Test: Asus ROG Phone 8GB / 512GB + GameVice bundle

Konklusion

ASUS ROG Phone er møntet på gameren der mangler lidt ekstra på farten. Den er spændende, har det rigtige look og tilbyder masser af udvidelsesmuligheder med controllere, tilkoblinger, ekstra køling, etc. Kvaliteten på ROG Phone er i top, men ydelsen samt batteri kunne godt være en tand bedre - hvilket måske pga. manglende optimeringer i Android da den fortsat kører med Android 8.1. På papiret burde der i hvert fald være rigeligt med ydelse at hente pga. specielt binned processor med ekstra høj frekvens hastighed. I korte træk en rigtig lækker telefon til gameren med masser af kræfter, selvom vi kan se at det samme hardware kan mere hos andre telefoner.

Innovation/Teknologi - 5
Der er nærmest ikke andet end nyt med ASUS ROG Phone, RGB LED og vapor chamber i en telefon, gamer design, skærm med 90 Hz opdateringshastighed, et væld af tilslutningsmuligheder, etc. Det er svært andet end at give den top karakter her.

Bundle/Tilbehør - 5
Selvom scoren her er møntet på det "normale" tilbehør der er med i kassen, som "kun" inkluderer blæser og lader, samt de normale ting, synes jeg telefonen fortjener top karakter her. Bestiller man inden d. 30/6-2019 får man også ASUS Gamevice med, mens det øvrige tilbehør er tilkøb, hvilket stadigt er rigtigt pænt synes jeg.

Design/Layout - 5
Jeg synes virkeligt der er gjort noget ud af designet ved telefonen her. Der er tænkt over en masse detaljer og facetter som kan komme gameren til gode, front vendte stereo højttalere, RGB LED, ekstra god køling, overclocked processor, og lignende. Derudover er telefonen lavet med udvidelsesport så man kan få endnu mere ud af sin telefon, hvis man ønsker det.

Software - 4
For det meste er ASUS software faktisk rigtigt fin, og det der er specifikt til ASUS ROG Phone faktisk rigtigt veludviklet og gennemtænkt, der er dog et par steder hvor det falder igennem. ASUS Game Center giver dig god mulighed for at se og ændre indstillinger for telefonen og dens features som RGB lys, AirTriggers og X-tilstand og giver dig også mulighed for at indstille individuelle ydelsesparametre for forskellige apps, f.eks. at den skal gå i X-tilstand og ellers skrue helt op for alt i PUBG. I Gamevice Live har du mulighed for at finde spil der understøtter Gamevice controlleren et samlet sted, du kan søge, filtrere på kategori og generelt nemt finde nye og spændende ting at give dig i kast med som kan bruges sammen med Gamevice. Det er dog lidt ærgerligt at man ikke umiddelbart kan sætte mere specifikke parametre op eller kombinere parametre i Gamevice Live, f.eks. "Action og gratis". Til sidst vil jeg sige at det er noget af et minus at Gamevice Live ikke har en lignende funktion til at finde apps til deres TwinView dock, da der nok er endnu mere behov for sådan en end til deres Gamevice, som trods alt "bare" er en controller. TwinView docken er rimeligt speciel og kræver derfor også meget mere speciel understøttelse, hvorfor jeg også synes det er så vigtig en feature der er blevet udeladt her.

Ydelse - 3
På papiret burde der vidst ikke være meget at rafle om ift. ydelse, det burde være top karakter på hele bordet ift. andre Snapdragon 845 telefoner, det er dog ikke helt virkeligheden. Selv med X-tilstand og AeroActive køleren må den stadig se sig slået af lignende telefoner, på trods af ekstra køling og stock overclocked processor. Derudover ser vi jo ikke den nye Snapdragon 855 i telefonen, men den tidligere 845, hvilket nok skyldes at 855'eren ikke var udkommet da telefonen blev lanceret. Ikke desto mindre er ydelsen stadig god, men det er nok næppe hvad jeg ville forvente af en gamer telefon hvis jeg skulle vælge en i dag.

Pris - 3
ASUS ROG Phone med specifikationerne vi har testet her koster 6599 DKK fra ASUS e-shop, den mindre 128 GB model er i dag på tilbud til 5299 DKK. En rimelig hæftig pris for en telefon med sidste generations hardware. Det kan godt være at det er en af de eneste Gamer telefoner på markedet, men den lignende Razer Phone 2 koster kun 4499 DKK. Razer Phone 2 har dog lidt mindre skærm og mindre tilslutningsmuligheder samt fås kun i 64 GB udgave, men har ellers lignende specifikationer, og skærmen har endda 120Hz opdaterings hastighed. I samme prisleje som ASUS ROG Phone finder man desuden den nye OnePlus 7 Pro med Snapdragon 855 og Samsungs Galaxy S10, hvor jeg tænker at man også vil finde bedre gaming performance, på trods af mangel på RGB og udvidelsesmuligheder.
Tilbehøret til ASUS ROG Phone er desuden i den dyre ende, og du får ikke meget udstyr for under 1000 DKK.

Test: Asus ROG Phone 8GB / 512GB + GameVice bundle

Innovation / Teknologi	5
Bundle - Tilbehør	5
Design - Layout	5
Software - BIOS	4
Ydelse	3
Pris	3
Samlet	83%

UK summary

ASUS ROG Phone is targeting the gamer who needs a bit extra on the go. It is exciting, got the right looks and offers a ton of expandability with controllers, connectivity, extra cooling and the like. The quality of ROG Phone is top notch, but performance and battery life could be a tad better, maybe because of lacking optimizations in Android as it is still running Android 8.1. On paper we should have more than enough performance due to, amongst others, a specially binned processor with extra high frequencies. In short, a really nice phone for the gamer with lots of power, even though we see the same hardware performs better in other phones.

Innovation/Technology - 5
There is almost nothing but new about the ASUS ROG Phone, RGB LED and vapor chamber in a phone, gamer design, screen with 90 Hz refresh rate, a ton of expandability, etc. It is hard to give anything but a top score in this category.

Bundle/Accessories - 5
Even though the score here only accounts for the "normal" bundle that is in the box, which "only" includes a fan and charger along with the regular stuff, I think this phone deserves a top score here. If you order before 30/6-2019 you also get the ASUS Gamevice with the phone, while all additional accesories are at additional cost, which is still quite nice.

Design/Layout - 5
I really think they have done quite a bit with the design on this phone. There is put a lot of thought into the details and facets that can benefit the gamer, front directed stereo speakers, RGB LED, better cooling, overclocked processor and the like. Additionally the phone is equipped with an expansion port so you can get even more out of your phone, if you want.

Software - 4
For the most part the ASUS software is actually quite good, and the software specifically for the ASUS ROG Phone is actually really well made and thought through, however, there are a couple of pit falls. ASUS Game Center gives you options to see and change settings for the phone and its features, such as RGB lighting, AirTriggers and X-mode. The software also gives you the option to set up individual performance parameters for different apps, for example to put the phone in X-mode and turn everything all the way up for PUBG. In Gamevice Live you get an overview of supported games for the Gamevice controller, you can search, filter on category and generally just makes it easy to find new and excinting stuff to try out which is usable with the Gamevice. Gamevice Live do lack more specific search parameters or the ability to combine search parameters, however, such as "Action and free". Finally it is quite a shame that the Gamevice Live software does not have a similar function to find apps for their TwinView dock, as there is probably even more of a need for this here than with the Gamevice, as the Gamevice is "just" a controller after all. The TwinView dock is quite special and as such requires more work to be supported, as such I think this is quite an important feature to leave out.

Performance - 3
On paper there should not be much doubt in terms of support, it should be top scores on the entire board when compared to other Snapdragon 845 phones, that is not the entire truth however. Even with X-mode and the AeroActive cooler it is still beaten by similar phones, despite extra cooling and the stock overclocked processor. Additionally we do not see the new Snapdragon 855 in this phone, but the previous 845, which is probably due to the fact that the 855 was not yet available when the phone was launched. None the less, performance is still good, but probably not quite what you would expect of a gamer phone if you had to choose one today.

Price - 3
ASUS ROG Phone with the specifications we have tested here costs 6599 DKK from the ASUS e-shop, the smaller 128 GB model is on discount for 5299 DKK. A pretty hefty price for a phone with last generation hardware. The phone might be one of the only Gamer phones on the market today, but the similar Razer Phone 2 only costs 4499 DKK. The Razer Phone 2 does have a smaller screen and fewer expandability and is only available in a 64 GB model, but has similar specifications appart from that, the screen even has a 120 Hz refresh rate. In the same price range as the ASUS ROG Phone you also find the new OnePlus 7 Pro with Snapdragon 855 and Samsungs Galxy S10, where I also believe you would get a better gaming experience, despite the lack of RGB and expandability.
The accesories for the ASUS ROG Phone is also in the more expensive end and you will not get much for under 1000 DKK.