The Asus ROG Phone 9 FE. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

MANILA — The ASUS ROG Phone 9 FE knows its identity: it's a gaming smartphone with powerful hardware.

It has enough features to function as a daily driver for its category, but it prioritizes being a great gaming smartphone rather than being an all-arounder.

Compared to the flagship ROG Phone 9 Pro, it cut down on the camera hardware, slightly lowered the battery capacity, RAM and storage, and runs on a slightly older but still capable Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.

The Asus ROG Phone 9 FE. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

Despite that, if you prefer high-end gaming at a premium midrange price, this may be a good option to consider. It features a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a refresh rate that can go up to 185 Hz but with an adaptive refresh rate that minimizes power usage during non-gaming uses. ASUS gave us a review unit and I spent almost three weeks with the gaming phone as a daily driver and work device.

Unique Hardware

Because ASUS prioritized gaming for this handheld, they made unique functional design choices compared to a regular smartphone. The two USB-C ports is a prime example. The second port on the left side of the phone allows users to charge while gaming in landscape mode or attach the optional AeroActive Cooler Pro X, which was not included in this review.

As a multimedia journalist, I did find a niche use case of the second port by attaching a USB-C card reader to ingest materials from my work cameras while I charged with a power bank with the other port while I was out on field assignments.

The other USB-C port placed in the left corner instead of the traditional center is also a unique choice that allows space for a headphone jack. 

The Asus ROG Phone 9 FE. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

Lastly, AniMe Vision, programmable mini-LEDs for various animations depending on your interaction found in the back of the phone, is distinctly an ASUS ROG feature that I've first seen in their laptops.

The Asus ROG Phone 9 FE. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

It's a neat feature that makes the phone stand out when it's face down. However, it only displays a handful of information like the battery and time and the rest of the animation is mostly for aesthetics.

It's a good conversation starter, but I would turn it off most of the time during the review.

The Gaming Experience

Frankly, I haven't been playing games on my phone for a very long time. I'm more of a PC and Switch gamer. Instead, I use smartphones more for shooting, editing, and producing stories as part of my workflow.

Even though I've been using my smartphone more for productivity, reviewing the ROG gave me the opportunity to play a few mobile games I've been wanting to try. And, over the course of the review, I've also asked colleagues to play certain games they're familiar with for better input.

The game I wanted to play the most, Genshin Impact, is one of the more demanding games resource-wise, yet the phone handled the game without any hitches, and I enjoyed its visuals at the same time.

I tested other games such as Pokemon Unite, Call of Duty Mobile, Pokemon Masters EX, PUBG Mobile, Team Fight Tactics, and Fortnite with settings maxed out and the phone performed well.

I do notice that it's the MOBAs that bring the phone's temperatures up drastically, even with the optional Chill Case.

I've heard of air triggers in gaming phones before and they are a welcome feature to use while gaming, as long as the control placement of the game is constant.

In shooting photos and videos, though, I was disappointed that the AirTrigger Capture feature found in the Pro version was not included in this model. I was also given the ROG Tessen controller attachment, but after a few tries, I eventually detached it since I still had to program the buttons for most games.

There are some games with pre-programmed button layouts thanks to the Armoury Crate app, which monitors and customizes the gaming experience on the phone, but eventually, I still have to use the screen when navigating the menus. It breaks the feeling of navigating like a console game.

The Asus ROG Phone 9 FE. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

The Asus ROG Phone 9 FE. Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News

Speaking of consoles, since I got used to the Switch/Xbox controller layout and feel, I found the Tessen quite small for my hands and the button layout jarring.

'AI on, Game on'

With almost everything being slapped with AI these days, this phone is very much on trend, packed with AI features that aim to give a better gaming experience.

X Sense 3.0, which aims to streamline gaming tasks such as detecting key events and auto-collecting items, primarily targets MOBA players for the feature, but my colleagues who tested Mobile Legends with the phone tell me that they feel like they still want to do things manually and make adjustments mid-game.

X Capture 2.0, which automatically records key game moments, is a neat feature, but I have yet to test its compatibility with a variety of games. It worked on Genshin Impact, but did not show up in Fortnite, Pokemon TCG, and Call of Duty Mobile.

AI Grabber 2.0, which uses text recognition to bring up a floating browser for tips and information, was most useful to me, especially while playing Pokemon TCG Pocket and Pokemon Masters EX. I was going back to review the vast number of Pokemon and the newer characters, and I didn't have to open a separate browser.

Outside of gaming, one AI feature that I find useful in the phone is a built-in AI transcriber for its audio recorder. It didn't do a perfect job, as the transcript still needed a cleanup, but it's a helpful tool to jumpstart my writing.

As a daily driver and shooting phone

Since I still need to do some actual work, I've also used the phone as my third camera, mostly for videos.

I did find the camera decent in dark conditions, as long as I am only using the optical lenses, meaning the fixed focal length of the camera, as I shoot.

Processing is a bit evident when looking closely at the photos when shooting with the ultra-wide angle lens and the digital 2x zoom. But if it's only for posting on social media, it is pretty acceptable.

Videos are clear when shooting with the main camera with its optical image stabilization in default. Even in dark settings, it still held up well without any glaring grain in the videos.

Storage is a bit of a concern for me at 256 GB, but if it's just going to be games inside and a few recordings of gaming moments, it would probably be enough for many.

As for battery life, with the mix of gaming and work shooting, the 5500mAh battery did last me the day, reaching a quarter of its capacity before bedtime. With the included 65w charger, the battery was topped up relatively fast.

Wrapping up, I enjoyed using the ROG Phone 9 FE. It was fun to be able to game on the go with beautiful visuals and optimal performance. The internals are more than capable of running any productivity task, and the cameras are good enough for one's social media post or personal documentation.

Personally, in its price point under P40,000 I would still look for a smartphone with better cameras, larger RAM and storage, and the latest chipset - but this is only due to my use-case as a multimedia journalist.

However, if you are a hardcore gamer who wants a smartphone that prioritizes gorgeous graphics, smooth gameplay, and unique customization options, the ROG Phone 9 FE would provide you with the best mobile gaming experience possible.

Key specs:

OS: Android™ 15 with ROG UI

Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3

Memory: 12GB LPDDR5X RAM

Storage: UFS4.0 256GB

Cameras: 50 MP, f/1.9 24mm (Main Camera), 13 MP, f/2.2, 13mm (Ultra Wide), 5 MP, f/2.4 (Macro), 32 MP, f/2.5, 22mm (Selfie)

Battery: 5500 mAh, 65W wired & 15W wireless charging

The Asus ROG Phone 9 FE sells for P39,995 on Shopee.