brightest of days.

    Charts

    80 entries Display brightness max.

    • Automatic mode 100% APL:
      • Samsung Galaxy S22+1,182White point: approx. 6,700
      • Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra1,161White point: approx. 6,700
      • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (10% APL)1,116White point: approx. 7,100
      • Apple iPhone 13 Pro1,063White point: approx. 6,800
      • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (20% APL)1,062White point: approx. 7,100
      • Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max1,056White point: approx. 6,300
      • Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra973 white point: approx. 6,700
      • Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra969White point: approx. 7,300
      • Samsung Galaxy S22911White point: approx. 6,800
      • Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3894White Point: Approx. 6,600
      • Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra878White Point: Approx. 7,100
      • Apple iPhone 13 mini858White point: approx. 6,200
      • Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max854White point: approx. 6,300
      • Apple iPhone 12 Pro842White point: approx. 6,300
      • Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max797white point: approx. 6,900
      • OnePlus 9 Pro787white point: approx. 6,800
      • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (100% APL)784White point: approx. 7,200
      • Xiaomi Mi 11783White point: approx. 6,900
      • Google Pixel 6 Pro777White point: approx. 6,500
      • OnePlus 9776 white point: approx. 6,700
      • OnePlus 8 Pro773 white point: approx. 7,400
      • Samsung Galaxy A52 5G772White point: approx. 6,800
      • Google Pixel 6769 white point: approx. 6,200
      • Qualcomm Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders765 white point: approx. 7,200
      • Samsung Galaxy S20763 white point: approx. 7,200
      • Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra762 white point: approx. 7,200
      • OnePlus 8T753 white point: approx. 6,800
      • Samsung Galaxy S20+752 white point: approx. 7,300
      • Oppo Find X3 Pro745 white point: approx. 7,200< /li>
      • Unihertz Titan718 white point: approx. 6,900
      • Google Pixel 4a701 white point: approx. 7,000
      • LG Wing688 white point: approx. 7,200
      • Google Pixel 5687 white point: approx. 6,500
      • Apple iPhone Xr686white point: approx. 7,000
      • Cat S61672white point: approx. 7,400
      • OnePlus 7T672 white point: approx. 7,300
      • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2672White point: approx. 7,400
      • Gigaset GX290671White point: approx. 9,800
      • Apple iPhone 11661 white point: approx. 6,800
      • Google Pixel 4a 5G655 white point: approx 6,600
      • Apple iPhone 12653White point: approx. 6,300
      • Apple iPhone Xs Max644 white point: approx. 6,900
      • Apple iPhone 12 mini643white point: approx. 6,300
      • Samsung Galaxy Note 9637white point: approx. 7,800
      • Motorola Moto G8 Plus634White point: approx. 7,700
      • OnePlus Nord629 white point: approx. 7,400
      • Samsung Galaxy S9+624 white point: approx. 7,800
      • Samsung Galaxy S9622 white point: approx. 7,700
      • Huawei Mate 20 Pro616 white point: approx. 7,300
      • Samsung Galaxy Note 10+616 white point: approx. 7,200
      • OnePlus Nord 2610 white point: approx. 7,100
      • OnePlus 6607 white point: approx. 7,900
      • Nokia XR20592 white point: approx. 8,150
      • Motorola Moto G6589 white point: approx. 8,800
      • OnePlus 7 Pro585 white point: approx. 7,300
      • LG Velvet575 white point: approx. 7,800
      • Sony Xperia XZ3569White Point: Approx. 7,900
      • Sony Xperia 5 III563White Point: Approx. 7,200
      • Samsung Galaxy S10e562 white point: approx. 7,400
      • Cat S52553 white point: approx. 6,900
      • LG G7 ThinQ546 white point: approx. 9,300
      • Cat S62 Pro543White point: approx. 8,650
      • Sony Xperia 1 II539White point: approx. 8,400
      • Sony Xperia 5 II536 white point: approx. 7,500
      • Huawei P30 Pro531White Point: about 7,800
      • Huawei P20 Pro527White Point: about 6,900
      • Asus ZenFone 6525 white point: approx. 7,400
      • Samsung Galaxy S10+524 white point: approx 7,200
      • Oppo Reno2521 white point: about 8,000
      • Samsung Galaxy S10519 white point: approx. 7,200
      • Motorola Moto G7 Plus518white point: approx. 8,200
      • Huawei P40 Pro516white point: approx. 7,500
      • Samsung Galaxy A50515 White Point: Approx. 7100
      • Motorola One Vision510White Point: Approx. 8,000
      • Cat S42510White Point: Approx. 6,900
      • Doogee V20508 white point: approx. 8,690
      • Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact506White point: approx. 7,900
      • Motorola Moto G7 Power506white point: approx. 6,900
      • Vivo X60 Pro503white point: approx. 7,600
      • Gigaset GS4501white point: approx. 9,700
      • < li class="chart__row chart__row--hidden toggle-body-item nojs-tr">Oppo Find X2 Pro482 white point: approx. 7,900

      • Nokia 7 Plus473 white point: approx. 7,800
      • Motorola Moto G7473 white point: approx. 7,900
      • Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S472White point: approx. 7,800
      • Motorola One470 white point: approx. 7,700
      • Samsung Galaxy A6463 white point: approx. 8,100
      • Gigaset GS5456 white point: approx. 8,385
      • LG G8s455 white point: approx. 7,800
      • Nokia 6.1452 white point: approx. 9,500
      • Motorola Moto Z3 Play444White point: approx. 7,500
      • OnePlus 6T431White point: approx. 8,100
      • Google Pixel 4 XL428 white point: approx. 6,900
      • BlackBerry Key2420White point: approx. 7,800
      • Google Pixel 3a406White point: approx. 6,900
      • HTC U12+399 white point: approx. 7,500
      • Sony Xperia 1381 white point: approx. 7,600

    Unit: Luminance (cd/m²) 79 entries Display brightness min.

      • Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S1
      • OnePlus 62
      • Nokia 6.12
      • Samsung Galaxy Note 92
      • Sony Xperia XZ32
      • Apple iPhone Xs Max2
      • Google Pixel 3 XL2
      • OnePlus 6T2
      • Apple iPhone Xr2
      • Motorola Moto G7 Plus2
      • Samsung Galaxy S10+2
      • Samsung Galaxy S102
      • Samsung Galaxy S10e2
      • Huawei P30 Pro2
      • Google Pixel 3a2
      • OnePlus 7 Pro2
      • Samsung Galaxy A502
      • Samsung Galaxy Note 10+2
      • OnePlus 7T2
      • Apple iPhone 112
      • Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max2
      • Google Pixel 4 XL2
      • Samsung Galaxy S202
      • Samsung Galaxy S20+2
      • Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra2
      • Oppo Find X2 Pro2
      • Huawei P40 Pro2
      • Oppo A912
      • LG Velvet2
      • Sony Xperia 1 II2
      • Google Pixel 4a2
      • Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra2
      • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 22
      • Google Pixel 52
      • Sony Xperia 5 II2
      • Google Pixel 4a 5G2
      • Apple iPhone 122
      • Apple iPhone 12 Pro2
      • Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max2
      • Apple iPhone 12 mini2
      • Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra2
      • Xiaomi Mi 112
      • OnePlus 9 Pro2
      • Samsung Galaxy A52 5G2
      • Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra2
      • Vivo X60 Pro2
      • OnePlus Nord 22
      • Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 32
      • Apple iPhone 13 Pro2
      • Apple iPhone 13 mini2
      • Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max2
      • Google Pixel 62
      • Google Pixel 6 Pro2
      • li>

      • Samsung Galaxy S22+2
      • Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra2
      • Samsung Galaxy S222
      • HTC U12+3
      • Motorola Moto G7 Power3
      • Motorola Moto G73
      • Motorola One Vision3
      • Sony Xperia 13
      • LG G8s3
      • OnePlus 8 Pro3
      • OnePlus 8T3
      • LG Wing3
      • OnePlus 93
      • Oppo Find X3 Pro3
      • Nokia XR203
      • Samsung Galaxy A64
      • BlackBerry Key24
      • Huawei Mate 20 Pro4
      • Asus ZenFone 64
      • Gigaset GX2904
      • OnePlus Nord4
      • Sony Xperia 5 III4
      • Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact5
      • LG G7 ThinQ5
      • Motorola Moto G8 Plus5
      • Gigaset GS45
      • Qualcomm Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders5
      • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (100% APL)5
      • Samsung Galaxy S96
      • Samsung Galaxy S9+6
      • Motorola Moto G66
      • Nokia 7 Plus6
      • Motorola One6
      • Motorola Moto Z3 Play7
      • Cat S4210
      • Unihertz Titan11
      • Cat S62 Pro11
      • Huawei P20 Pro15
      • Gigaset GS518
      • Cat S5221
      • Cat S6127
      • Doogee V2030

    Unit: Luminance (cd/m²) 80 entries Display contrast

      • Samsung Galaxy S95.000:1OLED display
      • Samsung Galaxy S9+5,000:1OLED display
      • Huawei P20 Pro5,000:1OLED display
      • OnePlus 65,000:1OLED display
      • Samsung Galaxy A65,000:1OLED display
      • Motorola Moto Z3 Play5,000:1OLED display
      • Samsung Galaxy Note 95,000:1OLED display
      • Sony Xperia XZ35,000:1OLED display
      • Apple iPhone Xs Max5,000:1OLED display
      • Google Pixel 3 XL5000:1OLED Display
      • Huawei Mate 20 Pro5000:1OLED Display
      • OnePlus 6T5.000:1OLED display
      • Samsung Galaxy S10+5,000:1OLED display
      • Samsung Galaxy S105,000:1OLED display
      • Samsung Galaxy S10e5000:1OLED display
      • Huawei P30 Pro5,000:1OLED display
      • Google Pixel 3a5,000:1OLED display
      • OnePlus 7 Pro5,000:1OLED Display
      • Samsung Galaxy A505,000:1OLED Display
      • < li class="chart__row chart__row--hidden toggle-body-item nojs-tr">Sony Xperia 15,000:1OLED display

      • LG G8s5000:1OLED display
      • Samsung Galaxy Note 10+5000:1OLED display
      • OnePlus 7T5.000:1OLED display
      • Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max5000:1OLED Display
      • Google Pixel 4 XL5000:1OLED Display
      • Oppo Reno25,000:1OLED display
      • Samsung Galaxy S205,000:1OLED display
      • Samsung Galaxy S20+5,000:1OLED display
      • Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra5,000:1OLED display
      • Oppo Find X2 Pro5000:1OLED Display
      • Huawei P40 Pro5000:1OLED Display
      • OnePlus 8 Pro5,000:1OLED display
      • Oppo A915.000:1OLED display
      • LG Velvet5.000:1OLED display
      • Sony Xperia 1 II5000:1OLED display
      • OnePlus Nord5000:1OLED display
      • Google Pixel 4a5,000:1OLED display
      • Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra5,000:1OLED display
      • Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 25,000:1OLED display
      • Google Pixel 55,000:1OLED display
      • OnePlus 8T5,000:1OLED display
      • Sony Xperia 5 II5,000:1OLED display
      • Google Pixel 4a 5G5.000:1OLED display
      • Apple iPhone 125,000:1OLED display
      • Apple iPhone 12 Pro5,000:1OLED display
      • Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max5,000:1OLED display
      • Apple iPhone 12 mini5000:1OLED display
      • LG Wing5000:1OLED display
      • Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra5,000:1OLED display
      • Xiaomi Mi 115,000:1OLED Display
      • OnePlus 95,000:1OLED Display
      • OnePlus 9 Pro5,000:1OLED display
      • Oppo Find X3 Pro5,000:1OLED display
      • Samsung Galaxy A52 5G5 .000:1OLED display
      • Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra5,000:1OLED display
      • Vivo X60 Pro5,000:1OLED display
      • OnePlus Nord 25,000:1OLED display
      • Qualcomm Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders5,000:1OLED display
      • Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 35,000:1OLED display
      • Sony Xperia 5 III5,000:1OLED display
      • Apple iPhone 13 Pro5,000:1OLED display
      • Apple iPhone 13 mini5,000:1OLED display
      • Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max5,000:1OLED display
      • Google Pixel 65,000:1OLED display
      • li>

      • Google Pixel 6 Pro5,000:1OLED display
      • Doogee V205,000:1OLED display
      • Samsung Galaxy S22+5,000:1OLED display
      • Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra5,000:1OLED- Display
      • Samsung Galaxy S225.000:1OLED display
      • Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (100% APL)5,000:1OLED display
      • Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S2,471:1
      • HTC U12+2.241:1
      • Nokia 7 Plus2.130:1
      • LG G7 ThinQ1.876:1
      • li>

      • BlackBerry Key21.875:1
      • Motorola Moto G7 Power1.833:1
      • Cat S521.728:1
      • Apple iPhone Xr1.670:1
      • Motorola Moto G8 Plus1.665:1
      • Apple iPhone 111.597:1
      • Asus ZenFone 61.551:1
      • Nokia XR201.518:1
      • Motorola Moto G71.511:1
      • Cat S62 Pro1.429:1
      • Gigaset GS41.407:1
      • Cat S611.400:1
      • Cat S421.378:1
      • Gigaset GX2901.367:1
      • Motorola Moto G7 Plus1.230:1
      • Nokia 6.11.180:1
      • Gigaset GS51.151:1
      • Motorola Moto G61.081:1
      • Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact1.068:1
      • Motorola One Vision1.045:1
      • Unihertz Titan953:1
      • li>

    Unit: Contrast

    Samsung has a hard time keeping up when it comes to the raw performance of the hardware. Even Apple does not deliver the faster chip than Qualcomm with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 in every scenario, as the following benchmarks show.

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    Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 in the benchmark