Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition Review - A true gaming smartphone

The prices for the Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal storage start at 799 Euros (~$945). This is the version that we are reviewing. The variant with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal memory is also supposed to come to the market. However, the version with 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage space is only going to be sold in Asia.
Buyers of the ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition will get a slightly less capable Snapdragon 865 instead of the Snapdragon 865 Plus, which buyers of the non-Strix version will get. Moreover, the non-Strix model also offers up to 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of UFS 3.1 storage. The non-Strix device also has faster wireless modules and supports more LTE bands.
The main competitors of the ROG Phone are the Black Shark 3 and the RedMagic 5G.
Comparison Devices
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
89.1 % v7 (old) | 09 / 2020 | Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition SD 865, Adreno 650 | 240 g | 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.59" | 2340x1080 | |
85.3 % v7 (old) | 07 / 2020 | Xiaomi Black Shark 3 SD 865, Adreno 650 | 222 g | 128 GB UFS 3.0 Flash | 6.67" | 2400x1080 | |
84.2 % v7 (old) | 06 / 2020 | Nubia RedMagic 5G SD 865, Adreno 650 | 218 g | 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash | 6.65" | 2340x1080 | |
88.5 % v7 (old) | 04 / 2020 | OnePlus 8 Pro SD 865, Adreno 650 | 199 g | 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash | 6.78" | 3168x1440 |
Case - Bulky ROG smartphone
The ROG Phone weighs 240 grams. However, it is still easy to hold in the hand. There is only one colour scheme. The design has not changed when compared to the predecessor. The choice of materials has slightly changed, though: The ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition does not feature any plastic elements. The back is made of glass, the origins of which are not specified, and there is a backlit ROG logo in the centre. The screen is protected with Gorilla Glass 6.
We like the build quality. The housing is extremely rigid. The physical buttons wobble a little and the junctures where the back glass meets the frame are not perfectly even. However, these imperfections are only noticeable on close inspection.
Users can insert two nano-SIM cards into the SIM card slot and the battery is not user-removable. The smartphone is neither dust- nor waterproof.
Connectivity - 3rd-gen Air Triggers and two USB ports
The ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition offers a good selection of ports: It comes not only with a USB-C port on the back but also with an AeroActive Cooler port on the left side, which features a built-in USB 3.1 port that operates at Gen 2 speeds (up to 10 Gb/s) and can output a UHD video signal.
The Air Triggers rely on ultrasonic sensors to register inputs and the pressure level. The two flat buttons on either side of the device are primarily used for gaming. Moreover, the smartphone can also recognise when it is being squeezed just like the Pixel 4. Certain actions can be set to execute with a long or a short squeeze such as launching the X Mode. Users can customise these actions.
The storage capacity of the gaming smartphone cannot be expanded with the help of a microSD card. The ROG Phone features neither an IR blaster nor a radio tuner. There is no headphone jack on the smartphone itself. Instead, the audio jack is integrated into the AeroActive Cooler attachment. Even though the ROG Phone supports Always-On Display functionality, it still comes with an LED indicator.
Software - Visually puffed-up Android 10 with X Mode
The Asus ROG Phone 3 runs Android 10. The security patches were last updated on June 1, 2020. The launcher still comes with that gamer-centric theme that we saw in the predecessor models. Users can also use the standard theme. The system-wide dark mode functions well and many third-party applications support it. The dark mode can be customised in the settings menu.
The X Mode transforms the ROG Phone 3 into a veritable gaming device. The notifications can be blocked, the lighting adjusted and the Air Triggers configured. Moreover, users can set different settings, such as the display refresh rate or touch sensitivity, for each game. The network settings can also be adjusted individually for each title. The game recommendations show titles, which support the 120 or 144 Hz mode. There is also a built-in screen recording tool.
Communication and GNSS - 5G, Wi-Fi 6 and dual-band GNSS in the ROG Phone
Positive: There is no chicanery with LTE or 5G versions. All models of the ROG Phone 3 come with a 5G modem. However, the Strix Edition supports fewer LTE bands, namely four instead of 11. The theoretical transfer speeds are also lower. The smartphone can achieve download speeds of up to 1.2 Gb/s and upload speeds of up to 150 Mb/s in 4G networks and download speeds of up to 4.0 Gb/s and upload speeds of up to 542 Mb/s in 5G networks. There are no problems with signal reception.
The Wi-Fi module supports Wi-Fi 6 and offers a good range and stable data transfer rates as the test with our reference-grade router Netgear Nighthawk AX12 reveals. However, the upload speed is a little lower than expected. The ROG Phone also supports dual-band Wi-Fi, which means that it can operate in two different frequency bands. This increases not only the speeds but also the stability of the connection.
Networking | |
iperf3 transmit AX12 | |
Nubia RedMagic 5G | |
Xiaomi Black Shark 3 | |
OnePlus 8 Pro | |
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition | |
iperf3 receive AX12 | |
Nubia RedMagic 5G | |
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition | |
OnePlus 8 Pro | |
Xiaomi Black Shark 3 |
The ROG Phone supports the following global navigation satellite systems: GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou and Galileo. All of the above-mentioned networks, except for the Russian one, support dual-band functionality. Outdoors, our review device determines the user’s location quickly and with great precision. Indoors, the Asus smartphone takes a while to acquire the user’s location and sometimes it fails to establish a connection with the satellites.
On our bike ride, we compare the ROG Phone with our reference-grade navigator Garmin Edge 500. At the end of a 12-kilometre ride, our review device and the Garmin Edge 500 deviate from each other only by 60 metres. When it comes to the turns, the ROG Phone is sometimes more accurate than the professional navigator. Most of the time, though, it does just as well as the bike computer.
Telephony and Call Quality
The phone application of the Asus smartphone is very clearly organised and supports call recording. Users can insert two nano-SIM cards into the dual SIM card slot. Only one SIM card can operate in 5G networks. The ROG Phone supports neither VoLTE nor Wi-Fi Calling. However, Asus added support for various features through an update in the past.
The call quality is good so long as the ROG Phone 3 is kept close to the ear and most background noise is filtered out. In loud speaker mode, the smartphone sounds somewhat echoey, which is not a problem in quiet environments.
Cameras - Good camera system in the ROG Phone 3
The 24 MP front-facing camera uses pixel binning to improve low-light performance. This means that it produces 6 MP images. It can record Full HD video at 60 FPS. The image quality is rather good. However, there is quite a bit of smoothening going on.
The smartphone comes with a triple-camera system. The main camera features a 64 MP Sony IMX686 image sensor. The ROG Phone also features an ultra wide-angle lens and a macro lens. The Asus smartphone supports only digital zoom, which looks good enough thanks to a high-resolution sensor. It tops out at 8X. The ultra wide-angle camera does a good job of correcting lens distortion. However, this makes the edges of the images quite blurry. The main shooter takes well-exposed photographs under normal lighting conditions and there is also no oversharpening. However, in certain shots colours appear a bit washed-out. Under low-light conditions, the ROG Phone lets too much light in, which makes the shots appear a bit blurry. Here, users should switch on the dark mode, which makes images somewhat dimmer but helps preserve detail.
The ROG Phone 3 can record video at 8K30. However, not all functions are supported when shooting in 8K. There is quite a bit of noise even under normal lighting conditions.
Low-light shots with the ROG Phone 3 - on the right with night mode
Image Comparison
Choose a scene and navigate within the first image. One click changes the position on touchscreens. One click on the zoomed-in image opens the original in a new window. The first image shows the scaled photograph of the test device.
Wide angleWide angleUltra wide-angleZoomLow LightWe photograph our test patterns under fixed lighting conditions to further assess the camera performance. Here, we see that the colours are really a little undersaturated. However, the ROG Phone is very good at preserving fine detail.


Accessories and Warranty - A lot of accessories for the ROG Phone
The Asus smartphone comes with a 24-month warranty. The box contains a 30-watt charger, a braided USB cable (Type-C to Type-C, 120 cm), a SIM card removal tool, a headphone jack adapter (USB-C to 3.5 mm), a plastic protective case and the AeroActive Cooler 3.
Asus offers additional accessories for the ROG Phone 3 in its online store, one of which is a Mobile Desktop Dock (150 Euros (~$178)) that allows users to connect a UHD monitor, a mouse and a keyboard to the smartphone. Moreover, it also features a Gigabit Ethernet port and an S/PDIF output for a 5.1 surround sound audio system.
Input Devices and Handling - Air Triggers are not only for gaming
The capacitive touchscreen can recognise up to 10 inputs at the same time. It has a very smooth surface and feels very responsive. The ROG Phone features an in-display fingerprint sensor, which only very rarely has trouble recognising fingerprints. Buyers can also use face recognition, which works quite a bit faster.
The ultrasonic buttons are located on either side of the smartphone and can be used for system navigation. A long press activates the X Mode and a short press Google Assistant. Users can assign different functions to long or short presses in the settings menu. The ultrasonic buttons can also be used to quick-launch a favourite application.
The haptic feedback is also quite good.
Display - Bright AMOLED screen in the Asus smartphone
The display of the ROG Phone 3 is very similar to that of the predecessor. The only difference is in the refresh rate: The new model has a 144 Hz screen. The AMOLED panel measures 6.59 inches diagonally and offers a Full HD Plus resolution. The brightness has also been slightly increased. We measured 625 cd/m² in the centre of the screen with the ambient light sensor enabled and 416 cd/m² with it disabled. In the APL50 test, in which the screen displays a pattern of alternating black and white squares of equal size, we measured a brightness level of up to 945 cd/m². This means that the panel is suitable for viewing HDR content. The HDR10 and HDR10+ certifications further bolster this conclusion.
One negative aspect is the really high minimum brightness of 10.25 cd/m². It is not going to bother anyone while gaming. However, those who like to read at night might be bothered by it.
Like other OLED panels, the panel of the ROG Phone exhibits PWM flickering, which fluctuates between 123.8 and 255.1 Hz. Susceptible individuals will certainly be able to feel this, because the PWM frequency is really low. The refresh rate can be adjusted in the settings menu. Users can choose from a constant refresh rate of 60, 90, 120 or 144 Hz. Higher frame rates have a higher PWM frequency.
|
Brightness Distribution: 88 %
Center on Battery: 625 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 2.6 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.89
ΔE Greyscale 2.5 | 0.5-98 Ø5.1
99.9% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.22
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.6" | Asus ROG Phone 2 AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.6" | Xiaomi Black Shark 3 AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.7" | Nubia RedMagic 5G OLED, 2340x1080, 6.7" | OnePlus 8 Pro AMOLED, 3168x1440, 6.8" | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Screen | -53% | -15% | -110% | 42% | |
Brightness middle | 625 | 580 -7% | 619 -1% | 593 -5% | 796 27% |
Brightness | 630 | 599 -5% | 616 -2% | 601 -5% | 779 24% |
Brightness Distribution | 88 | 91 3% | 90 2% | 92 5% | 94 7% |
Black Level * | |||||
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 2.6 | 4.9 -88% | 3.74 -44% | 8.1 -212% | 0.68 74% |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 4.5 | 9.1 -102% | 7.94 -76% | 16.2 -260% | 1.55 66% |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2.5 | 5.4 -116% | 1.7 32% | 7.1 -184% | 1.1 56% |
Gamma | 2.22 99% | 2.17 101% | 2.188 101% | 2.28 96% | 2.237 98% |
CCT | 6750 96% | 7487 87% | 6662 98% | 7566 86% | 6310 103% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
Screen flickering / PWM detected | 255.1 Hz | ≤ 99 % brightness setting | |
The display backlight flickers at 255.1 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 99 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting. The frequency of 255.1 Hz is relatively high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering. However, there are reports that some users are still sensitive to PWM at 500 Hz and above, so be aware. In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8619 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. |
We use a spectrophotometer running CalMAN software to measure the colour accuracy of the display. Straight out of the box, the screen offers a very wide colour gamut and suffers from a bluish cast. The colours appear very saturated and are not very accurately reproduced.
In the utility known as Splendid, users can select different colour profiles and adjust the colour temperature and saturation. When using the sRGB colour space and a warmer colour temperature, the colours appear much more natural.
Display Response Times
↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
---|---|---|
2.4 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 1.2 ms rise | |
↘ 1.2 ms fall | ||
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.1 (minimum) to 240 (maximum) ms. » 9 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.9 ms). | ||
↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
3.6 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 2 ms rise | |
↘ 1.6 ms fall | ||
The screen shows very fast response rates in our tests and should be very well suited for fast-paced gaming. In comparison, all tested devices range from 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 11 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (32.7 ms). |
Performance - Strix Edition with Snapdragon 865
The ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition comes with a Snapdragon 865 and 8 GB of RAM. Those who need more power should get the more expensive version that features the faster Snapdragon 865+.
The ROG Phone performs as expected in the benchmarks. When compared to other competing devices, the differences in performance amount to only a few percentage points. These kinds of performance differences should not be noticeable in day-to-day use. It would be interesting to know if the Asus smartphone can maintain its maximum level of performance over an extended period of time. We shall look into this a little later in our review.
Geekbench 4.4 | |
64 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value) | |
Nubia RedMagic 5G | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (4261 - 4304, n=5) | |
Average of class Smartphone (844 - 9592, n=83, last 2 years) | |
64 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value) | |
Nubia RedMagic 5G | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (13186 - 13589, n=5) | |
Average of class Smartphone (4134 - 34246, n=83, last 2 years) | |
Compute RenderScript Score (sort by value) | |
Nubia RedMagic 5G | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (9443 - 9739, n=5) | |
Average of class Smartphone (5192 - 28121, n=60, last 2 years) |
PCMark for Android | |
Work performance score (sort by value) | |
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition | |
Xiaomi Black Shark 3 | |
Nubia RedMagic 5G | |
OnePlus 8 Pro | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (10990 - 19989, n=22) | |
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value) | |
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition | |
Xiaomi Black Shark 3 | |
Nubia RedMagic 5G | |
OnePlus 8 Pro | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (9202 - 15299, n=23) |
AnTuTu v8 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition | |
Xiaomi Black Shark 3 | |
Nubia RedMagic 5G | |
OnePlus 8 Pro | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (527301 - 631025, n=24) |
VRMark - Amber Room (sort by value) | |
Nubia RedMagic 5G | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (4988 - 7649, n=4) | |
Average of class Smartphone (2523 - 10071, n=4, last 2 years) |
The Asus ROG Phone 3 offers a great web-browsing experience. It performs so well in the browser benchmarks that it often takes the top spot in our comparison chart. It does surprisingly poorly in Speedometer, though.
Jetstream 2 - Total Score | |
Average of class Smartphone (111.1 - 387, n=168, last 2 years) | |
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition (Chrome 84) | |
Xiaomi Black Shark 3 (Chrome 83) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (45.2 - 77, n=20) | |
OnePlus 8 Pro (Chrome 80) | |
Nubia RedMagic 5G (Chrome 83) |
JetStream 1.1 - Total Score | |
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition (Chrome 84) | |
Xiaomi Black Shark 3 (Chrome 83) | |
OnePlus 8 Pro (Chrome 80) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (74.2 - 145.1, n=21) | |
Nubia RedMagic 5G (Chrome 83) |
Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
Average of class Smartphone (15.2 - 569, n=149, last 2 years) | |
Xiaomi Black Shark 3 (Chome 83) | |
OnePlus 8 Pro (Chome 80) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (30.6 - 74.5, n=19) | |
Nubia RedMagic 5G (Chrome 83) | |
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition (Chrome 84) |
WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
Average of class Smartphone (38 - 347, n=79, last 2 years) | |
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition (Chrome 84) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (97 - 127, n=23) | |
OnePlus 8 Pro (Chrome 80) | |
Xiaomi Black Shark 3 (Chrome 83) | |
Nubia RedMagic 5G (Chrome 83) |
Octane V2 - Total Score | |
Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 100368, n=205, last 2 years) | |
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition (Chrome 84) | |
OnePlus 8 Pro (Chrome 80) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (14606 - 31224, n=23) | |
Nubia RedMagic 5G (Chrome 83) | |
Xiaomi Black Shark 3 (Chrome 83) |
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
Xiaomi Black Shark 3 (Chrome 83) | |
Nubia RedMagic 5G (Chrome 83) | |
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (1623 - 2911, n=24) | |
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition (Chrome 84) | |
OnePlus 8 Pro (Chrome 80) | |
Average of class Smartphone (277 - 28190, n=165, last 2 years) |
* ... smaller is better
The use of the fast UFS 3.1 memory pays off in spades, because the Asus smartphone outperforms the competition in the storage benchmarks.
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition | Xiaomi Black Shark 3 | Nubia RedMagic 5G | OnePlus 8 Pro | Average 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AndroBench 3-5 | -10% | -26% | -14% | 20% | 35% | |
Sequential Read 256KB | 1697 | 1692 0% | 1654 -3% | 1627 -4% | 1742 ? 3% | 1941 ? 14% |
Sequential Write 256KB | 770 | 680 -12% | 388.4 -50% | 730 -5% | 1160 ? 51% | 1558 ? 102% |
Random Read 4KB | 266.8 | 238.3 -11% | 201.6 -24% | 208.3 -22% | 286 ? 7% | 280 ? 5% |
Random Write 4KB | 268.5 | 227.8 -15% | 193.6 -28% | 197.7 -26% | 319 ? 19% | 320 ? 19% |
Games - Full-blooded gaming device
The key selling point of the ROG Phone 3 is its gaming performance. There are other smartphones with 120 or 144 Hz screens. This is nothing new. However, just because a smartphone has a high refresh rate display does not mean that it can run every game at high refresh rates. Software support also plays an important role as we saw with the likes of the Galaxy S20 Ultra, the Oppo Find X2 Pro and the RedMagic 5G. This is the area in which the Asus smartphone excels. With the ROG Phone 3, users can enjoy high refresh rates in over 200 titles (as of August 2020), and the number of supported games is constantly rising.
We utilise a tool known as GameBench to measure frame rates. The ROG Phone hits the 60 FPS cap in PUBG Mobile, regardless of the graphics settings used. Asus’s features such as the Air Triggers, which can now recognise swipes, come in really handy here. The setup process is very easy and the inputs are registered reliably and quickly. The Air Triggers will bring a lot of additional value to every smartphone gamer.
The ROG Phone provides an impressive gaming experience and offers a lot of gamer-centric customisation options. It also features an overlay, which shows the battery status, CPU/GPU utilisation, system temperature and the current refresh rate.
In simple titles such as Dead Trigger 2, the ROG Phone can hit 144 FPS most of the time. However, in Armajet, the Asus smartphone never achieves more than 120 FPS. It is possible, though, that the model with the Snapdragon 865+ could achieve a slightly higher frame rate in this title.
Emissions - Efficient fan and good speakers
System Noise
The smartphone itself does not have a built-in fan. However, there is a cooling attachment, which includes a fan. The AeroActive Cooler 3 can be set to operate at four different speeds by the user or the fan speed can be adjusted automatically by the system.
The fan is audible even at the lowest speed. At the highest speed, we measured a sound pressure level of 47.7 dB (A), which is quite a lot.
Temperature
On the back, users can see part of the copper heat pipe through a tiny opening, which is there to improve cooling. When idle, the surface temperatures hover around 28 °C (82.4 °F). Under load, the temperatures reach about 37 °C (98.6°F). With the AeroActive Cooler installed the surface temperatures on the back decline. As can be seen from the thermal photographs, the cooler moves the warm air from the centre to the sides, which makes holding the smartphone in the hand more pleasant.
We utilise GFXBench to test the system stability under continuous load. Here, we only use the demanding Manhattan benchmark (OpenGL ES 3.1), which runs 30 times in a row. Without the fan, the performance drops by 12% after the 20th benchmark run. With the fan, there are no drops in performance.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 36.9 °C / 98 F, compared to the average of 35.1 °C / 95 F, ranging from 21.9 to 63.7 °C for the class Smartphone.
(+) The bottom heats up to a maximum of 36.8 °C / 98 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 26.2 °C / 79 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
Speakers
The two front-facing speakers are quite loud and sound very nice, even though the bass is completely missing.
Users can connect wired headphones to the ROG Phone with the help of the included USB-C to 3.5-mm headphone jack adapter. Nowadays these adapters are not always included with the smartphone. The AeroActive Cooler 3 features an audio jack, which is why there is no need for an adapter when it is attached to the device. The signal-to-noise ratio is quite impressive (93.8 dBFS), meaning that there is very little background noise.
Those who prefer wireless headphones will be happy to learn that the ROG Phone supports aptX Adaptive audio technology, which promises low latency and high fidelity – when used with appropriate headphones. The smartphone also supports aptX, aptX HD and LDAC.
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (89.9 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 18.8% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.9% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.4% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (12.9% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 0% of all tested devices in this class were better, 0% similar, 99% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 10% of all tested devices were better, 3% similar, 87% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Nubia RedMagic 5G audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (83.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 22.4% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (12.7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 4.6% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(±) | higher highs - on average 6.3% higher than median
(+) | highs are linear (3.2% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (21.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 37% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 55% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 56% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 36% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Battery Life
Energy Consumption
The ROG Phone is rather energy-efficient. However, the power draw at minimum brightness is quite high because the minimum brightness level is high. The high frame rates also take their toll. When idle, the smartphone draws 1.47 watts at 60 Hz, 1.59 watts at 90 Hz, 1.75 watts at 120 Hz and 1.77 watts at 144 Hz at maximum brightness.
The 6000-mAh battery takes less than 2 hours to fully charge with the included power adapter. The Asus smartphone supports QuickCharge 4.0 as well as USB-C PD. Wireless charging is not supported, though.
Off / Standby | ![]() ![]() |
Idle | ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Load |
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Key:
min: ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition 6000 mAh | Xiaomi Black Shark 3 4720 mAh | Nubia RedMagic 5G 4500 mAh | OnePlus 8 Pro 4510 mAh | Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 | Average of class Smartphone | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | -43% | -14% | -90% | -35% | -16% | |
Idle Minimum * | 0.91 | 1.2 -32% | 1.1 -21% | 2.2 -142% | 1.133 ? -25% | 0.877 ? 4% |
Idle Average * | 1.47 | 2.1 -43% | 1.5 -2% | 3.3 -124% | 2.23 ? -52% | 1.455 ? 1% |
Idle Maximum * | 1.49 | 2.5 -68% | 1.71 -15% | 3.7 -148% | 2.45 ? -64% | 1.604 ? -8% |
Load Average * | 4 | 6.3 -58% | 4.84 -21% | 5.9 -48% | 5.26 ? -32% | 6.79 ? -70% |
Load Maximum * | 9.55 | 10.7 -12% | 10.42 -9% | 8.3 13% | 9.68 ? -1% | 10.2 ? -7% |
* ... smaller is better
Battery Life
We expected the ROG Phone to achieve the longest battery runtimes when compared to the rest of the competition, because it comes with a massive battery. Nevertheless, in some areas it did not do as well as expected. However, this should not take away from the fact that the ROG Phone achieves phenomenal battery runtimes.
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition 6000 mAh | Xiaomi Black Shark 3 4720 mAh | Nubia RedMagic 5G 4500 mAh | OnePlus 8 Pro 4510 mAh | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | -35% | -46% | -14% | |
Reader / Idle | 2104 | 1487 -29% | 2103 0% | |
H.264 | 1674 | 899 -46% | 1023 -39% | |
WiFi v1.3 | 964 | 703 -27% | 614 -36% | 923 -4% |
Load | 336 | 206 -39% | 149 -56% | 296 -12% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict - Specifications bonanza
The Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition is a smartphone that comes with a specifications sheet that leaves nothing to be desired. The lack of support for wireless charging can be explained by the fact that combining wireless charging with a fan is a very difficult thing to pull off and waterproofing a smartphone with a heat vent is also going to be very technologically challenging. However, there is a chance that such innovations may come with the next-generation devices.
The Asus ROG Phone 3 comes with very impressive hardware and is the best gaming smartphone on the market right now.
The smartphone offers all that a gamer’s heart at this point in time can desire. This includes a fast SoC, a highly responsive and bright 144 Hz HDR display, very fast storage, good speakers, multiple ways to connect headphones and plenty of accessories. To say nothing of the gimmicks such as the integrated LED indicator.
Nevertheless, there are a few things that can be criticised. The minimum brightness is simply too high and despite the good battery runtimes the smartphone could have still been a bit more energy-efficient. Those who would like to use VoLTE or Wi-Fi Calling will have to wait, because these functions are supposed to be enabled in a future update. Even though the cameras are quite good, they still cannot keep up with flagship devices.
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
- 08/31/2022 v7 (old)
Daniel Schmidt