ASUS Quietly Launches the ROG Phone 9 FE: A Budget-Friendly Gaming Powerhouse
ASUS unveiled its ROG Phone 9 series late last year, catering to gamers with flagship-level performance and a feature-rich experience. But what if you’re looking for something easier on the wallet? Enter the ROG Phone 9 FE, quietly released in Thailand, offering a more affordable option while still packing impressive gaming capabilities.
A Familiar Gaming Design
The ROG Phone 9 FE looks strikingly similar to its predecessors, maintaining the signature ROG design. It features the Anime Vision lighting system on the back with 341 LEDs, AirTrigger gaming keys, and an IP68 water and dust resistance rating. Gamers will feel right at home with these hallmark features.
Powerful Performance, Slightly Older Chip
Under the hood, the ROG Phone 9 FE swaps out the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite chip for last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. While not cutting-edge, this is still a powerhouse for gaming, paired with ASUS’s GameCool cooling system to keep performance steady during intense sessions.
The phone sports a 6.78-inch OLED display with a blistering 185Hz refresh rate, FHD+ resolution, Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and incredible brightness peaking at 2,500 nits. Whether you’re gaming or streaming, this screen delivers stunning visuals.
Battery and Charging
The ROG Phone 9 FE is equipped with a 5,500mAh battery, slightly smaller than the standard ROG Phone 9 but consistent with the previous ROG Phone 8 series. Charging options are robust, with 65W wired charging (USB-PD) and 15W wireless charging to keep you powered up quickly.
Camera Setup
The camera system is borrowed from the ROG Phone 9 and Indian ROG Phone 8, featuring a 50MP main sensor (Sony IMX890) with gimbal stabilization, a 13MP ultrawide lens with a free-form design, and a 5MP macro camera. For selfies, there’s a 32MP front-facing camera with an RGBW color filter to enhance low-light shots.
Extra Features
ASUS has packed in plenty of additional features, including a 3.5mm headphone jack, Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 7, and ROG UI atop Android 15. There’s also a suite of AI tools like transcription, call translation, and wallpaper generation to round out the user experience.
Pricing and Availability
The ROG Phone 9 FE is available in Thailand in a single 16GB/256GB configuration, priced at 29,990 baht (~$890). You can check it out on the official ASUS Thailand store.
It’s unclear if ASUS plans to release the phone in additional markets. For context, the standard ROG Phone 9 costs $999 in the US and €1,099 in the EU, so it’ll be interesting to see how the FE variant compares if it launches globally.
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