With the third-generation ROG Phone right around the corner, we don’t expect a lot of interest to be lingering on among hardcore mobile gamers for the first edition of this absolute powerhouse that Asus released all the way back in 2018.
But it doesn’t take a psychic to predict the 5G-enabled Asus ROG Phone 3 will probably start at over a thousand bucks in the US with an overclocked Snapdragon 865 processor under the hood and three cameras slapped on its back, which makes the OG ROG Phone a very compelling value proposition at the low price of $349.99.
That may not sound like a huge discount over the 400 bucks charged by Microsoft for the same handset more than six months ago, but that was actually the entry-level 128GB storage variant and now you can buy the digital hoarder-friendly 512 gig configuration at $350.
We’re talking about brand-new, unused, unopened, and undamaged units sold in their original packaging with unlocked support for all major US carriers, mind you, and in case you’re wondering, this same exact version of 2018’s Asus ROG Phone looked like a pretty decent Cyber Monday 2019 deal at $650.
For $300 less than that, you can once again shop on Microsoft’s official eBay Outlet Store and score one of the all-around best and fastest sub-$400 mobile devices in the world right now with absolutely no strings attached.
Apart from a decidedly unconventional design that you can choose to love or hate depending on your fondness of aggressive-looking gaming gear, the first-gen Asus ROG Phone has a Snapdragon 845 SoC going for it, as well as a generous 8GB RAM count, smooth 90Hz 6-inch AMOLED display, decently sized 4,000mAh battery with fast charging support, super-powerful front-firing stereo speakers, and yes, even a headphone jack that the ROG Phone 3 is expected to do without.
Granted, the camera performance is not on par with most modern high-enders, and we wouldn’t hold our breath for an official Android 10 update, but at $350, the processor, memory, and storage space alone make the ROG Phone an outright steal.
