ASUS GeForce RTX 3080 12GB Graphics Cards Now Available; Retails From RM7000

ASUS expanded its graphics cards lineup with the addition of its own custom-cooled NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3080 12GB graphics cards. Featuring 2GB GDDR6X more than the original RTX 3080 that launched last year, ASUS is releasing the card under two of its sub-brandings: the ROG Strix series and TUF Gaming Series.

Starting with the TUF Gaming series, ASUS will be releasing two versions of the card, an OC edition and standard, non-OC edition. In terms of clockspeeds, the non-OC edition will have a gaming mode and OC mode boost clock of 1710MHz and 1740MHz, respectively. While the boost clocks of the TUF Gaming OC edition of the RTX 3080 is set at 1785MHz for its gaming mode and 1815MHz for its OC Mode. For cooling, the card sports a 0dB triple-fan cooling solution, powered by Axial-tech fans nestled on top of a 2.7-slot thick heatsink.

As for the ROG Strix version of the RTX 3080 12GB, it seems that ASUS is only bringing in the OC edition of the card. In terms of speed, the card will be running on a gaming mode boost clock of 1860MHz and an OC mode boost clock of 1890MHz. Like the TUF Gaming series, the cooling solution of the ROG Strix series RTX 3080 12GB comprises a triple 0dB, Axial-tech fan solutions, but with a slightly thicker 2.9-slot heatsink sandwiched between the fans and PCB. Further, its cooler shroud is cloaked with an aRGB LED across the length of the card.

 

Be it the TUF Gaming or ROG series, all variants of ASUS’ RTX 3080 12GB cards sport the same 12GB GDDR6X graphics memory, 8960 CUDA cores, PCIe 4.0 support, dual HDMI 2.1 port, and three DisplayPort 1.4a ports. Pricing for the cards starts at RM7000 for the standard edition TUF Gaming RTX 3080 12GB, RM7050 for the OC edition, and RM7470 for the ROG Strix OC Edition.

ASUS Announces GeForce RTX 3070 Noctua Edition; Available Starting Mid-October

ASUS has officially pulled the veil back on its latest graphics card, the GeForce RTX 3070 Noctua Edition. As per its namesake, this variation of the RTX 3070 was designed and made in collaboration with the Austrian cooling brand, Noctua.

The RTX 3070 Noctua Edition uses a dual-fan configuration and more importantly, the fans that are attached to the card are NF-A12x25 fans that have been fine-tuned to run with an ideal performance-to-noise ratio. Further, and in true Noctua fashion, the card’s aesthetics are painted in the brand’s iconic brown and off-white themes, while the cooler shroud itself helps them look like its case fans. Performance-wise, Noctua says that its fans will produce 10dB lower sound pressure level, compared to an ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 3070 OC Edition.

The RTX 3070 Noctua Edition comes in two SKUs, an OC edition and non-OC edition. Specs-wise, the cards house 8GB GDDR6 graphics memory, 5888 CUDA Cores, two HDMI 2.1 ports, and three DIsplayPort 1.4a ports. What sets the two apart are their factory-set clocks: The OC Edition ships out with OC mode and Gaming mode boost clocks of 1845MHz and 1815MHz, respectively. While the non-OC edition’s clocks are rated at 1755MHz and 1725MHz.

ASUS says that the ASUS RTX 3070 Noctua Edition is slated for availability sometime in the middle of the month, but didn’t provide an exact date. On that note, the company also didn’t provide local pricing for the card.

Alleged Intel Core i9-12900 Appears With ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme Motherboard

We more or less know what the specifications of Intel’s upcoming 12th generation Alder Lake Core i9-12900K are, but little is still known about the processor’s non-K variant, the 12900. That is, until now.

According to Videocardz, evidence of the 12900’s existence made its way online due to what it says was the carelessness of an engineer at the ASUS HQ. Details of the 12900 sprung up on the UserBenchmark site, along with information of the other components it was tested with, chief among them being an ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Extreme motherboard. That, and a single stick of Crucial 16GB DDR5 RAM, clocked in at 4800MHz.

Changes between the 12900K and 12900 are minimal, the main differences being that the non-K variant of Intel’s top-of-the-line Alder Lake CPU isn’t overclockable. To that end, the CPU’s base and boost clock is locked at 2.4GHz and 4.25GHz, respectively. As for its core count, it also retains the same hybrid 16-cores, 24-threads configuration.

Performance-wise, the 12900 scored 114% in the UserBenchmark test, along with a 214 single-core score and 2510 points in the multi-core segment.

On another note, an image of the 12900KF has also leaked, showing both its front and grid array. Again, it shares nearly identical specifications as the 12900K, save for the lack of an integrated Xe graphics core.

Intel is expected to launch its 12th generation Alder Lake lineup sometime next month but did not specify an exact date. However, a recent posting by MSI suggests that that date is set for 4 November.

ASUS Announces ROG Strix Arion S500 Portable NVMe SSD

ASUS officially announced the ROG Strix Arion S500, the brand’s latest USB-C portable NVMe SSD. The product is the brand’s latest accessory, giving consumer yet another ultra-fast storage option.

Specs-wise, the Strix Arion S500 uses a USB-C 3.2 Gen2 port, capable of maintaining sequential transfer speeds of up to 1050MB/s, while the provided storage is an NVMe Gen3 M.2 SSD, with a capacity of 500GB. Further, the SSD itself uses a Phison controller.

Of course, one of the main selling points of the Arion S500 is its weight: unlike the conventional HDD, this portable storage is made from an aluminium alloy. On top of that, the cover also doubles as a heatsink for the SSD, complete with thermal pads for more efficient heat dissipation.

At the time of writing, ASUS did not specify when the ROG Strix Arion S500 will be available. However, the SSD is already up for pre-order on the brand’s official Lazada and Shopee store pages. Price-wise, the SRP is set at RM559.

Qualcomm Partners Up With ASUS To Build Phone For Snapdragon Insiders

Qualcomm has announced its first smartphone today as a special device for members of its Snapdragon Insiders program. The chipmaker collaborated with ASUS to design and make the phone and it comes with all the latest high-end specs that the chipmaker has to offer.

The company’s first phone is meant to be a showcase for the latest bleeding-edge Qualcomm tech for its loyal followers on the Snapdragon Insiders community. Qualcomm launched the social media platform in March 2021 and they claim to now have 1.6 million members, which is considered a niche group of enthusiasts compared to the social media followings of giant smartphone brands such as Apple and Samsung, who respectively have 6.4 million and 12.2 million followers on Twitter.

Moving on, the phone itself has an always-on 6.78-inch Samsung AMOLED Full HD+ display with a 144Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time. It is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus, has a Delta-E level of less than 1, and a peak brightness of 1200 nits (800 nits outdoor-readable brightness) with HDR10 and HDR10+ certification. As an extra added aesthetic bonus, the Snapdragon fireball logo can illuminate itself.

As for the cameras, the phone has a 24MP selfie shooter and three cameras in the back: a 64MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide, and an 8MP telephoto with a 3x optical zoom, and has OIS and on-chip-lens PDAF.

Under the hood, the phone is powered by the Snapdragon 888 – not the latest 888+, sadly – 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. Additionally, the chip comes with support for mmWave 5G, Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and Qualcomm’s proprietary Snapdragon Sound technology. It unlocks with Qualcomm’s second-gen 3D Sonic fingerprint sensor which is placed at the back instead of an in-display sensor.

Shipping with stock Android 11, the phone with dual stereo speakers has a 4000 mAh battery and 65W fast charging using the included Qualcomm Quick Charge 5 charging adapter. Aside from a rubber bumper and braided cables, the phone also includes the Master & Dynamic MW08SI wireless ANC earbuds. As you can imagine, all this swag doesn’t come cheap and will cost Insiders a whopping US$1499 (~RM6283), with shipping expected to start in August.

On Twitter, Qualcomm revealed that the Snapdragon Insiders Phone will get four years of security updates. XDA also revealed that ASUS not only designed the phone, but will also be handling the manufacturing of the device as well as be in charge of sales, distribution, and software support. Qualcomm said the phone will be available in the US, UK, Germany, Japan, South Korea, China, and India.

ASUS Launches ROG Zephyrus M16 Laptop With Intel 11th Gen CPU, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series GPU

ASUS officially revealed its latest ROG Zephyrus laptop lineup recently, which includes both new and refreshed models. Among the latest additions, one gaming laptop that stood out is a redesigned ROG Zephyrus M16.

Cutting to the chase, one of the highlights of the new M16 is its larger screen-to-body ratio display that measures 16-inches, and is crammed into a 15.6-inch body. Moreover, it offers a four-sided, narrow bezel panel that in turn provides a display ratio of 16:10. Adding on to that, the display has a maximum resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, plus a maximum refresh rate of 165Hz and 3ms GTG response time. Oh, it’s also Pantone Validated and has a maximum brightness level of 500 nits.

On a side note, the M16’s display also sports a super-slim 2MP webcam, which is nothing short of a feat, given how limited space already is on the panel.

Underneath the hood, the M16 is fitted with the latest 8-core Intel 11th generation Core i9-11900H CPU, a choice between an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 or RTX 3070, up to 32GB DDR4 RAM, and up to 2TB of NVMe Gen4 storage. Powering it all up is a massive 90WHr, 4-cell battery.

As for heat dissipation, both the CPU and GPU are connected by six heat pipes, which are cooled by Arcflow fans. Each equipped with 84 blades and feature ASUS’ self-cleaning Anti-Dust 2.0 system. Last but not least, despite all that hardware, ASUS has managed to keep the weight of the laptop under 2kg. Specifically, it weighs in at 1.9kg.

As for how much the ASUS ROG Zephyrus M16 costs, the brand has yet to specify that detail. However, ASUS will be releasing two SKUs of it, one at the end of June, while the higher-tier SKU will be made available at the end of July.

ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQX To Launch In May; Will Retail For US$3000

ASUS recently announced that its upcoming ROG Swift PG32UQX gaming monitor will be available for purchase starting from next month. The monitor is technically a follow-up to the PG27UQ, the primary difference between the two is its size and its new panel.

Specs-wise, the PG32UQX is a 32-inch 4K display, but more importantly, it is ASUS’ first gaming monitor to be fitted with a Mini LED IPS panel. On top of that, the display also retains the 144Hz refresh rate and NVIDIA G-SYNC Ultimate anti-screen tearing technology, as well as the Quantum Dot technology that was introduced with the PG27UQ.

There are obviously other aesthetic changes with the PG32UQX. For starters, the display has a higher peak brightness of 1400 nits, along with DisplayHDR 1400 certification. On top of that, it also sports significantly thinner bezels on the sides and top of the panel. As for the stand, the monitor still employs ASUS’ twisted 3-leg stand, complete with an LED projection of the ROG logo.

The ASUS ROG Swift PG32UQX will retail at US$3000 (~RM12308). At the time of writing, ASUS did not specify local availability or pricing.

ASUS Zenfone 8 and Zenfone 8 Flip Now Official: Coming To Malaysia By End of May

You may have heard of its existence within the past few weeks but wonder no more: the ASUS Zenfone 8 Series is now official. Available in two different models, both of them are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor.

Let’s start with the Zenfone 8 first which is designed for those who wanted a compact flagship-class device as ASUS claimed that this model is made for one-handed usage. Equipped with a 5.9-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display that the company has sourced from Samsung and protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, the screen also has a 120Hz refresh rate, 240Hz touch sampling rate, maximum brightness level of 1100nits, and DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage of 112%.

Available with up to 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, the Zenfone 8 can be obtained with UFS 3.1-based storage of up to 256GB although ASUS has opted for a UFS 2.1-based storage for the 64GB model. One also need to note that this phone doesn’t come with microSD support, so plan your choice accordingly.

In terms of photography, the Zenfone 8 relies on its 64MP main camera which features the Sony IMX686 sensor alongside a 12MP ultra-wide camera which contains a Sony IMX363 sensor. As for its selfie camera, it is equipped with a 12MP Sony IMX663 sensor and autofocus capability just like the phone two rear cameras.

The 169g phone also has a 4000mAH battery that supports Quick Charge 4.0 and USB PD standards. Price-wise, the Zenfone 8 will be released in Europe for EUR 599 (~RM 3,000) although we expect it to be made available in Malaysia with a much lower price tag.

Meanwhile, there is also the Zenfone 8 Flip which as you might able to guess from its name, comes with a flip-up camera. The tri-camera module is motorized and users are able to utilize it as a selfie camera too.

The main camera within the module is equipped with a 64MP Sony IMX686 sensor and f/1.8 lens while there’s also an ultra-wide camera with a 12MP Sony IMX363 sensor as well as an 8MP telephoto camera that has 3x optical zoom and 12x total zoom. ASUS has also provided an extra protection layer on the module by putting a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top of the three cameras.

Other than that, the Zenfone 8 Flip carries a larger 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display that has also been sourced from Samsung. Covered by Corning Gorilla Glass 6, the screen has lower refresh and touch sampling rates than Zenfone 8 at 90Hz and 200Hz, respectively alongside a slightly lower peak brightness level of 1000 nits.

The Zenfone 8 Flip somehow only has just one memory and storage option with 8GB and 256GB, respectively. However, the phone also comes with a triple card slot that allows it to support a microSD card with a capacity of up to 2TB – something that is not available with the standard Zenfone 8.

Completing its general specifications is a 5000mAh battery that also supports Quick Charge 4.0 and USB PD standards just like Zenfone 8. When it comes to pricing, the Zenfone 8 will be released in Europe for EUR 799 (~RM 4,002).

For now, ASUS has yet to reveal much regarding the Zenfone 8 and Zenfone 8 Flip’s release plan for Malaysia. However, the company did say that it is currently looking to bring them to our market by the end of May.

ASUS ZenFone 8 Series Leaks A Week Before Launch

ASUS is due to announce its ZenFone 8 series of phones next week, which involves a Mini variant. But it looks like the phones have been leaked ahead of time. And it gives us a look at what exactly the company plans to launch.

91mobiles has obtained renders and specs from serial leaker Ishan Agarwal on the two devices. The larger of the two will be called the ASUS ZenFone 8 Flip. And as the name suggests, this retains the ability to use the rear cameras as the front facing ones from the previous two generations. This time, the camera setup consists of a 64MP main camera, an 8MP telephoto and a 12MP macro lens.

As for specs, the ASUS ZenFone 8 Flip comes with a 6.67-inch Full HD+ 90Hz display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a 5000mAh battery with support for 30W charging.

Surprisingly, the smaller device is simply known as the base ASUS ZenFone 8. The screen is a little smaller at 5.92 inches, and there’s no mention of a refresh rate, but the resolution is indeed Full HD+. Inside, it has the same Snapdragon 888 chipset and 8GB of RAM, but less storage at 128GB. The battery is also slightly smaller at 4000mAh, but it still supports 30W charging.

It sports two of the three main cameras as the larger device, dropping the 8MP telephoto shooter. And in front, it has a punch hole cutout at the top left corner, but no specs on the camera that sits inside.

The smaller ASUS ZenFone 8 naturally has its spec sheet toned down a little compared to the Flip. But it looks like it’s not sacrifices too much to keep its size smaller. As for the missing details like price and availability, we’ll still have to wait until the official announcement next week.

ASUS Confirms Existence Of ZenFone 8 Mini Variant; Launches On 13 May

Rumours of an ASUS ZenFone 8 Mini first surfaced last month, complete with supposed specs of the device. Now, the company has seemingly confirmed its existence with physical invitations being shared with western tech news outlets.

PhoneArena has shared a few images of the invite, which consists of two cards. One reads “BIG IN SIZE”, and a smaller, transparent one has “on Performance” and Compact” written on it. Putting them together then reads “big on performance, compact in size”. This also implies that it would be called a Compact rather than a Mini, much like the older Sony Xperia devices. Naturally no specs of the device were revealed.

The card also has the launch dates of ASUS ZenFone 8 series, which will likely include the Mini or Compact variant. There’s also a web page for the launch event, with the same “big on performance, compact in size” line. Below that is a countdown to the launch event which, for our timezone, is 1AM on 13 May. And it’s just between two to three weeks away.

It’s always nice to see another manufacturer make a smaller device, in a market of six-inch plus devices. Hopefully the ASUS ZenFone 8 Mini or Compact does not differ too much from the larger device.

ASUS ROG Phone 5 Succumbs To JerryRigEverything Bend Test

The ASUS ROG Phone 5 packs a lot of powerful components on the inside. But it may be a phone that you’d want to handle with care. Because as JerryRigEverything points out in a new durability test video, it bends relatively easily under pressure.

The durability test starts off well enough, with the glass over the display only scratching at Mohs level six hardness. That’s about the expected kind of performance from the new Gorilla Glass Victus. But things start going south for the ASUS ROG Phone 5 from there.

As the process continues to the bend test, we see the antenna line being a weak point that gives way to the bending. For some reason, this causes the vibration motor to malfunction. Another bend killed the display, even when the Gorilla Glass Victus remains intact.

Flipping the ASUS ROG Phone 5 to the back, another bend sees the side USB-C port serve as another weak point. This bend shatters the glass back, showing the discrepancy in durability between the front and back glass. While phone makers usually don’t disclose what sort of glass they use at the back, unlike with what covers the display, in this case it’s probably not the Gorilla Glass Victus, judging from the way it shatters.

Of course, no phone is expected to endure that kind of force under normal use scenarios. But as the ROG Phone 5 is a gaming phone, the chances of it happening are higher. After all, emotions do run high in certain situations while gaming.

ASUS May Have A ZenFone 8 Mini In The Works; To Come With 5.92-Inch 120Hz Display

As far as phones go, ASUS is putting a lot of its emphasis on the ROG Phone line. The company hasn’t given up on the ZenFone line though, even if it hasn’t been bringing in the past few models into Malaysia. The company is expected to announce its eighth generation ZenFone this year. But the company may also have a Mini model in the works.

XDA reports that references to an ASUS ZenFone 8 Mini was found in the kernel source code of the ASUS ROG Phone 5. The word Mini itself is not actually mentioned, but instead the phone is referred to as a “small phone”. And what points to the possibility that it will be a Mini model is the hint of a 5.92-inch display. Beyond the size, it is also believed to be an OLED panel provided by Samsung, with a Full HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate.

On cameras, the code indicates that it will have two, one being a Sony IMX686 64MP sensor, and the other using a Sony IMX663. The smaller ASUS ZenFone 8 is also believed to sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset.

This small ASUS ZenFone is referred to with the codename Sake. There are two other devices, codenamed Picasso and Vodka. The former looks a lot like the ZenFone 7. There are two exceptions, one being the Snapdragon 888 chipset, the other is an extra 24MP sensor that’s marked as the front sensor. Details on Vodka remain quite sparse, beyond the fact that it also sports a Snapdragon 888 chipset.

With the dreams of a Sony Xperia Compact mostly dashed, this supposed ASUS ZenFone 8 Mini looks promising. This is especially if you’re a fan of smaller phones. But on the flip side, even if it’s real, chances of getting it here are slim. After all, the company has not been bringing in ZenFones for the past couple of years.

ASUS ROG Phone 5 Pre-Order Coming To Shopee On 19 March

Almost immediately after it was officially unveiled to the world, ASUS has begun accepting pre-orders for its new gaming phone, the ROG Phone 5 in Malaysia ahead of the phone’s release in April. At that time, the pre-order can only be done through physical dealers but that is about to change later this week as gamers will soon be able to pre-order the device via Shopee.

In today’s announcement, ASUS stated that the ROG Phone 5 pre-order on Shopee will take place on 19 March. That being said, the exact starting time mentioned on the listing is 11:59 PM on 18 March, in case you are really eager to book your unit.

Just like the initial early-bird units, gamers that pre-order ROG Phone 5 through Shopee will also receive ROG Kunai Gamepad alongside their new gaming phone. We have confirmed with ASUS Malaysia that the price of the phone for the Shopee pre-order program also remains as RM 2,999 for the 8GB/128GB setup and RM 3,799 for the 16GB/256GB option, despite the inaccurate figures stated on the listing.

ASUS Malaysia’s representative also pointed out that only 400 units will be made available through the pre-order program at Shopee. For those who are wondering about the higher-end ROG Phone 5 Pro and Ultimate models which will only be available in May, unfortunately, the company has no announcement for them at the moment.

2021 ASUS ZenBook Flip OLED Series Now In Malaysia: Price Starts From RM 4699

ASUS today has officially launched the 2021 ZenBook Flip OLED Series in Malaysia Available in two models, one of them is the ZenBook Flip S OLED which the company has claimed as the world’s thinnest 13-inch convertible laptop with a 4K OLED display.

ASUS further said that the Pantone Validated 13.3-inch 4K OLED touch display that it has equipped into the convertible also offers 100 per cent DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage and is also a VESA DisplayHDR 500 True Back certified panel. Furthermore, the display also supports ASUS Pen active stylus which has 4096 pressure levels.

Weighing at just around 1.2kg, the 13.9mm thin laptop is powered by Intel Core i7-1165G7 which is also inclusive of the integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics. For Malaysia, the laptop comes standard with 16GB LPDDR4x-4266 RAM and 1TB solid state drive.

At the same time, ASUS has also rolled out the ZenBook Flip 13 OLED into our market which carries a similar 13.3-inch OLED display but has a lower resolution at Full HD. Nevertheless, the display still has a Pantone Validated panel with similar 100 per cent DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage and support for ASUS Pen.

In terms of components, the Flip 13 OLED has two processor options including Intel Core i7-1165G7 and Core i5-1135G7 although both variants still rely on Intel Iris Xe Graphics as their integrated GPU. Similarly, both variants also come standard with 8GB of RAM and 512GB internal storage.

Weighing at just around 1.2kg, the 13.9mm thin laptop is powered by Intel Core i7-1165G7 which is also inclusive of the integrated Intel Iris Xe Graphics. For Malaysia, the laptop comes standard with 16GB LPDDR4x-4266 RAM and 1TB solid state drive.

At the same time, ASUS has also rolled out the ZenBook Flip 13 OLED into our market which carries a similar 13.3-inch OLED display but has a lower resolution at Full HD. Nevertheless, the display still has a Pantone Validated panel with similar 100 per cent DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage and support for ASUS Pen.

In terms of components, the Flip 13 OLED has two processor options including Intel Core i7-1165G7 and Core i5-1135G7 although both variants still rely on Intel Iris Xe Graphics as their integrated GPU. Similarly, both variants also come standard with 8GB of RAM and 512GB internal storage.

Since both of them are equipped with a 13.3-inch display, the Flip S OLED and Flip 13 OLED may look similar to each other but you can differentiate them by looking at their colourway and chassis outline. This is because the Flip S OLED is draped in Jade Black colourway while the outline of its lid and body, as well as the ASUS logo itself, are presented in Red Copper.

There is also a brushed aluminium deco bar on top of its keyboard area. On another hand, the Flip 13 OLED is much grounded in style and is painted in Pine Grey colourway without any of those fancy highlights that present on Flip S OLED.

In terms of pricing, the ZenBook Flip S OLED can be obtained for RM 6,799 while the Core i7 version of ZenBook Flip 13 OLED goes for RM 5,199. For those who prefer the Core i5-based Flip 13 OLED, it is priced at RM 4,699 and all of these new convertibles are readily available from ASUS retailers nationwide both online as well as offline.

ASUS ROG Phone 5 Goes Official: Features 144Hz Display, Snapdragon 888 and Up To 18GB of RAM

ASUS today has officially taken the drape off the latest iteration of its gaming mobile device, the ROG Phone. Despite being the fourth-generation model, the 2021 release is called the ROG Phone 5 likely because number four is considered unlucky in the Chinese culture.

This time around, the ROG Phone 5 can be obtained in three models which can be differentiated through their exterior features as well as memory and internal storage setup. Nevertheless, all three versions still have plenty of components that they share with each other.

Among them is the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor although this time around, ASUS is not using a speed-binned version of the chip for ROG Phone 5. This is simply because the option is not being made available to the company at the moment, according to its response to our query.

To help cool the new Qualcomm’s flagship chip, the ROG Phone 5 is equipped with GameCool 5 solution that apparently features a new layout to help provide higher thermal efficiency according to ASUS. It includes positioning the CPU at the centre of the layout, so that heat can be dispersed evenly throughout the device with the help of a large 3D vapour chamber and a copious amount of graphite sheets.

At the same time, ASUS has also designed a new AeroActive external cooler for ROG Phone 5 that can help shave as much as 10C off its CPU temperature as well as tone down the phone surface temperature by 15C. Additionally, the new cooler also now comes with two customisable buttons that gamers can utilise for their games.

Speaking about game buttons, ASUS continues to equip the ROG Phone 5 with AirTrigger ultrasonic sensors. On the Pro and Ultimate variant of the phone which we are going to discuss a little bit more later in the article, the company has also added another set of touch sensor on their back which generally designed to mimic the L2/R2 trigger buttons on game controllers.

The ROG Phone 5 is also equipped with a 6.78-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display that ASUS has sourced from Samsung. With a refresh rate of up to 144Hz and 300Hz touch sampling rate, the HDR10+ certified display has a peak brightness capability of 1200nits alongside DCI-P33 colour gamut coverage of 111.23%, sub-1 Delta-E rating, and is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus.

In terms of photography, the ROG Phone 5 Series still features the same camera module from ROG Phone 3 which was also used by ZenFone 7 Pro. It comes with a 64MP Sony IMX686 sensor alongside 13MP ultra-wide and 5MP macro cameras while there is also a 24MP selfie camera on the front side of all ROG Phone 5 Series devices.

ASUS has also retained the front-facing dual speakers for ROG Phone 5 alongside a 3.5mm headphone jack that is being enhanced by an ESS Tech ES9280AC Pro DAC chip. Completing the ROG Phone 5 Series general specifications is a 6000mAh battery that supports a 65W HyperCharge charger which allows the gaming phone to obtain around 73% of its capacity in just 30 minutes.

As mentioned earlier, the ROG Phone 5 Series can be obtained in three different models. Available in Phantom Black and Storm White colourway, the standard variant of the gaming phone features a ROG logo in dotted matrix style with customisable Aura RGB lighting alongside up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 internal storage.

On another hand, the ROG Phone 5 Pro which comes solely in Phantom Black as well as 16GB/512GB configuration is also equipped with a small matrix display called ROG Vision on its back that would output animations during selected system events such as incoming call, X Mode activation, phone charging, and more. Gamers also create up to three custom animations for the display as well.

ASUS will also be releasing the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate that will be available in just Storm White. Similar to the Pro model, it is equipped with 512GB internal storage but with even more memory capacity at 18GB although the company decided to provide this particular model with a monochrome version of the ROG Vision rear display.

As opposed to its predecessor, the new AeroCooler 5 will only be provided as standard for ROG Phone 5 Pro and Ultimate while those who chose to get their hands on the vanilla variant have to purchase it separately. The Ultimate variant will also be accompanied by a ROG Fan Gift Collection boxset that contains a variety of ROG swags such as a cap, face mask, pins, badges, towel, and more.

In terms of pricing, the standard ROG Phone 5 starts at EUR 799 (~RM 3,921) while the ROG Phone 5 Pro and Ultimate will be available for EUR 1,199 (~RM 5,884) and EUR 1,299 (~RM 6,375) respectively. The exact release date for these three models will be different from one market to another but generally, their rollout will begin from this month onwards.

For those who are wondering, yes, ASUS is planning to release the ROG Phone 5 Series in Malaysia very soon. Keep a look at our subsequent report regarding its pricing and release dates shortly. (UPDATE: Here is the pricing for ROG Phone 5 Series in Malaysia!)