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Asus launches the ROG Phone 5s and ROG Phone 5s Pro

by Mark Tyson on 17 August 2021, 11:11

Tags: ASUSTeK (TPE:2357)

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Asus launched the ROG Phone 5, 5 Pro, and 5 Ultimate back in March this year and already has updates for us in the form of the ROG Phone 5s and 5s Pro. To come up with the new models, Asus has applied a thin spread of upgrades (hence the 's' suffix, rather than a new version number). To find out what has changed, please read on.

The first major change that applies to both models is the upgrade from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 to the 888 Plus, which was launched at the end of June. At that time, Qualcomm mentioned that partner Asus was lining up a refreshed ROG Phone with its latest and greatest SoC, so these new gaming phones aren't that surprising to see.

If you look back at our SD888 Plus launch article, you can find a full description of this flagship consumer mobile SoC, but in brief it is basically the same as its processor but with a 3.0GHz prime core (Cortex-X1), a modest improvement over the 2.84GHz in the original SoC. Qualcomm also trumpeted the 6th gen Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engine which boosted on-device AI processing from 26 TOPS to 32 TOPS. However, the GPU, and Adreno 660, which is an important component for gamers to consider, remained unchanged.

Other than the processor upgrade, the ROG Phone 5 Pro seems to have done better, as it benefits from extra RAM/Storage in the 's' model. Specifically, it now comes with 18GB of RAM (LPDDR5) and 512GB of storage (UFS 3.1), which were exclusive to the Ultimate version in the previous lineup (maybe that's what there is no new Ultimate?). The 5s Pro also features the most interesting rear display, which is a PMOLED colour screen (for some reason, the Ultimate was mono).

If you don't need so much RAM/storage you might be best served by the regular ROG Phone 5s which comes in 8/128GB, 12/256GB and 16/256GB configurations.

Screens remain largely the same as last time – both revamped gaming phones feature a 144Hz / 1ms Samsung E4 AMOLED display – but they have both also been boosted to a 360Hz native touch-sampling rate (up from 300Hz) for even better responsiveness.

Accessory-wise, the Pro comes with the most generous bundle which includes the AeroActive Cooler 5, 65W charger, and case. The ROG Phone 5s (non-Pro) doesn't get a cooler for free (extra US$69).

Asus has yet to name a release date or confirm pricing for the ROG Phone 5s and 5s Pro. Asus UK prices for the current ROG Phone 5 range from £820 to £920, for the regular model, depending on RAM/storage.

HEXUS Forums :: 10 Comments

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Posted by CAT-THE-FIFTH - Tue 17 Aug 2021 11:29
Would be awesome if more of these smartphones had a Samsung DEX like mode,where you could dock the phone,and use it with a keyboard and a bigger screen.

With 18GB of RAM,that should be more than enough for a bit of multi-tasking!
Posted by Spud1 - Tue 17 Aug 2021 17:30
Yeah that would be a really nice feature!

Not a fan of these phones personally, but I appreciate the fact they are offering Ram upgrades *not* tied to a storage upgrade too - pretty rare in my experience and offers some real choice.
Posted by philehidiot - Tue 17 Aug 2021 19:11
CAT-THE-FIFTH
Would be awesome if more of these smartphones had a Samsung DEX like mode,where you could dock the phone,and use it with a keyboard and a bigger screen.

With 18GB of RAM,that should be more than enough for a bit of multi-tasking!

I have 12GB on my phone. It was an “upgrade” that came with the 5G version of the device. Because more mobile bandwidth requires more RAM? As a DEX device it's really, really good and an excellent way to use an older laptop.

Unfortunately, it somehow uses far more CPU chooch to use DEX than it would to just do the same tasks on the laptop and the battery dies in about an hour.

I'm strongly considering getting a USB dock and making it look like I'm working but I've actually turned my work computer into a dual monitor gaming rig with my phone.

Unfortunately, the only games I get to play there at the moment involve farting in a small room with no ventilation, closing the door and waiting for someone to ask if there's something wrong with the drains.
Posted by CAT-THE-FIFTH - Tue 17 Aug 2021 19:50
philehidiot
I have 12GB on my phone. It was an “upgrade” that came with the 5G version of the device. Because more mobile bandwidth requires more RAM? As a DEX device it's really, really good and an excellent way to use an older laptop.

Unfortunately, it somehow uses far more CPU chooch to use DEX than it would to just do the same tasks on the laptop and the battery dies in about an hour.

I'm strongly considering getting a USB dock and making it look like I'm working but I've actually turned my work computer into a dual monitor gaming rig with my phone.

Unfortunately, the only games I get to play there at the moment involve farting in a small room with no ventilation, closing the door and waiting for someone to ask if there's something wrong with the drains.

I am hopeful with Qualcomm/Samsung/Google working together on 4/5 years of support for newer SOCs,we might start to see more consistent optimisations,and updates in general. Android does seem somewhat bloated compared to Fruity Company Co OS.

The thing is with some of these higher end SOCs,they seem more like laptop/tablet SOCs stuffed into a smartphone,ie,the Apple M1 and the new Exynos 2200(RDNA2). It just seems a waste,with so much processing power,and more RAM than most £500 laptops have to waste it on a small screen like that. Something like a Switch-like dock could provide extra cooling,mains power and more ports,and for a casual user it could replace two devices with one.
Posted by philehidiot - Tue 17 Aug 2021 20:16
CAT-THE-FIFTH
I am hopeful with Qualcomm/Samsung/Google working together on 4/5 years of support for newer SOCs,we might start to see more consistent optimisations,and updates in general. Android does seem somewhat bloated compared to Fruity Company Co OS.

The thing is with some of these higher end SOCs,they seem more like laptop/tablet SOCs stuffed into a smartphone,ie,the Apple M1 and the new Exynos 2200(RDNA2). It just seems a waste,with so much processing power,and more RAM than most £500 laptops have to waste it on a small screen like that. Something like a Switch-like dock could provide extra cooling,mains power and more ports,and for a casual user it could replace two devices with one.

Indeed. There's something a bit disgusting about wasting more power than most laptop systems have on phone calls and checking hexus on the toilet.

I'd very much like to see a laptop type frame which properly utilised these devices. Surely businessy type people would love to be able to just drop a phone into a laptop, full home / office set up and then access all their stuff on the move even without the larger screen? The performance I got from my phone on DEX was enough to easily blow away both laptops in the house. The only computer I own that it didn't pwn in terms of everyday usability is the 3900X based system.

The downside is you have all of your work on a phone / cloud with all the associated spyware nonsense and I can definitely see why a business would prefer a laptop they can properly lock down.

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