Asus’ Republic of Gamers brand announced a smartphone it said delivers “epic performance, unbeatable visuals, total gaming control and endless possibilities”.

The smartphone is powered by a high-performance Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor running at 2.96GHz (almost 200MHz higher than stock), with gaming-optimised Adreno 630 graphics processor. This is joined by 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 512GB of storage.

It also features a “unique GameCool vapour-chamber cooling system”, with “detachable AeroActive Cooler” for an extra boost, which the company stated delivers blur-free high frame rates. The peripheral blows air over the back to improve heat dissipation.

The company said running graphics-intense action games can “generate a killer amount of heat”, making phones uncomfortable to hold but also slowing performance: ROG Phone can deliver sustained clock speeds up to 50 per cent faster than a standard smartphone CPU and achieve peak clock speeds for five times longer than a conventional cooling system.

It supports an X Mode which frees-up all background RAM and dedicates it to games, optimises game data processing performance, and optimises efficiency of the cooling. This also confines tasks to the Snapdragon chip’s four fastest cores, instead of using the power-efficient – but lower performing – cores.

ROG Phone comes with a 6-inch full HD screen with 90Hz refresh rate and 1 millisecond pixel response time.

And “since performance means nothing if the internet connection is slow”, it also supports category 16 LTE and “gigabit-class” 60GHz 802.11ad Wi-Fi.

Ergonomics
Asus touted an “ultra-comfortable design” and “enhanced ultra-responsive game controls”, including two programmable ultrasonic “AirTriggers” and advanced force-feedback haptics. Two sensors are optimised as left/right triggers at the top of the display, with a third placed for use in landscape mode.

AirTriggers uses ultrasonic technology, meaning they need just 20 grams of force to operate, compared with touch-sensitive controls which require four times the input.

The device also “throws away the design book” in being optimised for landscape gaming. There is a side-mounted custom USB-C connector enabling direct charging, HDMI output, gigabit LAN, headphones and, when the AeroActive Cooler is in place, a side-mounted USB-C port and headphone jack.

Audio comes from front-facing stereo speakers powered by smart amplifiers to maximise volume and minimise distortion, with an audio engine enabling 24-bit/192kHz high-resolution audio playback. DTS Headphone:X also delivers “theatre quality virtual surround sound” using headphones and there is support for high-definition audio via Bluetooth.

ROG Phone has a 4000mAh battery and is bundled with an adaptor compatible with Asus’ Hypercharge wireless charging technology, delivering more power for “shorter, safer charge times”.

It sports dual rear cameras (12MP+8MP wide angle).

Availability is scheduled for Q3. Pricing and configuration details will be announced at launch.