ISSUE 65 • ANDROID ADVISOR 55BUYING GUIDEthat come with a ‘smart amplifier’. They’re easily
some of the most powerful we’ve heard on a phone.Battery life
Like the Razer Phone, the ROG Phone has a large
4,000mAh lithium-ion battery – when 3,000mAh
is about the average for a new smartphone. How
long it will last is a big question, especially with the
higher speed Snapdragon 845 and high refresh rate
on the screen. In our usual test using Geekbench
4, it lasted six hours and 27 minutes. This is a pretty
middle of the road result. When gaming in 90Hz and
reasonable brightness, you’ll lose about 25- to 30
percent for every hour you’re playing. This means
you’ll be charging a lot, so it’s a good job Asus has
gone for quick charging. It’s complicated though, as
it depends which USB port you’re using.
The traditional port on the bottom supports
Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0. However, the custom
side port supports up to Quick Charge 4.0 and
Asus’s own HyperCharge direct charging, which can
power the phone to a whopping 60 percent in just
33 minutes. Even using the bottom port we got an
impressive 54 percent in 30 minutes, which is one of
the best results we’ve seen.
Despite having a glass rear cover, the ROG Phone
does not support wireless charging.Software
The ROG Phone runs Android 8.1 Oreo software with
Asus’ own ROG Gaming UI interface that looks very
appropriate for the style of the phone.ISSUE 65 • ANDROID ADVISOR 55BUYING GUIDEthat come with a ‘smart amplifier’. They’re easily
some of the most powerful we’ve heard on a phone.
Battery life
Like the Razer Phone, the ROG Phone has a large
4,000mAh lithium-ion battery – when 3,000mAh
is about the average for a new smartphone. How
long it will last is a big question, especially with the
higher speed Snapdragon 845 and high refresh rate
on the screen. In our usual test using Geekbench
4, it lasted six hours and 27 minutes. This is a pretty
middle of the road result. When gaming in 90Hz and
reasonable brightness, you’ll lose about 25- to 30
percent for every hour you’re playing. This means
you’ll be charging a lot, so it’s a good job Asus has
gone for quick charging. It’s complicated though, as
it depends which USB port you’re using.
The traditional port on the bottom supports
Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0. However, the custom
side port supports up to Quick Charge 4.0 and
Asus’s own HyperCharge direct charging, which can
power the phone to a whopping 60 percent in just
33 minutes. Even using the bottom port we got an
impressive 54 percent in 30 minutes, which is one of
the best results we’ve seen.
Despite having a glass rear cover, the ROG Phone
does not support wireless charging.
Software
The ROG Phone runs Android 8.1 Oreo software with
Asus’ own ROG Gaming UI interface that looks very
appropriate for the style of the phone.