ASUS launched the ROG Phone 5 gaming smartphone series a few days ago. Some of the devices in the series are yet to go on sale but the company has already started rolling out an OTA update. Besides, ASUS has also released the bootloader unlock tool and kernel source code for the 2021 gaming flagship.

The Taiwanese giant has already opened a support page for the ASUS ROG Phone 5 where it has uploaded the Unlock device app and source code of the device. Last year, the company did the same for the ROG Phone 3. Anyway, it’s worth noting that unlocking the bootloader voids the warranty.

Also, you won’t get official OTA updates from the company as before. That said, since the kernel source is out, we can expect popular custom ROMs to appear for the device in the coming months. Not just this, ASUS has also rolled out the first OTA update for the ROG Phone 5.

The base model will go on sale in countries like India only from April 15, and the ‘ROG Phone 5 Pro‘ and ‘Ultimate‘ versions of the devices will subsequently be available from April and May 2021 respectively. With this speed, we expect ASUS to bring fine-tune the device multiple times before it reaches the customer.

Either way, the rollout is staggered and it should reach the devices that are out there(review units) in a few days. This update brings features like new motion control gestures, Esports Mode, and various optimizations. You can look at the changelog below:

• Enhanced the advanced settings of system modes in Armoury Crate
• Added animation editor for ROG Vision in Armoury Crate. Now supports share and import functions.
• Added brand new motion control gestures in AirTrigger 5
• Added Esports Mode: A competitive mode tailored for esports competitions in the power button menu screen during gameplay
• Added ROG Akira Character theme pack
• Added multiple theme packs in cooperated with popular game publishers
• Added “Upcoming alarm notification” setting in Clock – Sent out 2 hours before the scheduled alarm.
• Optimized Camera user experience
• Optimized system stability
• Optimized ROG Vision
• Optimized charging stability

If you are looking to buy the ASUS ROG Phone 5, you can check out and get it via our GIZTOP for as low as $749. However, if you are confused between the models and can’t decide on your own, you can read our coverage on comparison between the models.

RELATED:

• ASUS ZenFone 8 series details emerge, may include compact ZenFone 8 Mini
• Xiaomi Mi 10S dethrones ASUS ROG Phone 5 to rank No.1 in DXOMARK Audio test
• Asus ROG partners with IKEA to launch gaming-themed furniture & accessories

The post ASUS ROG Phone 5 bootloader unlock tool & kernel source code out, device gets first OTA update too appeared first on Gizmochina.

ASUS has officially launched its fourth generation of gaming smartphones called the ROG Phone 5 series. The lineup includes a total of three devices, namely ROG Phone 5, ROG Phone 5 Pro, and ROG Phone 5 Ultimate. Let us take a look at their specs, features, and pricing in this article

ASUS ROG Phone 5 Series Design

The latest-gen ROG Phone 5 series feature a better design than its predecessor (ROG Phone 3 series). The last year’s phones looked too dull for a gaming smartphone when compared to competitors. ASUS has fixed that with the new models.

As mentioned in the begging, there are three devices in the lineup. Although all three have an identical design except for the color and the secondary screen.

The vanilla ROG Phone 5 features a dot-matrix RGB LED for the ROG logo (similar to ROG Zephyrus G14 AniMe Matrix), whereas the ROG Phone 5 Pro has a color POMLED display called ROG Vision.  The ROG Phone 5 Ultimate also flaunts the same ROG Vision screen but it is monochrome. Anyway, users can customize lightings on all three implementations.

Further, the motherboard now sits in the middle and the 3.5mm headphone is back. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus, the frame is aluminum, and the rear panel is Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

As for colors, the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate comes in a single white color option with a blue accent as well as a matte finish. The ROG Phone 5 Pro, on the other hand, features a glossy black color finish. Lastly, the regular ROG Phone 5 can be bought in either Phantom Black or Storm White color option with a glossy finish.

ASUS ROG Phone 5 Series Specifications

The entire lineup is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC paired with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. The standard and Pro model max at 16GB RAM and 512GB internal storage, However, the Ultimate version comes with a whopping 18GB RAM, just like the RedMagic 6 Pro Special Edition.

On the front, these smartphones flaunt a 6.78-inch FHD+ ( 2448 x 1080 pixels) Samsung Super AMOLED Display (E4) with up to 144Hz refresh rate, 24.3ms touch latency, 300Hz touch sampling rate, and an in-screen fingerprint sensor. This panel has a 20.4:9 aspect ratio, 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, 395 PPI, Delta-E<1 color accuracy, and 800 nits peak brightness. The screen supports HDR10+ and covers 111% and 150.89% of DCI-P3 and sRGB color gamuts respectively.

On the connectivity front, these handsets support 5G, WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and dual-frequency GNSS (GPS, Globass, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, NavIC). As for ports, as mentioned earlier, the devices sport a 3.5mm headphone jack and 2 x USB Type-C ports.

Talking about optics, they feature a triple camera setup on the back consisting of a 64MP Sony IMX686 primary sensor, a 13MP ultra-wide unit, and a 5MP macro shooter. There is also a 24MP front-facing camera for selfies and video calls.

Other features of these smartphones include a grip detection sensor, Ultrasonic sensors for AirTrigger 5, Pixelworks i6 Processor, dual stereo speakers, Nokia OZO Audio, dual Cirrus Logic CS35L45 Mono AMP, ESS Sabre ES9280AC Pro QUAD DAC, lots of gaming-oriented features, and Android 11 operating system with both ZenUI as well as ROG UI. The Pro and Ultimate models also have two additional touch sensors on the back.

All three handsets are backed by a dual-3000mAh (6,000mAh) battery with support for 65W fast charging (included in-box) and Qualcomm Quick Charge 5.0. However, it is worth noting that in some regions, ASUS will be shipping the devices with a 30W charger.

Last but not least, the ROG Phone 5 series measure 172.8 x 77.2 x 10.29mm in dimensions and weighs 238g.

ASUS ROG Phone 5 Series Pricing

The ASUS ROG Phone 5 Series will sell for the following tags in Europe and India.

• ASUS ROG Phone 5
  • 8GB + 128GB – €799 / ₹49,999
  • 12GB + 256GB – €899 / ₹57,999
  • 16GB + 512GB – €999 / NA
• ASUS ROG Phone 5 Pro
  • 16GB + 512GB – €1,199 / ₹69,999
• ASUS ROG Phone 5 Ultimate
  • 18GB + 512GB – €1,299 / ₹79,999

Unfortunately, ASUS has not revealed the pricing for other than these two regions.

RELATED:

• ASUS plans to launch a small and premium Zenfone Mini flagship phone
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• Xiaomi Mi 10S dethrones ASUS ROG Phone 5 to rank No.1 in DXOMARK Audio test
• ASUS ROG Moba 5 series with AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, 300Hz refresh rate launched

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