If one hyped smartphone launch wasn’t enough this week, we today saw Asus take the wraps off its next-generation gaming beast. The company launched the ROG Phone 3 globally, including India, at a virtual launch event. ROG Phone 3 builds on the legacy of its popular and insane value-for-money predecessor. It is the first Snapdragon 865+ phone to launch in India, including a 144Hz display, 64MP triple camera array, and a huge 6,000mAh battery as well.

ROG Phone 3 carries forward the same design philosophy as its predecessor. You still find tiny bezels, both at the top and bottom on the front, but they’re deemed essential for a fulfilling gaming experience. The bezels help avoid unintentional touches, which is great, but the biggest benefit is that there’s room for dual front-firing speakers. It’s one of my favorite features here.

144Hz Display

  • Snapdragon 865+

Under the hood, Asus ROG Phone 3 is powered by the Snapdragon 865+ chipset that was recently announced by Qualcomm. This is one of the first phones to be backed by this slightly overclocked flagship chipset. You will also find up to 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage onboard.

Snapdragon 865+

Air Triggers 3

Also, Asus continues to offer additional ports on the edge of the ROG Phone 3. It includes a side-mounted USB Type-C port, as usual, to connect accessories and the charging cable when you use the phone in landscape mode.

64MP Triple Camera

6,000mAh Battery

Another key highlight for the ROG Phone 3, well, is the massive 6,000mAh battery. It was the main attraction for its predecessor and was loved by users, thus, it is here to stay. The phone also supports up to 30W fast-charging, which Asus boasts can juice up 75 percent (around 4,510mAh) battery in just 46 minutes.

This sounds great for hardcore gamers, who can plug in their phones and quickly have some charge to continue practicing. The one thing that games want – a 3.5mm audio jack is, however, missing in action. Asus is bundling the AeroActive Cooler 3 with ROG Phone 3 to not only bring back the 3.5mm jack but also further lower the temperature by 4-degree Celcius.

ROG Phone 3 will be available in two configurations – 8GB+128GB and 12GB+256GB. Asus has priced the ROG Phone 3 starting at Rs. 49,999 (~$670) for the base variant while the higher-end 12GB+256GB variant will see you shell out Rs. 57,999 (~$777) in India.