The ROG Phone 2 has been making the news everywhere it’s been released as the best gaming phone, but my stand on it is that it’s a phone that extends beyond being just a gaming phone with its amazing utility, port selection, great ergonomics, and an incredibly long-lasting battery.
At DreamHack Delhi 2019, the ROG Phone 2 was showcased in all its glory – with all its overkill accessories like the Kunai Gamepad, Twinview Dock, and the AeroActive Cooler. I also talked with ASUS’s marketing manager, who walked me through different aspects of their gaming phone.
Experiencing the ROG Phone 2 in person was quite the experience – I’ve heard about the phone, researched and wrote on it, followed its rumors, and know about it since its inception with the first ROG Phone. But experiencing this monstrosity was an experience that exceeded my expectations – this is a darn good phone, I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, it extends beyond being just a gaming phone and that’s incredibly important.
The ROG Phone 2 with all its bells & whistles showcased in full glory
There was a lineup of many ROG Phones at DreamHack, and everyone got to play, experience and see for themselves what’s so special about this phone.
The ROG Phone 2 has a Snapdragon 855 Plus, up to 12GBs of RAM, UFS 3.0 Storage, and a 120Hz OLED Display. But you probably know about all this, and I’ve talked about this phone before, so I won’t get into depth with all its specs. This story will tell you about what an incredible experience using the new ROG Phone was.
The ROG Phone 2 has a 6.59-inch OLED 120Hz Display with a response time lower than most flagship phones
Experiencing the 120Hz refresh rate on games that do support it was exactly how I imagined it to be – super smooth and gives you a definite advantage over others with a better response time. My aim was instantly improved after I got used to how smooth this panel actually was.
Another thing I discovered about the ROG Phone 2’s display was how color accurate the panel is. As per ASUS, the ROG Phone 2 has a Delta E value lower than 1, so it’s right up there as one of the most color-accurate panels phones have.
But not every game plays on 120Hz, right? For instance, PUBG Mobile & COD Mobile both don’t have the option for outputting more than 60 FPS to take advantage of the 90 & 120Hz panels on phones these days. I’ve heard the Chinese version of PUBG Mobile does have this option, but it’s on different servers so I’m not really going to count that. The truth is, there’s not a lot of mobile games that support anything above 60Hz. As of writing, popular games that do support 120Hz are Asphalt 9: Legends, Dead Trigger 2, Hitman GO, and Mortal Kombat. The developers of these games are quite prominent, so I do expect more support later on.
The best part of the ROG Phone 2 is the ergonomics
What impressed me the most about the ROG Phone 2 is the ergonomics. The phone has air triggers, which essentially make the gaming experience on phones much more comfortable. It won’t make a difference if you only use two fingers while gaming, which is how the majority of players play games, but if you’ve tried to use four or more fingers you know how uncomfortable the experience can be.
Playing on the ROG Phone 2 was so comfortable and a different experience from anything that’s ever been released
At ASUS’s booth, I played COD Mobile & PUBG Mobile on the ROG Phone 2 and configured the left trigger to aim down sights, and the right trigger to shoot.
I had previously been playing with a claw grip on my iPhone 11, and the experience was so uncomfortable it felt like I would get arthritis soon.
