Asus ROG Phone 3 price in India, specifications, first impressions and more

The ROG Phone 3 brings several upgrades to the ROG Phone 2 for better user experience. Read on for first impressions, specifications, pricing, and more

The Asus ROG Phone 3 was officially launched in India on Wednesday. It is the world’s first smartphone powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ system-on-chip. Besides, this gaming-centric smartphone brings an industry-first AMOLED screen of a 144Hz refresh rate. It also brings several upgrades to the ROG Phone 2 (review) for better user experience. Here is what you get with the ROG Phone 3:

Asus ROG Phone 3 price in India

The ROG Phone 3 comes in 8GB RAM + 128GB internal storage and 12GB RAM + 256GB internal storage configurations — priced at Rs 49,999 and Rs 57,999, respectively. The Flipkart-exclusive smartphone goes on sale from August 6.

Asus ROG Phone 3 specifications

The ROG Phone 3 has a 6.59-inch fullHD+ AMOLED screen of a 144Hz refresh rate and 270Hz touch sampling rate. The screen claims to have a 1ms response time and 25ms touch latency. It is a 10-bit HDR10+-compliant screen with a peak brightness of 650 nits and 113 per cent DCI-P3 colour gamut. The phone is made of glass and metal, with Gorilla Glass 6 protection on the front.

The smartphone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ SoC, paired with up to 16GB RAM (LPDDR5) and 512GB internal storage (UFS 3.1). However, India will get the 8GB RAM + 128GB internal storage and 12GB RAM + 256GB variants. A 5G smartphone, it supports both standalone and non-standalone network protocols. The phone ships with Android 10 operating system-based ROG user interface. Like its predecessors, the phone has front-facing stereo speakers, powered by dual NXP TFA9874 amplifier chips. The phone lacks 3.5mm audio output but supports Hi-Res audio output through the USB type-C port. With regard to software-level audio customisation, the phone comes with the ROG GameFX for in-game audio experience and new AudioWizard tool with multiple listening profiles tuned by Dirac. The phone, which has four microphones, is powered by a 6,000 mAh battery supported by 30W wired fast charging.

For imaging, there is a triple-camera set-up on the back comprising a 64-megapixel primary sensor (Sony IMX686) of an f/1.8 aperture, a 13MP ultra-wide sensor of an f/2.4 aperture and 125-degree field of view, and a 5MP macro sensor of an f/2.0 aperture. On the front, the phone has a 24MP selfie camera with the quad-bayer technology. The phone can record 8K resolution videos at 30 frames per second.

Connectivity is covered by dual-band WiFi with WiFi 6 support. There is a Bluetooth 5.1 with SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive, aptX TWS+ and LDAC audio codec support. The phone responds to multiple location satellite services, including India’s NacIC.

Asus ROG Phone 3 unboxed

The phone comes in a familiar ROG packaging, with the smartphone, its ABS-made back cover, a SIM tray ejection pin, some reading material and stickers, and a wall charger.

Asus ROG Phone 3 first impressions

The ROG Phone 3’s design does not deviate much from the previous iteration of the smartphone, except that it has toned down some of the flashy elements like the rear air vent, which has been reduced to a minor opening. The phone’s dimensions have increased marginally, yet it weighs the same as the ROG Phone 2 (240g).

As for the user experience, the ROG Phone 3 seems to bring minor but noticeable improvements over its predecessor. Its UI feels smooth and there is a good tactile feedback from the vibration motor. The camera seems to have got a lot better in terms of image processing. The phone’s overall performance is good, too. However, we will hold on our final verdict on the phone until the review, which will be out soon.

Note: The first impressions are based on the phone’s usage during initial set-up, which includes activation of device, sign-in with different accounts, app installation and updates, theme setting and audio set-up.