Next-gen Asus ROG Phone leaks out in the wild
Well, that was fast. Asus barely kicked off the buzz-building campaign for its next hardcore gaming-friendly smartphone on Chinese social media a few days ago, and the mysterious upcoming mobile powerhouse is... mysterious no more.
While a number of key specs and features, as well as things like an official announcement date, commercial release schedule, and recommended pricing, are still under wraps, the design of the highly anticipated (by some) ROG Phone 3 sequel is essentially an open book following a leaked live picture and short hands-on video.
Despite speculation (sparked by Asus itself) calling for a radical 2021 redesign of the company's first three gaming-centric handsets, with a more generic front panel almost completely devoid of bezels, it looks like the ROG Phone 4 will carry on the legacy of its decidedly unconventional forerunners after all.
That being said, there's a good chance this bad boy will be dubbed the Asus ROG Phone 5, skipping a digit that's generally considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures and potentially bringing a couple of fairly important visual changes to the table to give the impression of a major overall upgrade.
We're talking primarily about the addition of a small secondary display on the back of the undoubtedly robust and bulky phone, which could be used for things like notifications, alerts, and special gaming effects. This just so happens to be located next to an "05" inscription, most likely replacing the eye-catching but largely useless RGB logo found on the rear of all three previous ROG Phone generations.
The Asus ROG Phone 4 (or ROG Phone 5) also seems set to come with some sort of a flashy red-coated shoulder button, suggesting the gaming focus will be increased rather than reduced. If that's true (and it probably is), it shouldn't come as a shock that the company apparently plans to keep those screen bezels nice and thick (by 2021 flagship standards), providing both solid grip and a stellar pair of front-firing stereo speakers.
Basically, Asus has no intention to fix what ain't broke, which most likely goes for the 6.6-inch flat display and massive 6,000mAh battery of the ROG Phone 3 as well. Said gargantuan cell is expected to be equipped with similarly impressive 65W fast charging capabilities this time around, mind you, with a state-of-the-art Snapdragon 888 processor also found under the presumptive hood of the next-gen ROG Phone.
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