Asus’ ROG Phone 3 is literally one of the hottest gaming smartphones you can get your hands on this year. While it is tempting to purchase the imported version of the phone due to their perceived lower cost and chance to own it earlier, Asus is tempting buyers to stick the locally sold units of the ROG Phone 3 and ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition smartphones.
In a Facebook post, Asus made a detailed comparison between ROG Phone 3 units sold in Malaysia compared to those sold in China. They stated that local units would enjoy a one-year local warranty, support for more network bands, more options for RAM, up to 512GB storage, braided USB-C cable and AeroActive Cooler included.
Straight up the biggest upside to buying the local set is the fact that you get local warranty support which is pretty important if you paying for a flagship phone. Apart from that, the fact there is an option for a 512GB version of the device will benefit gamers looking to store all the games they want on their device. Even the Strix Edition comes with 256GB, double the storage of the China version.
Thirdly, the fact that you will do lots of gaming on the ROG Phone 3 means that it can get hot really fast. Fortunately, Asus is throwing in the Aero Active Cooler 3 which normally costs RM300. It doesn’t just keep your phone cool but it looks cool too with its RGB lit ROG logo.
In case you didn’t know, the ROG Phone 3 features a 6.59” Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate. The phone comes powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ processor (the Strix Edition uses SD865) with up to 16GB of RAM and as we mentioned earlier you can choose up to 512GB.
In terms of cameras, it comes with 24MP selfie camera in front and a triple camera array on the back. This consists of a 64MP Sony IMX686 sensor that utilises the Quad Bayer technology for better low-light performance and an f/1.8 aperture lens. Additionally, there is a 13MP ultra-wide camera with an f/2.4 aperture lens and a 5MP macro shooter to boot.
It also comes with a massive 6,000mAh battery that supports 30W Quick Charge 4.0 fast-charging. There are also two USB-C ports on the phone with one placed on the bottom and another on the side to power different accessories such as the AeroActive Cooler Fan, ROG Kunai 3 gamepad, TwinView Dock 3 and Mobile Desktop Dock 2 among many others.
Currently, there is no official pricing for the ROG Phone 3 in Malaysia ahead of its September launch. But based on the European pricing, here is the price for the different variants.
ROG Phone 3 Strix (5G)
SD865, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage – EUR 799 (~RM3,943)
ROG Phone 3 (5G)
SD865+, 12GB RAM, 512GB storage – EUR 999 (~RM4,919)
SD865+, 16GB RAM, 512GB storage – EUR 1,099 (~RM5,412)
However, despite knowing the above facts and still prefer to get the grey import set, you can get the Asus ROG Phone 3 via retailers like Mobile 2 Go. According to their Facebook page, they list the price of the ROG Phone 3 as follows:
ROG Phone 3 Elite Edition
SD865, 12GB RAM, 128GB storage – RM3,388
ROG Phone 3 Classic Edition
SD865+, 12GB, 128GB storage – RM3,788
SD865+, 12GB, 256GB storage – RM4,088
