It seems like the biggest danger to the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra's dominance as the King of the Android hill may be the high end gaming phones. And the Asus ROG Phone 3 may be out to destroy it.
A report from Chinese tech site Mydrivers via Gizmochina says that, despite dramatic economic loses in 2018 and notable production delays caused by coronavirus, the Taiwanese company will release the Asus ROG Phone 3 in the third quarter of 2020.
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There’s not much known about the Asus ROG Phone 3 yet. The device is said to sport a Snapdragon 865 processor and 5G capability. It’s yet to be seen if, like the previous version, the ROG Phone 3 will have a higher spec version of the 865 Plus on its top model. Coming so late in 2020, that may be the case depending on Qualcomm’s chip release schedule but there are still too many unknowns — especially with the coronavirus epidemic going in full swing across the globe.
The current Asus ROG Phone 2 is already quite the beast, a Snapdragon 855 Plus machine with a 6.59-inch AMOLED panel that already bested all phones last year running at 120Hz with a 240Hz touch sampling frequency. On top of that, it has a monster 6000mAh battery to feed all that hardware.
We could reasonably expect to see all these impressive specs boosted in the ROG Phone 3. There is speculation of a screen with 144Hz refresh to match a boost in game rendering performance.
The current version already offers some impressive RAM and storage, with up to 12GB and 1TB respectively, so I don’t know how the heck that could be further improved. Maybe a 16GB option to compete with the S20 Ultra top model is in order.
One thing that the ROG Phone 3 could improve on is the cameras, although pro gaming phones don’t really need that much sensor firepower.
Perhaps Asus may add its Nintendo Switch-like controllers — the ROG Kunai Gamepad — to the package (although that’s just my wish).
The hunt for the Galaxy S20 Ultra
The Asus ROG Phone 3 is not the only next-generation gaming phone that is out to kill the Galaxy S20 Ultra. The Xiaomi Black Shark 3 Pro — with its gigantic 7.1-inch screen, monster guts, and low price — was just announced earlier this month. That phone dwarfs the S20 Ultra’s 6.9-inch screen, while providing physical shoulder buttons that may prove crucial for those people looking for a high-performance gaming phone that could compete with the Nintendo Switch.
Due to its screen, high speed, and giant storage options, many see the Galaxy S20 Ultra as a potential machine for hard core mobile gamers. It seems that Xiaomi and Asus are both out to stop that from happening.
