The gaming-centric ROG Phone 9 and 9 Pro launch with Snapdragon 8 Elite

Asus has been doing a fine job of offering not only a good series of Android devices but packing them with features that make them unique and appealing to a subset of users. The ROG Phone 9 and 9 Pro are built for gamers, but they pack just about anything a good Android phone needs, including the latest SoC.

The ROG Phone lineup has been a pretty decent option in the past for users who wanted a little extra hardware specifically for gaming on the go. The previous model, the ROG Phone 8, turned out to be a great option for users, and came with some pretty neat features.

The ROG Phone 9 is only slightly different from the 9 Pro when it comes to internals. The ROG Phone 9 Pro brings a slightly better camera array and comes in a different memory configuration. Other than those two differences, the two phones are almost identical, which also means the base ROG Phone 9 offers much the same expereince.

The ROG Phone 9 series brings Android 15 powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. The Pro model comes in a 16/24GB and 512GB/1TB combo, while the base model brings 12GB of memory and 2156GB of storage. Both bring an improved cooling system by GameCool 9 with a larger graphite sheet that brings better heat dissipation.

Asus equipped the phones with a 6.78-inch E6 AMOLED panel that can hit 185Hz and a peak brightness of 2,500 nits. With it being a gaming phone, Asus also boasts a 720Hz touch sampling rate. Not to mention, the company’s patented Air Triggers are equipped on the phones as well.

The company is also bringing back the beloved “AniME” function found on the Phone 8. The feature utilizes a small LED panel on the back of the phone that can display a variety of custom animations. It’s a neat little quality of life feature that’s nice to see come back.

The ROG Phone 9 and 9 Pro bring a 5,800mAh battery, which is on the higher end and should provide plenty of power for daily use and gaming. The phones also bring 65W hyper-charge tech for faster top-ups and 15W wireless charging. Asus claims the phones can handle 4.5 hours of heavy gaming or 23.4 hours of scrolling through the web.

Where the two phones really differ is in the camera. The ROG Phone 9 comes with a 50MP main sensor, 13MP wide lens, and a 5MP macro unit. On the Pro model, that macro unit is replaced with a 32MP telephoto lens.

One of the best aspects is probably how Asus has incorporated Android 15’s AI features. The ROG Phone 9 series comes with an AI call translator – similar to what Samsung provides on in its Galaxy AI suite – and an AI transcript tool. Not to mention, the phones also bring Google’s Circle to Search out of the box.

The ROG Phone 9 series will launch starting at $999 for the base model. The Pro variant starts at $1,199.