Unexpected, isn't it?

Following the recently released Red Magic 10 Pro series...

Another "true gaming phone" is here!

That's the newly launched flagship gaming iteration from ROG, the ROG 9 series.

Although the promotional rhythm of this phone seems slower compared to competitors' rush to release at the end of October, its unique Anime Vision display and rare AI gaming assistance innovations in the industry make it the most versatile gaming phone to date in terms of overall experience.

(Image source: ROG)

Although the official Chinese version was just released, the ROG 9 series was actually showcased at the 2024 Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit earlier.

Today, we've also got our hands on the real deal.

Gaming phones are no longer as glorious as they once were. Most PC giants have long abandoned their mobile phone businesses. It's rare to see several new gaming phone models released in a short period, and it's uncertain if such scenes will continue in the future.

Let's seize this rare opportunity to see if this phone, which is always the performance king among its contemporaries upon release, can deliver this time.

Subtle yet cool

Let's start with the packaging.

ROG has abandoned its iconic hexagonal design and adopted a more conventional square box. The box features the iconic "eye" logo and ROG letter logo, both in a dot matrix design, hinting at the special product design this time.

(Image source: Leikeji)

Opening the box, ROG excels in creating a sense of ceremony.

The sides of the box are printed with "09" and "ROG Phone". When the lid is gently opened, a mechanism inside the box lifts the ROG 9 Pro up, a stark contrast to the minimalist packaging designs of mainstream manufacturers.

(Image source: Leikeji)

Accessories are still abundant, filling the entire interior space. Besides the phone itself, there's a 65W dual-port fast charger, a dual-port nylon braided data cable, a black hollowed-out phone case, a custom metal SIM ejector tool, a new cooling clip, and a storage bag for the clip.

I enjoyed the unboxing process.

Moving on to the phone, the ROG 9 Pro's design largely carries over from its predecessor.

I have the Shadow Black version, featuring simple lines, a subdued black AG glass panel, and a polygonal camera module, composing the entire back of the ROG 9 Pro. There are no RGB lights or overly intricate line designs.

(Image source: Leikeji)

In terms of grip, at 8.9mm thick and 227g, combined with a smooth, silky back cover, it feels quite good. To offset the abruptness of the metal right-angle frame, ROG has added a waist-in design on both sides of the back cover.

While keeping it simple, the ROG 9 Pro still retains the well-received AnimeVision display with an increased number of LED lights.

(Image source: Leikeji)

Through the on/off of the LED lights, the ROG 9 Pro can display corresponding animation effects for different scenarios, such as screen-on use, game launching, or charging. As long as the user is using the phone, the back display will show animations, which can also be adjusted according to personal preference.

The front of the phone features a full screen, a 6.78-inch Samsung E6 AMOLED flexible display.

The screen size, material, and resolution are identical to the ROG 8 Pro, but the refresh rate has reached an unprecedented 185Hz.

(Image source: Leikeji)

The camera module also remains the same, an irregular rectangle divided into two layers. The main camera lens covers a large area, with an ultra-wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens on the right, all adorned with a red ribbon.

(Image source: Leikeji)

A small detail:

There's an additional Type-C port on the side of the body, convenient for charging while gaming horizontally and connecting to the exclusive cooling clip.

(Image source: Leikeji)

I'm kind of liking it, folks.

Flagship chip, maxed-out performance

Of course, as a gaming phone, the ROG 9 Pro must deliver top-notch performance.

It's powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen4, featuring the first self-developed "2+6" all-big-core CPU architecture, including two ultra-big cores with a frequency of up to 4.32GHz and six big cores with a frequency of up to 3.53GHz, a significant improvement over the 3.3GHz peak frequency of the previous Snapdragon 8 Gen3.

(Image source: Qualcomm)

The entire series comes standard with LPDDR5X RAM with a frequency of 9600Mbps.

Coupled with UFS 4.0 ROM, the core specifications are top-notch.

Combined with the unique centered CPU architecture and Matrix Liquid Cooling 9.0, it's ROG's most powerful performance configuration to date.

With high-specification hardware, cooling configurations, and a series of software and hardware optimizations.

At a room temperature of 24°C and without any additional cooling, my ROG 9 Pro scored 291W on AnTuTu.

(Image source: Leikeji)

The ROG 9 Pro still comes standard with a Cooler Fan, now upgraded to the Cooler Fan X Pro version. In addition to all the classic features of previous generations, it also includes an AI temperature control cooling system that dynamically adjusts cooling intensity based on CPU temperature, enhancing the gaming experience.

In the original graphics quality + high settings at 60 frames per second (fps), Genshin Impact was tested on the Sumeru exploration and boss routes. After 30 minutes of exploration and combat, the average frame rate reached 60.7 fps, ensuring stable gameplay with a resolution of 864P and power consumption of around 4.14W.

(Image source: Leikeji)

In the highest graphics quality at 120 fps, Honor of Kings was tested for 30 minutes of actual gameplay, achieving an average frame rate of 119.9 fps, ensuring stable gameplay with power consumption controlled at around 2.98W.

(Image source: Leikeji)

As for CrossFire: Legends, as advertised by the official, the average frame rate reached 186 fps after 30 minutes of gameplay.

(Image source: Leikeji)

Indeed, this may be the currently unmatched mobile gaming experience.

Comprehensive peripheral configuration

In fact, I've discussed before that the gaming phone market is becoming less popular with consumers for several reasons. Besides the overly intricate early designs, gaming phones are also overly specialized.

To provide consumers with the ultimate gaming experience, they sacrifice many important parameters, most directly the phone's camera capabilities.

Although gaming phones may not prioritize camera capabilities for their target audience, today's consumers often adhere to the principle of "I may not use it, but you can't not have it," demanding more from their phones, including gaming phones.

The camera configuration of the ROG 9 Pro may not be luxurious but is comprehensive enough.

(Image source: Leikeji)

It still adopts a mainstream triple-camera setup. The main camera uses a 50-megapixel LYT-700 sensor with a 1/1.56-inch sensor size and supports 6-axis OIS and Hybrid Cloud Platform 4.0 technology. Next to the main camera is a 13-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and below it is a 32-megapixel telephoto lens supporting 3x optical zoom.

For the actual photo performance, let's look at the sample photos directly.

(Image source: Leikeji)

The actual imaging may appear a bit plain without eye-catching post-processing effects, but the colors are quite pleasing, making it suitable for daily recording. The telephoto lens also allows capturing objects and scenes that were previously difficult to shoot.

The conventional optical fingerprint sensor offers a good experience.

(Image source: Leikeji)

As for battery life...

The ROG 9 Pro comes with a 5800mAh battery supporting 65W wired fast charging and 15W wireless fast charging, which is a conventional configuration for this year.

And for many readers' favorite alien technology—the 3.5mm headphone jack, the ROG 9 Pro has it too.

Summary

As usual, here's a summary of the ROG 9 Pro experience based on the Leikeji review template:

Pros:

1. Powerful performance release and excellent gaming experience;

2. Excellent overall quality and grip;

Cons:

1. Room for improvement in camera capabilities;

2. Slightly larger body.

Price-wise, the ROG 9 comes in two versions: the 12+256GB version is priced at 4,999 yuan, and the 12+512GB version is priced at 5,499 yuan.

The ROG 9 Pro also comes in two versions: the 16+512GB version is priced at 6,299 yuan, and the 24+1TB version is priced at 8,499 yuan, with the latter including a Cooler Fan X Pro worth 599 yuan.

(Image source: ROG)

After some time with the phone, my evaluation of the ROG 9 Pro is simple: It's a flagship gaming phone with an even slimmer and more versatile experience.

In terms of gaming, the ROG 9 Pro is almost unparalleled. Its sincere hardware and years of gaming optimization keep its gaming experience top-notch. Its design is also commendable, retaining the unique rugged look of gaming phones while using color schemes to make it look more mainstream.

Regarding its shortcomings, besides the camera capabilities, its slightly larger body may deter some consumers who prefer lightweight phones. But for avid mobile gamers, these aren't issues. If you need a phone with powerful gaming performance, a good overall experience, and a distinctive appearance, this product is definitely worth considering.