The Asus ROG Phone 4 is dead, long live the Asus ROG Phone 5
Asus is gearing up to unveil its next big gaming-centric smartphone, but even though this (not so) mysterious mobile powerhouse is set to follow in the footsteps of last year's ROG Phone 3, its name might come as a bit of a surprise for folks unaccustomed to Asian superstitions.
As a number of well-connected (and well-informed) tipsters and insiders recently predicted, the digit 4 will be skipped to ensure potential buyers in countries like China and Taiwan are not instantly put off by the fast-approaching handset.
The official Asus ROG Phone 5 moniker was casually confirmed by the Taiwan-based company itself earlier today, and although no new info is provided on this highly anticipated device, there are actually not a lot of important questions left unanswered.
Just like its predecessor, the ROG Phone 5 is widely expected to throw everything but the kitchen sink at Android power users in general and hardcore mobile gamers in particular, replacing 2020's state-of-the-art Snapdragon 865+ processor with a hot new Snapdragon 888 SoC and retaining the pretty much unrivaled 6,000mAh battery. The best smartphone chipset in the world will naturally be paired with the greatest memory options, capping off at 16GB RAM while accommodating up to 512 gigs of data internally.
Contrary to initial speculation, the next-gen beast is all but guaranteed to look an awful lot like its forerunners on the outside, with the same old bezels surrounding a silky smooth AMOLED screen that could grow from 6.59 to roughly 6.8 inches in diagonal. Around the back, however, the Asus ROG Phone 5 is tipped to add a small secondary display for notifications, alerts, and special gaming effects in lieu of an iconic RGB logo that served no real purpose other than draining the handset's monster battery.
Another solid upgrade will see the battery support blazing fast 65W charging technology instead of just 30-watt speeds, with the camera specifications essentially being the one major puzzle piece still up in the air. Well, that, the price point, and the release date, although if history is any indication, we should probably expect the ROG Phone 5 to cost no less than $1,000, hopefully with US 5G capabilities on deck.
Unlike the ROG Phone 3, which was unveiled in July last year, the Asus ROG Phone 5 is likely to see daylight as early as March 2021, at least in China.
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