Gaming phones are a trend in mobile right now, and ASUS is one of the companies getting in on the action. After announcing its ROG Phone earlier this year, ASUS has now confirmed that the device is making its way to the U.S. later this month.
The ASUS ROG Phone will be available for pre-order starting October 18th from the ASUS Store website, Amazon, and Microsoft, as well as at the launch event at the Microsoft Store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Pricing for the ROG Phone will start at $899 for the 128GB model and go up to $1,099 for the 512GB version.
As you might expect from a gaming phone, the ROG Phone is a high-end, tricked out device. It's got Qualcomm's octa-core Snapdragon 845 processor with a GameCool vapor chamber cooling system, and ASUS plans to offer a detachable AeroActive Cooler for extra cooling power. ASUS has also included 8GB of RAM and a 4000mAh battery to help your gaming sessions last.
ASUS has also made a change to the design of the ROG Phone to make it more comfortable for mobile gaming. While most phones have their charging port on the bottom of the device, the ROG Phone has a side-mounted custom USB-C connector so that you can charge up while gaming in landscape mode. There's also USB-C and 3.5mm ports on the bottom of the phone.
Other notable gaming-focused features of the ROG Phone include dual front-facing speakers, programmable ultrasonic AirTriggers, and "advanced force-feedback haptics". ASUS is also touting the ROG Phone's display, which is a 6-inch AMOLED display with a 1ms response time and a 90Hz refresh rate.
Rounding out the ASUS ROG Phone's spec list is a dual 12MP rear camera setup, including a main 12MP sensor with f/1.8 aperture, OIS, and Phase Detection Autofocus and a secondary 12MP sensor with a 120-degree wide angle field of view. There's an 8MP front-facing camera, NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, dual SIM slots, FM radio, and a rear fingerprint reader. On the software side, the ROG Phone is running Android 8.1 Oreo below ASUS's ROG Gaming X mode UI.
Finally, ASUS says that it'll have some accessories for the ROG Phone in Q4. These include a Mobile Desktop Dock that'll let you connect your phone to a mouse, keyboard, and an external 4K UHD monitor and will cost $229.99. There will also be a TwinView Dock (shown below) that'll give you a second 6-inch 2160x1080 AMOLED display and a 6000mAh battery for $399.99 and a Gamevice Controller that'll add physical buttons to your phone for $89.99.