The ASUS ROG Phone 3 is the best gaming smartphone, and it’s now available in the U.S.

ASUS on Monday announced that its latest gaming smartphone, the ROG Phone 3, is now available in the U.S., and you can get it through Amazon, B&H, or the ASUS Store for $999. There’s also a version you can get with a whopping 16GB of RAM for $1,099. The phone is compatible with AT&T, T-Mobile, and their various MVNOs, and yes, that includes support for VoLTE/VoWiFi.

The ASUS ROG Phone 3 stands out for its raw power and focus on a premium gaming experience. If all you care about is specs, the device features many of the latest advancements, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus processor with sub-6GHz 5G support, a massive 6000mAh battery, a triple-camera setup, and up to 512GB of storage. There are also ultrasonic shoulder buttons, two USB-C ports, and a clip-on fan accessory called the AeroActive Cooler. These features mean you’ll get a superior gaming experience for titles like PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty Mobile, and more.

ROG Phone 3 features a large 6.59-inch AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate (and a hidden 160Hz refresh rate), Bluetooth 5.1, and integrated dual-band WiFi 6. In other words, this thing is future-proof, making it a great option against other flagships on the market. The device also has an under-display fingerprint sensor, which is convenient in today’s world where wearing a mask has become part of the norm.

ASUS ROG Phone 3 Specifications

Specification	ASUS ROG Phone 3
Dimensions & Weight	171 x 78 x 9.85 mm 240g
Display	6.59″ FHD+ AMOLED 19.5:9 aspect ratio 144Hz refresh rate 10-bit HDR 650 nits outdoor brightness; 1000 nits peak brightness DCI-P3 support Supports glove touch Corning Gorilla Glass 6
SoC	ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC 1x Kryo 585 (ARM Cortex-A77-based) Prime core @ 2.84GHz 3x Kryo 585 (ARM Cortex-A77-based) Performance core @ 2.4GHz 4x Kryo 385 (ARM Cortex A55-based) Efficiency cores @ 1.8GHz Adreno 650 GPU ROG Phone 3: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus SoC 1x Kryo 585 (ARM Cortex-A77-based) Prime core @ 3.1GHz 3x Kryo 585 (ARM Cortex-A77-based) Performance core @ 2.4GHz 4x Kryo 385 (ARM Cortex A55-based) Efficiency cores @ 1.8GHz Adreno 650 GPU (10% faster bin)
RAM & Storage	ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition: 8GB LPDDR5 + 256GB UFS 3.1 ROG Phone 3: Up to 16GB LPDDR5 + up to 512GB UFS 3.1
Battery & Charging	6000mAh 30W ROG HyperCharge direct charging 30W USB PD 3.0
Fingerprint sensor	In-display fingerprint sensor
Rear Camera	Primary: 64MP Sony IMX686, f/1.8, 1/1.7″ sensor, 0.8µm pixel Secondary: 13MP wide-angle, 125° FoV, f/2.4 Tertiary: 5MP macro, f/2.0 Video: 8K @ 30fps 4K @ 30fps, 60fps (main rear camera) 4K @ 30fps (wide-angle) 1080p @ 30fps, 60fps Slow-motion: 4K @ 120fps 1080p @ 240fps, 120fps 720p @ 480fps Time-lapse: 4K
Front Camera	24MP, f/2.0, 0.9µm pixel
Other Features	Ultrasonic sensors for AirTrigger 3 and grip press Wi-Fi 6 — 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax 2×2 MIMO Bluetooth 5.1 (BR/EDR+LE) NFC GNSS: GPS (L1/L5) Glonass (L1) Galilio (E1/E5a) BeiDou (B1/B2a) QZSS (L1/L5) NavIC (L5) 2x USB Ports: Side: Custom USB Type-C Supports USB 3.1 Gen 2 Supports DisplayPort 1.4 (4K UHD) Supports 30W USB PD 3.0 Supports 30W ROG HyperCharge direct charging Bottom: USB Type-C Supports USB 2.0 Supports 30W USB PD 3.0 Supports direct charging Dual front-facing speakers (stereo) with dual NXP TFA9874 smart amplifiers Band Support: A-version: 5G: N1, N2, N3, N5, N28, N41, N66, N71, N77, N78, N79 FDD-LTE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 66, 71 TD-LTE: 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48 WCDMA: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 19 GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900 B-version and Strix Edition: 5G: N41, N77, N78, N79 FDD-LTE: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28 TD-LTE: 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 WCDMA: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8 GSM: 850, 900, 1800, 1900
Android Version	Android 10 with ROG UI or ZenUI

In terms of gaming, the ROG Phone 3 offers a lot of features that elevate the experience, including X-Mode, GameGenie and AirTrigger gestures, AeroActive Cooler 3, Bypass Charging, and more. These features combine to offer an incredible gaming experience — and if you pair a controller with the phone (like the ROG Kunai 3), you’ll never see mobile gaming the same way again, especially with services such as Stadia on the market.

We reviewed the ROG Phone 3 over the summer and concluded that not only is the device the king of gaming smartphones, but it’s among the best smartphones overall. About the only complaint we had is the fact that the device doesn’t feature a 3.5mm headphone jack, which the company said it eliminated in order to accommodate the extra PCB space needed for the external Snapdragon X55 5G modem.

The device runs ROG UI based on Android 10 out of the box, but the stock OS and kernel can be swapped after unlocking the bootloader. ASUS has sent several ROG Phone 3 units to developers on our forums, so if you’re interested in modding this gaming phone, keep an eye out on our forums in the coming weeks.

ASUS ROG Phone 3 Forums

Overall, we think the ROG Phone 3 is the best gaming smartphone of 2020, and now you can buy it in the U.S. The device is powerful, the features are great, and it offers plenty of the market’s latest innovations. Whether you’re searching for a gaming smartphone or simply just want a good smartphone, the ROG Phone 3 is worth checking out.

ASUS ROG Phone 3

Looking to play Android games, emulators, or get into cloud gaming on-the-go? The ROG Phone 3 is the best gaming smartphone on the market, period.

Buy at Amazon starting at $999

You can check out the ROG Phone 3 from the ASUS online store, B&H Photo, or Amazon starting today. You can also pick up a bunch of the phone’s accessories at various prices. We’ll have our reviews up on these accessories soon, so keep an eye out in the coming days!

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