If you’re undecided between Samsung’s $1,300 Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and Apple’s slightly more affordable iPhone 12 Pro Max for your next high-end handset purchase, you might want to consider the freshly released Asus ROG Phone 3 powerhouse as well.
If history is any indication, delivery times could start slipping relatively soon or the unlocked smartphone may go out of stock entirely shortly after its long overdue US commercial debut. In fact, the top-of-the-line 16GB RAM model is already “temporarily” unavailable to order directly from its manufacturer, so if you’re willing to cough up $1,099.99 for that, you’ll just have to wait… or buy the multitasking-friendly phone over at B&H.
The “entry-level” 12GB RAM variant, meanwhile, is available at the time of this writing from all three aforementioned vendors, each of which will charge you the same $999.99. That’s obviously not what we’d normally call affordable, but this is a 5G-enabled device we’re talking about here that packs everything from a state-of-the-art Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ SoC to a gigantic 6,000mAh battery supporting 30W speeds and an incredibly generous 512 gigs of internal storage space.
Perhaps most importantly, the Asus ROG Phone 3 eclipses the 120Hz display refresh rate technology of the likes of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and OnePlus 8T with a stunning 144Hz AMOLED screen measuring 6.59 inches in diagonal and also delivering an industry-leading 270Hz touch sampling rate to maximize your gaming experience.
It pretty much goes without saying that the design of the handset is… highly unconventional, but if you’re into gaming laptops, odds are you’ll find this thing quite attractive, with its glowing ROG logo on the back, somewhat chunky body, and side-mounted “AirTrigger 3” motion and touch sensors.
For a gaming-friendly mobile device, the Asus ROG Phone 3 also features three surprisingly capable rear-facing cameras, including a 64MP primary shooter, and last but certainly not least, the handset can be freely activated on AT&T and T-Mobile, where you’ll be able to achieve both low and mid-band 5G speeds (where available). Unfortunately, Verizon support is out of the question as far as both 4G LTE and 5G connectivity is concerned.
