Asus ROG Phone 7: what we want to see

If you’re a mobile gamer, then the Asus ROG Phone 7 is likely to be a handset worth waiting for. After all, the Asus ROG Phone 6 and Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate both achieved 4.5 stars in our reviews, and the latter is in first place on our best gaming phones guide at the time of writing.

So, these are seriously impressive phones, and there’s no reason to think that the Asus ROG Phone 7 won’t be similarly impressive – albeit with some all-important upgrades.

We haven’t heard much about this gaming behemoth yet, but anything we do hear will be added to this article. For now, you’ll find what little we have heard below, along with information on the likely release date and price, as well as a list of things we want to see from the Asus ROG Phone 7. 

Cut to the chase

• What is it? The next gaming phone from Asus
• When is it out? Probably around mid-2023
• How much will it cost? Likely upwards of $999 / £899 (around AU$1,490)

Asus ROG Phone 7: release date and price

We can guess that the Asus ROG Phone 7 will possibly be announced in or around July 2023, since the ROG Phone 6 was unveiled in July 2022. That said, the Asus ROG Phone 5 landed in March of 2021, so the company hasn’t been consistent. As such, while July is our best guess, it’s not a guess that we’re at all confident about just yet.

We can only guess at the phone’s price for now, too, but that might be similar to the Asus ROG Phone 6, which started at $999 / £899 (around AU$1,490).

Asus ROG Phone 7: news and leaks

We know that Asus is planning to launch one or more devices powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, so there’s a fair chance that the Asus ROG Phone 7 – or one of the phones in the ROG Phone 7 series, anyway – will use this chipset.

This is the brand-new, top-end Snapdragon chipset, and it’s the successor to the chipsets found in most of 2022’s best Android phones, such as the OnePlus 10 Pro and most regional variants of the Samsung Galaxy S22 line.

That said, Asus has also suggested that one or more of its phones will use the new MediaTek Dimensity 9200 chipset – which should also be very powerful. So, we might end up seeing ROG Phone models with each chipset, just as we did with other Asus handsets in 2022.

Asus ROG Phone 7: what we want to see

Even if the ROG Phone 7 is just a slightly upgraded version of the ROG Phone 6, it’ll have a good shot at being one of the best gaming phones of 2023. But for it to be as good as possible, we’d like to see the following changes and additions:

1. Wireless charging

The Asus ROG Phone 6 is a battery life champion, but neither it nor any of its siblings support wireless charging, which feels like a major omission in a 2022 phone.

There are obvious reasons for that, with wireless charging not being a priority for gaming phones, so Asus likely cut costs and perhaps freed up space for other components by omitting the option. But it’s still a shame that such a standard feature is missing here.

So, we’d like to see wireless charging included in the Asus ROG Phone 7 series, given that these aren’t cheap phones.

2. A more competitive price

Asus consistently makes some of the best gaming phones, but it also prices its gaming handsets higher than most of the competition.

While that’s just about justified given their quality, it would be even easier to recommend these phones if they were priced a little more in line with rivals. We hope the basic ROG Phone 7 is, at least. 

3. Better cameras

We aren’t terribly impressed with the cameras on the Asus ROG Phone 6 series and that’s no surprise, since cameras are often a weak link in gaming phones. After all, taking a photo won’t do anything for your gaming skills.

But while these are gaming phones, we’d wager that most buyers also want to use them for other things – including taking pictures. So, a good camera is worth having, and we hope it’s something the Asus ROG Phone 7 delivers.

4. A QHD screen

One feature that actually would benefit gamers yet isn’t offered on the ROG Phone 6 is an QHD screen. With extra pixels packed in, some games will look noticeably better, so it’s almost surprising that the current models are stuck at FHD+.

For the Asus ROG Phone 7, then, we want a QHD or QHD+ screen. If not for the standard model, then at least for one model in the series.

That said, we’d like to see it made possible to dial down to a 1080p resolution if preferred, since that comes with battery life and potentially performance improvements.

5. An optionally low-key design

Gaming phones tend to have quite flashy, garish designs, with chunky builds, LED lights, and a look that generally screams ‘gaming phone.’

That’s probably ideal for some people, but there are other gamers who’d sooner have a more subtle smartphone.

Just because it’s a gaming phone, it doesn’t mean it needs to look like one, so for the Asus ROG Phone 7, we’d like to see a low-key design offered as an option alongside the inevitable LED-loaded variants.

If Asus heeds our wishes and adds all of the above to the Asus ROG Phone 7, the handset could end up being more than just one of the best gaming phones – it could be one of the best phones of 2023, period.