ASUS ROG Phone 5 buyer's guide: Everything you need to know

When it comes to gaming phones, few OEMs can top the ROG-branded devices we see each year from ASUS. Last year, the company’s flagship entry was the ASUS ROG Phone 5!

In the article below, we’re going to tell you everything you could ever want to know about this series of smartphones, including the newer ROG Phone 5s. Do keep in mind that just because ASUS pushes this phone towards the gamer community, it’s actually something non-gaming power users should also check out. Let’s dive in!

ASUS ROG Phone 5 at a glance

ASUS launched the ROG Phone 5 series on March 10, 2021. That’s a much earlier launch date than the year before, which saw the latest ROG Phone land in July. Additionally, the company launched the ROG Phone 5S on August 16, 2021. We’ll talk more about this in a bit.

The ROG Phone 5 series is the direct follow-up to 2020’s ROG Phone 3. No, you’re not seeing things: ASUS skipped over the number four with this series. We’ve seen other Chinese manufacturers do this, such as OnePlus. The reason behind the omission is that the Chinese word for “four” sounds a lot like the Chinese word for “death.” This has created a prevalent superstition in East Asian cultures that the number four is unlucky.

Related: The best phones for gaming

Regardless, the ROG Phone 5 series features the 2021 upgrades one would expect. It includes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and the Snapdragon 888 Plus for the ROG Phone 5S. It has a higher RAM limit than its predecessor, Android 11 out-of-the-box, and faster wired charging. It also brings back the headphone jack, which was missing from the ROG Phone 3 (although an included accessory enabled a quick workaround).

Of course, this is a gaming phone, so it also features both hardware and software tricks specifically tailored towards gamers. That includes shoulder triggers, the ASUS Armoury Crate app for gaming optimization, and an overall design aesthetic that matches the other ASUS Republic Of Gamers products.

Additionally, there are three different versions of the phone available. The ASUS ROG Phone 5 is the basic model, while the now-discontinued ROG Phone 5 Pro ups the ante a bit. The ROG Phone 5 Ultimate represents the peak of the series. The phones start at $999 / £799 / €799 for the vanilla model and $1,299 / £1,099 / €1,299 for the Ultimate model. The Pro model is not available anymore.

Meanwhile, the 5S and 5S Pro start at $1,099 / £999 / €799 and $1,299 / £1,099.99 / €1,299 respectively. However, you can likely find all these phones on sale now that the ROG Phone 6 series has been released.

Is the ROG Phone 5 worth buying?

If you are looking for a phone that is specifically catered to gaming,  the ASUS ROG Phone 5 is worth considering. With its high-powered CPU, terrific 144Hz display, crystal-clear audio, and built-in gaming-centric features, this is one of the best gaming phones on the market. However, we do recomend picking up the newer ASUS ROG Phone 6, although the ROG Phone 5 is still a great option if you can get it on sale.

Related: ASUS ROG Phone 5 review

That being said, this phone is also worth a look even if you’re not a gamer. First, there’s the CPU, display, and audio, which we’ve already mentioned. Additionally, the camera system on the ROG Phone 5 is actually a lot better than one would expect. It’s not super versatile since it doesn’t have a telephoto lens, but it delivers the basics at a surprisingly high quality.

Even the software of the ROG Phone 5 is great. Scroll down a bit for our full take on ROG UI and Zen UI.

Of course, all that power doesn’t come cheap. The chances are good, though, that if you’re in the market for a gaming phone of this caliber, you’re not surprised. Regardless, we believe that the value you receive for the money spent on this phone is well worth it.

ASUS ROG Phone 5 specs

How good are the ROG Phone 5 cameras?

The camera system in the ASUS ROG Phone 5 is pretty much the same as what we saw in the ROG Phone 3. On the back, you’ll find a 64MP primary lens flanked by a 13MP ultra-wide and a 5MP macro. On the front, you’ll find a 24MP selfie shooter.

Last year, we gave the ROG Phone 3 camera 4.5/5 stars. We found it to be fast, color-accurate, and with good dynamic range. Considering nothing’s changed this year, we found the camera to be along the same lines.

See also: The best camera phones you can get

The biggest omission, though, is a telephoto lens. This type of lens helps with zooming in on faraway objects. Without it, the ASUS ROG Phone 5 relies on digital zoom, which is essentially just cropping. As such, even a little bit of zoom is going to degrade your image quality.

ASUS told us flat-out that the camera on the ROG Phone series isn’t a top priority. Regardless, it’s nice to see the company is still delivering a high-quality imaging experience. It’s not going to top a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra or a Google Pixel 6 Pro, but it will get the job done.

Does the ROG Phone 5 have good battery life?

Inside the ROG Phone 5, you’ll find two 3,000mAh cells. Combined, they establish a 6,000mAh power supply in the phone. That’s a lot of juice! For the sake of comparison, the previously mentioned Galaxy S22 Ultra and Pixel 6 Pro each cap out at 5,000mAh.

Unfortunately, the integral features of the ROG Phone 5 suck up power fast. If you’re gaming a lot using a 144Hz display refresh rate along with those Air Triggers, the battery is going to deplete pretty quickly.

See also: The best Android smartphones with the best battery life

However, in our review period, we found the phone lasted at least a full day without a charge, even with a lot of usage.

The good news is that even if you game for hours straight and run the battery down, it doesn’t take long to top it back up. Thanks to the 65W in-box charger, you can bring the phone’s battery level from 0-100% in about 55 minutes. In other words, a quick 15 minutes on the charger should get you back to gaming on the go for at least another few hours before you need to seek out an outlet.

Unfortunately, there is no wireless charging support on the ASUS ROG Phone 5. You’ll be using a USB-C cable for all your power needs. Do note, though, that the ROG Phone 5 has the same dual-USB-C-port as its predecessor. This allows you to charge the phone from the bottom or from the side, which is very convenient for accommodating specific play styles.

ASUS ROG Phone 3 vs ASUS ROG Phone 5: What’s changed?

Below, you’ll find a table with the significant differences between this year’s model and last year’s. Keep in mind that the table only shows the major differences. If it’s not listed here, that means it’s either the same or the differences are negligible:

Overall, the biggest differences this year are the chipset, the design, and the wired charging speed. Outside of those three categories, the core specs are mostly the same. The front and rear cameras are essentially identical. There’s still no wireless charging, no IP rating, and no expandable storage. The RAM count for the Ultimate model went up a bit, but the vanilla and Pro models stick to the same capacity as last year. The same goes for the internal storage, which still maxes out at 512GB.

Related: The best Android phones with expandable memory

That being said, there are a lot of new things on offer here once you venture past raw specs. The side-mounted Air Triggers received an update that makes them far more versatile and accurate. The Pro and Ultimate models now feature an additional set of triggers on the back, too. There’s a nifty secondary display on the back of those higher-end models and there are more software tweaks than ever before. Also, the headphone jack is back, which is a welcome change.

It will be up to you whether or not an upgrade to the ASUS ROG Phone 5 from the ROG Phone 3 would be worth it. There are enough upgrades here to make it enticing, but it would have been nice to see ASUS give a bit more of what fans want — namely wireless charging, expandable storage, and a telephoto lens.

ASUS ROG Phone 5 vs ASUS ROG Phone 5S: What’s different?

As mentioned earlier, the ASUS ROG Phone 5S series launched a few months after the main series. Overall, the most notable difference between the two lines is that the 5S models have the slightly upgraded Snapdragon 888 Plus chipset. The regular models have the Snapdragon 888.

Outside of this chipset upgrade, the only other change is the introduction of a faster touch response rate. These new devices hit a 360Hz rate, which is nominally better than the 300Hz rate on the original models. There are literally no other differences or upgrades between the phones.

Keep in mind that the SD888 Plus is not tangibly better than the regular SD888. As such, if you already own a ROG Phone 5, there is really no point in trading it in for a ROG Phone 5S or 5S Pro. The only reason we’d recommend going with the 5S or 5S Pro is if you don’t already own a ROG phone — and don’t mind spending a premium to get the 5S models.

For most people, the regular ROG Phone 5 devices will be more than adequate.

ASUS ROG Phone 5 vs ASUS ROG Phone 6 series

There aren’t a ton of differences between the ROG Phone 6 and 5 series. The ROG 6 phones come with the faster Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset and more base RAM at 12GB. The display is of the same size and resolution, but the refresh rate has been bumped from 144Hz to 165Hz.

Then there’s the splash protection — the ROG Phone 6 series is IPX4 rated, while its predecessor lacked any water resistance whatsoever. The main camera is different as well, with the ROG Phone 6 phones sporting a 50MP sensor, down from the 64MP camera found on the ROG Phone 5. The selfie camera was downgraded in terms of resolution from 24MP to 12MP. 

Then there’s the secondary screen found on the back of the ROG Phone 6 Pro, which is capable of displaying time, text messages, logos, and other simple things.

ROG Phone 5: Competition and alternatives

The ASUS ROG Phone 3 was one of the few devices in 2020 to feature the Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset. This overclocked variant of the SD865 only appeared on a few flagships, most notably the ROG Phone 3 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra.

The chipset powering the ASUS ROG Phone 5 isn’t as unique. There are already a number of devices with the Snapdragon 888 on the market. In other words, to get the integral aspect of the ROG Phone 5 that makes it so powerful, you don’t need to get a ROG Phone 5.

See also: Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 vs Snapdragon 888

The Galaxy S21 Ultra has the same chipset and also has a terrific display. With tons of RAM and the same limits when it comes to internal storage, it either matches or beats the ROG Phone 5 when it comes to raw specs. The OnePlus 9 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro also have similar specs and are both great alternatives to the ROG Phone 5. Then there’s the newer Galaxy S22 series that has to be taken into consideration, as well as other phones with the latest and greatest Snapdragon Gen 1 chipset. The OnePlus 10 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 12 Pro have also already been announced.

Of course, it’s important to note that very few phones have the specs and the gaming-centric software and hardware features of the ROG Phone 5. So in that regard, the ROG Phone 5 is quite a unique device. The only real alternative is the newer and better ASUS ROG Phone 6 series, which brings a few new things to the table.

Where to buy the ASUS ROG Phone 5

The ROG Phone 5 series is not cheap. It is also only available in certain countries, and the ROG Phone 5 Pro models are now discontinued. Let’s start with pricing:

ASUS did confirm that the phones will only be sold directly to consumers. In other words, there are no carrier partnerships here.

The vanilla ASUS ROG Phone 5 went on sale in March 2021. The ROG Phone 5S models went on sale in early November.

For US customers, we recommend buying the device from Amazon, as the retailer offers more buying options. If you like, though, you can buy it directly from ASUS.

As of right now, it is probably easier to buy the ROG Phone 5S, since it is newer. You can grab that and the Pro variant from Amazon by clicking here or the button below.

Software and updates

The ASUS ROG Phone 5 comes with Android 11 out-of-the-box. Interestingly, you can choose between two similar-but-different Android skins on the ROG Phone 5.

Android skins

The first skin onboard is known as ROG UI. It provides an aesthetic experience that matches the exterior design of the phone. There are lots of neon colors and everything has a futuristic metal sheen.

On the flip side, there’s Zen UI. This is the same Android skin that appears on “normal” ASUS phones, such as those in the ZenFone series. This skin is quite similar to the one Google uses with its Pixel phones. It’s much simpler and less “gamer” looking.

See also: Are there any truly bad Android skins still out there today?

When you first set up the phone, you will be able to choose between one of these two skins. If you change your mind later, you can always swap back and forth until you figure out which one you like best.

No matter which skin you choose, you’ll be happy to know that it’s a generally bloat-free experience. There are some pre-installed apps related to the unique hardware features of the phone as well as its various gaming-centric software suites. Other than that, though, it’s mostly Google apps.

Android updates

While the choice of skin is a fun perk for ROG Phone 5 buyers, ASUS doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to software updates. Last year’s ROG Phone 3 received Android 11 back in July, roughly 10 months after Google released it. Security patches also come at an infrequent pace.

Related: Which manufacturer updates its phones the fastest? (Android 11 edition)

However, ASUS did speed things up this year, as it recently shipped out the stable version of Android 12 to the ASUS ROG 5 series. But it is possible that we won’t see Android 13 hit the device.

Top ROG Phone 5 questions and answers

Help other readers out

Do you own the ASUS ROG Phone 5? Do you plan on getting one? If so, make your voice heard in our polls below, and then go ahead and post your own mini-review in the comments!

Next: ASUS ROG Phone 5 problems and how to fix them