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Asus ROG Phone 5 review: The king of gaming smartphones

Early upgrade.

The ROG Phone 5 is ready to defend the gaming crown, and it aims to convince with cutting-edge hardware and familiar strengths. Find out whether the Asus smartphone is more than just a niche product in our review.

The ROG Phone 3 is followed by the ROG Phone 5; as expected, the latter is equipped with Qualcomm's latest top-of-the-line SoC and offers many improvements compared to the predecessor. However, the biggest innovations have been reserved for the upcoming ROG Phone 5 Pro and Ultimate, which feature additional touch sensors on the back. In addition, a small PMOLED display has been implemented on the back instead of an RGB dot-matrix one.

Nevertheless, small compromises have to be made because the ROG Phone 5 is no longer shipped with an attachable fan. This has to be purchased separately now. With the Snapdragon 888, it's based on the latest technology and promises top performance. The smartphone has 12 or 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of UFS 3.1 storage, which still can't be expanded. The camera setup, which is identical to the predecessor, is a bit disappointing. In return, the audio jack is back, and it promises good sound due to the support of Quad DAC.

Asus ROG Phone 5 (ROG Phone Series)
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G 8 x 1.8 - 2.8 GHz, Cortex-X1 / A78 / A55 (Kryo 680)
Graphics adapter
Memory
16 GB 
, LPDDR5
Display
6.78 inch 20.4:9, 2448 x 1080 pixel 395 PPI, capacitive, 300 Hz touch sampling rate, 24.3 ms touch latency, AMOLED, glossy: yes, HDR, 144 Hz
Storage
256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash, 256 GB 
Connections
1 USB 2.0, 1 USB 3.1 Gen2, USB-C Power Delivery (PD), 1 HDMI, 1 DisplayPort, Audio Connections: audio jack, USB-C, 1 Fingerprint Reader, NFC, Brightness Sensor, Sensors: accelerometer, e-Compass, proximity sensor, gyroscope, ultrasonic sensors for AirTrigger 5, grip press detection
Networking
Wi-Fi 6E (a/b/g/n = Wi-Fi 4/ac = Wi-Fi 5/ax = Wi-Fi 6/ Wi-Fi 6E 6 GHz), Bluetooth 5.2, 2G (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), 3G (850, 900, 1700, 1800, 2100 MHz), 4G (Band 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48), 5G (Band 1, 3, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 41, 77, 78, 79), Dual SIM, LTE, 5G, GPS
Size
height x width x depth (in mm): 9.9 x 172.83 x 77.25 ( = 0.39 x 6.8 x 3.04 in)
Battery
6000 mAh Lithium-Polymer, 2x 3,000 mAh
Charging
fast charging / Quickcharge
Operating System
Android 11
Camera
Primary Camera: 64 MPix (Sony IMX686, 1/1.7", f/1.8, PDAF); 13 MP (ultra wide, f/2.4, 125°); 5 MP (macro, f/2.0); Camera2 API Level: Level 3
Secondary Camera: 24 MPix (f/2.4)
Additional features
Speakers: dual, Keyboard: on-screen, 65-watt charger, USB cable, plastic case, ROG UI, 24 Months Warranty, fanless
Weight
239 g ( = 8.43 oz / 0.53 pounds), Power Supply: 193 g ( = 6.81 oz / 0.43 pounds)
Price
999 Euro
Note: The manufacturer may use components from different suppliers including display panels, drives or memory sticks with similar specifications.

 

Possible contenders in comparison

Rating
Date
Model
Weight
Drive
Size
Resolution
Price
88 %
v7 (old)
04 / 2021
Asus ROG Phone 5
SD 888 5G, Adreno 660
239 g256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash6.78"2448x1080
90.4 %
v7 (old)
02 / 2021
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14
227 g128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash6.80"3200x1440
84.2 %
v7 (old)
06 / 2020
Nubia RedMagic 5G
SD 865, Adreno 650
218 g256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash6.65"2340x1080
88.9 %
v7 (old)
03 / 2021
Oppo Find X3 Pro
SD 888 5G, Adreno 660
193 g256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash6.70"3216x1440
89.1 %
v7 (old)
09 / 2020
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
SD 865, Adreno 650
240 g256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash6.59"2340x1080

Case - Massive glass body

The Asus ROG Phone 5 is almost as heavy as its predecessor, and it weighs exactly one gram less. In addition to the familiar black design, a white variant is now available for the first time.

The display is now protected with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, and the back with Gorilla Glass 3. The latter no longer offers a view of the heat sink, but it still features a customizable RGB dot-matrix display, which can also show two colors at the same time now.

The build quality of the ROG Phone 5 is hardly a cause for criticism. The gap dimensions are close-fitting and even, and the camera hump is comparatively flat at a height of 1.05 millimeters. However, Asus specifies a rough estimate for the thickness in order to stay below 1 centimeter, since we measured 10.45 millimeters without the camera. Despite the bulky dimensions, the smartphone can be twisted quite easily, and it grunts and creaks audibly.

The batteries of the ROG Phone are firmly built into the device, and they can't be replaced by the user. There's no special protection against dust and water ingress.

Size comparison

172.83 mm / 6.8 in 77.25 mm / 3.04 in 9.9 mm / 0.3898 in 239 g0.527 lbs171 mm / 6.73 in 78 mm / 3.07 in 9.85 mm / 0.3878 in 240 g0.529 lbs168.56 mm / 6.64 in 78 mm / 3.07 in 9.75 mm / 0.3839 in 218 g0.4806 lbs165.1 mm / 6.5 in 75.6 mm / 2.98 in 8.9 mm / 0.3504 in 227 g0.5 lbs163.6 mm / 6.44 in 74 mm / 2.91 in 8.26 mm / 0.3252 in 193 g0.4255 lbs148 mm / 5.83 in 105 mm / 4.13 in 1 mm / 0.03937 in 1.5 g0.00331 lbs

Connectivity - Audio jack with high-res Quad DAC in the ROG Phone 5

The port on the side for the optional Aeroactive Cooler 5 only consists of pogo pins, and a full-fledged USB 3.2 port (Gen. 2) is now located right next to it, which also supports image output to DisplayPorts and HDMI ports in Ultra HD resolution. Another port (USB 2.0) is found on the bottom edge; both ports support QuickCharge as well as Power Delivery 3.0, but only the one on the side can handle QC 5.0.

The AirTrigger5 buttons use ultrasonic sensors to detect pressure and touch inputs. The two surfaces on the right side are mainly used to control games, but the ROG Phone also supports squeezing the smartphone like some devices from HTC or Google did in the past. The feature can be customized in the settings, and it can trigger different functions or launch apps.

Unlike the predecessor, the ROG Phone 5 brings back the audio jack, and it promises a high-resolution audio output thanks to the Quad DAC ESS Sabre ES9280AC Pro. Besides a notification LED, an always-on display is implemented as well.

Top: Microphone
Top: Microphone
Left: SIM, fan pins, USB port
Left: SIM, fan pins, USB port
Right: AirTrigger, volume rocker, power button, microphone, AirTrigger
Right: AirTrigger, volume rocker, power button, microphone, AirTrigger
Bottom: Audio jack, USB port
Bottom: Audio jack, USB port

Software - Asus smartphone with Android 11 and ROG UI

The Asus ROG Phone 5 ships with Google's Android 11, and the Taiwanese have put their proprietary ROG UI on top of it. If you don't like it, you can also select a classic Vanilla look during the setup.

With X Mode, users once again get useful tools with which they can completely tune the ROG Phone 5 for gaming. Distracting notifications can be blocked, brightness can be controlled, and AirTrigger can be configured. In addition, it's possible to define individual settings for each game, be it the display refresh rate, the touch sensitivity, or the network configuration. A screen recording tool is also integrated directly into the system. A new feature is the eSports mode, which limits several additional functions during tournaments so that the user doesn't gain any advantages in the competition.

Communication and GNSS - Dual WLAN and accurate positioning

The Asus ROG Phone 5 supports dual-band Wi-Fi. Not only does this mean that the Wi-Fi 6E module can handle multiple frequency bands in this case, but it can actually connect to multiple networks at the same time so as to ensure better network stability. Speed is already very stable in single-band operation in combination with our Netgear Nighthawk AX12 reference router, and it allows high data transfer rates.

The ROG Phone 5 can access the Internet using all the latest mobile network standards; you'll only be missing out on mmWave for 5G. However, the presumed standard version takes the role of last year's Strix Edition in this respect, since it offers support for fewer frequency bands and slightly lower maximum data transfer rates compared with the Pro and Ultimate versions. However, the latter only applies to the maximum download speed on LTE, which allows a maximum of 1.4 Gb/s in the standard variant tested here, while the more expensive versions offer up to 2.0 Gb/s.

Networking
iperf3 transmit AX12
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Adreno 660, SD 888 5G, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
1281 (635min - 1400max) MBit/s +3%
Asus ROG Phone 5
Adreno 660, SD 888 5G, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
1238 (643min - 1325max) MBit/s
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Adreno 650, SD 865, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
926 (463min - 960max) MBit/s -25%
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Mali-G78 MP14, Exynos 2100 5G, 128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
803 (437min - 889max) MBit/s -35%
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Mali-G78 MP14, Exynos 2100 5G, 128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
633 (523min - 703max) MBit/s -49%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Adreno 650, SD 865, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
676 (337min - 699max) MBit/s -45%
iperf3 receive AX12
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Adreno 650, SD 865, 256 GB UFS 3.0 Flash
946 (911min - 960max) MBit/s +20%
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Mali-G78 MP14, Exynos 2100 5G, 128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
922 (904min - 928max) MBit/s +17%
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Mali-G78 MP14, Exynos 2100 5G, 128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
169 (156min - 180max) MBit/s -79%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Adreno 650, SD 865, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
893 (825min - 923max) MBit/s +13%
Asus ROG Phone 5
Adreno 660, SD 888 5G, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
788 (735min - 867max) MBit/s
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Adreno 660, SD 888 5G, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
697 (500min - 767max) MBit/s -12%
0701402102803504204905606307007708409109801050112011901260Tooltip
Asus ROG Phone 5; iperf3 receive AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø787 (735-867)
Asus ROG Phone 5; iperf3 transmit AX12; iperf 3.1.3: Ø1216 (643-1325)
GPS Test outdoors
Outdoors
GPS Test indoors
Indoors
GPS Test: Available GNSS
GNSS

Asus makes full use of the supported satellite navigation systems (GNSS), and it can access GPS (dual-band), GLONASS (single-band), BeiDou (triple-band), QZSS (dual-band), Galileo (dual-band), and NavIC (single-band). As a result, the satellite fix is very fast even indoors.

The ROG Phone 5 has to face the comparison with the Garmin Edge 500 on a short test drive, and especially in the area of the turning point between the houses, it shows considerably more accurate positioning than the bike computer. Therefore, the Asus smartphone should be optimally equipped in this regard. 

GNSS test drive: Overview
GNSS test drive: Overview
GNSS test drive: Lake
GNSS test drive: Lake
GNSS test drive: Turning point
GNSS test drive: Turning point

Telephone and call quality

The four integrated microphones promise good voice quality, and they can also convince in everyday use. When held to the ear, the user of the Asus ROG Phone 5 can be understood very well, their voice is reproduced naturally, and minor noise is filtered out reliably. On the other hand, loud ambient noise results in distorted voice reproduction, although the ROG user remains intelligible. The speaker has a decent range, but it reverberates slightly.

The Asus smartphone can accommodate two nano SIM cards, but it doesn't support an eSIM. VoLTE is also on board, but WLAN calls are not. In return, SIP accounts can be configured and managed directly in the phone app. Furthermore, a call-recording function is implemented too.

Cameras - Nothing has changed in the ROG Phone 5

Selfie taken with the ROG Phone 5
Selfie taken with the ROG Phone 5

New smartphone, old cameras! Nominally, there are no changes compared with the predecessor, even the Sony IMX686 main sensor is identical. We haven't seen that in this price range yet. In Asus's defense, it should be mentioned that the product cycle was quite short this time, and although the camera is certainly not at the top among smartphones, it still provides good pictures.

In daylight, the photos taken with the ROG Phone 5 are consistent and quite balanced, and Asus doesn't overdo it in terms of post-sharpening. However, blurry pixel areas can occur with larger color surfaces. Zooming is only possible digitally and up to a maximum of 8x. The ultra wide-angle lens has distortion correction and delivers decent results. While the macro lens is quite nice, the main camera allows for better results with a slightly larger distance and 2x magnification.

Videos are recorded in 8K (30 FPS) at best, and they don't have a duration limit. Ultra HD or Full HD are available for those who want to shoot at 60 FPS. The lack of an optical image stabilizer is a pity.

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 angleZoom (5x)Low light
ColorChecker
25.3 ∆E
11 ∆E
22.9 ∆E
25.1 ∆E
18.6 ∆E
14 ∆E
8.6 ∆E
21.7 ∆E
14.1 ∆E
10.5 ∆E
13.4 ∆E
6.9 ∆E
11.9 ∆E
21.6 ∆E
18.6 ∆E
3.2 ∆E
14 ∆E
17.1 ∆E
7.1 ∆E
4.7 ∆E
14.4 ∆E
15.1 ∆E
10 ∆E
3.1 ∆E
ColorChecker Asus ROG Phone 5: 13.87 ∆E min: 3.05 - max: 25.34 ∆E
ColorChecker
29.1 ∆E
48.4 ∆E
38.3 ∆E
35.4 ∆E
41.7 ∆E
55.6 ∆E
48.6 ∆E
34.8 ∆E
34 ∆E
28.3 ∆E
57 ∆E
58.3 ∆E
31.1 ∆E
45.7 ∆E
29.8 ∆E
64.1 ∆E
35.9 ∆E
40.8 ∆E
64.8 ∆E
64.6 ∆E
49 ∆E
36.4 ∆E
23.9 ∆E
13.3 ∆E
ColorChecker Asus ROG Phone 5: 42.05 ∆E min: 13.35 - max: 64.82 ∆E

Accessories and warranty - Powerful charger but no fan

The box of the Asus ROG Phone 5 includes a protective plastic case, a fabric-covered USB cable, a SIM tool, and a 65-watt HyperCharger.

Among other things, the AeroActive Cooler 5 is optionally available; the predecessor's fan adapter isn't compatible due to the modified port. For the same reason, the TwinView Dock 3 and the Mobile Desktop Dock can no longer be used. Other existing accessories can still be used with the ROG Phone 5.

Input devices and handling - Squeeze, tap, swipe

Not only does the Asus ROG Phone 5 have a high refresh rate of up to 144 Hz, but the touch sampling rate of 300 Hz is also very high, and it promises a fast response to inputs on the capacitive touchscreen with a latency of 24.3 milliseconds. The gliding properties of the Gorilla Glass Victus are very good.

The ultrasonic sensors on the smartphone's sides, which are called AirTrigger 5, have been further improved. Each touch field is now divided into two small zones, which can also be configured separately. Furthermore, the number of sensors has been increased from seven to nine in order to ensure even better accuracy. Their configuration is again done using X mode, and an individual configuration can be performed for each game. The same sensors also recognize pressure gestures when the system is running and can distinguish between a long and short squeeze, which can be combined with different actions. For example, Google Assistant, the flashlight, or the camera app can be launched. Those who opt for the Pro or Ultimate variant get two additional touch sensors on the back.

An optical fingerprint scanner integrated into the display is available for biometric security. It offers quite reliable recognition rates, but it's not one of the fastest. 2D facial recognition using the front-facing camera works faster and is more convenient, but it's also less secure. The vibration motor's haptic feedback is crisp, precise, and acoustically discreet.

Display - 144 Hz AMOLED and limited DC dimming

Subpixel structure
Subpixel structure

The Asus ROG Phone 5 has a 6.78-inch (17.22 cm) AMOLED display from Samsung with a resolution of 2448x1080 pixels. The display refresh rate can be set to 60, 120, or 144 Hz. However, the existing mechanism is not adaptive like in the Galaxy S21 Ultra, for example, but it only switches automatically between these three modes. X Mode also allows the refresh rate to be set individually for each game.

Asus specifies the panel brightness at 800 cd/m², which is fairly in line with the value that we measure when the ambient light sensor is active and a completely white image is shown on the display. With an even distribution of bright and dark areas, the ROG smartphone reaches 1,088 cd/m² in the center of the screen in the APL50 test and 1,136 cd/m² in APL10. If you adjust the brightness manually, you have 488 cd/m² at your disposal. The minimum brightness is also in line with the manufacturer's specifications and has been reduced considerably compared with the ROG Phone 3, but we would have liked it to be even dimmer. The panel supports HLG, HDR10, and HDR10+.

DC dimming is not implemented well at the time of our test, because no difference can be seen when it's activated. Furthermore, its use is limited to a refresh rate of 60 Hz. This is an area where Asus needs to make some urgent improvements.

OLED flickering exhibits a bumpy amplitude curve at low panel brightness and fluctuates between 193.8 and 568.2 Hz at minimum display brightness. This fluctuation is hardly noticeable above 22% of the available brightness (574.7 - 606.1 Hz), and as soon as the 68% mark is exceeded, the panel uses a fixed 144 Hz. Therefore, sensitive users should expect discomfort when reading in the dark. However, since the display brightness is always set a bit higher when gaming, this can still be done without issues.

OLED flickering (minimum display brightness: 193.8 - 568.2 Hz)
Minimum display brightness: 193.8 - 568.2 Hz
OLED flickering (display brightness > 22%: 574.7 - 606.1 Hz)
Display brightness > 22%: 574.7 - 606.1 Hz
OLED flickering (display brightness > 68%: 143.5 - 145.3 Hz)
Display brightness > 68%: 143.5 - 145.3 Hz
794
cd/m²
795
cd/m²
806
cd/m²
789
cd/m²
789
cd/m²
801
cd/m²
792
cd/m²
787
cd/m²
798
cd/m²
Distribution of brightness
tested with X-Rite i1Pro 3
Maximum: 806 cd/m² (Nits) Average: 794.6 cd/m² Minimum: 5.05 cd/m²
Brightness Distribution: 98 %
Center on Battery: 789 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 1.4 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.91
ΔE Greyscale 1.7 | 0.5-98 Ø5.2
99.7% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.27
Asus ROG Phone 5
AMOLED, 2448x1080, 6.8"
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 3200x1440, 6.8"
Nubia RedMagic 5G
OLED, 2340x1080, 6.7"
Oppo Find X3 Pro
AMOLED, 3216x1440, 6.7"
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
AMOLED, 2340x1080, 6.6"
Screen
-8%
-215%
13%
-39%
Brightness middle
789
910
15%
593
-25%
759
-4%
625
-21%
Brightness
795
913
15%
601
-24%
776
-2%
630
-21%
Brightness Distribution
98
98
0%
92
-6%
94
-4%
88
-10%
Black Level *
Colorchecker dE 2000 *
1.4
2
-43%
8.1
-479%
0.8
43%
2.6
-86%
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. *
3
3.1
-3%
16.2
-440%
1.8
40%
4.5
-50%
Greyscale dE 2000 *
1.7
2.2
-29%
7.1
-318%
1.6
6%
2.5
-47%
Gamma
2.27 97%
2.06 107%
2.28 96%
2.23 99%
2.22 99%
CCT
6596 99%
6512 100%
7566 86%
6512 100%
6750 96%

* ... smaller is better

Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)

To dim the screen, some notebooks will simply cycle the backlight on and off in rapid succession - a method called Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) . This cycling frequency should ideally be undetectable to the human eye. If said frequency is too low, users with sensitive eyes may experience strain or headaches or even notice the flickering altogether.
Screen flickering / PWM detected 568 Hz ≤ 22 % brightness setting

The display backlight flickers at 568 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) Flickering detected at a brightness setting of 22 % and below. There should be no flickering or PWM above this brightness setting.

The frequency of 568 Hz is quite high, so most users sensitive to PWM should not notice any flickering.

In comparison: 53 % of all tested devices do not use PWM to dim the display. If PWM was detected, an average of 8705 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured.

The Standard default display profile shows a very cool reproduction in the CalMAN software and covers the DCI-P3 color space almost completely. Users who prefer a more natural color reproduction should switch to the Natural profile. Although it only uses the smaller sRGB color space, it reproduces both colors and grayscales very accurately. The Cinema mode is only marginally worse, but it also uses DCI-P3.

Grayscales (profile: Natural, target color space: sRGB)
Grayscales (profile: Natural, target color space: sRGB)
Mixed colors (profile: Natural, target color space: sRGB)
Mixed colors (profile: Natural, target color space: sRGB)
Color space (profile: Natural, target color space: sRGB)
Color space (profile: Natural, target color space: sRGB)
Saturation (profile: Natural, target color space: sRGB)
Saturation (profile: Natural, target color space: sRGB)

Display Response Times

Display response times show how fast the screen is able to change from one color to the next. Slow response times can lead to afterimages and can cause moving objects to appear blurry (ghosting). Gamers of fast-paced 3D titles should pay special attention to fast 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
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 0.165 (minimum) to 636 (maximum) ms. » 8 % of all devices are better.
This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (32.8 ms).

Outdoors, the Asus ROG Phone 5 is very easy to read, and the ambient light sensor quickly adjusts the screen's brightness to the conditions. The smartphone is also bright enough for sunny days. Only the pronounced reflections can be bothersome here.

In the open air
In the open air
In the shade
In the shade

The viewing-angle stability of the AMOLED display is very good. Even at flat viewing angles, there are no bothersome color shifts. However, content is displayed a bit warmer, and brightness decreases a bit.

Viewing-angle stability of the Asus ROG Phone 5
Viewing-angle stability of the Asus ROG Phone 5

Performance - Snapdragon 888 with optional cooling

All versions of the Asus ROG Phone 5 use Qualcomm's latest top-of-the-line SoC, the Snapdragon 888. Our review sample has access to a generous 16 GB of LPDDR5 memory, and even up to 18 GB is possible in the Ultimate version. The integrated Adreno 660 is used for graphics processing.

The performance is slightly higher than that of other smartphones with this SoC, which is mainly due to better cooling. In Geekbench, the compute score with the Vulkan API is 27% higher, which indicates better driver optimization.

The system speed is very high in PCMark and easily beats the Find X3 Pro, among others, which also makes use of the Snapdragon 888, but it can't outperform its own predecessor.

Geekbench 5.5
Single-Core (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
1124 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
1106 Points -2%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
909 Points -19%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
1123 Points 0%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
921 Points -18%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (976 - 1198, n=27)
1118 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone
  (126 - 2437, n=177, last 2 years)
1033 Points -8%
Multi-Core (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
3717 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
3583 Points -4%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
3076 Points -17%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
3535 Points -5%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
3329 Points -10%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (3204 - 3810, n=27)
3571 Points -4%
Average of class Smartphone
  (473 - 8816, n=177, last 2 years)
3445 Points -7%
Vulkan Score 5.5 (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
5814 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
6252 Points +8%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
4415 Points -24%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
3665 Points -37%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (3894 - 6176, n=26)
4711 Points -19%
Average of class Smartphone
  (79 - 21892, n=47, last 2 years)
7947 Points +37%
OpenCL Score (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
4716 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
7400 Points +57%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
4656 Points -1%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
3259 Points -31%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (3100 - 4786, n=26)
4617 Points -2%
Average of class Smartphone
  (459 - 18407, n=41, last 2 years)
7950 Points +69%
PCMark for Android
Work performance score (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
18942 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
16741 Points -12%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
13954 Points -26%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
14242 Points -25%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
19989 Points +6%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (11823 - 18942, n=7)
14555 Points -23%
Work 2.0 performance score (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
15027 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
14362 Points -4%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
12879 Points -14%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
11262 Points -25%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
15299 Points +2%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (10231 - 15027, n=10)
12376 Points -18%
3DMark
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
10273 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
9245 Points -10%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
9877 Points -4%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
8768 Points -15%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
9821 Points -4%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (8065 - 11534, n=20)
10135 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone
  (883 - 23024, n=73, last 2 years)
11109 Points +8%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
15263 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
13273 Points -13%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
12750 Points -16%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
13647 Points -11%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
12625 Points -17%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (10491 - 17179, n=20)
15130 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone
  (840 - 45492, n=73, last 2 years)
19708 Points +29%
2560x1440 Sling Shot OpenGL ES 3.0 Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
4791 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
4483 Points -6%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
5532 Points +15%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
3895 Points -19%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
5525 Points +15%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (2975 - 5434, n=20)
4760 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone
  (1075 - 8749, n=73, last 2 years)
5001 Points +4%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
9620 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
8345 Points -13%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
8154 Points -15%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
9540 Points -1%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
8119 Points -16%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (6110 - 9839, n=21)
8532 Points -11%
Average of class Smartphone
  (317 - 22303, n=163, last 2 years)
8157 Points -15%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Graphics (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
12616 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
10794 Points -14%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
9467 Points -25%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
12394 Points -2%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
9382 Points -26%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (7930 - 12914, n=21)
11629 Points -8%
Average of class Smartphone
  (267 - 40163, n=163, last 2 years)
12256 Points -3%
2560x1440 Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Physics (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
5254 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
4651 Points -11%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
5532 Points +5%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
5283 Points +1%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
5518 Points +5%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (2579 - 5366, n=21)
4511 Points -14%
Average of class Smartphone
  (877 - 10259, n=163, last 2 years)
4723 Points -10%
Wild Life Score (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
5722 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
5756 Points +1%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
5657 Points -1%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (3958 - 5942, n=26)
5674 Points -1%
Average of class Smartphone
  (408 - 13896, n=112, last 2 years)
2823 Points -51%
Wild Life Unlimited Score (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
5703 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
5873 Points +3%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
5721 Points 0%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (3959 - 5925, n=26)
5617 Points -2%
Average of class Smartphone
  (413 - 25785, n=187, last 2 years)
7849 Points +38%
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7
T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
143 fps
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
104 fps -27%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
90 fps -37%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
60 fps -58%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
138 fps -3%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (60 - 143, n=20)
102.5 fps -28%
Average of class Smartphone
  (23 - 166, n=175, last 2 years)
86.8 fps -39%
1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
273 fps
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
154 fps -44%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
206 fps -25%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
230 fps -16%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
203 fps -26%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (173 - 294, n=20)
247 fps -10%
Average of class Smartphone
  (19 - 791, n=175, last 2 years)
293 fps +7%
GFXBench 3.0
on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
120 fps
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
69 fps -42%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
88 fps -27%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
55 fps -54%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
109 fps -9%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (55 - 121, n=20)
93.9 fps -22%
Average of class Smartphone
  (6.8 - 166, n=175, last 2 years)
76.4 fps -36%
1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
138 fps
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
117 fps -15%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
126 fps -9%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
127 fps -8%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
123 fps -11%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (101 - 180, n=20)
141.7 fps +3%
Average of class Smartphone
  (12 - 502, n=175, last 2 years)
172.9 fps +25%
GFXBench 3.1
on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
96 fps
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
51 fps -47%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
51 fps -47%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
36 fps -62%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
75 fps -22%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (36 - 105, n=20)
71.5 fps -26%
Average of class Smartphone
  (3.7 - 166, n=175, last 2 years)
66.7 fps -31%
1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
103 fps
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
74 fps -28%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
74 fps -28%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
93 fps -10%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
86 fps -17%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (69 - 126, n=20)
98.9 fps -4%
Average of class Smartphone
  (8.3 - 365, n=175, last 2 years)
122.9 fps +19%
GFXBench
on screen Car Chase Onscreen (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
55 fps
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
30 fps -45%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
42 fps -24%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
28 fps -49%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
43 fps -22%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (26 - 61, n=20)
47.2 fps -14%
Average of class Smartphone
  (5 - 154, n=176, last 2 years)
49.1 fps -11%
1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
66 fps
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
58 fps -12%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
51 fps -23%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
55 fps -17%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
51 fps -23%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (42 - 74, n=20)
60.6 fps -8%
Average of class Smartphone
  (3.1 - 216, n=175, last 2 years)
74.1 fps +12%
on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
66 fps
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
37 fps -44%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
44 fps -33%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
38 fps -42%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
45 fps -32%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (32 - 73, n=26)
55.7 fps -16%
Average of class Smartphone
  (3.6 - 247, n=208, last 2 years)
51.5 fps -22%
1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
80 fps
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
69 fps -14%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
54 fps -32%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
72 fps -10%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
53 fps -34%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (46 - 87, n=27)
70.4 fps -12%
Average of class Smartphone
  (2.3 - 321, n=208, last 2 years)
83.5 fps +4%
on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
41 fps
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
26 fps -37%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
28 fps -32%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
25 fps -39%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
30 fps -27%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (25 - 51, n=26)
38.5 fps -6%
Average of class Smartphone
  (0.85 - 144, n=208, last 2 years)
38.6 fps -6%
2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
32 fps
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
28 fps -12%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
20 fps -37%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
28 fps -12%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
20 fps -37%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (19 - 32, n=26)
27.5 fps -14%
Average of class Smartphone
  (0.85 - 115, n=208, last 2 years)
33.6 fps +5%
AnTuTu v8 - Total Score (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
727247 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
633158 Points -13%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
607937 Points -16%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
673630 Points -7%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
602626 Points -17%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (569595 - 740847, n=12)
677749 Points -7%
BaseMark OS II
Overall (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
6729 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
6247 Points -7%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
6149 Points -9%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
6822 Points +1%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
5993 Points -11%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (5839 - 6985, n=20)
6495 Points -3%
Average of class Smartphone
  (1196 - 12993, n=158, last 2 years)
6454 Points -4%
System (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
11342 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
10936 Points -4%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
9723 Points -14%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
11438 Points +1%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
10059 Points -11%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (9119 - 11774, n=20)
10766 Points -5%
Average of class Smartphone
  (2368 - 17953, n=158, last 2 years)
10307 Points -9%
Memory (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
7579 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
6588 Points -13%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
8398 Points +11%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
8220 Points +8%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
6681 Points -12%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (5352 - 9044, n=20)
7316 Points -3%
Average of class Smartphone
  (962 - 18911, n=158, last 2 years)
7001 Points -8%
Graphics (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
12630 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
14362 Points +14%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
11648 Points -8%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
14211 Points +13%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
11637 Points -8%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (9399 - 15739, n=20)
13676 Points +8%
Average of class Smartphone
  (1017 - 58651, n=158, last 2 years)
17738 Points +40%
Web (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
1888 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
1471 Points -22%
Nubia RedMagic 5G
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 12288
1505 Points -20%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 12288
1621 Points -14%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, Adreno 650, 8192
1650 Points -13%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (1434 - 1983, n=20)
1683 Points -11%
Average of class Smartphone
  (841 - 2363, n=158, last 2 years)
1574 Points -17%
UL Procyon AI Inference for Android - Overall Score NNAPI (sort by value)
Asus ROG Phone 5
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G, Adreno 660, 16384
19592 Points
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Exynos 2100 5G, Mali-G78 MP14, 12288
5725 Points -71%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
  (9372 - 32288, n=6)
21194 Points +8%
Average of class Smartphone
  (1267 - 75143, n=150, last 2 years)
17446 Points -11%

The Asus ROG Phone 5 really goes full throttle in the browser benchmarks and easily dominates the comparison field. Browsing is also smooth in everyday use, and websites are loaded quickly.

JetStream 1.1 - Total Score
Asus ROG Phone 5 (Chrome 89)
186.8 Points
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (77 - 223, n=19)
168.8 Points -10%
Oppo Find X3 Pro (Chrome 89)
139.4 Points -25%
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Chrome 88)
127.3 Points -32%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition (Chrome 84)
126 Points -33%
Nubia RedMagic 5G (Chrome 83)
103.4 Points -45%
WebXPRT 3 - Overall
Asus ROG Phone 5 (Chrome 89)
160 Points
Average of class Smartphone (38 - 347, n=80, last 2 years)
149.8 Points -6%
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (103 - 182, n=18)
143.1 Points -11%
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Chrome 88)
132 Points -17%
Oppo Find X3 Pro (Chrome 89)
129 Points -19%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition (Chrome 84)
107 Points -33%
Nubia RedMagic 5G (Chrome 83)
99 Points -38%
Octane V2 - Total Score
Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 100368, n=210, last 2 years)
38304 Points +2%
Asus ROG Phone 5 (Chrome 89)
37629 Points
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (23491 - 47543, n=20)
35591 Points -5%
Oppo Find X3 Pro (Chrome 89)
27914 Points -26%
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Chrome 88)
27275 Points -28%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition (Chrome 84)
24213 Points -36%
Nubia RedMagic 5G (Chrome 83)
21048 Points -44%
Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total
Nubia RedMagic 5G (Chrome 83)
2401 ms * -79%
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition (Chrome 84)
1992 ms * -48%
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (Chrome 88)
1786 ms * -33%
Oppo Find X3 Pro (Chrome 89)
1646 ms * -23%
Average of class Smartphone (277 - 28190, n=167, last 2 years)
1529 ms * -14%
Asus ROG Phone 5 (Chrome 89)
1342 ms *
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G (891 - 1841, n=20)
1319 ms * +2%

* ... smaller is better

The ROG Phone 5 uses fast UFS 3.1 storage, which promises high performance. This is demonstrated impressively in the test. Only in the area of sequential writing does the storage drive not reach its full potential, but this can also be attributed to the SoC's memory controller, since no smartphone with the Snapdragon 888 has been able to succeed in this so far.

Asus ROG Phone 5Samsung Galaxy S21 UltraNubia RedMagic 5GOppo Find X3 ProAsus ROG Phone 3 Strix EditionAverage 256 GB UFS 3.1 FlashAverage of class Smartphone
AndroBench 3-5
10%
-30%
-4%
-5%
14%
25%
Sequential Read 256KB
1779
1710
-4%
1654
-7%
1779
0%
1697
-5%
Sequential Write 256KB
795
1077
35%
388.4
-51%
759
-5%
770
-3%
Random Read 4KB
291.4
316.7
9%
201.6
-31%
273.3
-6%
266.8
-8%
Random Write 4KB
278
279.5
1%
193.6
-30%
267.1
-4%
268.5
-3%

Games - ROG Phone 5 for ultimate control

The Adreno 660 lays the foundation for the strong gaming performance of the Asus ROG Phone 5, but it's mainly the additional hardware and software features of the smartphone that can provide gamers with a decisive advantage in PvP scenarios.

The gaming smartphone can certainly deliver when it comes to performance, and it proves to be very stable during long gaming sessions in particular, especially when the optional fan is available. Similar to the predecessor, PUBG Mobile is playable at a constant 60 FPS in the HD setting. However, those who select the highest detail level will only have 40 FPS at their disposal as GameBench reports. Nevertheless, the 90 FPS at the lowest settings has been reduced to 60 FPS.

Game Genie includes even more features now, but a corresponding mode that disables many of the advantages has been integrated so that the smartphone can still be used to participate in eSports events. The broad support of titles with 120 and 144 Hz frame rates is overall praiseworthy.

PUBG Mobile
PUBG Mobile
Armajet
Armajet
0102030405060708090100110120Tooltip
Asus ROG Phone 5; Armajet; 1.58.7: Ø120.1 (116-122)
Asus ROG Phone 5; PUBG Mobile; Smooth; 1.3.0: Ø59.9 (58-61)
Asus ROG Phone 5; PUBG Mobile; Balanced; 1.3.0: Ø59.8 (56-61)
Asus ROG Phone 5; PUBG Mobile; HD; 1.3.0: Ø59.8 (58-61)
Asus ROG Phone 5; PUBG Mobile; Ultra HD; 1.3.0: Ø40 (39-41)

Emissions - AeroCooler 5 is audible

Noise emissions

Unlike the RedMagic smartphones, the Asus ROG Phone 5 doesn't have an integrated fan, but it relies on a dockable solution instead in the form of the AeroCooler 5. Not only is it supposed to cool the smartphone, but it also has two additional input buttons. The AeroCooler connects to the smartphone via the pogo pins.

The small fan can rotate quite fast at up to 5,220 RPM, but it's also quite audible. Unfortunately, Asus does not specify how the volume was determined (see table), but the values suggest that the fan is practically inaudible in the two lower settings. This is not the case. A noise level of 32 dBA is already reached at minimum fan speed, and this value then climbs to over 42 dBA at full power. Since the smartphone is usually held a bit further away, the fan noise is always audible, but it's perceived as being a bit quieter. However, it can still get on one's nerves in quiet environments.

AeroCooler 5 (Manufacturer specifications)

Fan Noise 24 dBA 26 dBA 30 dBA 32 dBA
Fan Speed 3,850 rpm 4,170 rpm 4,980 rpm 5,220 rpm

Temperature

While the ROG Phone 5 barely warms up in idle mode, the surface temperatures increase noticeably under load, and the optional fan hardly changes anything in that regard. Compared with the predecessor, the airflow to the fingers is lower.

On the inside, however, the AeroCooler significantly improves the SoC's stability, and it controls the Snapdragon 888's heat development almost completely. Even without the fan, the ROG smartphone manages a more consistent performance than the competitors with the same SoC in the 3DMark Wild Life stress test. Unfortunately, we can't provide any data for the GFXBench battery test at this point, since the app crashes when we want to view the results. Nevertheless, the ROG Phone 5 gets extremely hot without a fan in the Manhattan test and reaches peak temperatures of 51.6 °C (~125 °F) around the frame. This is no longer comfortable, which is why we lower the score in the Temperature category.

3DMark - Wild Life Stress Test Stability
Asus ROG Phone 5
Adreno 660, SD 888 5G, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
94.2 (5375min - 5708max) %
Asus ROG Phone 5
Adreno 660, SD 888 5G, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
84.1 (4785min - 5690max) % -11%
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Mali-G78 MP14, Exynos 2100 5G, 128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
64.7 (22.3min - 34.4max) % -31%
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Mali-G78 MP14, Exynos 2100 5G, 128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
64.4 (3633min - 5645max) % -32%
Oppo Find X3 Pro
Adreno 660, SD 888 5G, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash
56 (3164min - 5648max) % -41%
Max. Load
 36.5 °C
98 F
37.3 °C
99 F
36.5 °C
98 F
 
 35.2 °C
95 F
36.9 °C
98 F
37 °C
99 F
 
 33 °C
91 F
36.5 °C
98 F
35.4 °C
96 F
 
Maximum: 37.3 °C = 99 F
Average: 36 °C = 97 F
32.9 °C
91 F
35.2 °C
95 F
35.2 °C
95 F
32.2 °C
90 F
35.8 °C
96 F
35.4 °C
96 F
32.1 °C
90 F
34.9 °C
95 F
35.1 °C
95 F
Maximum: 35.8 °C = 96 F
Average: 34.3 °C = 94 F
Power Supply (max.)  26.4 °C = 80 F | Room Temperature 22 °C = 72 F | Fluke t3000FC (calibrated) & Voltcraft IR-260
(±) The average temperature for the upper side under maximal load is 36 °C / 97 F, compared to the average of 32.8 °C / 91 F for the devices in the class Smartphone.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 37.3 °C / 99 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 35.8 °C / 96 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 27.6 °C / 82 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
Without the fan
Without the fan
Without the fan
Without the fan
With the fan
With the fan
With the fan
With the fan

Speakers

The dual speakers flank the display and offer good sound thanks to GameFX and Dirac HD Sound; it also makes a powerful impression in everyday use and delivers a lot of depth and quite a balanced sound for a smartphone.

The audio jack is now no longer only found in the AeroCooler, but it's also located directly in the smartphone and is powered by Quad DAC. Asus promises an SNR of up to 127 dBFS. In our measurements, we still achieved a very good 92 dBFS. However, a special feature of the audio jack in the ROG Phone 5 is that this very good signal-to-noise ratio is also achieved with high-impedance headphones; this guarantees a correspondingly low background noise.

All common audio codecs are available to those who want to use wireless headphones (SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX TWS+, and LDAC).

dB(A) 0102030405060708090Deep BassMiddle BassHigh BassLower RangeMidsHigher MidsLower HighsMid HighsUpper HighsSuper Highs2032.637.62525.544.13129.739.84031.142.25034.940.46323.9438023.650.21002351.612517.350.216018.458.520014.45925013.658.731514.963.840011.967.650010.274.263011.580.180011.678.1100011.979125013.277.7160013.278.6200013.282.1250012.784.1315013.483.9400013.881.6500014.580.1630013.978.6800014.173.6100001472.51250014.373.41600016.266.6SPL25.592.4N0.794.7median 13.8median 77.7Delta0.97.432.536.629.424.822.826.425.32730.23323.326.121.923.21921.419.625.21944.516.148.518.954.316.657.214.358.51560.715.262.914.364.314.366.814.269.714.871.914.874.514.475.114.374.314.674.114.770.114.968.414.965.714.666.714.863.515.447.726.883.40.953.4median 14.8median 64.30.78.7hearing rangehide median Pink NoiseAsus ROG Phone 5Nubia RedMagic 5G
Frequency diagram (checkboxes can be checked and unchecked to compare devices)
Asus ROG Phone 5 audio analysis

(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (92.4 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 20.8% lower than median
(+) | bass is linear (4.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 2.9% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (4.9% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.1% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (14% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 1% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 99% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 37%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 14% of all tested devices were better, 4% similar, 83% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, 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
» 36% of all tested devices in this class were better, 8% similar, 55% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 37%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 56% of all tested devices were better, 7% similar, 37% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 25%, worst was 134%

Battery life - Weaker than the ROG Phone 3

Energy consumption

The power consumption of the Asus ROG Phone 5 is at a good level. Those who use the 144 Hz have to expect an increase in consumption of just 0.18 watts on average.

The two 3,000 mAh batteries of the smartphone are fully recharged within 54 minutes using the included HyperCharger. The 76% mark is reached after just half an hour.

However, the ROG Phone doesn't support wireless charging.

Power Consumption
Off / Standbydarklight 0.01 / 0.21 Watt
Idledarkmidlight 0.59 / 1.08 / 1.14 Watt
Load midlight 5.29 / 11.44 Watt
 color bar
Key: min: dark, med: mid, max: light        Metrahit Energy
Asus ROG Phone 5
6000 mAh
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
5000 mAh
Nubia RedMagic 5G
4500 mAh
Oppo Find X3 Pro
4500 mAh
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
6000 mAh
Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G
 
Average of class Smartphone
 
Power Consumption
-22%
-31%
-31%
-16%
-34%
-27%
Idle Minimum *
0.59
1.06
-80%
1.1
-86%
0.93
-58%
0.91
-54%
1.066 ?(0.46 - 1.8, n=23)
-81%
Idle Average *
1.08
1.19
-10%
1.5
-39%
1.54
-43%
1.47
-36%
1.58 ?(0.74 - 2.6, n=23)
-46%
Idle Maximum *
1.14
1.2
-5%
1.71
-50%
1.69
-48%
1.49
-31%
1.733 ?(0.78 - 3.1, n=23)
-52%
Load Average *
5.29
6.46
-22%
4.84
9%
6.38
-21%
4
24%
Load Maximum *
11.44
10.76
6%
10.42
9%
9.58
16%
9.55
17%

* ... smaller is better

Battery life

The battery life of the Asus ROG Phone 5 is at a good level overall, but we aren't satisfied given the large battery capacity. The predecessor shows how to do it better, and it achieves much longer runtimes in almost every discipline.

However, the longer battery life under load will definitely be a plus for the target group.

Battery Runtime
Idle (without WLAN, min brightness)
24h 36min
WiFi Websurfing (Chrome 89)
12h 34min
Big Buck Bunny H.264 1080p
13h 52min
Load (maximum brightness)
6h 46min
Asus ROG Phone 5
6000 mAh
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
5000 mAh
Nubia RedMagic 5G
4500 mAh
Oppo Find X3 Pro
4500 mAh
Asus ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition
6000 mAh
Battery Runtime
5%
-41%
0%
39%
Reader / Idle
1476
1408
-5%
2104
43%
H.264
832
1310
57%
1674
101%
WiFi v1.3
754
702
-7%
614
-19%
757
0%
964
28%
Load
406
304
-25%
149
-63%
336
-17%

Pros

+ strong performance
+ multiple connections
+ audio jack with Quad DAC
+ powerful speakers
+ bright and accurate display

Cons

- no wireless charging
- no microSD support
- can get very hot
- fan no longer included in the box
- heavy
- no IP certification

Verdict - Hot gaming king

In review: Asus ROG Phone 5. Test device provided by Asus Germany
In review: Asus ROG Phone 5. Test device provided by Asus Germany

The Asus ROG Phone 5 succeeds its predecessor after quite a short time. One reason for this is the somewhat delayed launch of the European model last year, and another reason could be that Asus wants to be one of the first manufacturers to have Qualcomm's latest flagship SoC on board in the future.

However, all other changes are correspondingly minor, which is particularly evident when it comes to the camera. It's actually an exact copy of the one in the ROG Phone 3.

The ROG Phone 5 offers so many technical advantages and tweaks that Asus had to include an eSports brake.

Technology-wise, the Asus smartphone features state-of-the-art components in most areas. You only have to make some compromises when it comes to the display, since it lacks adaptive refresh-rate control and a higher resolution. It's questionable whether the latter is relevant for gaming, though.

The AirTriggers have been further improved, and they offer a real added value. It's just a shame that the new rear display and the additional touch elements are reserved for the more expensive models. As a result; users who already own an ROG Phone 3 will have little incentive to switch to the cheapest version, especially since battery life is worse than on the predecessor and fewer accessories are included in the box.

Download your licensed rating image as SVG / PNG

Price and availability

At the time of writing, the The Asus ROG Phone 5 can be found on newegg for $1,199 with 16 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. Alternatively, you can also find some listings on ebay.

Asus ROG Phone 5 - 08/31/2022 v7 (old)
Daniel Schmidt

Chassis
85%
Keyboard
67 / 75 → 89%
Pointing Device
99%
Connectivity
73 / 70 → 100%
Weight
87%
Battery
89%
Display
92%
Games Performance
67 / 64 → 100%
Application Performance
88 / 86 → 100%
Temperature
72%
Noise
100%
Audio
81 / 90 → 90%
Camera
70%
Average
82%
88%
Smartphone - Weighted Average

Price comparison

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > Asus ROG Phone 5 review: The king of gaming smartphones
Daniel Schmidt, 2021-04-15 (Update: 2024-08-15)