Critical Index’s Performance Test Review of the ASUS ROG Phone 3
In the last article, Critical Index unboxed the Asus ROG Phone 3. Now, we review and test its performance and see why it deserves its place as one of the top gaming phones in the market.
The Basics
At a glance the Asus ROG Phone 3 has impressive specs that rival a lot of top Android phones today.
Of note are its Snapdragon 865+ processor, ultrawide 6.59in. screen, and the 6,000mAh battery. The last one in particular means several hours of non-stop stamina when gaming.
The screen response time is also the fastest we’ve seen yet, with 25ms touch latency. For those playing shooters like PuBG Mobile or CoD Mobile, this means instantaneous response when aiming and firing, as you’ll see later in the game demos.
For the more technical details, you can check out the specs below.
The Specs
Processor: 3.1 GHz Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 865+ 5G Mobile Platform with 7nm, 64-bit Octacore Processor
GPU: Qualcomm® Adreno™ 650
UI: Android™ 10 with ROG UI
Screen Size: 6.59in. 19.5:9 2340x1080 (391ppi) 144Hz/1ms AMOLED HDR10+ certified
Response Time: 270Hz touch sampling rate, 25ms touch latency
Storage Capacity: 512GB (also available in 128GB and 256GB variants)
RAM: 16GB (also available in 12GB variants)
SIM Tray: Dual Nano SIM (5G-ready)
SD Card Slot: None
Battery: 6,000mAh
Rear Cameras:
– 64MP SONY IMX686 sensor, Quad Bayer technology with 16MP
– 13MP, 125˚ ultra-wide
– 5MP Macro, F2.0
Front Selfie Camera: 24MP, 0.9µm, Quad Bayer Technology
Video Recording:
– 8K (7680 by 4320), 30 fps (main rear camera)
– 4K (3840 by 2160), 30/60 fps (main rear camera), 30 fps (second rear camera)
– Slow Motion (4K @ 120 fps; 1080p @ 240/120 fps; 720p @ 480 fps)
Audio: Dual front-facing speakers with GameFX & Dirac HD Sound
Microphone: Quad microphones with ASUS Noise Reduction Technology
Wireless Connections:
– WLAN 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2.4 and 5GHz and Wi-Fi 6 2x2 MIMO
– Bluetooth 5.1 Wi-Fi Direct support
Charger Output: 10V 3A, supports up to 30W QC4.0
First Impressions
As seen in the unboxing article, the Asus ROG Phone 3 sports an impressive package. The AeroActive Cooler 3 external cooling fan and the 30W charger in particular are 2 of the unique inclusions this kit.
This external fan attachment works in tandem with the phone’s in-built GameCool 3 vapor-chamber cooling system. This helps keep the phone temperature stable during long and intense periods of gaming.
The charger on the other hand, outpaces most models in the market. Charging the phone from 0 to 100% took only 2 hours and 15 minutes when we did our own tests.
Another impressive aspect of this phone is the 6.59in. screen with dual-facing speakers. This is a device that’s clearly meant to be used in a landscape orientation, a layout which most games operate on.
Preparing to Game
Setting up the ROG Phone 3 for gaming felt more like configuring any Asus ROG laptop’s Armory Crate. This isn’t surprising, considering that the phone also carries a mobile version of that software.
From here, you can set the fan speed, system lighting, and even switch on the signature X-Mode for diverting available processing power in order to speed up your games.
The Game Genie and AirTriggers have also been improved. The options to block notifications and calls are still there, but now, you can also adjust the individual refresh rates and brightness of the game as well.
The AirTriggers also have several configurable profile slots, allowing for different button sensitivities and actions within the same game.
With that said, here are the games we tried with the Asus ROG Phone 3.
Games Tested
Call of Duty Mobile
Since the phone seems to be optimized for shooter games, we tested CoD Mobile on two settings. First was on default medium graphics, and then on maximum settings, both with X-Mode switched on.
The first run on medium settings saw the phone temperatures rise from 36C to 41C, and while the framerates weren’t locked, it was nice to know that the game never went down below 50fps. For the most part, it stayed at 60 to 62fps and ran pretty smooth.
Even with the game’s graphics set to max, the highest recorded temperature was only at 42C and framerates were recorded at 55 to 62fps.
League of Legends Wild Rift
The timely release of the League of Legends: Wild Rift Closed Beta Test was a nice addition to our tested games. The fast response time of the Asus ROG Phone 3’s touch screen was a joy to behold here, since it made aiming abilities and triggering them extremely quick.
Asphalt 9: Legends
One of the more demanding games we tried was Asphalt 9: Legends, with its impressively rendered cars and fast-paced racing action.
This one was one of the games where we first got to try the ROG Phone 3’s updated Air Triggers. Here, we used it for drifting and triggering the nitrous boost during races, which made a nice first impression on the benefit of having shoulder buttons on a phone.
Honkai Impact 3
One the games notorious for making lesser phones overheat is Honkai Impact 3. This in our opinion, was a worthy opponent for the ROG Phone 3’s cooling system. The highest temperature recorded was at 46C, with the gameplay having some instances of going from 40 to 70fps.
Gundam Battle: Gunpla Warfare
Another game known for overheating phones is Gundam Battle: Gunpla Warfare. Surprisingly, this game didn’t heat up as much as Honkai Impact 3, since the highest it ever went was at 40C.
Azur Lane
The side-scrolling bullet hell game Azur Lane was also a nice testing ground for the Air Triggers, leaving our fingers free for moving the shipgirls around the screen and aiming the battleship barrages with the touch-screen controls instead.
Here, we set up the Air Triggers to use the torpedo salvos and airstrike abilities of the units.
Fate/Grand Order
While not as demanding compared to other games, FGO is one of our favorites and we always make it a point to test if a phone can run the game in our phone reviews.
For this test, we checked to see if Gilgamesh’s Enuma Elish would cause the phone to suffer frameskips. After all, it’s a running joke that this particular Noble Phantasm animation only ran well on iPhones.
While the animation itself isn’t locked to a certain framerate, it’s notable that the FPS counter stayed at a consistent 30fps during the main sequences of the cutscene.
Phone Interface and Features
The phone’s Android 10 interface is a massive improvement over previous Asus Phones that we’ve tested.
First thing we noticed was that it’s possible to switch the navigation button layouts. For those using Samsung phones, this means having the back button on the right instead of the left. It’s a nice QoL improvement that’s much appreciated.
The Quick Access Panel’s tiles also have buttons to the ROG Phone 3-specific features, like the framerate settings, X-Mode and Air Triggers.
One thing the phone doesn’t have is a music player, aside from YouTube music. Still, that’s a problem that can be solved easily by getting your preferred app from GooglePlay.
In terms of physical features, the phone lacks a headphone jack, unlike its predecessors. This was made so that more internal components, like Wi-Fi antennas, could fit into the device. Even so, the cooling fan attachment still retains the 3.5mm jack and the USB-C port, so it’s not much of an issue.
Another caveat is that the charger cable is purely a USB-C to USB-C type. There’s no normal USB cable connector so an OTG adaptor will be needed when connecting the phone to a PC for data transfers.
However, those who own Asus ROG Laptops won’t have this problem, since their laptops have a USB-C port. All they need to do is to plug in the cable and quickly transfer files from one device to another.
One last thing that potential users of this phone might want to consider is that the timing window for taking screenshots is rather low. But that’s only if you prefer to use the usual volume down+power/lock button combo. Otherwise, using the other screenshot buttons in the phone’s interface will suffice.
Camera
The 64MP rear camera is an impressive addition to the Asus ROG Phone 3’s kit. It even has ISO, white balance, and other options for enhancing photos in the settings.
The camera is at its best in daytime, with the images taken below as samples and compared to a Samsung Galaxy S10+.
Low light is also something the phone’s camera can handle fairly well, with the colors more pronounced as seen in the image below.
In this case, the Samsung Galaxy S10+ camera was good at balancing the amount of light in the left image. The ROG Phone 3’s camera on the other hand, tends to amplify the light and make the colors brighter even at night.
The Verdict
– Superior hardware that’s optimized for gaming.
– Impressive battery life.
– Touch screen response time is instantaneous
– Camera has impressive options for refining photo quality.
The Asus ROG Phone 3 is a beast of a gaming device, and worth the investment if you’re really looking to take mobile gaming seriously.
It’s priced at PHP 49,995 (Classic Edition 12GB RAM), PHP 54,995 (Classic Edition 16GB RAM), and PHP 39,995 (Strix Edition), and is available at the Asus ROG Concept Stores in SM Megamall and SM Mall of Asia.
