With the ROG Phone series, Asus’ gaming brand “Republic of Gamers” (ROG) has also been offering smartphones that are specially tailored to the needs of gamers: large and fast OLED displays, powerful processors with complex Cooling system for permanently constant performance.
Asus is now launching the turbo versions of the ROG Phone 5, which was only introduced in spring 2021: the ROG Phone 5s and the ROG Phone 5s Pro.
Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro – Pros and Cons
Pros
- Large OLED display
- Permanently high working speed
- Good gaming controls
- 5G
Cons
- No telephoto camera
- Display not very bright
Asus ROG Phone 5s: The gamer matrix lights up on the Pro
The design corresponds to the ROG Phone 5: at the front a huge 6.78-inch display (OLED, 2448×1080 pixels), at the back a smooth housing decorated in a typical gamer look with angular decorative and lighting elements. The Pro version comes with a special highlight in the form of a matrix display on the back that shows calls, charging and more – not functional, but who likes it… The fingerprint sensor is hidden under the display, but often reacted a bit late. There is also a simple face recognition.
Processor with an extra plus: Snapdragon 888+
The ROG Phone 5s and 5s Pro come with the improved Plus version of Qualcomm’s 2021 top processor, the Snapdragon 888+. It ensures enormous speed, but compared to the 888 the increase is not huge. In the Geekbench test, it achieved a maximum of 1163/3645 points in several runs. The memory is plentiful in all variants: the ROG Phone 5s has either 12 or 16 GB of RAM, the Pro even 18 GB. The internal data storage is always 512 GB.
Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro: Battery and Cooling
Matching the high performance, Asus includes a fan. You read that right! That sounds exaggerated and almost suggests a marketing ploy. But the addition can be useful: prolonged maximum loads can quickly overheat the small, mobile processors. After all, unlike PCs, notebooks or consoles, they lack an active fan. In the short term, this means performance losses, in the long term damage to the CPU. With the additional cooling, players are on the safe side and get maximum performance over the long term – in theory. And this is how it works: The player clips the element onto the back, and control is carried out automatically via the contact connection. In consultation with the device, the fan regulates the speed up or down and thus cools the smartphone.
Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro – SPECIFICATIONS
General
- ModelAsus ROG Phone 5s Pro
- Released2021
- StatusAug 2021
Design
- TypeBar
- Dimensions172.8 x 77.3 x 10.3 mm
- Weight238 Grams
- WaterproofNo
Display
- Display TypeAMOLED
- Size6.78 inches
- Resolution1080 x 2448 pixels
- Display Colors16M Colors
- Pixel Density~ 395 PPI Pixel per inch
- Touch ScreenCapacitive touchscreen
- Display ProtectionCorning Gorilla Glass Victus
- Features1B colors, 144Hz, HDR10+, 800 nits (typ), 1200 nits (peak)
Hardware
- CPUOcta-core (1×2.99 GHz Kryo 680 + 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 680 + 4×1.80 GHz Kryo 680)
- GPUAdreno 660
- RAM (Memory)16 GB
- Internal Storage512 GB
- Memory Card SlotNo
- SensorsFingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
Software
- Operating SystemAndroid 11 + ROG UI
- User InterfaceYes
Camera
- Rear Camera64 MP (wide) + 13 MP (ultrawide) + 5 (macro)
- Image4320p
- Video8K@30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 720p@480fps; gyro-EIS
- FlashLED flash, HDR, panorama
- Front Camera24 MP (wide)
Network
- SIMNano SIM
- Dual SIMDual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
Connectivity
- Wi-fiWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
- USBUSB Type-C 3.1 (side), USB Type-C 2.0 (bottom), accessory connector, USB On-The-Go
- GPSYes, with dual-band A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, QZSS, GNSS
- NFCYes
- Wireless ChargingNo
- Headphone JackYes
Battery
- CapacityLi-Po 6000 mAh battery + Fast charging 65W + Power Delivery 3.0 + Quick Charge 5 + and Reverse charging 10W + Power Delivery 3.0
- PlacementNon-Removable
Media
- Video PlaybackYes
- Video OutYes
- FM RadioNo
- Ring TonesYes
- LoudspeakerYes
- HandsfreeYes
Data
- 4G LTE1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66, 71
- 5G NR Bands1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA
- SpeedHSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (7CA) Cat20 1400/150 Mbps, 5G 4 Gbps DL
Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro: Conclusion
The Asus ROG Phone 5s is a real power smartphone for mobile gamers. In addition to many special functions for gamers, such as the controls, it scores with a particularly fast processor.
The ROG Phone 5s is a strong technology package with a typical gaming look, as known from other “Republic of Gamers” products – the performance differences between the Pro and the normal version are small. The good news: Even without an additional fan, the performance remains stable over a longer period of time. There are also sophisticated options for gaming control, which, however, require some training.
