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ASUS ROG Phone 5S and 5S Pro debut with SD888 Plus (Update: EU launch)
- ASUS announced the new ASUS ROG Phone 5S and ROG Phone 5S Pro.
- The new phones are pretty much identical to the ROG Phone 5 series other than the introduction of the Snapdragon 888 Plus.
- These new models will replace the original models as stock depletes.
Update: November 4, 2021 (6:20 AM ET): ASUS has officially launched the ROG Phone 5S in Europe. The gaming phone is currently available in Germany starting at €999 (~$1,158) packing 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. Want 18GB of RAM and 512GB of storage? You’ll have to fork out €1,299 for the range-topping config.
Original article: August 16, 2021 (5 AM ET): Earlier this year, we saw the launch of the ASUS ROG Phone 5 along with its Pro and Ultimate counterparts. The series is now arguably the gold standard when it comes to gaming phones.
Now, though, ASUS is upping the ante — slightly. With the brand new ASUS ROG Phone 5S series, we see essentially the same phones we saw earlier but with two relatively minor upgrades.
See also: Our original ASUS ROG Phone 5 review
The biggest change is the introduction of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Plus chipset. This overclocked version of the original Snapdragon 888 is better on paper, but real-world returns won’t mean much. Outside of this chipset upgrade, the only other change is the introduction of a faster touch response rate. These new devices hit a 360Hz rate, which is nominally better than the 300Hz rate on the original models.
Outside of those two changes, you won’t find much else different. Check out a spec comparison below. ASUS didn’t divulge to us when you can buy the phone nor how much it would cost, but we imagine it will be the same price as the current line-up. ASUS did confirm that these new models will replace the existing models as stock depletes.
Specs: ASUS ROG Phone 5S vs ROG Phone 5
| ROG Phone 5 | ROG Phone 5S | |
|---|---|---|
Display | ROG Phone 5 6.78-inch AMOLED 20.4:9 ratio 2,448 x 1,080 395ppi 144Hz display refresh rate 300Hz touch sample rate 1ms response time HDR10+ Gorilla Glass Victus | ROG Phone 5S 6.78-inch AMOLED 20.4:9 ratio 2,448 x 1,080 395ppi 144Hz display refresh rate 360Hz touch sample rate 1ms response time HDR10+ Gorilla Glass Victus |
Rear display | ROG Phone 5 None (RGB Logo) | ROG Phone 5S None (RGB Logo) |
Processor | ROG Phone 5 Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 2.84GHz | ROG Phone 5S Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Plus 3GHz |
GPU | ROG Phone 5 Adreno 660 | ROG Phone 5S Adreno 660 |
RAM | ROG Phone 5 Min: 8GB Max: 16GB | ROG Phone 5S Min: 8GB Max: 16GB |
Storage | ROG Phone 5 Min: 128GB Max: 256GB No microSD slot | ROG Phone 5S Min: 128GB Max: 256GB No microSD slot |
Battery/power | ROG Phone 5 6,000mAh (2 x 3,000mAh cells) 65W wired charging Charger included No wireless charging | ROG Phone 5S 6,000mAh (2 x 3,000mAh cells) 65W wired charging Charger included No wireless charging |
Cameras | ROG Phone 5 Rear: 64MP primary, 0.8μm, ƒ1.8, 1/1.7-inch sensor 13MP ultra-wide, ƒ2.4, 125-degree FoV 5MP macro, ƒ2.0 Front: 24MP, 0.9μm, ƒ2.45 | ROG Phone 5S Rear: 64MP primary, 0.8μm, ƒ1.8, 1/1.7-inch sensor 13MP ultra-wide, ƒ2.4, 125-degree FoV 5MP macro, ƒ2.0 Front: 24MP, 0.9μm, ƒ2.45 |
IP rating | ROG Phone 5 None | ROG Phone 5S None |
Audio | ROG Phone 5 3.5mm headphone port HyperStream II Quad-DAC Dual front-facing speakers Bluetooth 5.2 LDAC + aptX support | ROG Phone 5S 3.5mm headphone port HyperStream II Quad-DAC Dual front-facing speakers Bluetooth 5.2 LDAC + aptX support |
Ports | ROG Phone 5 Side-mounted USB-C port Bottom USB-C port 3.5mm port Dual-SIM, dual-standby (DSDS) | ROG Phone 5S Side-mounted USB-C port Bottom USB-C port 3.5mm port Dual-SIM, dual-standby (DSDS) |
Wireless | ROG Phone 5 Wi-Fi 6E support IEEE 802.11 a, b, g, n, ca, ax Bluetooth 5.2 NFC support | ROG Phone 5S Wi-Fi 6E support IEEE 802.11 a, b, g, n, ca, ax Bluetooth 5.2 NFC support |
Extra sensors | ROG Phone 5 Air Triggers 5 | ROG Phone 5S Air Triggers 5 |
Software | ROG Phone 5 Android 11 ROG UI or ZenUI | ROG Phone 5S Android 11 ROG UI or ZenUI |
Dimensions and weight | ROG Phone 5 172.8 x 77.2 x 10.29mm 238g | ROG Phone 5S 172.8 x 77.2 x 10.29mm 238g |
Colors | ROG Phone 5 Phantom Black Storm White | ROG Phone 5S Phantom Black Storm White |