The Asus ROG Phone 5 has 18 GB RAM, two USB ports, crazy rear screen

Welcome to the world of maximum Android overuse with the Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate! It has two monitors, two USB ports and two … batteries? It’s the latest Android phone on the market available in Europe for € 1,299, or about $ 1,545. This is the sequel to last year’s Asus ROG Phone 3 – a ROG Phone 4 does not take place because Asus is a bunch of tetraphobic.

Let’s talk about these crazy specs. The ROG Phone 5 Ultimate has a 144 Hz, 6.78 inches, 2448 × 1080 OLED screen; a Snapdragon 888 SoC; 18 GB RAM; 512 GB UV 3.1 storage; and a 6000 mAh battery. Eighteen gigabytes of RAM is a new high point for Android phones and (I do not know if it is good or bad for Android) is more RAM than you would get on some laptops. The phone comes with Android 11, supports Wi-Fi 6E and supports 65W fast charging with a charger in the box. There is also an on-screen fingerprint reader, a headphone jack, two USB-C ports and front stereo speakers. The cameras are definitely an afterthought, with a 64 MP Sony IMX686 as the main camera, a secondary 12 MP ultra-wide, a 5 MP macro camera and a 24 MP camera on the front.

Adding the caption is the second screen at the back, which is apparently just for fun. Diagonally at the back of the phone is a small, low-resolution, monochrome OLED screen embedded. There are no official specifications for it, but it looks like it is a 1.7-inch 256 × 64 screen. Last year, the ROG phone had an RGB LED logo on the back, and it also looks like it’s mostly for decoration. There are a number of pre-made animations, such as a motorcycle riding past a city, and it can be programmed with a personal message. One animation is for an incoming call, while the other is for loading, but for actual data, it appears to be. The small screen does not look like it can display notification information or time, like other secondary screens we see on foldable phones. Samsung has done much more with a 1.1-inch screen on the Galaxy Z Flip.

In the computer world, “gamer” brands are automatically applied to almost all the high-end parts and products, so you work better. But for phones, ‘gamer’ is good to sell, because everyone uses the same parts. Asus’ biggest gamer highlight revolves around extra control schemes that you can map in games. In the landscape, ultrasonic sensors in the left and right corners of the phone give you virtual shoulder buttons, while touch sensors on the back of the phone give you virtual “L2 / R2 triggers”. There are also motion control schemes for the phone. It seems like all of these things can be mapped to mimic the touch screen input so you can activate the on-screen buttons without blocking the screen.

Asus’ other game consideration is the dual USB-C port design, with one at the bottom in the regular area and the other one at the side, which can be easily charged while playing in landscape mode. Next to the USB port is an additional connector for an optional fan attachment. The internal design of the phone is very unusual. Normally you get one large battery in the middle of the phone, with the SoC and other main components printed on the top (Samsung) or the side (Apple) of the phone. Asus has two separate 3000 mAh batteries on the top and bottom of the phone, and the main motherboard is the centre of the device, which easily connects the USB port on the side. It also means that the attachable centered fan can do something. The fan is of course aimed at solid glass, and underneath is the rear OLED screen, and dan you hit the SoC. But at least it’s in the right ballpark. The fan incidentally has two more touch points for the game, so between the top triggers, the rear trigger and the two fan buttons, you can have six virtual buttons on the back.

Most of last year’s ROG Phone 3 accessories are supported. There’s the Nintendo Joycon-style ROG Kunai 3 Gamepad, which are two controller halves that can mount to the sides of the phone or slide into a controller grip. There is also a “ROG Clip” phone holder for a Playstation or Xbox controller. The TV dock is different this year, and the ROG Phone 5 is not compatible with last year’s version.

A few lower-end versions of the ROG Phone 5 are available without the rear screen and off-the-shelf specs, but we’re just here for the insane gamer excess. The “Ultimate” model for specifications will go on sale in Europe in May.

List by Asus