Earlier this year, ASUS released its latest gaming smartphone, the ROG Phone 6 which also had the ROG Phone 6 Pro as a beefed-up variant. Today, ASUS has finally announced the latest addition to its ROG Phone 6 flagship line of gaming smartphones featuring the MediaTek Dimensity 9000, the ROG Phone 6D. Of course, like the ROG Phone 6 and 6 Pro, the ROG Phone 6D has a beefed-up variant, the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate, which we’ll take a look at today.
A Closer Look
The ROG Phone 6D Ultimate comes in a similar packaging design to that of the ROG Phone 6 Pro. It’s definitely one of the best unboxing experiences you’d get in a smartphone device. Moreover, the packaging doesn’t show any markings about the Mediatek Dimensity chipset that it uses.
Contents of the packaging are as follows
- ASUS ROG Phone 6D Ultimate
- Aero Case
- ROG AeroActive Cooler 6
- ROG 65w HyperCharge power adapter
- ROG USB Type-C to C charging cable
- ROG AR Keycard
- Sim ejector tool
The ROG Phone 6D Ultimate is very much similar to the ROG Phone 6 Pro in almost every detail except for the case’s colorway. It has a Space Gray colorway as opposed to the 6 Pro’s white and black color options.
Powering the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate is the MediaTek Dimensity 9000+ 5G Mobile platform which reportedly has 5% faster CPU and 10% faster GPU performance per MediaTek and ASUS’ claims. In our full review, we’re looking to compare the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate against the ROG Phone 6 Pro’s Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Platform across a suite of benchmarks, games, and of course, battery life – so stay tuned.
Display-wise, the ROG Phone 6 line still has one of the most responsive and color-accurate displays in the market, and the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate is no exception. It has a 6.78″ HDR10+ AMOLED display with a 165Hz refresh rate and a touch sampling rate of 720 Hz providing the competitive edge that mobile gamers need in a smartphone. Additionally, the 6D Ultimate is also equipped with the latest LPDDR5X memory and UFS 3.1 storage – the fastest available for a smartphone to date.
ASUS placed the power button and volume rockers on the right side of the phone to give way to the ROG Phone’s signature left side USB Type-C port for when you’re gaming.
The included Aero case is definitely my favorite design out of the past ROG Phone iterations. ASUS has designed the case to avoid covering up the design accents and highlights of the case but also highlights it making it blend as if it’s not a case at all. The textured finish not only makes it look sleek but also helps in providing a better grip, especially when on landscape mode aka gaming.
Despite being a gaming smartphone, ASUS managed to pack high-quality sensors on the device. The main shooter is a SONY IMX 766 50MP sensor paired with a 13MP ultra-wide camera and a 5MP macro lens. The front camera houses a 12MP Sony IMX663 sensor for decent selfies.
GameCool 6 & AeroActive Cooler 6
One of the key features of the ROG Phone 6 line is it is all-new ROG AeroActive Cooler with its 6th iteration alongside the improved ROG Gamecool 6 cooling system. The ROG GameCool 6 cooling system redesigns the internals of the phone for optimal cooling. Adjustments made internally such as a centered SoC placement allow for better temperatures and a 30% larger vapor chamber with a ventilation system dubbed the AeroActive Portal which is exclusive to the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate.
One of the key features I like about the ROG AeroActive Cooler 6 is it not only acts as a cooling attachment but also improves your gaming experiences as its sides come with four physical AirTrigger buttons compared to the ROG Phone 5’s two-button setup. Additionally, the main improvement of the ROG AeroActive Cooler 6 is it uses an integrated Thermoelectric AI Cooling System which is based on a Peltier cooling chip inside the cooler. It’s also the first thermoelectric cooler than can operate without external power thanks to the USB type-c side port on the Phone 6D. ASUS claims that the new AeroActive Cooler 6 improves temperatures up to a 25-degree delta to which we’ll take a closer look at the full review of the smartphone.
On a side note, the AeroActive cooler can also act as a horizontal phone stand.
Inside the redesigned Armoury Crate application, you can tinker with the AeroActive Cooler 6’s lighting to further personalize it to your liking or set it up as a temperature monitor to show the system temperature via its RGB lighting. Fan profiles and idle settings can also be configured within the app – attaching the cooler to the phone unlocks X Mode+ for higher performance and a better gameplay experience.
Initial Verdict – The Ultimate Gaming Experience
Going through the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate’s specs and features really make it feel like its a gaming smartphone not just because of its specifications but more of the experience you’re getting. Don’t get me wrong, sure it still feels gimmicky in some aspects but unlike the first few iterations of the ROG Phone, the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate brings more to the table rather than just top-of-the-line specifications. In previous iterations, you’d have to buy the external accessories separately to truly get a decent slash immersive gaming experience at a large cost which some didn’t have the luxury to enjoy. This year’s iteration of the ROG Phone 6 line especially the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate doesn’t have that feeling at all as the Aeroactive cooler is all you need and it reflects on ASUS’ marketing as well – see any accessory bundle this time around?
We don’t have pricing information on the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate to properly gauge how it compares value and performance-wise against the ROG Phone 6 Pro. That said, while we cant show any numbers yet, our inital time with the ROG Phone 6D Ultimate is very satisfying with all of its improved features such as more Air Trigger gestures and better responsiveness, a crisper color accurate display, a much ergonomic weight and size, and the list goes on. Of course, all of those improvements and new features come with a cost to which we’ll have to scrutinize on our full review.
Grant is a Financial Management graduate from UST. His passion for gadgets and tech crossed him over in the industry where he could apply his knowledge as an enthusiast and in-depth analytic skills as a Finance Major. His passion allows him to earn at the same time help Gadget Pilipinas' readers in making smart, value-based decisions and purchases with his reviews and guides.
