ROG Phone 9 Pro: The Perfect Fusion of Extreme Performance and Fun

ROG Phone 9 Pro: The Perfect Fusion of Extreme Performance and FunWith the increasingly fierce competition in China's smartphone market, gaming phones, once highly popular, have gradually declined, with only a few brands remaining. However, the ROG Phone, a "belief" for gamers, remains steadfast

ROG Phone 9 Pro: The Perfect Fusion of Extreme Performance and Fun

With the increasingly fierce competition in China's smartphone market, gaming phones, once highly popular, have gradually declined, with only a few brands remaining. However, the ROG Phone, a "belief" for gamers, remains steadfast. The launch of the ROG Phone 9 Pro (hereinafter referred to as ROG9 Pro) might reveal the secret to its enduring appeal. The ROG9 Pro boasts the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform, but it's not just about hardware stacking. ROG's pursuit of extreme performance is evident in its aggressive tuning strategy, complemented by 9600MHz LPDDR5X and UFS 4.0, pushing performance to the limit.

The ROG9 Pro adopts a centered SoC architecture, placing the processor in the center of the phone for improved heat dissipation. The top-spec 24GB+1TB version even features the AeroActive Cooler XPro, further enhancing cooling performance. An additional charging port on the left side allows gamers to play while charging, delivering an unparalleled gaming experience. Furthermore, the ROG9 Pro is the first to feature a 185Hz refresh rate screen, providing unprecedented smooth game visuals and responsive controls, perfectly adapting to the high-frame-rate trend of future games.

The ROG9 Pro's design retains the classic look of its predecessors, with its iconic Fearless Eye and slanted lines remaining impressive. However, the rear AniMe Matrix display has been significantly upgraded with numerous new features, offering users a richer and more personalized experience. In terms of imaging, the ROG9 Pro's main camera has been upgraded to the latest Sony IMX766 sensor, with optimized power consumption. Coupled with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, photography performance has been significantly improved. The well-received 3X telephoto lens from the previous generation is also retained. The large 5800mAh battery capacity, an improvement over its predecessor, can meet daily needs, and with 65W fast charging, it ensures quick recharging and long-lasting battery life.

We will conduct a comprehensive in-depth review of the ROG9 Pro, covering its appearance, rear screen features, performance and gaming, imaging, and battery life.

II. Appearance: Straight Screen Design and Matte Glass Body, Built for Gaming

The overall appearance of the ROG9 Pro continues the design style of its predecessors, showcasing a cool cyberpunk aesthetic with the iconic Fearless Eye and slanted lines, making it highly recognizable. The 6.78-inch straight screen provides a more immersive gaming experience with a wider field of view and more comfortable grip, perfect for extended gaming sessions.

The back of the phone features a nano-level matte glass material, offering a smooth and delicate touch. More importantly, it effectively prevents fingerprint smudges, keeping the phone clean even when playing games for extended periods with sweaty hands. The front features a 6.78-inch Samsung E6 AMOLED flexible screen with a resolution of 2400x1080 and a peak brightness of 2500 nits, ensuring clear game visuals even under direct sunlight.

The entire series features a 185Hz ultra-high refresh rate, delivering an unprecedented smooth gaming experience. Combined with LTPO technology, it effectively reduces power consumption during daily use, extending battery life. The bottom of the phone houses a 3.5mm headphone jack, speakers, SIM card slot, and a Type-C charging port. An additional charging port is also located on the left side, allowing users to play and charge simultaneously, and it can also connect to the AeroActive Cooler XPro for enhanced cooling. The ROG9 Pro supports up to 65W fast charging and comes standard with a 65W fast charging kit and AeroActive Cooler XPro. The box includes two phone cases, the ROG9 Pro phone, AeroActive Cooler XPro, 65W power adapter, C to C data cable, warranty card, instructions, and the AeroActive Cooler XPro packaging bag.

III. Rear Screen Features: AniMe Matrix Display, Personalized Experience Upgraded

The AniMe Matrix display on the back of the ROG9 Pro is upgraded to 648 Mini-LED beads, more than double the number of the previous generation ROG8 Pro. The new features are impressive. First, the system includes fun mini-games like Snake and Airplane War, controllable via the ultrasonic shoulder buttons on the side of the phone.

Additionally, users can customize text input and display it on the AniMe Matrix screen, catering to the needs of DIY enthusiasts. Even more exciting is the support for uploading 266x247 resolution GIF animations, transforming the back of the phone into a personalized screen, greatly enhancing fun and style. Of course, conventional notification alerts, battery level display, and weather information can still be displayed on the AniMe Matrix screen, providing richer and clearer information display.

IV. Performance and Gaming: Aggressive Tuning, Maximum Performance and Cooling

The ROG9 Pro is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform, using TSMC's second-generation 3nm process technology. Compared to its predecessor, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 offers significant performance improvements. Its all-large-core architecture design features two 4.32GHz ultra-high-frequency super cores using the self-developed Oryon architecture, coupled with six 3.53GHz large cores, delivering powerful performance output. The 24MB total CPU cache (super cores share 12MB L2 cache, performance cores share 12MB L2 cache) further improves energy efficiency.

The new process and architecture allow the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 to achieve up to a 45% increase in single-core performance, up to a 45% increase in multi-core performance, and a 44% reduction in power consumption. The Adreno 830 GPU's overall performance has improved by 40%, power consumption has decreased by 40%, and ray tracing performance has increased by 35%, easily handling various large-scale games.

Benchmark Performance Tests

The AnTuTu benchmark score reached a staggering 3.14 million, far exceeding mainstream Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phones. In Geekbench 6, the single-core score was 3120, and the multi-core score reached 9905. GFXBench 1080P continuous test results are as follows:

• Aztec Ruins OpenGL: 246FPS

• Aztec Ruins Vulkan: 313FPS

• Car Chase: 201FPS

• Manhattan 3.1 Offscreen: 318FPS

• Manhattan Offscreen: 482FPS

• T-Rex Offscreen: 731FPS

These benchmark results fully demonstrate the ROG9 Pro's aggressive tuning strategy.

Game Tests

In the game testing phase, we enabled the ROG9 Pro's X mode to achieve optimal gaming performance. We tested the popular mobile games "Honor of Kings," "CrossFire: Legends," "Genshin Impact," and "Honkai: Star Rail," all at the highest graphics and frame rates (prioritizing image quality).

• Honor of Kings: Average frame rate 120.13FPS, average power consumption 3.167W, power efficiency 37.93FPS/W, maximum temperature 33.5C.

• CrossFire: Legends: Average frame rate 185.2FPS, average power consumption 3.782W, power efficiency 48.91FPS/W, maximum temperature 32C.

• Genshin Impact: (Natlan exploration) Average frame rate 60.58FPS, average power consumption 5.224W, power efficiency 11.59FPS/W, maximum temperature 42.4C.

• Honkai: Star Rail: (Simulated Universe full map battle) Average frame rate 58.45FPS, average power consumption 3.571W, power efficiency 16.36FPS/W, maximum temperature 35.5C.

The game test results show that the ROG9 Pro's performance is stunning, maintaining high frame rates and smoothness even in high-load games. The advantages of the centered SoC design in terms of heat dissipation are also fully demonstrated.

V. Imaging: 3X Telephoto Lens + Large-Sensor Main Camera, A New Benchmark for Gaming Phones

The ROG9 Pro continues the design of a large-sensor main camera + 3X optical telephoto lens from its predecessor. The main camera is upgraded to a 50MP Sony IMX766 CMOS, with a 1/1.56-inch sensor, improving both photographic performance and energy efficiency. The 3X telephoto lens is a 32MP OV32C CMOS, with a 1/3.14-inch sensor and OIS optical image stabilization. The 13MP ultra-wide-angle lens uses an OV13B CMOS, with a 1/3-inch sensor and a free-form lens design, offering a 120 FOV for a wider field of view.

Sample Image Analysis

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