ROG-PUBG collab phone delivers new gaming experience

MANILA, Philippines – Popular battle royale shooting game PUBG Mobile has once again collaborated with ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) with the PUBG Mobile x ROG SAGA Collaboration.

Featuring ROG's Phone 8 that has 12GB RAM and a frame rate of 120 frames per second, the collaboration is being labeled a "Revolution of Gaming", claiming to give players a new experience as they try and survive in the battlegrounds of Erangel.

Philstar.com put the collaboration, as well as PUBG Mobile's new Galadria X-suit, to the test.

When it comes to shooting games, a quick trigger is often the deciding factor. ROG's “Gaming AirTriggers” — two ultrasonic buttons on the right side of the phone — provides players an opportunity to quickly eliminate opponents.

With a refresh rate of up to 165 Hz and a brightness of up to 2500 nits, players might even get distracted by the beauty of the map, especially with the recent Ocean Palace and Forsaken Ruins maps in PUBG Mobile's 3.3 update, as they marvel at the Atlantis-like details. The feature also helps players who are prone to motion sickness, as the amplified refresh rate smoothens camera movements, enabling players to scope the area for enemies.

But intense gaming visuals come at a price of temperature as the unit does heat up in an effort to provide a smoother experience. Though the phone uses an updated cooling system as previous ROG phones, including a Rapid-Cooling Conductor, it has a tendency to feel like a warm a cup of coffee. ROG Phone 8 does come with the AeroActive Cooler X, a lighter and more compact fan than its predecessor, which has a larger cooling chip and a higher fan speed to help prevent the phone from shutting down due to high internal temperature.

Outside of its game features, ROG Phone 8 boasts a triple camera setup — the main camera with a Hybrid-Gimbal stabilizer, a 13-megapixel wide camera, and a telephoto camera with up to 30x zoom. The 32-megapixel front camera has an ultrawide function for group selfies.

These features notwithstanding, how long does the ROG Phone 8 last before you have to look for your nearest power outlet? Three consecutive rank games of PUBG Mobile in full frame rate and full audio saw a decrease of battery percentage by 10%, which is not bad compared to how most phones would fare. The 5,500mAh battery takes an average of 40 minutes to reach 100%, and when not used for gaming, it can last a day with browsing, social media updates and streaming.

Overall, ROG Phone 8 offers a new and unique gaming experience, especially for shooting games with its specialized triggers and smoother visuals. It also appeals to casual gamers willing to shell out Php48,995 for a gaming phone with decent cameras and battery life.