ASUS ROG Phone 6 buyer's guide: Everything you need to know

The ROG Phone series is arguably the most prominent gaming phone series around. We saw the ROG Phone 5 and ROG Phone 5s line-up last year, and now we’ve got the ROG Phone 6.

We’ve put together a guide to the ROG Phone 6 below, detailing everything you’ll want to know about the new gaming-focused phone. However, it’s worth noting that this device might be worth considering for power users too, so read on to find out why.

ASUS ROG Phone 6 at a glance

The ROG Phone 6 line picks up where the ROG Phone 5 and 5S series left off. In other words, it’s the latest and greatest gaming phone line from the Taiwanese company.

Expect standout features like the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, a 165Hz OLED screen, and capacitive air triggers for gaming functionality. Otherwise, the phone offers between 12GB and 18GB of RAM, Android 12 out of the box, and a 3.5mm port. The phone is also a little more durable than previous devices, sporting IPX4 splash resistance in addition to Gorilla Glass Victus on the front.

Related: The best phones for gaming

Aside from the shoulder triggers, ASUS has also included a few other gaming-focused features. This includes the Armory Crate app for granular optimizations and a couple of optional accessories (including a cooling fan and gamepad attachment).

There are two different ROG Phone offerings this year, down from three last year. This is the standard ROG Phone 6, offering 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and the ROG Phone 6 Pro with 18GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Expect to pay €999 or £899 for the 12GB/256GB model and €1,299 or £1,099 for the 18GB/512GB variant.

Is the ROG Phone 6 worth buying?

The ROG Phone 6 is worthy of consideration if performance and gaming are your top priorities. The powerful chipset, 165Hz OLED screen, air triggers, and gaming software all make it ideal for mobile gamers.

In saying so, the high-powered processor and high refresh rate screen are also great for those who simply value a speedy experience in general. Furthermore, ASUS has retained the 3.5mm port seen on last year’s phone, although microSD support is still a no-go.

Our review: ASUS ROG Phone 6 Pro review — Game on

The ROG Phone 6 doesn’t have the greatest camera system in theory, but it’s not bad at all. Expect to find a 50MP IMX766 main camera, a 13MP ultrawide lens, and a 5MP macro camera. Keep looking at the back and you’ll also find a secondary screen on the Pro model, capable of displaying the time, text messages, logos, and other simple things.

As for the software, you’ll be getting your choice of the ROG UI or ZenUI skins atop Android 12 here. However, ASUS seems to only be promising two years of OS updates and two years of security patches. That’s really disappointing when the phone starts at €999. Still, you’re getting an impressive hardware package overall.

ASUS ROG Phone 6 specs

How good are the ROG Phone 6 cameras?

The ROG Phone 6 rear camera system has one significant change compared to last year’s phone. We now have a 50MP main camera (IMX766) instead of the ROG Phone 5’s 64MP IMX686 shooter. This is the same sensor used by the likes of OPPO and OnePlus. This should deliver a minor quality boost on paper, but there’s more to a great photo than having good hardware.

Otherwise, the ROG Phone 6 retains a similar 13MP ultrawide camera and 5MP macro lens as its predecessor. Just don’t expect to find a zoom-focused camera here. Looking at the front, ASUS has settled on a more conventional 12MP sensor for selfies.

See also: The best camera phones you can get

In our ROG Phone 6 Pro review, Rob Triggs noted that the phone delivered colorful, well-exposed shots from the main and ultrawide cameras. However, he lamented the relative lack of detail and over-sharpening with these cameras, adding that low-light performance was “below par.” He also criticized the macro lens as “little more than a gimmick,” but felt the selfie camera took nice shots.

Does the ROG Phone 6 have good battery life?

ASUS isn’t playing around when it comes to battery life. The ROG Phone 6 follows in the ROG Phone 5’s footsteps by offering a 6,000mAh battery capacity (consisting of two 3,000mAh cells). Even the Galaxy S22 Ultra and Pixel 6 Pro don’t quite reach that capacity with their 5,000mAh capacities.

In theory, this means you should expect two days of usage pretty easily. However, ASUS has plenty of power-sucking features, such as that 165Hz screen, flagship silicon, and 5G. So you might need to dial a few of these features back or opt for more general usage (e.g. not gaming).

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

What about real-world usage, then? Well, we found that the ROG Phone 6 Pro indeed delivered two days of usage for tasks like texting, social media usage, and web browsing.

Thankfully, ASUS includes a 65W charger in the box that supports Quick Charge 5 and USB PD PPS standards. In fact, you can expect a full charge in just 42 minutes according to the Taiwanese giant. Just don’t expect wireless charging though, which is a bit of a shame when you consider the price of the phone.

ASUS ROG Phone 5 vs ASUS ROG Phone 6: What’s changed?

• Design: The big design-related difference this time is that the new phones have an IPX4 rating for splash resistance. This was missing from last year’s phones. Otherwise, the ROG Phone 6 series is still broadly in line with the ROG Phone 5 range when it comes to aesthetics.
• Display: ASUS is still offering a 6.78-inch FHD+ OLED screen here, but the refresh rate has been bumped up from 144Hz on the ROG Phone 5 to 165Hz on the new phone.
• Performance: Perhaps the biggest change is that the new phones have the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 SoC instead of the Snapdragon 888. Otherwise, the minimum amount of RAM is 12GB (up from 8GB), while the maximum amount of RAM is still 18GB.
• Cameras: Another major change takes place with the primary rear camera, going from a 64MP IMX686 sensor to a 50MP IMX766 shooter. We also get a new selfie camera here, using a 12MP IMX663 sensor instead of the 24MP camera used before. The secondary ultrawide and macro rear cameras are still the same as before.

ROG Phone 6: Competition and alternatives

The ASUS ROG Phone 6 certainly stands out from most earlier flagship phones in a few ways. This is mainly due to the gaming focus, offering a 165Hz refresh rate, capacitive shoulder triggers, and robust software tools. These features are hard to find on typical high-end phones. Nevertheless, here are a few devices worth considering anyway.

• Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra ($1,199): The Galaxy S22 Ultra is probably the most popular alternative, packing beefy high-end silicon and a 5,000mAh battery for long endurance. It also comes with an S Pen (complete with integrated slot), 3x and 10x zoom cameras, and a QHD+ 120Hz OLED screen that’s one of the best you can get.
• OnePlus 10 Pro ($899): The OnePlus 10 Pro delivers a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC, a 5,000mAh battery, 80W wired charging, fast wireless charging, and a top-notch QHD+ 120Hz OLED screen. So those looking for a long-lasting, powerful phone above all else can do far worse.
• Apple iPhone 13 Pro series ($1000 to $1,100): Don’t mind leaving the Android ecosystem? Then Apple’s latest Pro iPhones might be for you. These devices offer a ton of horsepower, great battery life, and access to Apple’s ecosystem (including some exclusive games). The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max also pack great cameras and impressive long-term software support.
• POCO F4 GT (€599.90): Finally, we’d also recommend the POCO F4 GT if you must have a gaming phone above all else. It packs features like retractable shoulder triggers, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, and 120W charging. The former in particular is a great addition, giving you much-needed physical inputs. The phone isn’t available in the US though, but it’s worth a look if you’re in Europe.

Where to buy the ASUS ROG Phone 6

The ROG Phone 6 and ROG Phone 6 Pro are definitely flagship-level when it comes to pricing. You can check prices out below:

• ASUS ROG Phone 6 (12GB/256) — £899 / €999
• ASUS ROG Phone 6 Pro (18GB/512GB) — £1,099 / €1,299

ASUS says the standard ROG Phone 6 will be available to pre-order from today (with general sales “soon” thereafter), while those hoping to get the Pro model will need to wait for pre-orders to kick off “a little later in the summer.”

The phones will be available in Europe and the UK first, with the US launch taking place later at an unspecified time. However, you shouldn’t expect to get the ROG Phone 6 range via your country’s network as ASUS tends to sell these devices online.

You can also buy the Kunai 3 Gamepad accessory for £105.99 / €119.99, while the AeroActive Cooler accessory will be available for £78.99 / €89.

Software and updates

The ROG Phone 6 offers Android 12 by default, but you can actually choose between two different Android skins. Much like last year’s phone, you can choose between the ROG UI skin or the more stock-like Zen UI skin seen on other ASUS phones.

Either way, we found that there were only a couple of bloatware apps on the phone. So you won’t need to spend a lot of time disabling and uninstalling these apps before actually using your device.

Android updates

As for update commitments, ASUS has never been the top dog in this regard. The company previously said that it would be offering two years of OS updates and two years of security patches to its Zenfone 8 series. So it stands to reason that this applies to the ROG Phone 6 as well.

Related: Here are the phone update policies from every major Android manufacturer

This commitment would be incredibly disappointing, especially as the likes of OPPO, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and vivo are stepping up to deliver three years of OS updates. We’ve even seen Google and Samsung offering five years of security updates (with the latter even offering four years of OS upgrades).

Top ROG Phone 6 questions and answers

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