ASUS ROG Phone 9 Series now in PH: Up to SD 8 Elite, better cooling, starts at PHP 39,995

ASUS finally brings its latest gaming smartphone in the Philippines in the form of ROG Phone 9 Series.

ROG Phone 9 FE and Phone 9 Pro

ROG's flagship gaming contenders

Currently in the Philippines, we have the ROG Phone 9 FE and the ROG Phone 9 Pro models. Although the base model was left out for unknown reasons.

The ROG Phone 9 FE

Starting with the FE version, it features identical ROG logo at the back thanks to the AniMe Mini LED lights.

In front it sports a 6.78-inch Samsung E6 AMOLED panel with FHD+ 2400 x 1080 resolution, 1-120Hz refresh rate, 2,500 peak brightness and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection.

Inside, it has a 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip with Adreno GPU, 16GB/256GB memory and 5,500mAh battery with 65W wired fast charging and 15W wireless charging support.

Cameras, it boasts Sony IMX890 main camera with 6-axis Gimbal stabilization + 13MP ultra-wide + 5MP macro shooter and 32MP selfie camera.

Other features mentioned are the 3.5mm audio jack, GameCool 8 cooling tech, AirTriggers and IP68 dust and water resistance.

The ROG Phone 9 Pro back design

Moving to the ROG Phone 9 Pro, it uses familiar AniMe back design and now a flat camera bump on the back. It also includes customizable LED lighting featuring 648 LEDs allowing users to personalize the design and even display GIFs.

One of its highlight features lies with its back display, which can be used to play retro games such as breakout, snake, and invaders.

ROG Phone 9 Pro display

In front, it uses a 6.78-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 1-120Hz LTPO refresh rate, with an option to boost it to 165Hz in turbo mode. The screen also boasts a peak brightness of 2,500 nits, a 20:9 aspect ratio, and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection.

The Pro edition also boasts the flagship 4.32GHz 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor with Adreno GPU paired with 16GB LPDDR5X RAM and 512GB UFS 4.0 memory.

To manage heat effectively, ASUS has enhanced the cooling system. This includes a 57 percent larger graphite sheet combined with a new active cooler with additional thermal material and larger fans.

In the battery department, it is equipped with a 5,800mAh battery with similar 65W fast charging and 15W wireless charging.

For photography, the phone features a 50MP Sony LYT-700 main camera with 6-axis Gimbal stabilization, along with a 13MP ultra-wide sensor and a 32MP 3x telephoto camera featuring OIS.

At the front it also uses a 32MP camera with a 90-degree field of view.

Additional features include a 3.5mm audio jack, dual speakers, and an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance.

Connectivity options include 5G SA/NSA, dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo, NFC, and dual SIM support.

Both devices run on Android 15 with the ROG UI skin.

ROG Phone 9 Pro specs

Display: 6.78-inch Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protected Samsung E6 LTPO AMOLED screen w/ 1-165Hz refresh rate, FHD+ 2400 x 1080 resolution at 388 ppi

CPU: 4.32GHz 3nm Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite octa-core processor

GPU: New Adreno

RAM: 16GB/24GB LPDDR5X

ROM: 256GB/512GB/1TB UFS 4.0

Back Camera: 50MP Sony LYT-700 w/ 6-axis gimbal stabilization + 13MP f/2.2 120-degree ultra-wide + 32MP 3x telephoto + LED flash

Selfie Camera: 32MP f/2.5 RGBW

Battery: 5,800mAh w/ 65W fast charging, 15W wireless charging

OS: Android 15 w/ ROG UI

Connectivity: WiFi 7 (2.4GHz/5GHz), 5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.4, OTG, NFC, GPS,  dual SIM (nano)

Sensors: Accelerometer, light, orientation, proximity, gyroscope, sound, magnetic

Others: In-Display fingerprint sensor, stereo speakers, IP68, AeroActive Portal, cooling system, USB-C, Colors: Phantom Black

Dimensions: 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9 mm

Weight: 227 g

Price: PHP 62,995 (12GB/512GB), PHP 76,995 (24GB/1TB)

Price and availability

ROG Phone 9 - PHP 44,995 (PHP 39,995 discounted price + ROG Chill Case and ROG Antibacterial Glass Screen Protector with PHP 3,990)

ROG Phone 9 Pro 12GB/512GB - PHP 62,995 ( W/ FREE ROG Chill Case and ROG Antibacterial Glass Screen Protector with PHP 3,990)

ROG Phone 9 Pro Edition 24GB/1TB - PHP 76,995 (w/ FREE AeroActive Cooler X Pro)

You may head to the ASUS, ROG and Multibrand Stores across the Philippines to purchase. Buyers may also enjoy a 50 percent discount on selected accessories like the AeroActive Cooler X and Devil Case.

It is also available for flexible payment options with Home Credit's 12-month 0 percent interest rate plan.

What do you guys think?