The Asus ROG 3 is a more mainstream-appealing ‘supercar’ for casual and hardcore gamers alike, Asus executives told TechRadar.
The Asus ROG Phone 3 is the latest in a series of phones that pack the most cutting-edge specs to deliver a premium experience at high prices. This is against the trend of a gaming phone market swelling with more affordable mid-range smartphones, as well as flagship phones getting more and more advanced. How does Asus believe the ROG Phone 3 stand out? By offering the best experience and listening to fans. That’s according to Asus executives, who sat down to chat with TechRadar about the ROG 3’s place in the 2020 phones market – and how the company tweaked its design to appeal to more than just hardcore gamers. The first thing to notice about the ROG 3 is that it’s literally the same size and weight as its predecessor, but the look has slightly changed. The back cover, which had been criss-crossed by aggressive angles in the ‘gamer chic’ style, is now a clean back with far fewer lines and jagged edges. Indeed, its biggest single distinguishing feature is a modest window to the heat sink – a hint at the gaming power inside, rather than a visible declaration of it being a gaming device. “If you look at it now, this generation is a little bit more subdued compared to the [ROG II], and some people feel that is a negative, and some people feel it’s a nice thing,” explained Chih-Hao Kung, global technical PR director for Asus’ mobile business unit. “How do we balance these two wheels, because they are so opposite to each other? Do we lean very heavily on stereotypically gaming aesthetics or do we try to make it more appealing to a wider audience?” The subdued design Asus settled on was modeled after souped-up ‘supercars,’ Kung explained. The inspiration is obvious, with the heat sink window resembling the transparent cowls covering high-octane engines on the world’s fastest automobiles. It certainly feels like a design shift for more mainstream appeal, yet it still suggests serious gaming capability under the hood – and the ROG 3 has more phone-equivalent horsepower than nearly any other handset out there.
