The ASUS ROG Phone 9 and 9 Pro are now out with the expected hardware upgrades, better cooling, and a cool secondary screen on the back that you can play retro games on.
As expected, both the ASUS ROG Phone 9 and 9 Pro are now powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor. The vanilla model can be had with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, while the Pro model tops out at 24GB/1TB.
ASUS claims the new Qualcomm chip offers 45% better CPU, 40% faster GPU, and 40% better NPU performance than the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 of the ROG Phone 8.
The chipset is attached to a graphite cooling sheet, which is now 57% bigger. The device will ship with the new AeroCase cooler and works with the new Chill Case with an “Audio Redirection” feature, but is sold separately.
For even better audio and cooling, you can get the AeroActive Cooler X Pro which adds a subwoofer so you can have a 2.1 sound. It also has two hardware shoulder buttons that go well with the AirTriggers found on the device. ASUS claims that it can improve the cooling by 29% thanks to the larger fan blades.
Moving on, both models will share the same 6.78-inch FHD+ AMOLED screens with 2,500 nits of peak brightness, 107% DCI-P3 coverage, and a whopping 185Hz refresh rate, albeit it only works in very few compatible games.
The duo also has a bigger 5,800mAh battery with a promise to retain 80% of its health after 1,000 charging cycles. Speaking of, it will ship with a 65W charging adapter. 15W wireless charging is also supported.
One edge it has over the competition is the 3.5mm headphone jack, which supports Dirac Virtuo. It will also receive two OS updates, which is disappointing in today’s standards, but better than its predecessor.
Both models are also getting the AniMe Vision, which is a grid of mini-LEDs on the back that you can customize. The ROG Phone 9 has 85 LEDs while the Pro has much more at 648 LEDs.
It lets you display different art and animation, and for the Pro, the resolution is high enough that it can show texts and even GIFs that you can upload yourself. You can even play any of the four retro games from this mini-LED screen, which you control using the AirTriggers.
For the cameras, both ASUS ROG Phone 9 models have a 50-megapixel Lytia 700 sensor from Sony, with 6-axis hybrid gimbal stabilization. They also have 13-megapixel ultra-wide cameras and 32-megapixel for selfies.
The Pro model gains a 32-megapixel telephoto with 3x zoom, while the ROG Phone 9 settles for a 5-megapixel macro lens.
Select markets can get the ASUS ROG Phone 9 with a starting price of USD999 (~Php58,900) for the 12GB/256GB model, the ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro retails for USD1,199 (~Php70,700) with a 16GB/512GB configuration, while the ROG Phone 9 Pro Edition with 24GB/1TB and free AeroActive Cooler X Pro retails for USD1,499 (~Php88,400). Release details in the Philippines should be revealed soon.
ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro Specs
- Android 15, ROG UI
- Dual SIM, Dual standby
- 6.78-inch FHD+ LTPO AMOLED display, 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution, ~388ppi
- 1-185Hz refresh rate, AOD, HDR10
- 107% DCI-P3, 145% sRGB, 103% NTSC
- 1600-nit high brightness mode, 2500-nit peak brightness
- Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
- 4.32GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite octa-core processor
- 16GB/24GB RAM
- Adreno 830 GPU
- 512GB/1TB UFS 4.0 internal storage, non-expandable
- 32-megapixel front camera
- 50-megapixel (Lytia 700, 1/1.56″, gimbal OIS, f/1.9) + 32-megapixel (3x optical zoom, f/2.4, PDAF, OIS) + 13-megapixel (ultra-wide) rear cameras, LED flash
- AniMe Vision, 648 LEDs
- Stereo speakers
- 3.5mm headphone jack, Dirac Virtuo
- Hi-Res Audio, Hi-Res Wireless
- In-display fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
- HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G
- WiFi 7, tri-band
- Bluetooth 5.4
- dual-band GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC, BDS
- NFC
- 1x USB-C with OTG, 1x USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4
- Dimensions: 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9mm
- Weight: 227g
- Colors: Phantom Black
- 5,800mAh non-removable battery, 65W wired, 15W wireless, 10W reverse wired charging
ASUS ROG Phone 9 Specs
- Android 15, ROG UI
- Dual SIM, Dual standby
- 6.78-inch FHD+ LTPO AMOLED display, 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution, ~388ppi
- 1-185Hz refresh rate, AOD, HDR10
- 107% DCI-P3, 145% sRGB, 103% NTSC
- 1600-nit high brightness mode, 2500-nit peak brightness
- Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
- 4.32GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite octa-core processor
- 12GB RAM
- Adreno 830 GPU
- 256GB/512GB UFS 4.0 internal storage, non-expandable
- 32-megapixel front camera
- 50-megapixel (Lytia 700, 1/1.56″, gimbal OIS, f/1.9) + 13-megapixel (ultra-wide) + 5-megapixel (macro) rear cameras, LED flash
- AniMe Vision, 85 LEDs
- Stereo speakers
- 3.5mm headphone jack, Dirac Virtuo
- Hi-Res Audio, Hi-Res Wireless
- In-display fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
- HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G
- WiFi 7, tri-band
- Bluetooth 5.4
- dual-band GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC, BDS
- NFC
- 1x USB-C with OTG, 1x USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4
- Dimensions: 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9mm
- Weight: 227g
- Colors: Phantom Black, Storm White
- 5,800mAh non-removable battery, 65W wired, 15W wireless, 10W reverse wired charging