Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate review: Currently the best gaming smartphone
Asus recently unveiled its latest gaming smartphone, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. Compared to its already-powerful predecessor, the ROG Phone 6 Pro, the manufacturer has once again improved the processor. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is one of the fastest Android SoCs currently available. At the same time, an improved cooling system ensures more efficient heat dissipation.
The Ultimate version also comes with an external fan that docks via USB-C and has four additional control buttons.
The display of the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is just as strong as that of its predecessor: the 6.78-inch AMOLED panel has a resolution of 2448 x 1080, achieves frame rates of up to 165 Hz and uses a touch sampling rate of 720 Hz.
Possible competitors in comparison
Rating | Date | Model | Weight | Drive | Size | Resolution | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90.2 % v7 (old) | 05 / 2023 | Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate SD 8 Gen 2, Adreno 740 | 239 g | 512 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.78" | 2448x1080 | |
| 90.3 % v7 (old) | 03 / 2023 | Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max A16, A16 GPU 5-Core | 240 g | 128 GB NVMe | 6.70" | 2796x1290 | |
| 89.5 % v7 (old) | 01 / 2023 | Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro SD 8+ Gen 1, Adreno 730 | 239 g | 512 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.78" | 2448x1080 | |
| 85.9 % v7 (old) | 02 / 2023 | Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro SD 8 Gen 2, Adreno 740 | 228 g | 256 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.80" | 2480x1116 | |
| 90.3 % v7 (old) | 03 / 2023 | Samsung Galaxy S23+ SD 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, Adreno 740 | 195 g | 256 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.60" | 2340x1080 | |
| 85.7 % v7 (old) | 06 / 2022 | Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro SD 8 Gen 1, Adreno 730 | 220 g | 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.67" | 2400x1080 | |
| 85.9 % v7 (old) | 06 / 2022 | Xiaomi Poco F4 GT SD 8 Gen 1, Adreno 730 | 210 g | 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.67" | 2400x1080 |
Case - Second display on the back
At first glance, it is immediately obvious that the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is a gaming smartphone. Our test device differs from the standard version, the ROG Phone 7, in its rear PMOLED display.
What the mini display shows can be configured via the Armory Crate app, which also manages all gaming profiles. There are around 60 animations to choose from for various actions such as X mode, game starts, new notifications or incoming calls.
Visually, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate also differs in its case color from the standard variant, which is available in black and white. Our test unit, on the other hand, is only available in white and its matte back is characterized by a slightly more differentiated two-color design, in which the upper half of the back cover is a lighter white.
The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is very well made and, despite its 6.78-inch diagonal, defies all attempts to twist it or dent it. At 239 grams, it weighs just as much as the ROG Phone 6 Pro, making it quite a heavyweight. The display-to-surface ratio of 82 percent isn't exactly great either. On the other hand, the slightly thicker screen frame on the short sides effectively prevents incorrect typos when the gaming smartphone is held in landscape mode.
The back cover of the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is protected by Gorilla Glass 3 and the display by Gorilla Glass Victus. The smartphone is not waterproof, but is IP54 certified and thus protected against dust and splashing water.
Equipment - 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage
The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is only available in one configuration: an abundant 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 512 GB of UFS 4.0 storage officially costs around US$1200.
The two USB-C ports are unusual for a smartphone. The USB-C port on the bottom works at USB 2.0 speed, is primarily intended for charging the smartphone and supports Quick Charge 3.0 and PD 3.0. The second USB-C port is located in the middle on the left long side, runs at USB 3.2 Gen.2 speed, also supports Quick Charge 5.0 and can output 4K via DisplayPort 1.4. Two Nano SIM cards fit into the SIM slot.
Software - OS upgrades up to Android 15
The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate runs Android 13 and the manufacturer's ROG UI user interface. Asus promises two OS upgrades for its smartphone and four years of security updates.
ROG UI differs from a standard Android mainly in its gaming features. Firstly, because the highest performance mode, X mode, is integrated directly into the UI. Secondly, apps such as Game Genie and Armory Crate can be used to configure not only the performance modes, but also all important smartphone components such as AirTrigger, the back cover display and the external fan.
Only Facebook and Instagram are preinstalled as third-party apps and can be easily deleted if not needed.
Communication and GNSS - Fast WLAN, precise GPS
The Asus smartphone offers very extensive mobile frequency coverage with 24 4G and 20 5G bands and thus should be able to get a signal almost anywhere. NFC and Bluetooth 5.2 are also supported.
The smartphone uses WiFi 6E and 3 antennas for Wi-Fi and achieves very high and stable transmission rates in conjunction with our Asus ROG Rapture GT-AXE11000 reference router. Wi-Fi 7 is not supported.
| Networking | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
| Average of class Smartphone | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 | |
| iperf3 transmit AXE11000 6GHz | |
| iperf3 receive AXE11000 6GHz | |
In matters of localization, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate uses satellite navigation systems ranging from GPS (L1/L5), Glonass (L1), Galileo (E1/E5a), BeiDou (B1/B2a), QZSS (L1/L5) to NavIC (L5). Under testing, the smartphone was able to determine its position quickly and with an accuracy of up to 3 meters.
On a short bike tour and in comparison to the Garmin Venu 2 smartwatch, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate proves that it is perfectly suited to navigational tasks. Aside from minimal deviations, the route was recorded almost as accurately.
Telephony and Voice Quality
With three microphones, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate ensures good voice quality and reliably filters out ambient noise thanks to integrated noise suppression. This also works well in hands-free mode.
The Asus smartphone has room for two nano SIM cards. VoLTE is also part of the telephony package, as is the option of WLAN calls.
Cameras - Sony IMX766 as image sensor
The camera certainly doesn't play the most important role in a gaming smartphone, but the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate doesn't hold back here either. With the Sony IMX766, its 50 MP main camera uses a sensor that is already in the ROG Phone 6 Pro.
In daylight, the Asus smartphone takes good-quality pictures that are characterized by solid dynamics, natural-looking colors and high image sharpness. Low zoom levels also produce decent results. However, it quickly gets noisy at high magnification and the sensor visibly reaches its limits in low-light shots. Even then, the photos still look better than those of many "non-gaming" smartphones.
The ultra-wide-angle camera with its resolution of 13 MP clearly falls behind the main camera. Its performance is sufficient for snapshots, but if you take a closer look at the photos, you quickly notice that they are quite pixelated and details are lacking. At 8 MP, the macro camera has a comparatively high resolution, but produces clear visible image noise, even in good lighting conditions.
The front-facing camera uses the Omnivision OV32 as its image sensor, has a resolution of 32 MP, and takes decent selfies that are characterized by very natural colors. It records videos up to a maximum of Full HD at 30 frames per second. The main camera manages up to 8K at 24 FPS and is supported by electronic image stabilization.
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.
Daylight photo 1Daylight photo 2Ultra wide angle5x zoomLow light
Accessories and Warranty - External fan included
In addition to a protective case, a 65-watt power supply, USB-C cable, SIM tool and user manual, the scope of delivery of the Asus smartphone also includes the AeroActive Cooler 7 external fan. You can also purchase additional accessories such as adapters, dongles and docking stations from Asus' webshop.
Asus provides a 24-month warranty on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate in Germany. This may differ in other countries, so buyers should double check before purchasing.
Input Devices & Operation - 720 Hz sampling rate and AirTrigger
Thanks to its extremely responsive display, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is a feast for gamers. Owing to its high touch sampling rate of 720 Hz, the AMOLED panel implements every input with practically no delay and ensures extremely smooth operation overall.
In addition to 2D face recognition, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate offers an optical fingerprint sensor for biometric authentication, which excels with very good recognition rates.
As in the predecessor, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate again features the AirTrigger ultrasonic sensors that simulate the L and R keys of classic gaming controllers. The AirTriggers are located at the top and bottom of the right long side and can thus be easily reached with the index fingers.
In tandem with the attachable AeroActive Cooler 7 external fan, which brings four more input keys, the AirTriggers support a total of 18 tapping, swiping and sliding gestures. Two gestures are new to the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate: aiming via gyroscope and “Press & Lift". The latter feature allows for the triggering of various responses upon pressing or lifting the finger.
Display - AMOLED panel with 165 Hz and HDR10+
The 2448 x 1080 pixel, 6.78-inch display supports HDR10+ and runs at up to 165 Hz. The refresh rate is adjusted by the respective system mode. For example, Ultra durable only allows a maximum of 60 Hz, whereas 165 Hz is only available in X mode. The refresh rate can also be set manually in the settings and fixed at 165, 144, 120, 90 or 60.
Compared to the ROG Phone 6 Pro, Asus has once again improved the brightness. With an average of 1016 cd/m², the AMOLED panel shines a good deal brighter on a pure white background than the predecessor's display, which had an average of 868 cd/m².
With an even distribution of bright and dark areas (APL18), the smartphone achieves a peak brightness of 1631 cd/m². A maximum of 495 cd/m² is possible without a brightness sensor and it still shines at a fairly bright 4.91 cd/m² in the lowest brightness level.
The PWM flickering typical for OLED panels is also seen in the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. It fluctuates between 122 and 513 Hz at minimum display brightness. Above that, the fluctuations are of course less pronounced, but sensitive users may still perceive the PWM flickering as annoying. There is a DC dimming mode in the Android settings, but it only works at 60 Hz.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Brightness Distribution: 95 %
Center on Battery: 1010 cd/m²
Contrast: ∞:1 (Black: 0 cd/m²)
ΔE Color 1.3 | 0.5-29.43 Ø4.86
ΔE Greyscale 1.6 | 0.09-98 Ø5.1
99.9% sRGB (Calman 2D)
Gamma: 2.24
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate AMOLED, 2448x1080, 6.8" | Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max Super Retina XDR OLED, 2796x1290, 6.7" | Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro AMOLED, 2448x1080, 6.8" | Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro AMOLED, 2480x1116, 6.8" | Samsung Galaxy S23+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x, 2340x1080, 6.6" | Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.7" | Xiaomi Poco F4 GT AMOLED, 2400x1080, 6.7" | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen | -2% | -38% | -61% | -37% | -101% | -15% | |
| Brightness middle | 1010 | 1061 5% | 860 -15% | 811 -20% | 1128 12% | 642 -36% | 807 -20% |
| Brightness | 1016 | 1057 4% | 868 -15% | 817 -20% | 1136 12% | 637 -37% | 806 -21% |
| Brightness Distribution | 95 | 99 4% | 97 2% | 91 -4% | 99 4% | 96 1% | 99 4% |
| Black Level * | |||||||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 1.3 | 1.3 -0% | 2.4 -85% | 2.9 -123% | 2.7 -108% | 3.19 -145% | 1.2 8% |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 2.5 | 3.1 -24% | 3.9 -56% | 4.7 -88% | 4.5 -80% | 7.12 -185% | 3.1 -24% |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 1.6 | 1.6 -0% | 2.5 -56% | 3.4 -113% | 2.6 -63% | 4.9 -206% | 2.2 -38% |
| Gamma | 2.24 98% | 2.19 100% | 2.08 106% | 2.39 92% | 2.05 107% | 2.22 99% | 2.2 100% |
| CCT | 6405 101% | 6511 100% | 6640 98% | 6390 102% | 6644 98% | 7671 85% | 6439 101% |
* ... smaller is better
Screen Flickering / PWM (Pulse-Width Modulation)
| Screen flickering / PWM detected | 513 Hz |  | |
The display backlight flickers at 513 Hz (worst case, e.g., utilizing PWM) . The frequency of 513 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 8439 (minimum: 5 - maximum: 343500) Hz was measured. | |||
Series of measurements at a fixed zoom level and different brightness settings
In the default settings, the Asus smartphone delivers fairly neutral color reproduction. If you want the best picture quality, switch to Cinema mode and use our color temperature setting (see screenshot).
Display Response Times
| ↔ Response Time Black to White | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1.2 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.6115 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.5925 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. » 4 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (20.7 ms). | ||
| ↔ Response Time 50% Grey to 80% Grey | ||
| 1.29 ms ... rise ↗ and fall ↘ combined | ↗ 0.6245 ms rise |  |
| ↘ 0.6675 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. » 4 % of all devices are better. This means that the measured response time is better than the average of all tested devices (32.4 ms). | ||
The viewing-angle-stable AMOLED display is very easy to read outdoors and also has sufficient brightness reserves for bright sunny days.
Performance - Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate
The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, one of the fastest smartphone processors, and is supported by 16 GB of LPDDR5X RAM. The Adreno 740 serves as the graphics unit for the SoC.
The smartphone is at the forefront in the synthetic benchmarks and, performance wise, seamlessly joins the ranks of other high-end smartphones equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. Overall, it is about 10% faster than the ROG Phone 6 Pro (Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1). The performance advantage over the predecessor is only a few points in Basemark OS II. AImark's AI calculations are fundamentally unsuitable for the SoC.
| UL Procyon AI Inference for Android - Overall Score NNAPI | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| Average of class Smartphone (1267 - 81594, n=149, last 2 years) | |
| Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (11338 - 16880, n=21) | |
In GPU-heavy tests, the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate also performs very well and can even beat the Samsung Galaxy S23+ in some 3DMark scenarios, although the latter uses a slightly higher clocked version of the same SoC in the form of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy. The maximum refresh rate of 165 Hz is well utilized in GFXBench's onscreen tests.
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7: T-Rex Onscreen | 1920x1080 T-Rex Offscreen
GFXBench 3.0: on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL | 1920x1080 1080p Manhattan Offscreen
GFXBench 3.1: on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen | 1920x1080 Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen
GFXBench: on screen Car Chase Onscreen | 1920x1080 Car Chase Offscreen | on screen Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen | 2560x1440 Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | on screen Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen | 1920x1080 Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen | 3840x2160 4K Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen
| 3DMark / Wild Life Extreme Unlimited | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro | |
| 3DMark / Wild Life Extreme | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| 3DMark / Wild Life Unlimited Score | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Physics | |
| Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited Graphics | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| 3DMark / Sling Shot Extreme (ES 3.1) Unlimited | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 / T-Rex Onscreen | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 / T-Rex Offscreen | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| GFXBench 3.0 / Manhattan Onscreen OGL | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| GFXBench 3.0 / 1080p Manhattan Offscreen | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| GFXBench 3.1 / Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| GFXBench 3.1 / Manhattan ES 3.1 Offscreen | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| GFXBench / Car Chase Onscreen | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| GFXBench / Car Chase Offscreen | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins High Tier Onscreen | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Onscreen | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro | |
| GFXBench / Aztec Ruins Normal Tier Offscreen | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro | |
| GFXBench / 4K Aztec Ruins High Tier Offscreen | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
Asus' ROG Phone 7 Ultimate loads websites very quickly and opens them without any delay. In the browser benchmarks, on the other hand, the smartphone does not always play first fiddle and sometimes performs slightly worse than the ROG Phone 6 Pro. However, no Android smartphone can compete with the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max in the browser tests.
| Jetstream 2 - 2.0 Total Score | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max (Safari 16) | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ (Chrome 110.0.5481.65) | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (Chrome 103) | |
| Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro (Edge 108) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (13.8 - 387, n=165, last 2 years) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (62.7 - 179.2, n=23) | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate (Chrome 112.0.5615.48) | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT (MS Edge 102) | |
| Speedometer 2.0 - Result | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max (Safari 16) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (15.2 - 569, n=146, last 2 years) | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ (Chrome 110.0.5481.65) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (62.9 - 225, n=18) | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (Chrome 103) | |
| Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro (Edge 108) | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate (Chrome 112.0.5615.48) | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT (MS Edge 102) | |
| WebXPRT 4 - Overall | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max (Safari 16) | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ (Chrome 110.0.5481.65) | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (Chrome 103) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (28 - 183, n=22) | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate (Chrome 112.0.5615.48) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (22 - 273, n=157, last 2 years) | |
| Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro (Edge 108) | |
| WebXPRT 3 - Overall | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max (Safari 16) | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate (Chrome 112.0.5615.48) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (115 - 238, n=11) | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (Chrome 103) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (38 - 347, n=68, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT (MS Edge 102) | |
| Octane V2 - Total Score | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max (Safari 16) | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ (Chrome 110.0.5481.65) | |
| Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro (Edge 108) | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (Chrome 103) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (19870 - 65418, n=25) | |
| Average of class Smartphone (2228 - 100368, n=206, last 2 years) | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate (Chrome 112.0.5615.48) | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT (MS Edge 102) | |
| Mozilla Kraken 1.1 - Total | |
| Average of class Smartphone (277 - 28190, n=166, last 2 years) | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT (MS Edge 102) | |
| Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro (Edge 108) | |
| Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (602 - 1837, n=22) | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate (Chrome 112.0.5615.48) | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro (Chrome 103) | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ (Chrome 110.0.5481.65) | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max (Safari 16) | |
* ... smaller is better
The fast LPDDR5X RAM helps the Asus smartphone to achieve excellent read and write performance rates that only the Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro can match from the comparison devices. The 4 KB random reads/writes are also particularly strong.
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro | Samsung Galaxy S23+ | Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro | Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | Average 512 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AndroBench 3-5 | -37% | -6% | -37% | -36% | -37% | -7% | -41% | |
| Sequential Read 256KB | 3429.17 | 1949.16 -43% | 3556.62 4% | 3250.14 -5% | 1945.4 -43% | 1832.34 -47% | 3675 ? 7% | 2054 ? -40% |
| Sequential Write 256KB | 3061.82 | 1454.5 -52% | 2719.64 -11% | 1014.33 -67% | 1485.2 -51% | 1482.42 -52% | 3069 ? 0% | 1667 ? -46% |
| Random Read 4KB | 450.1 | 297.48 -34% | 393.88 -12% | 441.77 -2% | 344.9 -23% | 328.58 -27% | 381 ? -15% | 286 ? -36% |
| Random Write 4KB | 572.05 | 459.66 -20% | 551.93 -4% | 156.82 -73% | 424.8 -26% | 457.69 -20% | 467 ? -18% | 327 ? -43% |
Gaming - Maximum performance guaranteed
Games can be optimized for the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate via Game Genie. The in-game overlay is activated by swiping from the upper left or right corner towards the center of the screen.
In addition to practical features such as macro recording, a "Do not disturb" mode and an FPS counter, you can also adjust the AirTrigger with Game Genie. To do this, you drag the L and R icons over the controls in the game UI, such as the weapon change or menu button, and then operate them directly via the ultrasonic buttons. For some games, such as Call of Duty Mobile, Genshin Impact and PUBG Mobile, Asus provides predefined AirTrigger presets so that you don't have to manually assign the keys.
Game Genie also supports key mapping, a feature that becomes active as soon as you connect the ROG Kunai Gamepad 3 or another supported controller (PS4, XBOX One, XBOX Series X or Stadia) to the smartphone. The on-screen controls can then be assigned to the buttons on the input device, allowing you to play games directly with the respective controller.
X mode as a game accelerator
The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate can run in different performance modes, which can be selected in the Game Genie or Armory Crate apps. The strongest performance mode is called X mode (or X mode+ when the AeroActive Cooler 7 is docked) and can also be activated directly via the notification screen.
In X mode, in which we also ran our benchmarks, the performance settings for the CPU, GPU and RAM are maxed out. This is indicated by default on the home screen by an orange X icon appearing in the top left corner next to the time. Other performance modes are Dynamic (balanced settings for everyday use) and power-saving mode Ultra durable. You can also customize the performance settings for each mode.
In our Gamebench benchmarks, the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate proves that it can render games smoothly at maximum details and does not break a sweat under permanent load - and all that without the external fan. Thus, there are still quite a few reserves in terms of cooling, but the smartphone doesn't really need them, at least not for the current gaming generation.
PUBG Mobile runs on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate at the maximum selectable Ultra HD/Ultra setting at a constant 40 frames per second. However, the game cannot be persuaded to output more than 60 fps on average, no matter how high or low we select the detail level. On the other hand, the frame rate remains almost constant at 60 frames per second, even at high-end settings such as HDR/Extreme. We get the same result with Armajet.
Emissions - Efficient cooling and external subwoofer
Temperature
Efficient cooling is particularly important for a gaming smartphone. After all, such devices should deliver consistently high performance during long gaming sessions and always feel pleasantly cool in the hands. Asus has done its homework in this regard with the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate because surface temperatures do not exceed 30.7 °C, even after a 1-hour stress test. The ROG Phone 6 Pro, by comparison, reached up to 37 °C.
Asus has carried over the cooling mechanism from the predecessor, whereby the SoC is placed centrally in the case and thus around the two 3000 mAh batteries. The advantage of this design is not only that the included AeroActive Cooler 7 can be placed directly above the processor; the SoC heat can also be dissipated evenly to all corners and sides due to its central placement.
The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate achieves very good cooling values under testing, even without the attachable fan. In the 3DMark stress test, it delivers consistently high frame rates over a comparatively long period of time.
(+) The maximum temperature on the upper side is 30.7 °C / 87 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 29.4 °C / 85 F, compared to the average of 33.9 °C / 93 F
(+) In idle usage, the average temperature for the upper side is 25.3 °C / 78 F, compared to the device average of 32.8 °C / 91 F.
3DMark Wild Life Stress Test
| 3DMark | |
| Wild Life Stress Test Stability | |
| Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
| Wild Life Extreme Stress Test | |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro | |
| Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | |
| Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max | |
| Samsung Galaxy S23+ | |
| Xiaomi Poco F4 GT | |
Speakers
The stereo speakers of the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate impress with balanced sound, in which even the bass tones are not neglected. The sound can be improved even further by connecting the external AeroActive Cooler 7 fan, which contains a subwoofer that Asus uses to produce really rich sound quality for a smartphone.
External audio devices can be connected to the smartphone via the very low-noise 3.5 mm audio jack (SNR: 100.74 dBFS) or Bluetooth 5.2. All common Bluetooth codecs such as SBC and LC3, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive and LDAC are supported.
Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (90.7 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 17.2% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (7% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(+) | balanced mids - only 3.5% away from median
(+) | mids are linear (3.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 4.7% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (3.3% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(+) | overall sound is linear (13.7% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 0% of all tested devices in this class were better, 1% similar, 99% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, 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 24%, worst was 134%
Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro audio analysis
(+) | speakers can play relatively loud (86.2 dB)
Bass 100 - 315 Hz
(-) | nearly no bass - on average 20% lower than median
(±) | linearity of bass is average (8.4% delta to prev. frequency)
Mids 400 - 2000 Hz
(±) | higher mids - on average 5.6% higher than median
(+) | mids are linear (4.6% delta to prev. frequency)
Highs 2 - 16 kHz
(+) | balanced highs - only 3.1% away from median
(+) | highs are linear (2.8% delta to prev. frequency)
Overall 100 - 16.000 Hz
(±) | linearity of overall sound is average (16.3% difference to median)
Compared to same class
» 5% of all tested devices in this class were better, 5% similar, 90% worse
» The best had a delta of 12%, average was 36%, worst was 134%
Compared to all devices tested
» 24% of all tested devices were better, 5% similar, 70% worse
» The best had a delta of 4%, average was 24%, worst was 134%
Battery Life - The 6000 mAh battery ensures long runtimes
Power Consumption
The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is characterized by frugal energy consumption and is sometimes satisfied with considerably less power than the comparison devices.
The 6000 mAh (2x 3000 mAh) battery can be charged with up to 65 watts. In testing, it took around 43 minutes to charge the battery from 0 to 100 percent using the included power supply.
| Off / Standby |   0.04 / 0.14 Watt |
| Idle |  0.75 / 0.85 / 1.14 Watt |
| Load |
3.52 / 6.01 Watt |
    
| |
Key:
min: ,
med: ,
max: Metrahit Energy | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate 6000 mAh | Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max 4323 mAh | Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro 6000 mAh | Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro 6000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy S23+ 4700 mAh | Xiaomi Poco F4 GT 4700 mAh | Average Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Average of class Smartphone | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Consumption | -28% | -21% | -44% | 0% | -42% | -79% | -59% | |
| Idle Minimum * | 0.75 | 0.61 19% | 0.8 -7% | 0.89 -19% | 0.64 15% | 1 -33% | 1.036 ? -38% | 0.872 ? -16% |
| Idle Average * | 0.85 | 1.7 -100% | 1.31 -54% | 1.98 -133% | 0.88 -4% | 1.53 -80% | 1.766 ? -108% | 1.415 ? -66% |
| Idle Maximum * | 1.14 | 1.73 -52% | 1.36 -19% | 2.04 -79% | 0.94 18% | 1.57 -38% | 1.94 ? -70% | 1.556 ? -36% |
| Load Average * | 3.52 | 3.85 -9% | 3.77 -7% | 3.13 11% | 4.18 -19% | 4.39 -25% | 7.22 ? -105% | 7.04 ? -100% |
| Load Maximum * | 6.01 | 5.94 1% | 7.04 -17% | 6.01 -0% | 6.59 -10% | 8.1 -35% | 10.4 ? -73% | 10.6 ? -76% |
* ... smaller is better
Power consumption: Geekbench (150 cd/m²)
Power consumption: GFXBench (150 cd/m²)
Battery Life
In terms of battery life, the Asus smartphone does not show any weaknesses thanks to its large battery and inconspicuous power consumption. Around 17.5 hours of simulated web surfing and almost 26 hours of video playback are very good values and comparable to those of the Samsung Galaxy S23+, which, however, has a much smaller battery. But the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate cannot quite compete with Apple's iPhone 14 Pro Max.
| Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate 6000 mAh | Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max 4323 mAh | Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro 6000 mAh | Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro 6000 mAh | Samsung Galaxy S23+ 4700 mAh | Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro 4650 mAh | Xiaomi Poco F4 GT 4700 mAh | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Runtime | 11% | 4% | 7% | 3% | -28% | -39% | |
| Reader / Idle | 2448 | 3473 42% | 2585 6% | 1562 -36% | |||
| H.264 | 1554 | 1688 9% | 1524 -2% | 992 -36% | |||
| WiFi v1.3 | 1050 | 948 -10% | 1097 4% | 1120 7% | 1196 14% | 752 -28% | 747 -29% |
| Load | 412 | 416 1% | 385 -7% | 189 -54% |
Pros
Cons
Verdict: Asus' gaming smartphone gets even better
The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is currently the best gaming smartphone. Compared to its strong predecessor, it has been consistently further developed and has become even more powerful through the switch to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. At the same time, heat emissions have been significantly reduced thanks to the improved cooling.
The attachable fan, which was previously only an option, is now a standard accessory for the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. At the same time, a subwoofer has been integrated into the AeroActive Cooler 7, which helps the smartphone to produce a strong soundscape.
The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is a feast for gamers and scores with uncompromising performance.
The AirTrigger ultrasonic sensors of the ROG Phone 6 Pro are also part of the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. The same applies to the bright AMOLED display, which not only reacts very quickly with its refresh rate of up to 165 Hz and its sampling rate of 720 Hz, but also impresses with its extremely smooth operation. At the same time, Asus has further increased the screen brightness and thus helps the 6.78-incher achieve four-digit brightness values on average and a peak of over 1600 nits.
There is little to criticize about Asus' gaming phone. At a price of around US$1500, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate tears a big hole in your wallet. And its 50 MP camera is only average despite the Sony IMX766 sensor. This is all the more noticeable since practically all other components of the smartphone are in the high-end range. It's also a pity that there are only 2 years of OS upgrades and no wireless charging is supported.
Alternatives to the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate are the Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro, the Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro and the Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro.
Price and Availability
Global availability of the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is limited at present. According to information online, the smartphone is up for pre-orders via Asus’s website in some parts of Europe, China and Taiwan. Shipping began in mid-April, but it appears that the smartphone is yet to reach markets in certain parts of the world, such as the Americas.
Our findings revealed that the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is available in the UK (£1,199.99), France (1429,00€) and Germany (1.399,00€). This list, of course, is not exhaustive - interested buyers in other countries are advised to check directly via Asus' website (where applicable) or via authorized resellers.
Prices are as of 01.05.2023 and are subject to change.
Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate
- 04/27/2023 v7 (old)
Manuel Masiero
Transparency
The selection of devices to be reviewed is made by our editorial team. The test sample was provided to the author as a loan by the manufacturer or retailer for the purpose of this review. The lender had no influence on this review, nor did the manufacturer receive a copy of this review before publication. There was no obligation to publish this review. We never accept compensation or payment in return for our reviews. As an independent media company, Notebookcheck is not subjected to the authority of manufacturers, retailers or publishers.
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Every year, Notebookcheck independently reviews hundreds of laptops and smartphones using standardized procedures to ensure that all results are comparable. We have continuously developed our test methods for around 20 years and set industry standards in the process. In our test labs, high-quality measuring equipment is utilized by experienced technicians and editors. These tests involve a multi-stage validation process. Our complex rating system is based on hundreds of well-founded measurements and benchmarks, which maintains objectivity. Further information on our test methods can be found here.
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