ASUS has an affordable ROG Phone 9 in the works and here's what it looks like

ASUS could soon adopt Samsung’s strategy and add an affordable model to its ROG Phone 9 lineup. This upcoming gaming phone will allegedly be called the ROG Phone 9 FE and hit the shelves later this year. Although ASUS has not revealed any details about the device, a new leak has given us an early look at its design and specifications.

Industry sources familiar with ASUS’ plans have revealed (via 91mobiles) that the ROG Phone 9 FE will feature the same display as its flagship siblings, i.e., a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED panel with a 165Hz refresh rate, 2500nits peak brightness, and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection. However, on the inside, the phone will pack Qualcomm’s flagship chip from last year, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and 256GB of UFS 4.0 storage.

The affordable gaming phone will allegedly offer a decent set of cameras, including a 50MP Sony IMX890 main camera with OIS, a 13MP ultrawide camera, a 5MP macro shooter, and a 32MP front-facing camera for selfies and video calls. Although the ROG Phone 9 and ROG Phone 9 Pro feature massive 5,800mAh batteries, ASUS may equip the FE model with a slightly smaller 5,500mAh battery pack. But, like the flagships, it is expected to offer 65W wired fast charging support.

Other notable features revealed in the leak include stereo speakers, a 3.5mm headphone jack, Wi-Fi 7 support, shoulder triggers, an IP6 dust and water resistance rating, and an in-display fingerprint scanner.

As you can see in the attached images, the ROG Phone 9 FE’s design will be similar to the flagship models, featuring the same rear camera layout and ROG logo on the back panel. ASUS may offer the phone in a Phantom Black colorway. It could weigh 225g, making it lighter than the ROG Phone 9, and measure 163.8×76.8×8.9 mm.

Currently, we don’t have any information regarding a potential release date for this affordable ROG Phone model. We expect ASUS to reveal more details closer to its launch.