ASUS surprised the industry when they announced the new ROG Phone in Computex 2018. This is the company’s first gaming smartphone. And if you’ve been following ASUS’ Republic of Gamers brand, you know that they go all out in both specs and design of their products.
Right now, there are not a lot of gaming smartphones in the market today. There’s the Razer Phone, the Xiaomi Black Shark, and the ZTE Nubia Red Magic in the high-end department. On the midrange side, the Honor Play and Honor 9i are leading the way.
Although there are only a few number of gaming smartphones today, that doesn’t entirely mean that the ASUS ROG Phone will run out of competition. Being a powerful device, the ROG Phone will still be facing different flagship devices from other companies.
One of them is the ‘flagship killer’ OnePlus 6. OnePlus has made a name for themselves by offering top flagship hardware for less. They have been doing it for years now and each of their releases was pretty successful in their own right.
But is the OnePlus magic still present on the OnePlus 6? Can a new breed of smartphone led by the ASUS ROG Phone dethrone it? Let’s head on to our ASUS ROG Phone versus OnePlus 6 to see who’s the real winner between these two devices.
| ASUS ROG Phone | OnePlus 6 | |
|---|---|---|
| Operating System | Android 8.1 Oreo ROG Gaming UI | Android 8.1 Oreo OxygenOS |
| SIM | Single SIM | Dual SIM Dual standby |
| Display | 6-inch FHD+ AMOLED 2160 x 1080 resolution ~402ppi 18:9 aspect ratio 90Hz refresh rate 1ms response time 108.6% DCI-P3 color gamut HDR Corning Gorilla Glass | 6.28-inch FHD+ Optic AMOLED 2280 x 1080 resolution ~402ppi 19:9 aspect ratio sRGB, DCI-P3 Corning Gorilla Glass 5 |
| Processor | 2.96GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 octa-core Vapor Chamber Cooling | 2.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 octa-core |
| GPU | Adreno 630 | Adreno 630 |
| RAM | 8GB | 6GB/8GB |
| Storage | 64GB /128GB UFS 2.1 non-expandable | 64GB/128GB/256GB UFS 2.1 non-expandable |
| Front Camera | 8-megapixel | 16-megapixel f/2.0 |
| Rear Camera | 12-megapixel + 8-megapixel (120-degree wide-angle) Phase detection autofocus LED flash | 16-megapixel (f/1.7, OIS, DCAF, Sony IMX519) + 20-megapixel (f/1.7, PDAF, Sony IMX376K) PDAF up to 480fps slow-mo dual-Tone flash |
| Security | Fingerprint scanner | Fingerprint scanner Face unlock |
| Audio | Stereo front speaker DTS Headphone:X 7.1 virtual surround | Single speaker |
| Connectivity | 4G LTE WIFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ad, 2×2 MIMO WiGig 802.11 ad wireless display support Bluetooth 5.0 GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS< BeiDou NFC Custom USB port on the side (supports USB 3.1, DisplayPort 1.4, 15w fast charging) | HSPA+ 4G LTE WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, 2x2 MIMO Bluetooth 5.0 GPS, GLONASS, BDS, Galileo NFC USB Type-C, OTG |
| Others | 2x Ultrasonic AirTriggers RGB Logo Compatible with ASUS mobile gaming accessories | Water resistant Alert Slider |
| Dimensions | 158.8 x 76.2 x 8.6mm | 155.7 x 75.4 x 7.75mm |
| Weight | 200g | 177g |
| Colors | Black | Mirror Black Midnight Black Silk White |
| Battery | 4,000mAh battery non-removable ASUS HyperCharge | 3300mAh Dash Charge |
| Price | TBA | 6GB/64GB: Php30,990 8GB/128GB: Php33,990 8GB/256GB: Php37,490 |
Specs-wise, It’s clear that ASUS really went all out in their first gaming smartphone. It came from the same generation as the OnePlus 6, so they share a lot of similarities. But where the ASUS ROG Phone shines is in the extras that clearly makes it not just a good gaming phone, but an appealing smartphone overall.
These two handsets use the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor. But still, the ASUS ROG Phone was able to beat the OnePlus 6 by its higher clock speeds and better CPU cooling. ASUS also claims that its Adreno 630 GPU has been amped up to handle games better.
Both the OnePlus 6 and ASUS ROG Phone feature a 6-inch Full HD+ AMOLED screens. But then again, the ROG Phone has a longer feature set in this department. It has a fast 90Hz refresh rate, a lucrative 108.6% DCI-P3 coverage and even HDR. On the other hand, the OnePlus 6’s display has sRGB and DCI-P3 coverage.
The ASUS ROG Phone is equipped with stereo front speakers and DTS Headphone surround sound technology. Meanwhile, the OnePlus 6 only has a single loudspeaker. ASUS ROG Phone’s 4,000mAh battery is expected to last long gaming sessions as well.
Speaking of gaming, the ASUS ROG Phone comes with a slew of gaming-centric features. First, we have the fast 90Hz display that I have mentioned earlier. The device also comes with two Ultrasonic AirTriggers, which basically acts as a built-in trigger accessory that you usually buy separately to play games like Rules of Survival or PUBG Mobile.
ASUS made dedicated accessories for the ROG Phone. There’s the wireless TV dock that takes advantage of the device’s fast WiDig technology for low-latency TV casting. It also has an attachable cooling fan and a game controller dock with a secondary screen.
To finally wrap it up, I wish it is easy to just declare the ASUS ROG Phone as the winner. But the problem is, the company is yet to announce the price of this device — which is a huge part of this comparison as it is one of the biggest strengths of the OnePlus 6.
Based on hardware alone, it’s pretty obvious that the ASUS ROG Phone will be priced so much higher. We’ll just have to wait and see if ASUS decides to make the price reasonable. As of writing, the OnePlus 6’s price starts at Php30,990, while the top-of-the-line model costs Php37,490. For the ROG Phone, we expect it to be priced upwards of Php50,000.