Review Summary
Expert Rating3.5/5
Design★★★★★★★★★★ Display★★★★★★★★★★ Software★★★★★★★★★★ Camera★★★★★★★★★★ Performance★★★★★★★★★★ Battery★★★★★★★★★★
Pros
- Outstanding performer
- Stunning display
- Excellent audio setup
- Customisable shoulder triggers
Cons
- Sub-par cameras
- Bulky
- No IP rating
- Heats up a lot
ASUS commands a revered presence in the gaming community and the company’s latitude spans across gaming laptops, desktop components, and high-end PC peripherals. And, with mobile gaming on the rise, it was only a matter of time before the company brought its expertise to the smartphone business too. You guessed it, I am talking about the ROG Phone series which has – since its inception – tailored its phones for gamers’ needs.
Case in point, the all-new ROG Phone 5s, which comes as the successor to the ROG Phone 5 I reviewed a while ago. The smartphone in question is backed by the fastest processor powering an Android phone in India and as such, is a gamer’s delight. So, should you spend your bucks on ASUS’ latest contender, or settle for a flagship killer from OnePlus or Xiaomi? Well, let’s find out.
Verdict
The ASUS ROG Phone 5s might not be a proper all-rounder and could face strong competition from the current crop of flagships and the upcoming lineup of Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-powered smartphones, it does make a strong case for itself as a true-blue gaming phone.
The lowdown
The ROG Phone 5s is an iterative upgrade over the ROG Phone 5 launched last year. In fact, barring a processor refresh, the ROG Phone 5s draws parallels to the ROG Phone 5 in every other department. The phone’s design, for instance, remains unchanged and the handset still touts a polarising aesthetic. You can read up on the design by checking out my ROG Phone 5 review, but for the purpose of this article, you should know that the device is quite bulky, which can be accredited to its glass and metal build. Be that as it may, at 238 grams, the ROG Phone 5s is the heaviest handset I’ve tested in a while and the phone will ache your wrists if you use it for extended periods.
A fringe benefit of the smartphone’s ginormous chassis is that the device offers an excellent selection of ports. To wit, the handset ships with symmetrical stereo speakers that get exorbitantly loud, a hi-res certified headphone jack that has been paired with an ESS 9280AC DAC, two USB Type-C ports, and the works. As for biometrics, the device features an in-display fingerprint sensor and supports facial recognition too. The sensor was quick to respond to my inputs, and the face unlock feature seemed even snappier, which is great. Adding to the list of pros, the ROG Phone 5s offers extremely tight haptics and correspondingly, the phone is a joy to use to draft long emails or messages.
