The latest contender for the title of best smartphone your money can buy in 2021 is here... just two and a half months after its official announcement. That's actually not such a bad turnaround for a company that unveiled its previous gaming handset back in July 2020 before finally kicking off its US shipments in November.
Still, the Asus ROG Phone 5 is a bit late to the stateside availability party compared to the first wave of Snapdragon 888 powerhouses from the likes of Samsung and OnePlus. Also, the somewhat bulky and decidedly idiosyncratic 6.78-inch device appears to only be up for grabs directly from its manufacturer's regional e-store for the time being, with no words on an impending expansion to Amazon or B&H Photo Video yet.
Cheaper, smoother, and beastlier than some of its top rivals
On the bright side, the $999.99 starting price is... not that bad, all things considered. This is an absolute beast, mind you, packing a whopping 16 gigs of memory and 256GB internal storage space in addition to Qualcomm's aforementioned state-of-the-art SoC.
In contrast, Samsung's Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, which sports a comparable 6.8-inch display, normally costs no less than $1,200... with a modest 128 gigs of local digital hoarding room and a not-so-impressive 12GB RAM count in tow.
Granted, the ROG Phone 5 falls short of the mobile industry's cream of the crop right now in terms of screen resolution, more than making up for that "flaw" with pretty much unrivaled 144Hz refresh rate support and 1ms response time.
That absolutely gorgeous panel is one of the things that make this bad boy ideal for hardcore gaming, but despite its incredible amount of raw power and all those energy-draining display technologies, you don't have to worry about the ROG Phone 5's battery life.
That's because you also get an overwhelming amount of juice for your thousand bucks, and unsurprisingly, the 6,000mAh cell is equipped with blazing fast 65W charging capabilities as well.
Much more than just a great gaming device
The outstanding spec sheet (even by 2021 ultra-high-end standards) wraps up with a more than respectable triple rear-facing camera system composed of a 64MP primary shooter, a 13MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 5MP macro sensor, as well as a headphone jack, an exceptional set of front-firing stereo speakers, and pre-loaded Android 11 software.
That's before you take into consideration a whole bunch of truly unique features, bells, and whistles, including everything from gaming-friendly ultrasonic "AirTriggers" to... gaming-friendly charging that can be done from one side of the phone so as not to inconvenience you too much.
Last but not least, it's worth pointing out that the hot new gaming-centric device is advertised as 5G-enabled in the US, although it's not entirely clear if you'll actually be able to tap into the latest cellular technologies on any major carriers stateside.
While mmWave-powered compatibility with Verizon's insanely fast (but horribly spotty) Ultra Wideband network is almost certainly out of the question, the handset's official product webpage leaves us hoping the unlocked GSM-only Asus ROG Phone 5 will at least support low and mid-band 5G speeds for T-Mobile and AT&T customers.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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