The ASUS ROG Phone 7 is a gaming phone announced on April 13, 2023. It replaced the ROG Phone 6 and sat below the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. In the US, it went on sale in June 2023 at $999 for the 12GB/256GB version. In Europe, the same version cost €999. ASUS no longer produces this model, and the ROG Phone 8 is its successor.
Design and display
The phone measures 173 x 77 x 10.3 mm and weighs 239 g. It came in two colors, Phantom Black and Storm White. Both use a two-tone back with an RGB-lit ROG logo. The Storm White ROG Phone 7 Ultimate was a separate model.
Gorilla Glass Victus protects the 6.78-inch Samsung AMOLED screen, and Gorilla Glass 3 covers the back. The panel has a 2448 x 1080 resolution and refreshes at up to 165Hz. It samples touch at 720Hz, supports HDR10+ and reaches 1,500 nits outdoors. The IP54 rating covers dust and splashes, but not submersion.
Front-firing stereo speakers and a 3.5 mm headphone jack are on board. The phone also has NFC and an optical fingerprint reader under the screen.
Performance
Inside is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, with its main core clocked at 3.2 GHz. ASUS paired it with 12GB or 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM. Storage is 256GB or 512GB of UFS 4.0, with no microSD slot.
The GameCool 7 system uses a vapor chamber, graphite sheets and a boron nitride compound. The optional AeroActive Cooler 7 adds a fan, a Peltier element and a subwoofer. Two ultrasonic AirTrigger buttons work as shoulder keys in games.
Cameras
The rear has three cameras. The main camera uses a 50MP Sony IMX766 sensor with a 1/1.56-inch size and an f/1.9 lens. A 13MP ultrawide camera and a 5MP macro camera join it. There is no telephoto camera.
The main camera records video up to 8K at 24 fps with electronic stabilization. On the front, a 32MP selfie camera records up to 1080p at 30 fps.
Battery and charging
The 6,000mAh battery is split into two 3,000mAh cells. A 65W HyperCharge adapter comes in the box, and ASUS quotes a full charge in 42 minutes. Bypass Charging powers the phone directly during games to reduce battery wear. There is no wireless charging. Two USB-C ports, one at the bottom and one on the side, make charging easier in landscape mode.
Software and updates
The ROG Phone 7 shipped with Android 13 and ROG UI. A simpler Zen UI style is also available. ASUS promised two Android upgrades and four years of security updates. Armoury Crate manages performance modes. Game Genie adds in-game tools and AirTrigger mapping.
Should you buy the ROG Phone 7?
The ROG Phone 7 suits gamers who want a fast 165Hz screen, a large battery and physical-style game controls. It also suits people who still use wired headphones. However, buyers who value cameras or full water resistance may prefer a mainstream flagship. ASUS no longer produces this phone, so new units are hard to find. Its direct successor is the ROG Phone 8.
