Why is the ASUS ROG Phone, Expensive? – Explained

ASUS invited us over to take a look at two of their upcoming products for the Malaysian Market – The TUF Gaming FX505 and the ROG Phone. This phone is a hypebeast for all it is. It screams gamer in every way possible. While we may not know the final retail price for the Malaysian Market, looking at the price where it was unveiled at Hong Kong, shows that it is a pricey phone. But why? What makes it expensive?

We were lucky enough to take a look at some of the things that general consumer gets the access to.

Number 1: Designing the Phone itself

ASUS Malaysia showcased 4 of their prototype named Project Jedi, also known as the ROG Phone. These were actually the 4 finalized prototype – which means they had other designs too – and only one will be chosen to be the final design. Let’s take a look at each finalized design that they designed. First is the Humanoid Robot – which obviously is inspired from robot. The camera is located smack right at the top middle part and has a different look to it.

Following that, there’s Stealth Aircraft – Now, this design is inspired by fighter Jets and how simple yet power it looks at the same time. You’ll notice that the ROG Logo is located at the side and not in the middle. The camera’s position isn’t the same either. Third is the Tactical Knife. We have seen how a Tactical Knife looks. And looking at the phone, you’ll realize how it looks. Finally, there’s Super Car – which I like personally.

You’ll see how much thought process has went into this and with that said, Asus went with the Tactical Knife design. Not only the design of the phone is unique and stands out from every other smartphone. It also has a thoughtful design. The feel in the hand and comfort. This shows, how much they’ve invested in making – not just any phone but The Phone.

Number 2: What’s Under the Hood

Now, in order to make a gaming phone what it is – the inside of the phone should match the performance what the phone is about to offer. The ROG Phone has a rather interesting cooling system – it’s called the VaporCooling System. What this does is that, it offers a much better heat dissipation, better thermals and improved performance.

The VaporCooling comprises of various parts. First is the Ultra-Thin Cooling Pad that can be seen on the phone itself in a black finish. Initially, ASUS HQ designed the Lift Cooling Structure in different material – Aluminum, Metal. But, they went for another material instead, that’s Nickel. Generally, when it comes to thermal conductivity on a PC Water blocks or heatsink, Nickel tends to prevent Corrosion and also gives a nicer aesthetic look – in this case, they went with Nickel for the looks. Then under that, we’ll find a Carbon Cooling Pad, Copper Heat Spreader, a 3D Vapor Chamber and finally another Carbon Cooling Pad.

It doesn’t end there. The specification like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 clocked in at 2.96GHz, 8GB RAM, Upto 512GB Storage, Support for 802.11 ad WiFi – not only makes the phone future proof enough but also expensive.

Number 3: The Build Quality

Asus decided to craft the ROG Phone with a single block of Metal – making it a lot more durable. Not just that, the phone has a 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 6 on the front and a 3D Corning Gorilla Glass on the back. This does not only give a visually appealing look but it also feels nice in the hand.

There you have it. The Asus ROG Phone sure is going to be one heck of a game changer – especially in the Malaysian Market, knowing the fact that there’s no other gaming centric smartphone as this available in Malaysia. We have no confirmation on the pricing but Asus will be revealing the final price tag of the phone on the 22nd October – so stay tuned for that. If you want to attend, you could even apply as a fan and see the phone with your very own eyes.

Huge thanks to Asus Malaysia for inviting us over for the Media Briefing as it sure does mean a lot to us. 🙂