Asus has announced a limited-edition ROG Phone 5 Ultimate. Expected to arrive in the market in May, this handset is being viewed as the king of the pack with 512GB of fast UFS 3.1 storage and a whopping 18GB of RAM. Asus claims it as the ultimate gaming smartphone, and honestly, it succeeds on many levels.

This is Asus's latest attempt to integrate a console-like interface into a phone for a small but growing global audience of mobile gamers. In terms of hardware and software, it provides more power and customization than other large-screen phones. Regardless of which version you opt for, Asus ROG Phone 5 finds a device jammed pack with hardware and software designed to give you the best gaming experience. We can call the handset a full-fledged spec sandwich.

With ROG Phone 5 Ultimate’s design, Asus has gone all out. It has a "gamer" aesthetic to it. The 6.1 x 2.7 x 0.36-inch ROG Phone 5 is heavy but that's the tradeoff of the massive 6,000 mAh battery within. The phone's 6.78-inch display dominates the front, with thin bezels all over. The front camera, which is nestled in the top bezel, has no hole punch or notch. Further, an optical fingerprint sensor is integrated into the ROG Phone 5. The feature works well, but there might be issues with accuracy and false negatives on many occasions during the day. Along with this, the phone features front-facing stereo speakers tucked away at the edges of the top and bottom bezels, and they're some of the best, punchy, and energetic speakers you can find in the market.

The ROG Phone 5 is sold on the fact that it is the ultimate mobile gaming console, with all of the features you'll need to excel in your favorite games, and is a better gaming phone than its predecessors. For starters, with the Snapdragon 888 processor and 18GB of RAM, it's the most powerful option available. In terms of raw results, you will not be disappointed.

Coming to display, the 6.78-inch custom-AMOLED display manufactured by Samsung is the star of the show. It features a spectacular display which is great for gaming. It's big, has great color reproduction, and gets plenty bright. Further, you may select from four refresh rate modes: 60Hz, 120Hz, 144Hz, and Auto.
Depending on what you're doing, the latter mode adapts the refresh rate. For instance, the refresh rate will increase if you're scrolling a lot or playing a game, or decrease when you’re doing more stable activities.

One of the most compelling features of the phone is configuring AirTriggers. These are ultrasonic sensors embedded in the phone which can be programmed to act as buttons, reducing the need to use the touch screen. All the ROG Phone 5 models have sensors along the right edge, so they feel like triggers when you’re holding them in landscape mode. Two additional touch sensors are added to the Ultimate and Pro versions near where ring fingers rest on the phone.

Although the ROG Phone 5 is a gaming phone, it still has cameras like any other phone. You'll find a triple camera setup with a 64MP ultrawide main sensor, a 13MP ultrawide shooter, and a 5MP macro lens. It clicks adequate shots with reasonable colors and depth in perfect lighting conditions outdoors but begins to stutter in direct sunlight. When you compare ROG Phone 5 to other flagships such as the Galaxy S21 Plus, iPhone 12 Pro Max, OnePlus 8 Pro in night mode, the difference is instantly visible. It's almost as if the night mode on the ROG Phone 5 didn't even try.

Weirdly, the location of the phone's ports is one of the strangest features of the ROG Phone 5. The power USB-C port is hidden under a removable (and easily lost) cover on the left side. But make no mistake: the ROG Phone 5 is a big guy. Asus has done a great job with the build quality, making the phone feel premium.

As for the actual phone stuff, the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate is a high-end phone through and through. It’s battery capacity is 6,000 mAh, divided into two 3,000 mAh power packs. Though the ROG Phone 5's large batteries add to the phone's overall size, it's worth it considering how long it can last on a charge. Experts claimed that in the battery test, the device lasted a whopping 12 hours and 23 minutes in 60Hz mode.

Asus also included a few charging modes to ensure that the batteries last as long as possible. For instance, the Steady charging mode reduces the charging speed where the battery will take longer to charge but produce less heat. Scheduled charging is just what it sounds and bypass charging uses the power cable to supply power to the phone without charging the battery. Additionally, it allows the phone to recharge at 65W speeds, but it lacks wireless charging.

The ROG Phone 5 should top your list if you're looking for the best mobile gaming results. Its massive battery lasts an extremely long time, the custom AMOLED display is stunning, and the raw power allows almost everything to be played at 60 frames per second or higher.
But we know no phone is without flaws. The ROG Phone 5 camera is average with night mode as a complete disaster. The images aren't bad, but you may prefer the ones taken by other phones in the same price range, such as the Pixel 5, iPhone 12, and Galaxy S21 Plus.

If you want a massive battery that's extremely difficult to drain or the best gaming experience on Android, the ROG Phone 5 is the phone to get. It is, without a doubt, an engineering marvel. And, you get some extra RGB and gamer flair for your money, which makes the phone stand out from the crowd.