Updated September 23rd, 2019 at 18:13 IST

Asus ROG Phone II first look: This phone is just bonkers!

Asus has just launched its gaming phone, ROG Phone II in India at a starting price of Rs 37,999 for the base variant it comes with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage.

Reported by: Saurabh Singh
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The Asus ROG Phone II is a gaming monster, there are simply no two ways about that. Asus has managed to cram literally everything inside the ROG Phone II from a pure hardware perspective – and then some. Asus isn’t being subtle about its design either. But what really blew our minds – at launch – was the phone’s pricing. While the original ROG Phone was launched at a ludicrous Rs 70,000+, Asus has launched the ROG Phone II in India at a ridiculously low price of Rs 37,999. That’s bonkers! 

The ROG Phone II may look exactly like the original (with a few differences that will be hard to point out), but make no mistake, this is the most ridiculous piece of hardware that you can get in the Indian market today - there’s no other high-end gaming phone quite like the ROG Phone II. It’s a monster of a phone with a 120Hz AMOLED display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor paired with up to 12GB RAM and up to 512GB storage, and a 6,000mAh battery. That Rs 37,999 pricing is simply an icing on the cake – making the ROG Phone II quite an attractive proposition, for even the non-gaming folks out there. 

Here’s a closer look at the Asus ROG Phone II and everything that it brings to the table: 

-- The ROG Phone II comes with a 6.59-inch AMOLED 1080p+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time – the screen also supports 10-bit HDR and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6. The ROG Phone II further has a touch sensor sampling rate of 240Hz adding to the all-round smoothness. 

-- Asus has updated its hallmark AirTriggers feature so they will now be able to identify a casual tap and an actual press. The AirTriggers 2, as Asus calls them, have a response time of 20ms which is three times faster than on the ROG Phone 1. 

-- The ROG Phone II is an unabashed gaming phone with looks to match – including customizable RGB lighting. 

-- The ROG Phone II doesn’t have a conventional fingerprint scanner. There’s an in-display fingerprint scanner here for biometric authentication. 

-- The ROG Phone II is powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 855+ processor – which is an enhanced Snapdragon 855 designed for gaming with 15 per cent faster GPU performance. This is paired with up to 12GB RAM and up to 512GB storage (non-expandable).  

-- You can choose to use either stock Android-based Zen UI 6 or a gamer-centric ROG UI software on it – with ROG’s hallmark Armoury Crate which allows for per game customizations. 

-- The ROG Phone II further packs a ginormous 6,000mAh battery inside which is claimed to offer 7 hours of non-stop PUBG playback. The phone also supports 30W fast charging and 10W reverse charging.  

-- An improved cooling system that consists of a vapor chamber and vents meanwhile keeps check on temperature.  

-- The ROG Phone II also comes with dual front-firing stereo speakers – there's also a dedicated headphone jack. There are two vibration motors and four mics for noise cancellation, and 2 USB Type C slots for charging and data syncing.  

-- The ROG Phone II has dual rear cameras - 48MP+13MP. On the front, the ROG Phone II has a 24MP camera. 

Asus ROG Phone II price, availability

Asus has launched the ROG Phone II in India at a starting price of Rs 37,999 for the base variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage going all the way to Rs 59,999 for the top-end variant with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. While the base model will ship with 18Watt fast charger and Aero Case accessory, the top-end model will ship with 30Watt fast charger, Aero Case and Aero Active Cooler II accessories in the box. The ROG Phone II (8GB/128GB) will go on sale in India for the first time on September 30 (12am) during Flipkart’s Big Billion Days sale event.  

(Photos by Saurabh Singh)

Also Read:  Asus ROG Phone II Is Most Feature Packed Phone You Can Get In India

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Published September 23rd, 2019 at 17:36 IST