The ASUS ROG Phone 2 launched today in China and unlike yesterday’s global launch, there is a price tag.
The world’s first Snapdragon 855+ phone is available in four variants in China. There is a Tencent Elite version which has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage and is priced at ¥3499 (~$509). There is also a Classic Version which also has Tencent Games inscribed on the back but has 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage and a ¥5999 (~$872) price tag. Yes, that is a huge bump in price.
The third version is called the Extreme Edition priced at ¥7999 (~$1163). The RAM and storage for this version weren’t stated but it most likely will be 12GB and 512GB respectively with some added features and or accessories. ASUS says this version will be available in the fourth quarter of the year.
The last version is the e-Sports Armor Editon. This version comes in a custom briefcase with a bunch of accessories including the 30W charger which it seems you have to purchase separately if you are getting the base model. The e-Sports Armor Edition has a price tag of ¥12,999 (~$1890).
At the moment, only the first two are available for pre-order on JD.com. Pre-order runs from today until July 30th while the first sale will begin on July 31.
The ASUS ROG Phone 2 has a 6.59-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 10-bit HDR, Gorilla Glass 6 protection (on the back too), 1ms response time, a 49ms touch latency (lowest on any phone), and a touch sampling rate of 240Hz.
It has stereo front-facing speakers with DTS:X 7.1 surround sound, an NXP 9874 Smart Amplifier, a 24MP front-facing camera, and an in-display fingerprint scanner. A 48MP Sony IMX586 primary camera sits on the rear with a 13MP super wide-angle camera. It also has improved touch-sensitive triggers on the side with better haptic feedback.
The ROG Phone 2 packs a 6000mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging, USB-PD, and Quick Charge 4+. It has Dual-SIM support, NFC, FM Radio, and an audio jack. There is also a liquid cooling system called GameCool II with a 3D vapor chamber. The famous Aura logo is also on the back and is customizable too.
There is a USB Type-C port at the bottom that supports USB 2.0 transfer, Quick Charge 3.0 and USB Power Delivery 3.0. The side-mounted USB-C port supports USB 3.1 Gen 2 transfer speeds (up to 10GBps), 4K video output thanks to DisplayPort 1.4, Quick Charge 3.0, Quick Charge 4.0, and USB Power Delivery 3.0.
Next to the USB-C port on the side is the proprietary port for pairing accessories like the TwinView Dock II, the Mobile Desktop Dock, and the AeroActive Cooler II. ASUS didn’t reveal the price of these accessories.
