You have barely been able to buy the new Asus ROG Phone 2 outside China, but that hasn’t stopped the company from announcing an upgraded version for the truly serious mobile gamer. It’s called the Ultimate Edition, and true to its name, the specifications have been given a slight boost over the already impressive standard ROG Phone 2. It also comes in a distinctive color, so it’s easily recognizable.
What makes it the Ultimate Edition? Don’t get too excited over the specification differences. After all, the ROG Phone 2 is about as cutting-edge as it gets already. The new model gets a massive 1TB of internal storage space, and support for the super-fast UFS 3.0 storage standard too. If you haven’t heard of Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 3.0 memory, it provides faster read/write speeds than previous standards, bringing true benefits such as speed improvements when opening apps, when recording 4K resolution video, and faster game load times.
The ROG Phone 2 supports UFS 3.0 memory too, but it maxes out at 512GB, making the Ultimate Edition tempting for those wanting to fully exploit its many talents. The other change is the Ultimate Edition will come in a matte black color scheme. Last we heard, the international version was always going to be matte black with a glossy model made for China, but this changed after our early look. Now, the Ultimate Edition will get the matte finish — you can see that phone pictured below — while the standard model, now called the Elite, sold everywhere will have the glossy look.
Otherwise, the Asus ROG Phone 2 Ultimate Edition appears identical to every other ROG Phone 2. That means a Snapdragon 855 Plus processor inside — with a whopping 2.96GHz clock speed — a stunning 120Hz, 6.6-inch AMOLED screen, a 6,000mAh battery, and a massive array of accessories. These accessories are all made to improve the gaming experience, and range from Nintendo Switch-style joypads, to desktop docks ready to connect to a TV or monitor.
The ROG Phone 2 Ultimate Edition will be available before the end of the year, and it costs 1,199 euros, which is around $1,320. The standard ROG Phone 2 Elite will be available to pre-order starting September 4 through Asus’s own online store, and at select retailers before the end of the month. The price has been set in Europe at 900 euros, or about $990, for the 12GB/128GB model.
