ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate Review: A Gaming Powerhouse

ASUS has returned this year with the ROG Phone 7 and the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate to follow up last year’s ROG Phone 6 and ROG Phone 6 Pro. As one would probably expect, the new device duo from one of gaming’s most premium brands has quite a few improvements. Promising an even better mobile gaming experience than before. But not just a better mobile gaming experience, a better overall phone experience.

That being said, this is still a gaming phone. Most features are going to be gaming-centric. Even the design is tailored to the mobile gamer. While this is a smartphone first, gaming is the main focus. And it shows with the advancements ASUS has made to the device this year. Like past devices though, the ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate are going to be expensive. Are they worth all that money? Is this a device that you should consider buying?

I’ve spent the past couple of weeks using this phone as my daily driver so I could answer those questions. So let’s dive in see what makes this phone great, and where it can improve.

ASUS made the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate with gaming-centric ergonomics

As with past devices, the design of the ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate features ergonomics that cater to mobile gamers. What I mean by this is that the design moves beyond having those typical “gamer” aesthetics you might expect to see. The gamer aesthetic is definitely still there. An RGB ROG eye logo can be seen on the back of the ROG Phone 7. While the ROG Vision display is on the back ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. Other more subtle details, like the Republic of Gamers branding, are still present as well.

But that’s not what I mostly want to focus on here. It’s the ergonomics. ASUS specifically designed the ergonomics of the ROG Phone 7 and 7 Ultimate to cater to landscape mode. Because most AAA mobile games are designed to be played this way. Big surprise right?

With that in mind, the latest ROG phones continue to offer features and ergonomics that work well with the phone being held this way. For starters, the AirTriggers are still up top for additional controls. Which I find come in really handy when playing Call of Duty: Mobile. I use these as my aim down sight and fire controls. So my thumbs can stay on the movement.

The side-charging USB-C port makes a return as well so you can plug the device in and keep the battery topped up while you play. Or, you can simply use this with bypass charging to power the phone instead of juicing up the battery. You’ll also notice two new magnet connector pins. These are for the AeroActive Cooler 7, which now includes a 5-magnet super linear subwoofer for enhanced audio during gaming. Plus you still have front-facing stereo speakers tuned by Dirac for exceptional audio without the subwoofer.

All of these things might seem small. But when you put them together, they make a really big difference if you play a lot of mobile games. And bigger aspects of that ergonomic design, like the AirTriggers and side-facing USB-C port for charging ensure you can hold the phone as comfortably as possible while you play.

ROG Phone 7 Ultimate design

For the most part, nothing has really changed here. ASUS kept the same design for the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate as it had for the ROG Phone 6 Pro. Save for two things – the new magnet connector pins on the side and the AeroActive Portal on the back. Aside from those two things, the design doesn’t change much.

And that’s a good thing because the design last year was great. You still have the metal frame with rounded corners, bottom-facing off-center USB-C port and bottom-facing 3.5mm audio port. There’s also Gorilla Glass Victus covering the display and Gorilla Glass 3 on the back. Even the colors are the same as last year. Phantom Black and Storm White. Although the Ultimate model only comes in Storm White. There are of course very subtle differences in the design compared to the ROG Phone 6 series.

The back of the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate for instance now has a large ‘ROG’ branding slapped across the bottom edge. ASUS also took away most of the line graphics. Both the ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate now feature a two-toned color scheme as well. The colors are still technically the same, but one side of the back has more of a matte finish while the other side gives off a slight but noticeable sheen.

It’s still very much a gaming-style aesthetic but just a little less loud. Overall it’s a nice design and I hope ASUS continues this trend for future phones. I definitely don’t want to see them going back to style of design that was present on the ROG Phone 2.

The AeroActive Cooler 7 feels less needed than ever, and that’s a good thing

There was a time when the ROG Phones were not only exceptionally powerful mobile gaming devices, but they also became quite hot. To the point that they were uncomfortable to hold after only an hour’s worth of playing games.

Every year ASUS has improved the cooling of its ROG Phones to counteract this. And while they have gotten better, the phones still needed a little extra help. So ASUS began packaging the devices with the AeroActive Cooler. This year’s model, the AeroActive Cooler 7, is the best it’s ever been. Using the same Peltier cooling chip-based design as with the AeroActive Cooler 6 for advanced airflow and cooling.

But, it just doesn’t feel as needed as it used to be. Don’t get me wrong, I still often like using it. Because in the end it cools the phone better than without it. But if you don’t use it, I’ve noticed less heat buildup than on the ROG Phone 6 Pro after longer gaming sessions. And a significant improvement over the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate and previous devices.

This is all thanks to the new GameCool 7 cooling system. ASUS revamped the internal structure so that heat dissipation is more efficient. It also redesigned the ROG Rapid-Cycle vapor chamber with special liquid return channels that help to dissipate heat up to 2.1 times more. This is in addition to using larger graphite sheets to help spread heat more evenly. This way heat doesn’t get trapped in the middle of the phone like it did before.

The end result, is a cooler phone under extended heavy loads with AAA, graphically demanding games. Though as I mentioned before, there are still reasons to use and enjoy the AeroActive Cooler 7 attachment. Even if it isn’t really needed as much as it used to be.

Why you should consider using the AeroActive Cooler 7

Even though the phone doesn’t get as hot without this excellent accessory as past devices did, you should still consider using it. The phone doesn’t feel as hot to the touch anymore. But that doesn’t mean that heat is not still impacting the device in other ways. The most significant of these is performance. The hotter the chip gets, the likelier it is you’ll see dips in performance over time. Which isn’t what you want if you’re in the thick of a gaming session. Especially if those games are competitive in nature.

Aside from helping the phone stay cool more efficiently, it also has the added back buttons you can map to on-screen touch controls. Plus, this new model includes the subwoofer for enhanced audio. It doesn’t make a massive difference to the sound. But it does improve it and it just makes the experience better. In addition to these things it also includes a bottom-facing 3.5mm audio port. So if you decide to use wired headphones, you can plug them in on the bottom instead of on the side.

It’s definitely a bigger cooler attachment than last year’s. But definitely worth carrying around with you if you have a bag or sling to slip it into.

Stellar battery life as expected

One of the best things about ASUS’s ROG Phone series is the battery life. Both the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate and the ROG Phone 7 feature the same 6,000mAh capacity battery as past devices. Letting you game for hours upon hours or just have a phone that lasts for literal days.

There’s not really a whole lot to say about the battery here since it’s the same battery as the ROG Phone 6 series. Which is a 6,000mAh dual-cell battery module that supports 65w Hyper Charging. Basically the battery is just as good as last year’s and once again makes the ROG Phone a standout device when it comes to how long the battery lasts.

There is one notable improvement though. It charges up faster than before. According to ASUS, the ROG Phone 7 series will charge from 0% to 100% in just 42 minutes. Which is about 10 minutes faster than the ROG Phone 6 series. That might not make a huge difference for every user. But faster charging is faster charging. And I certainly did appreciate the phone getting back to full quicker than I was used to.

Near stock Android software with that gamer touch

The software experience on ASUS’s ROG Phone series has always been pretty decent, and the same is true with the ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. You get your choice of the ROG UI or the updated Zen UI. The two are pretty similar but the Zen UI has a more stock Android look and feel.

Which is what I personally prefer and have used on this device throughout my time with it so far. The device comes with Android 13 out of the box so you get all the benefits of that as well.

But where the software really shines in my opinion is with the Game Genie. While the Game Genie isn’t new there are some new features being added to it this year. X Sense and X Capture are two that could end up being pretty cool for some gamers. With X Sense, it lets the software detect key moments throughout your game. It can then use those detections to aid you with what to do next. X Capture meanwhile also detects key moments, but instead of assisting with decision making it saves clips for you to share.

The only problem is that right now the support for these seems to be limited to a very small number of games. X Capture for instance only seems to support the Garena version of Arena of Valor. And I suspect X Sense is the same way. There’s also Background Mode, which simply keeps the game running in the background.

The most interesting is the new Vibration Mapping feature. With this you can set zones on the device where the haptics will come into play so the vibration interacts with what’s happening in your game at certain moments. This can give your games a more immersive feel and I think it’s probably the best of the new features. All-in-all the software is good just like it was last year.

Should you buy the ROG Phone 7 or ROG Phone 7 Ultimate?

ASUS has outdone itself once again when it comes to making what really does feel like the best phone available for mobile gaming. With a few key improvements to the cooling, and updated hardware for even better performance, the ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate are the cream of the crop in this small niche of the smartphone market.

But neither phone is perfect and they won’t be for everyone. No matter how good the device is, there are simply going to be more suitable options for some users. And that’s ok. Not everyone is into mobile gaming or into it enough to warrant spending the higher price that ASUS demands. Not to mention the camera definitely takes a backseat to all the gaming features. While more than fine for my personal needs, there are better smartphone cameras out there. And you may be a user that values that more than what ASUS is offering here.

ASUS plans to launch the ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate in the US sometime in late Q2. Which probably puts the official US release closer to Summertime. As for pricing, the phone will start at $999.99 for the ROG Phone 7. Pricing for the Ultimate model hasn’t been confirmed yet. If you don’t want to wait for the new model, ASUS is still selling it’s excellent ROG Phone 6 and ROG Phone 6 Pro devices.

Buy the ASUS ROG Phone 7 or ROG Phone 7 Ultimate if:

• You want the best mobile gaming phone there is
• Battery life is important to you
• You want the extra features and accessories geared towards gamers

Don’t buy the ASUS ROG Phone 7 or ROG Phone 7 Ultimate if:

• You want a better smartphone camera
• The price is more than you’re willing to spend
• You don’t play a whole lot of mobile games