ROG Phone 7 Review: How well does it run big-name smartphone apps like "Hara-Kami" and "Call of Duty: Mobile"?　Will big game smartphone apps like "Hara-Kami" and "Call of Duty: Mobile" run comfortably?

What are the ROG Phone 7's price and specifications?

• ROG Phone 7 (Phantom Black/Storm White)
• ROG7-BK12R256/ROG7-WH12R256......129,800 yen (tax included)
• (Main memory capacity: 12GB/Storage capacity: 256GB)
• ROG7-BK16R512/ROG7-WH16R512......149,800 yen (tax included)
• (Main memory capacity: 16GB/Storage capacity: 512GB)

• ROG Phone 7 Ultimate (Storm White)
• ROG7U-WH16R512......179,800 yen (tax included)
• (Main memory capacity: 16GB / Storage capacity: 512GB)

In the case of the regular ROG Phone 7, the price varies depending on whether the main memory capacity is 12GB or 16GB. The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate has the same main memory capacity as the ROG Phone 7 model priced at 149,800 yen (including tax), but the rear display has been changed from LED bars to a 2.0-inch OLED (thinner and lighter than LED) display. It also comes with an external cooling mechanism, the AeroActive Cooler 7, which can be attached to the back of the model to further enhance cooling performance. This specification allows users to comfortably enjoy more high-load games.

In this report, we had the opportunity to try out the standard version of the "ROG Phone 7," so we will present a play report after installing and playing several smartphone applications.

High-performance smartphone with 1080 x 2448 resolution and 165 Hz refresh rate

The ROG Phone 7 is equipped with a 6.78-inch AMOLED (organic EL) display. Compared to the "iPhone 13" (6.1" / 1170 x 2532), which I own, the resolution is almost the same, but the larger screen size is more powerful. The ROG Phone 7 has a much larger presence when held in the hand.

The maximum refresh rate of 165 Hz is also a key point. The 165Hz refresh rate means that games with frame rates of at least 165Hz can be played to their full potential, which is especially suitable for FPS and TPS where split-second decisions can make the difference between victory and defeat. The ROG Phone 7 series also has 12GB of main memory for the 129,800 yen (tax included) model, making it easy to handle heavy loads, while the 149,800 yen (tax included) or higher model has an additional 16GB, which is close to the capacity of a desktop PC. This is a combination of a gaming smartphone and a PC. This is the highest level of specs currently available for a gaming smartphone.

The "AirTrigger" feature, a familiar feature of the ROG Phone series, uses an ultrasonic sensor built into the right side of the body to control button operations such as tapping, swiping, and sliding, as well as adjusting the strength and range of those operations by pressing the sensor. This is quite a breakthrough in that the L, ZL, and LT trigger buttons found on PlayStation5, Switch, and Xbox controllers can now be used on smartphones.

Strictly speaking, it does not have a trigger button-like function itself. When pressure is applied with fingertips to both ends of the right side of the smartphone, a pre-set tap or swipe is triggered on the screen. In other words, AirTrigger takes over the screen operations. For example, when using AirTrigger as a substitute for the process of aiming and firing in a shooting-type application game, the placement of each button must be aligned within the range where it overlaps with the AirTrigger's judgment.

Since this function is a pseudo-button created by software, there is no repulsive sensation felt when the button is pressed in, as is the case with home video game controllers. Nevertheless, the ability to use this trigger button on a smartphone is significant. This may be especially helpful for those who play mainly with home video game consoles and are accustomed to using controllers.

The device is also equipped with Bluetooth functionality, so it is possible to play games using a PlayStation or Xbox-type Bluetooth controller. For example, to use the DualSense for PS5, first press and hold the Create button and PS button on the DualSense side until the light bar flashes. Then, flick down twice on the screen of the ROG Phone 7, tap the Bluetooth item, select Advanced, and the DualSense should be detected. The controller will be able to substitute taps and flicks for the controller during games and even during normal use. If you are interested in using a controller to play games, we hope you will find this useful.

Below is a play report based on playing each game title using the device. When you flick down from the upper left or upper right corner of the screen while running an application, a dedicated screen appears to display the operating status of the smartphone itself, so we will also include information obtained from that screen.

ROG Phone 7

View on Rakuten Ichiba View on Amazon.co.jp

Played popular titles such as "Call of Duty: Mobile" and "Genshin Impact

Call of Duty: Mobile

• Operating conditions (approximate)
• CPU utilization: approx. 50% / GPU utilization: approx. 60% / Temperature: approx. 39°C / Frame rate: approx. 60

The first game we tried was "Call of Duty: Mobile," a smartphone version of the globally popular "Call of Duty" series of FPS games that allows players to enjoy fast-paced shootouts typical of the series and features many weapons and maps from past titles.

After 30 minutes of playing the multiplayer mode with the image quality and various other settings turned up to the highest possible level, the frame rate was maintained at 60. There was no processing lag at all, and I felt as if I was playing "CoD" on my smartphone as it is on home consoles and PCs; it is nice to be able to play FPS and TPS games comfortably since the slightest delay in frame rate or processing speed can lead to victory or defeat. In addition, the sound quality was excellent, and it was easy to hear the direction and size of the footsteps of nearby enemies.

The AirTrigger is also a great benefit. Thanks to the placement of the stance and shooting buttons on the left and right ends of the screen, I was able to enjoy the game with the same feeling of control as when playing with a controller. However, the screen of "Call of Duty: Mobile" has many buttons, so if you want to use the AirTrigger, you will need to modify the button layout as a whole, not just the stance and fire buttons.

© 2023 Activision Publishing, Inc.

Fortnite.

• Condition of the model in operation (approximate)
• CPU utilization: approx. 60% / GPU utilization: approx. 75% / Temperature: approx. 44°C / Frame rate: approx. 75

Fortnite" is a TPS by Epic Games that offers a variety of ways to play, including Battle Royale, where a large group of players fight for survival, and Creative Mode, where players can use the crafting function to play freely.

The frame rate is 60 with the image quality preset turned up to the limit. The frame rate limit was up to 90, but setting it to 90 seemed to lower the picture quality preset, so we kept it at 60. We played the battle royale mode several times in that state, and the frame rate remained at 60. Even when using the game's characteristic architecture to fight while building walls and stairs, there was no processing lag, and I was able to play comfortably until the end of the game.

After that, I increased the frame rate to 90. The frame rate was around 75, perhaps due to the fact that I had set the picture quality to the highest level. On the other hand, when I looked at the FPS display function in "Fortnite," it maintained a value around 90. It is unclear which is correct, but it is safe to assume that a frame rate of 75 to 90 can be achieved even at the highest settings.

Other than that, the button placement in "Fortnite" is customizable, so the ROG Phone 7's AirTrigger feature can be used. We appreciated that by placing the stance and shooting buttons in the upper left and upper right of the screen, we could get a control feel similar to that of using a controller.

Copyright © COGNOSPHERE.

© 2023, Epic Games, Inc. Epic, Epic Games, the Epic Games logo, Fortnite, the Fortnite logo, Unreal, Unreal Engine 4 and UE4 are trademarks or Unreal, Unreal Engine 4 and UE4 are trademarks or registered trademarks of Epic Games, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries and may not be copied, reproduced or used without permission.

Genshin Impact

• Operating model status (approximate)
• CPU utilization: approx. 60% / GPU utilization: approx. 75% / Temperature: approx. 41°C / Frame rate: approx. 60

Genshin Impact" is an open-world RPG by miHoYo, known for "Collapse 3rd" and other titles, in which the protagonist and his partner, Paimon, travel through the vast world of Taywat in order to find his estranged brother and sister.

The game is played with various settings turned up to maximum and the device load set to "very high. The frame rate remained stable at 60 while fighting enemies with flashy moves such as "elemental explosions" and running through crowded places such as the lightning castle town and the central city of Sumeru. There were rare drops, but they were minor, as low as 58 or 59. Furthermore, traveling long distances via warp points took only 3 to 5 seconds, not as long as the PS5 version, but at least shorter load times than the PS4 version.

Perhaps due to the open world nature of the game and the amount of information on the screen, GPU usage remained at around 75-80 at all times, which is a slightly high number. However, this would be different for games with photo-realistic graphics, but at least for anime-style games, open-world games such as "Genshin Impact" can be played comfortably.

Collapse Star Trail."

• Status of running models (approximate)
• CPU utilization: approx. 50% / GPU utilization: approx. 75% / Temperature: approx. 40°C / Frame rate: approx. 60

Collapse StarRail" is a new RPG from miHoYo, the developer of "Genshin Impact," in which the protagonist, a pioneer, boards a "star-zooming train" and travels through various ships and planets in the vast universe in order to stop a disaster caused by an object called a "star core.

The game is played with the highest quality settings and the frame rate changed to 60. We headed to Yalilo VI, the first planet visited in the story, to test out the combat and exploration. For combat, the frame rate was stable at 60, even with the load set to 2x speed. Even skills and special moves with flashy effects were performed with ease.

On the other hand, in the central city of Yarilo, Beroburg, the frame rate dropped slightly. When driving through the city, the frame rate was generally between 45 and 60. These results are surprising, since the frame rate did not drop as much in "Genshin Impact," which is an open world game with a lot more graphics than this one, even when moving around the city as one likes.

This is only a guess, but in the case of "Collapsing Star Trail," the density of rendering in a single map may be considerably denser because it is not an open world, or there may be some other such factor. Nevertheless, the frame rate was stable at 60 during the battle, which requires a fast tempo, so overall, this is not a major problem.

This time, we mainly played titles of large titles with large capacities. In all cases, the frame rate remained above 60. The heat exhaust performance was also excellent, and even after playing all titles in a row, the internal temperature was kept low, giving us a strong sense of the performance of this high-end gaming smartphone. When the ROG Phone 7 is officially released in Japan, we hope that you will pick it up and play a variety of major games to experience its performance.

Natsumashi Naoyoshi

A freelance writer with about 10 years of experience. After graduating from a technical college, he worked on articles for major game magazines and strategy books for an editorial production company. After working for a weekly magazine for a long time and rewriting press releases, he recently started writing for Akiba Research Institute and other web-based magazines. Basically an omnivore, he plays everything from RPGs to action, simulations, and FPS.