Asus has just announced the Ultimate Edition of its ROG Phone 2, the company’s flagship gaming phone and the first device in the world to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset, at IFA 2019.
What’s so special about the Ultimate Edition? It comes in a slick matte black colour, supports faster LTE speeds of up to 2Gbps, and ships with – wait for it – 1TB storage. That kind of power and storage doesn’t come cheap though, with Asus also announcing Europe-wide pricing and availability for both the Ultimate edition and the Elite edition, which features 512GB storage.
The ROG Phone 2 carries forward much of what made the original great – an AMOLED screen with a high refresh rate, Air Triggers for L and R button input and front-firing stereo speakers, only now, everything’s been boosted.
Starting with power, the Snapdragon 855 Plus has seen a 7% increase in performance compared to the standard 855, with a massive 50% more graphical clout according to Asus. The cooling systems are also three-fold, with vapour chamber and copper line cooling under the hood, as well as an active cooling fan that ships with the phone.
Related: Asus ROG Phone 2 vs ROG Phone
As for the screen, it’s the first 120Hz AMOLED display to feature a 1ms refresh rate and 240hz touch refresh rate. That means it looks smoother and touches are registered faster than on any other smartphone on the scene.
With 10-bit HDR, compatible content should look deep, punchy and vibrant and thanks to the phone’s huge 6000mAh battery, it will last double as long as some of the flagship competition when gaming according to Asus.
The phone also sports a 48MP IMX586 primary camera paired with a 13MP wide, as found on the Zenfone 6, not to mention a 24MP selfie camera.
With dual front speakers, a quad mic for noise cancelling and a host of gaming accessories launching alongside it, it’s clear that Asus hasn’t held back in kitting its latest powerhouse out to differentiate it even further from the likes of the Black Shark 2 and Red Magic 3.
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ROG Phone 2 Price
With pricing and availability for both the Elite and Ultimate version announced at IFA 2019, anyone with the 512GB version with 1.2Gbps LTE speeds in their crosshairs can order one right now for €899. As for when you’ll actually be able to get your hands on it, the phone is expected to ship by the end of the month.
Meanwhile, the Matte Black Ultimate Edition which is loaded up with 1TB storage and up to 2Gbps LTE speeds will be available in Q4 with no pre-order date confirmed just yet.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
