Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro review: the upgrade that gamers deserve
Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro review
After trying almost a year ago what we called "the king of excesses", that is Asus ROG Phone 5, the time has finally come for us to check firsthand the innovations introduced by the Taiwanese house in the most recent version of its gaming smartphone .Yes, because ROG Phone 5s and its Pro variant - the extreme version on which we will focus during this test - are nothing more than the smartphone refreshes announced by Asus in the first part of 2021. These refreshes , however, they demonstrate Asus' attention to detail and the desire to bring the best possible smartphone into the hands of gamers (and non-gamers).
Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro (or the “non-Pro” model)?
Why change what works?
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Instead of a ROG logo illuminated by RGB LEDs, in the rear shell of the ROG Phone 5s Pro you will find space a PMOLED type display called by the company ROG Vision.
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The two additional touch buttons are also present on the body, which can be mapped to actions on the screen during gaming, recognizable because they are positioned below of some engravings on the cover in Gorilla Glass 3, easily recognizable to the touch and accessible also using the particular protective cover supplied with the smartphone.
These are added to the two capacitive back buttons on the right side of the product and the two physical buttons available on the ROG Aeroactive Cooler 5 accessory, always present in the package of this "Pro" model and connectable to the smartphone via the pogo pins on the left side of the smartphone. A lot of attention, therefore, to providing gamers with maximum flexibility and speed of action, both with and without the optional external fan that helps, among other things, to keep temperatures under control.
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ROG Phone 5s Pro is a device characterized by a look at times aggressive and oriented to the world of gamers which however, as we have already pointed out in the review of ROG Phone 5, is able to please even classic users simply looking for a well-built and complete product.
The photographic sector is also unchanged, consisting of a 64MP main camera and a 13MP wide-angle camera accompanied by a 5MP sensor with lens dedicated to macro shots on the back and a front camera from 24MP positioned in the frame above the display.
Asus has greatly improved its image processing algorithm over the years, allowing users get more than good shots from their device cameras, however no one will buy the ROG Phone 5s Pro primarily for its imaging capabilities.
Small improvements always welcome
The display doesn't changes in size, the diagonal is always 6.78 ″, and not even in resolution (FullHD +) or refresh rate (maximum 144Hz). However, the panel has been replaced with a new generation AMOLED unit produced by Samsung, which features a touch sensitivity of 360Hz (compared to the previous 300Hz) and a higher maximum brightness.Asus takes care also in this case to provide its users with a display with extreme characteristics, low latency and color accuracy of the highest level. ROG Phone 5s and Pro are in fact calibrated at the factory to reach a Delta-E and are certified according to the HDR10 + standard.
The optical fingerprint reader under the display has always been responsive and precise, even if slightly more slower than the fastest available on the market. In terms of unlocking speed, ROG Phone 5s Pro is positioned in the ranking just above the Google Pixel 6 Pro and slightly below other flagships such as Oppo Find X3 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S21.
The biggest differences are under the body
The real reason why Asus has created this new family of smartphone "s" is to be found under the body. The already powerful top-of-the-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chip has in fact been replaced with its enhanced version Snapdragon 888+.At the level of daily use we cannot say you notice any differences in performance, it would be a lie. However, since these new models will gradually replace the previous products in stores, the brand should be applauded for wanting to guarantee its users only the best hardware available on the market.
ROG Phone 5s Pro is equipped with 18GB of RAM, a value that I honestly find unnecessary in any way. The basic model with 12GB of RAM is already more than sufficient in terms of capacity and there is also an intermediate cut with 16GB of system memory, all equipped (in Italy) with the same 512GB internal memory.
These values are for most users really exaggerated but are nevertheless offered at incredibly attractive prices compared to the competition. However, we will talk about this later.
The new generation SoC is nothing more than an optimized and slightly overclocked version of the previous one, which guarantees higher single core performance but consequently also releases more heat.
Asus' excellent cooling system keeps temperatures at bay, however in long gaming sessions and extreme stress tests it is possible to see a drop in performance due to throttling occurring slightly earlier than older models. Nothing to be alarmed about though.
Smartphone Geekbench 5 Geekbench ML 3DMark PCMark Work 3.0 Speedometer 2.0 Jetstream 2 Single-core Multi-core CPU GPU NNAPI Wild Life Wild Life
Stress Test Performance - - Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro 1125 3700 443 1709 1251 5876
(35.20 fps) 5828 - 4385
(75.2%) 14390 89.2 (± 1.6) 115316 RedMagic 6S Pro 1168 3701 367 1582 1686 5858
(35.10 fps) 5875 - 5392
(91.8%) 13367 79.3 (± 2.6) 87189 Google Pixel 6 Pro 1006 2630 327 1381 1731 6534
(39.10 fps) 6506 - 3820
(58.7%) 11314 95.9 (± 7.4) 80917 The Asus tradition continues in the care of audio component, also very important for both gamers and classic users who want to let themselves go from time to time in viewing multimedia content or listening to music.
The frontal stereo speakers, balanced and with incredible volume, they are a pleasure for the ears. The presence of a 3.5mm headphone jack, supported by a high-power DAC, and a granular and easily customizable software management of the output complete the experience. However, the speakers, microphones and DAC have not changed compared to the ROG Phone 5.
The usual endurance champion
Despite in our standard PCMark Work 3.0 Battery test (performed with display locked at 50% brightness, Wi-Fi network connected and SIM card inserted) Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro did not get our best result, stopping at "sun" 12: 33h, in daily life the huge 6000mAh battery proved itself once again unbeatable.There is no other top-of-the-range product capable of resisting like the latest generation ROG smartphones, even if this duration is reflected in a greater weight and thickness when compared to many competing products.
The battery is divided into two 3000mAh cells, which allows Asus to split the maximum charging flow of 65W compatible with ROG Phone 5s Pro in two, charger included in the package. There is no shortage of the many settings dedicated to safeguarding the health of the battery that we have already explored with the previous model.
There are two USB Type-C ports. However, only the one on the underside of the smartphone can be used for charging while the one on the left is reserved for connecting accessories.
Asus has learned from its mistakes
If we look back on the past of Asus and the Zenfone range as far as software is concerned, it's easy to be put off by the questionable graphical interface and the incredible amount of bloatware present in the old custom versions of Android made by the brand.Fortunately, the Taiwanese company has learned in the years of its mistakes and Asus / ROG smartphones have recently become reference points for the clean, fast and not too distant software experience from Android "stock" as Google thought it.
Although it is possible to apply themes with highly personalized graphics and an aggressive style preferred by companies operating in the gaming field, the software present on ROG Phone 5s Pro can safely be kept neat and tidy. Quoting the review of ROG Phone 5:
"It is wonderful to see that a software so rich in features, which however most users will probably never use, can still" hide them in plain sight "so that do not become heavy and oppressive. Once the classic Android theme is activated it is almost possible to completely forget that you have a gaming smartphone in your hands ".
Asus additions are all well integrated into the system, nothing is out of place and all functions extras are well categorized and above all explained to users with a few lines directly where you can activate them. Unfortunately, ROG Phone 5s Pro is still stuck at Android 11 to date, but we are confident that the brand will release an OTA update to Android 12 as soon as possible.
Asus ROG Phone, all the exclusive functions that other smartphones dream of
Conclusions: a sensible spec update
Asus ROG Phone 5s and 5s Pro certainly won't interest those who bought the previous models, but they make sense both from a brand strategy point of view, and in terms of new consumers who want to enter the world of gaming smartphones.A bit like in the world of laptops and desktop PCs, Asus has decided to remove the variants of smartphones equipped with the classic Snapdragon 888 to replace them with updated models, even if only marginally better.
This type of approach allows the Taiwanese company to offer users partial "recycling" refreshes. do "many of the components already produced, while guaranteeing users interested in gaming smartphones that they have the latest generation hardware in their hands, a fundamental feature for the target of these devices.
The prices are not for weak heart, however it should be noted that for 999 euros (price of ROG Phone 5s 12GB / 512GB) it is difficult to find a top-of-the-range smartphone with the same amount of memory and the same exaggerated specifications.
I honestly believe that going up in price reaching 1099 euros for the 16GB / 512GB version of ROG Phone 5s or 1299 euros for the Pro variant with 18GB / 512GB is not necessary. The internal memory available does not change and the greater amount of RAM will have no effect on performance, whether you are a gamer or not, as they are already more than abundant in the base model.
The strength of Asus, beyond at a competitive price in the premium range and a product of excellent quality, it also lies in the ecosystem of accessories that it makes available to users. No manufacturer can count on such a large amount of "extras". These, although absolutely unnecessary, are able to meet the needs of all kinds of users and allow you to enjoy 100% of the experience that ROG has expertly prepared.
