The gamer-centric Asus ROG Phone range boasts impressive specs including screens with high refresh rates, but what should you expect from the latest addition to the line-up when it finally arrives?
We take a look at all the rumours surrounding the Asus ROG Phone 4.
When will the Asus ROG Phone 4 be released?
While we’re yet to get a release date for the new Asus ROG Phone 4, Asus has teased the device via Chinese social network Weibo – so when should we expect the announcement?
The Asus ROG Phone 3 was announced in July 2020 and was officially released in the USA in September.
Sadly, Asus has elected not to make the model available in the UK. The previous model also launched in September (2019), so it looks likely that the Asus ROG Phone 4 will follow suit, although it’s unclear whether the new handset will make it to British shores.
If you don’t want to wait to see if Asus takes the same attitude as it did with the ROG Phone 3, you can check out our chart of the best gaming phones to find an alternative.
How much will the Asus ROG Phone 4 cost?
One thing’s for certain, it won’t be cheap. The ROG Phone 3 had an RRP of €999 (which is around £900) in Europe and $1000 in the USA for the base model that came with 12GB RAM and 512GB storage, while the 16GB version cost €1099 (approx. £1000) or $1100.
This made the Asus ROG Phone 3 quite a bit more expensive than the likes of the Black Shark 3 (which sells for £539/$599) and the Red Magic 5G (which you can pick up for £539/$579).
Whether Asus feels the need to take on these devices with a lower price is unknown at the moment, so we’d say you’d be best off bracing yourself for another £1000/£1000/€1000 hit on the wallet, then if it’s cheaper you’ll feel like you’ve saved money.
What new features can we expect on the Asus ROG Phone 4?
Information about the Asus ROG 4 is pretty sparse at the moment, with the company not even confirming its existence at this point. Eagle-eyed internet detectives did spot a new device bearing the name ASUS_I005DA on Geekbench, which was added on 8 December.
The ROG Phone 3 had the name of ASUS_I003DA, so it looks likely that this is the successor. The ‘motherboard’ is reported in the test to have the name ‘Lahaina’, which we now know to be the codename for Qualcomm’s brand-new Snapdragon 888 processor.
This makes sense, as Asus prefers to use the fastest chips available at the time so that the ROG phones can deliver excellent gaming performance.
Elsewhere in the test, we see 8GB of RAM installed on the device. This would be a step down from the 12GB or 16GB options on the ROG Phone 3, so this could be a prototype device or has Asus developed some kind of enhanced memory management software?
Asus has teased the upcoming smartphone via Weibo (in Chinese) and promises an upgraded experience, depicting a near bezel-less outline of a smartphone – only the bottom of the display has a slight chin. While some suggest it’s only teasing the outline of the phone itself, the added display detail suggests we could see an almost bezel-less ROG Phone 4.
Separately, WHYLAB on Weibo, served up a convincing spyshot of the back of what’s thought to be the next ROG Phone, which if accurate twists one big assumption: the phone might end up being called the ‘ROG Phone 5’ not 4.
Source: WHYLAB on Weibo
While skipping a number may seem odd at first, in Chinese, Taiwanese and also Japanese culture, 4 is considered an unlucky number – partially due to the fact that the word ‘four’ resembles the native word for ‘death’.
It’s thought to be this reason that OnePlus skipped the number when releasing a follow-up to the OnePlus 3T and might have had something to do with Sony’s Xperia Z4 releasing as the Xperia Z3+ in some markets. As such, it’s not out-of-the-question that Asus’ next ROG Phone launches with a ‘5’ at the end of its name instead of a ‘4’; as the graphic on the back of the phone in the spyshot alludes to.
This shot also highlights that that phone’s triple rear camera arrangement features a 64Mp quad Bayer sensor (which implies 4-to-1 pixel binning) and shows off a new red hardware button in the bottom right corner, that’s assumed to activate the phone’s dedicated gaming mode and may also serve additional functionality during gameplay.
As picked up by SparrowNews, China’s 3Cs certification body also has a listing (shown above) for what’s thought to be the next ROG Phone (under certificate number 2021011606363356), which references 5G, battery capacity and charging speeds; cited as clocking in at 6000mAh and up to 65W, if this entry is correct.
There’s no information on any other aspects of the suspected ROG Phone 4, except for the fact that it should ship with Android 11, so we can only assume that Asus will continue with the 6.59in 19:5:9 (2340 x 1080) 144Hz display that helped make the ROG Phone 3 such a gaming beast.
Check back regularly to this article, as we’ll be updating it when more news appears. In the meantime, check out our roundup of the best Android games of all time to keep you busy.
Or if you prefer a larger screen, our best gaming laptop guide has plenty of excellent options.
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