ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate Review: A Mobile Gaming Powerhouse
ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate Review: Voice, Data, And Benchmark Performance
The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is well-equipped for wireless connectivity. It has a plethora of 5G bands, as well as support for Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3. We tested the ROG Phone on T-Mobile's 5G network, but you'll have issues using it on some carriers. For example, AT&T requires devices to be on its official allow list before they can connect to 5G, and Verizon doesn't promise swapping a SIM into the ROG Phone 7 will get you reliable connectivity. This is a problem for all niche unlocked smartphones in the US, so it's not a failing of ASUS in particular.
Phone calls sound acceptable on our end, but the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate's microphone currently has some capture issues. We regularly had people on the other end tell us the volume was too low or spotty. Using the device as a daily driver, I made regular voice calls with the phone to experience it with various call receivers on the other end. However, the issue was bad enough that I had to move my SIM card to another phone. We would speculate that this bug can be remedied in a future firmware revision of the ROG Phone 7, so we're not too concerned but felt it was important to share our results.
Geekbench is not always a particularly informative benchmark, as it's completely synthetic and OEMs are known to optimize for it. Regardless, Geekbench can be useful as a relative data point. Here, the ROG Phone 7 rides near the front of the pack, showing performance in the same neighborhood as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 reference hardware and the OnePlus 11 5G.
Recently, the Geekbench test has been upgraded to version 6, which has new ways of testing multicore configurations and uses higher-resolution diagnostic assets. Since this benchmark is brand new, we don't have as many data points, but the ROG Phone 7 leads the pack in X-Mode. In normal mode, it falls just behind the OnePlus 11 in multicore, but its single-core score is higher.
In normal operation, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is competitive with other Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 devices, but X-Mode puts it over the top. With the performance cranked to the max, this phone beats even the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 reference hardware in PCMark.
In Antutu, the new ROG Phone again takes the top spot, but only with X-Mode enabled. It beats the Gen 2 reference hardware by a comfortable margin and leaves undeniably speedy phones like the Galaxy S23 Ultra and OnePlus 11 in the dust. Without X-Mode, the ROG Phone 7 only trails Qualcomm's test device by a small margin.
Device makers only started emphasizing AI performance a few years ago, but already we're seeing substantial year-over-year improvements. This time, X-Mode only made a modest difference for the ROG Phone 7, and neither mode outclassed the Galaxy S23 or Snapdragon reference hardware. Still, AI performance is on a different level than devices from 2022 and earlier.
The ASUS ROG phone 7 Ultimate doesn't take the lead in any of these tests, but it's consistently near the top. The difference in FPS scores are so minor as to make the comparison moot. Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 devices are all roughly the same in these tests, with a big lead over year-old phones.
With X-Mode, the ROG Phone 7 runs neck-and-neck with the RedMagic 8 Pro for the top spot. Without X-Mode, the device still performs well, running even with the S23 Ultra and its goosed Snapdragon chip.
3DMark's Wild Life benchmark is newer and more demanding than Slingshot, and it allows powerful devices to shine. The ROG Phone puts up impressive numbers, running just behind the S23 Ultra and RedMagic 8 Pro. But that's with X-Mode. In normal mode, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is almost as fast as the Qualcomm reference hardware. Benchmarks only last a few minutes, though. What happens when you put the phone under load for longer?
For a phone that bills itself as "Ultimate," you might be disappointed it's not smoking the competition in every benchmark. What sets the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate apart is its ability to stay fast even when it heats up. It's not uncommon for a phone to lose 20 or even 30% of its speed after a few minutes of intense gaming. That's not the case for the ROG phone 7. Across multiple benchmark runs in the Wild Life Stress Test, the ROG 7 bleeds off very little performance. Compare that to most Samsung phones, which can plummet 20% after a few minutes. It gets even better in X-Mode with the fan.
ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate: Voice and Data
While testing the ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate on T-Mobile, we experienced no issues with data connectivity. The phone retains connectivity in challenging conditions, and speeds are as good as we would expect for sub-6GHz 5G. There's no support for millimeter-wave 5G here, and at this phone's price point, there really should be mmWave support, even if these ultra-fast networks are still not very widespread.Phone calls sound acceptable on our end, but the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate's microphone currently has some capture issues. We regularly had people on the other end tell us the volume was too low or spotty. Using the device as a daily driver, I made regular voice calls with the phone to experience it with various call receivers on the other end. However, the issue was bad enough that I had to move my SIM card to another phone. We would speculate that this bug can be remedied in a future firmware revision of the ROG Phone 7, so we're not too concerned but felt it was important to share our results.
ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate Performance
The latest ASUS gaming phone is one of a handful of devices that have launched with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. This is the stock version, unlike the S23 family which gets the exclusive overclocked Snapdragon. However, ASUS does have a custom high-performance option called X-Mode. You can activate it with a quick settings toggle or by squeezing the bottom of the phone (it's a little awkward). X-Mode will also turn on when the phone detects a game or benchmark, but you can turn it off if you want. With the cooling fan attached, you get X-Mode+, which makes the phone even faster as it is less affected by heat. Even in standard mode, the ROG Phone 7 is a beast, but with X-Mode+, it's not only fast but consistent.ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate Geekbench Results
Geekbench is a cross-platform benchmark that simulates real world processing workloads in image processing and particle physics calculation scenarios. We tested all of the smartphones featured here with Geekbench's single and multi-core workloads
Geekbench is not always a particularly informative benchmark, as it's completely synthetic and OEMs are known to optimize for it. Regardless, Geekbench can be useful as a relative data point. Here, the ROG Phone 7 rides near the front of the pack, showing performance in the same neighborhood as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 reference hardware and the OnePlus 11 5G.
Recently, the Geekbench test has been upgraded to version 6, which has new ways of testing multicore configurations and uses higher-resolution diagnostic assets. Since this benchmark is brand new, we don't have as many data points, but the ROG Phone 7 leads the pack in X-Mode. In normal mode, it falls just behind the OnePlus 11 in multicore, but its single-core score is higher.
ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate PCMark For Android Results
UL's PCMark for Android is an excellent suite of tests if you want to benchmark a wide range of tasks on a handset -- things like image and video editing, as well as lighter-duty, everyday workloads such as email and web browsing. When you see the test running live, it's clear the scripted application tests are carefully selected and tuned to make use of the each mobile platform in a very controlled way.
In normal operation, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is competitive with other Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 devices, but X-Mode puts it over the top. With the performance cranked to the max, this phone beats even the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 reference hardware in PCMark.
ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate AnTuTu 8 Benchmarks
AnTuTu’s latest benchmark returns a number of metrics ranked with somewhat nebulous scores, rather than frame rates or time to complete. Here we're running the latest version of AnTuTu across multiple Android devices. AnTuTu returns four top level performance results which are all included here: CPU, RAM, 3D, UX (or User Experience), along with a total score.
In Antutu, the new ROG Phone again takes the top spot, but only with X-Mode enabled. It beats the Gen 2 reference hardware by a comfortable margin and leaves undeniably speedy phones like the Galaxy S23 Ultra and OnePlus 11 in the dust. Without X-Mode, the ROG Phone 7 only trails Qualcomm's test device by a small margin.
Device makers only started emphasizing AI performance a few years ago, but already we're seeing substantial year-over-year improvements. This time, X-Mode only made a modest difference for the ROG Phone 7, and neither mode outclassed the Galaxy S23 or Snapdragon reference hardware. Still, AI performance is on a different level than devices from 2022 and earlier.
ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate Graphics And Gaming Benchmarks Results
Now, let's take a look at how the ROG Phone stacks up in GFXBench, which has been one of the standard mobile graphics/gaming performance benchmarks for years. To ensure that display refresh (v-sync) and resolution aren't limiting factors, we're comparing off-screen test results here. GFXBench tests OpenGL ES graphics workloads and we're specifically testing OpenGL ES 2.0 and 3.0, as well as Vulkan in the latest iterations.
The ASUS ROG phone 7 Ultimate doesn't take the lead in any of these tests, but it's consistently near the top. The difference in FPS scores are so minor as to make the comparison moot. Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 devices are all roughly the same in these tests, with a big lead over year-old phones.
ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate 3DMark Slingshot Tests
UL's 3DMark Sling Shot is a newer benchmark module that's been added to the 3DMark mobile suite. Unlike previous gen 3DMark mobile tests, Sling Shot is a much more advanced OpenGL ES 3.1 and Metal API-based benchmark that employs more advanced rendering techniques, like volumetric lighting, particle illumination, multiple render targets, instanced rendering, uniform buffers and transform feedback. We're running this test in off-screen mode once again to remove display resolution differences from the equation. This allows us to compare cross-platform results more reliably.UL's 3DMark Sling Shot is one of several modules in the 3DMark mobile suite. Unlike previous gen 3DMark mobile tests, Sling Shot is a much more advanced OpenGL ES 3.1 and Metal API-based benchmark that employs more advanced rendering techniques, like volumetric lighting, particle illumination, multiple render targets, instanced rendering, uniform buffers and transform feedback. We're running this test in off-screen mode once again to remove display resolution differences from the equation. This allows us to compare cross-platform results more reliably.
With X-Mode, the ROG Phone 7 runs neck-and-neck with the RedMagic 8 Pro for the top spot. Without X-Mode, the device still performs well, running even with the S23 Ultra and its goosed Snapdragon chip.
ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate 3DMark Wild Life Benchmark Tests
3DMark's Wild Life benchmark is newer and more demanding than Slingshot, and it allows powerful devices to shine. The ROG Phone puts up impressive numbers, running just behind the S23 Ultra and RedMagic 8 Pro. But that's with X-Mode. In normal mode, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is almost as fast as the Qualcomm reference hardware. Benchmarks only last a few minutes, though. What happens when you put the phone under load for longer?
For a phone that bills itself as "Ultimate," you might be disappointed it's not smoking the competition in every benchmark. What sets the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate apart is its ability to stay fast even when it heats up. It's not uncommon for a phone to lose 20 or even 30% of its speed after a few minutes of intense gaming. That's not the case for the ROG phone 7. Across multiple benchmark runs in the Wild Life Stress Test, the ROG 7 bleeds off very little performance. Compare that to most Samsung phones, which can plummet 20% after a few minutes. It gets even better in X-Mode with the fan.
With the cooler attached, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate loses nothing—it's 99.5% stable in the Wild Life stress test. No matter how long you play, this phone will maintain performance while other devices slow noticeably.
