T3 India

Asus

Asus Launches ROG Phone 5s Series

by

Republic of Gamers (ROG), a premium sub-brand of Asus, has announced the launch of its ROG 5s series in India. The company has introduced ROG Phone 5s and 5s Pro as the latest upgrade to its ROG Phone series.

The ROG Phone 5s series is powered by the flagship Snapdragon 888 Plus 5G Mobile Platform, featuring advanced 5G capabilities and premium Snapdragon Elite Gaming features. The processing power is complemented by up to 18 GB of fast LPDDR5 RAM. The optimised and upgraded GameCool 5 cooling system with AeroActive Cooler 5 (fan accessory bundled with ROG Phone 5s Pro only and optional for ROG Phone 5s), and the performance manager in Armory Crate ensures maximum performance is available for any gaming scenario.

Commenting at the launch, Dinesh Sharma, Business Head, Commercial PC and Smartphone, System Business Group, ASUS in India said, “We are constantly innovating and aiming to provide only the best and premium features in our Ultimate Weapons for Smartphone Gaming i.e. ROG Phone, to our ROG community. We are thrilled to launch two new additions to the ROG family – ROG Phone 5s and ROG Phone 5 Pro to upgrade the cutting-edge capabilities we offer for the mobile gaming ecosystem.”

The 144 Hz / 1 ms AMOLED display used in the ROG Phone 5s series now boasts an upgraded 360 Hz native touch-sampling rate and upgraded ultra-low 24ms touch latency for a super-smooth, seamless, and ultrafast gaming experience. Additionally, the ROG Phone 5s Pro features a colour version of the innovative ROG Vision rear matrix display, which shows customisable animations in response to a variety of system events. The AirTrigger 5 control system now supports the two rear capacitive touch sensors on ROG Phone 5s Pro, giving mobile gamers more control capabilities in their games. The ultrasonic shoulder side sensors on both models also support dual gestures, such as tap-and-slide or tap-and-swipe, for total control.

With the clock speed now up to a blistering 3 GHz, the CPU performance is designed to deliver matchless mobile processing power. ROG Phone 5s Pro also feature up to 18 GB of fast LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB of fastest UFS3.1 storage to dramatically increase the overall gaming performance. The upgraded GameCool 5 cooling system in the ROG Phone 5s series has an optimum thermal structure featuring a centred CPU with the battery split into two parts, one located on each side of the CPU. The re-shaped 3D vapour chamber and extensive graphite sheets also help to spread the heat evenly across the device to reduce heat build-up in the middle.

Now boasting an uprated 360 Hz native touch-sampling rate and uprated ultra-low 24ms touch latency, the 144 Hz / 1 ms Samsung E4 AMOLED display delivers a super-smooth gaming experience, with an ultra-low touch latency. Tuned in collaboration with leading visual-processing company Pixelworks, the supreme visuals are enhanced even further with world-beating colour accuracy, always-on HDR technology to improve non-HDR visuals, and a screen that’s protected by the toughest ever Corning Gorilla Glass Victus.

The ROG Phone 5s Pro additionally features a colour version of ROG Vision, the unique rear display that highlights the ROG creative spirit. ROG Vision can display a variety of cool animations that show you whether ROG Phone 5s Pro is charging, if there’s an incoming call, whether X Mode is enabled and more. Gamers can even create custom animations to make their phone even more personal.

The GameFX audio system on ROG Phone 5s series features symmetrical 7-magnet dual speakers for truly balanced stereo sound effects and a 3.5 mm headphone jack in conjunction with a Hi-Fi grade ESS DAC. Both have been optimised via a collaboration with audio specialist Dirac, giving the ROG Phone 5s series truly impressive audio quality and a wider soundscape. In addition to the premium sounds, GameFX also delivers crystal-clear in-game sound effects and powerful aural soundscapes.

The ROG phone 5s series features multiple antennas to ensure you are always connected to the internet with maximum speed and fidelity no matter how you hold the device to game, vertically or horizontally. To also ensure you’re connected to the fastest mode of internet, the ROG Phone 5s series features the amazing HyperFusion. HyperFusion allows the ROG Phone 5s to automatically choose the fastest internet connection and for apps that allow multiple connections, Hyperfusion can also connect to both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz Wi-Fi channels at the same time, or it can combine both the Mobile data and Wi-Fi together increasing your internet connectivity speed.

The ROG Phone 5s series comes with a 64MP Flagship Sony IMX686 sensor main camera, offering you up to 8K Pro video recording, Pro mode for Photos and videos, and Superb Night mode performance. It also has a secondary 13MP camera to capture ultra-wide angles and offers a HyperSteady video-recording feature. And lastly, there’s the 5MP Macro camera for when you want incredibly close-up detail. For superior selfies, the front camera is a 24MP camera that can shoot 4K as well.

ASUS ROG Phone 5s and 5s Pro will be available from 18th February 2022 in India on Flipkart. The ROG Phone 5s 8GB / 128GB will be available at ₹49,999, ROG Phone 5s 12GB/256 GB will retail at ₹57,999 and the ROG Phone 5s Pro 18GB / 512GB will carry a price tag of ₹79,999.

Asus Launches ROG Fusion II Series Gaming Headsets

by

Asus Republic of Gamers (ROG) has announced the Fusion II 500 and Fusion II 300, a pair of fully loaded gaming headsets that feature advanced virtual 7.1 surround sound, high-resolution ESS 9280 Quad DAC technology and ASUS AI Beamforming Microphones with AI Noise Cancelation.

ROG Fusion II 500

The ROG Fusion II series headsets use 50 mm Asus Essence drivers and are one of the few gaming headsets in the market to feature the ESS 9280 Quad DAC to provide gamers with lossless audio processing. Each DAC allocates its processing power to a subset of the audible frequency range — from lows, mids, highs and ultra-highs — resulting in crisp, clear sound for true-to-life audio.

ROG Fusion II 300

The Asus AI Beamforming Microphones with AI Noise Cancelation ensure a clear and natural representation of human voices with minimal distortion. The microphones create a 40° acoustic zone in front of the gamer’s mouth and filter out distracting background noise from other directions for clear voice pick-up. In addition, AI Noise Cancelation identifies and reduces over 500 million types of background noise such as chatter, keyboard clatter and mouse clicks by up to 95 per cent. The Game Chat volume control on the ROG Fusion II 500 allows gamers to adjust the volume of in-game audio and voice chat via the slider on the earcups to suit their preferences.

Both headsets include customisable Aura RGB lighting to provide gamers with over 16.8 million colour combinations and six preset lighting effects via Armoury Crate. This software provides gamers with extensive controls and an intuitive interface to adjust audio profiles and lighting.

The ROG Fusion II 500 features a 3.5 mm audio jack, USB-C and USB Type-A connectivity, making it compatible with a myriad of devices including laptops, PCs, mobile devices and gaming consoles. The Fusion II 300 is similar to the higher-end Fusion II 500, but does not support 3.5 mm audio connection. The ASUS ROG Fusion II series gaming headsets will be available in India from March. Prices are yet to be announced.

ASUS launches new Intel Z690, H670, B660 and H610 Motherboards

by

Announcing several new Z690, H670, B660, and H610 motherboards to support 12th Gen Intel Core processors, ASUS is delivering a wide range of options that offer the latest technologies.

The Z690 lineup expands with new ROG Strix and TUF Gaming models, a full lineup of B660 and H670 motherboards brings the 12th generation platform to the mainstream, and H610 boards make sure there is an option for every budget. Meanwhile, ASUS gives DIY builders a high-performance option for cooling their CPU with the new ROG Ryujin II ARGB liquid cooler.

The new ROG Strix Z690-A Gaming WiFi, TUF Gaming Z690-Plus WiFi and TUF Gaming Z690-Plus all arrive with support for DDR5 memory modules. ASUS has also collaborated with TeamGroup for a brand-new T-FORCE DELTA TUF Gaming Alliance RGB DDR5 5200 MHz 16 GB memory kit, with components that have been subjected to tests that surpass
industry standards to ensure better compatibility, stability, durability and elite performance. For even more reliable gear tuned for compatibility.

ASUS now offers a variety of motherboards based on the new Intel B660 chipset. These models feature a PCIe 5.0 slot, memory overclocking, and support for DDR5 or DDR4 memory modules. And for DIY builders d, ASUS offers a variety of new motherboards that use the H670 chipset. All such models include one PCIe 5.0 slot, multiple PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots, and support for DDR4 memory modules. ASUS also offers motherboards with the new H610 chipset to make sure there is an option for every budget.

ASUS also offers the ROG Ryujin II ARGB AIO cooler that pairs premium performance with extravagant style. Its 7th Gen
Asetek pump, embedded downward-facing pump fan, and fans with the proven ASUS Axial-tech design will tame CPU temperatures while staying quiet.

Its integrated 3.5-inch OLED panel gives users a canvas for displaying custom graphics or vital system information. The AIO cooler is available with 360 mm or 240 mm radiators to fit a wide range of cases. And with the new ARGB Fan, the ROG Ryujin II ARGB series gives users more options when it comes to setting up a customizable lighting array for their gaming rig.

ASUS embraces its social responsibility by announcing new modes for all Z690, H670, B660, and H610 motherboards that reduce their overall energy footprint without diminishing their exceptional performance.

Please refer to this buying guide for more information. And for full and detailed information on any particular Intel 12th Gen model, head over to this page.

Review: Asus Vivobook K15

by

Price: From ₹46,990

Asus Vivobook laptops have been value-for-money offerings, and the K15 takes this a notch higher by bringing an OLED screen to affordable levels. As Asus says, the K15 is designed with Gen Z users in mind.

The Vivobook K15 features a polycarbonate and aluminium alloy chassis that appears tough for a budget-friendly laptop. The device is thin and light for a 15-inch laptop, about 18 mm thick and weighing 1.8 kg. The laptop is available in Indie Black, Transparent Silver, and Hearty Gold colours. The touchpad includes a fingerprint scanner for Windows Hello login, and it proved quite responsive. The keypad offers good feedback and is quite comfortable for long-form typing with 1.4 mm key travel. I found the compromise in arrow keys a little frustrating at the start, but then it became less of an annoyance after a few days of use. The keyboard offers three levels of backlight and the Enter key has a neon green backlight. The touchpad felt somewhat lagging. The device offers a full suite of I/O ports including three USB-A, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, two USB 2.0 Type-A, one HDMI and a MicroSD card reader along with a 3.5mm headphone jack. It provides up to Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) dual-band and Bluetooth 5.0.

Coming to the main USP of the laptop, the Vivobook K15 features a 5.6-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) OLED display that provides 100 percent DCI-P3 colour gamut, ideal for videos. The display proved to be vibrant with true blacks and rich saturation. The panel is certified by TUV Rheinland for low blue light and flicker-free operation to reduce eye fatigue. The display has been validated by Pantone and comes pre-calibrated by Asus. However, we felt the factory calibration had over-saturated the warm tones, making it even more strenuous to look at for a long time. So, we attempted a hardware calibration using the i1 Display Studio device to DCI-P3 and found the pre-calibrated setting to be off by a wide margin. If you are into photography or colour-critical use, we would not recommend this display in its native calibration setting. We hope Asus would take care of this in future since the buyers of this laptop are not likely to have a colorimeter lying around to calibrate their displays.

The K15 is available in various configurations. The options in processor include 11th Generation Intel Core i3, i5 and i7, while Asus also offers up to 16GB DDR4 RAM, up to 512GB of SSD and up to 1TB of HDD. We received the i5 variant with 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD and 1TB HDD and the review is based on this configuration. The laptop features Intel UHD or Intel Iris Xe graphics. We used the K15 for photo editing and multimedia other than the regular light tasks, and the device handled all these without any problems. The laptops are equipped with an upgraded 8 mm heat pipe and a new fan to dissipate heat more efficiently. We did not feel any uncomfortable heating while using the device, and the fan ensured near-silent operation.

The K15 uses a 42 Wh battery, which lasted for about 5 to 6 hours in our use. The charger tops up the battery in about an hour. The MyAsus app lets you customise power, performance, audio and other parameters according to your use.

The Harman Kardon certified audio system provides good sound output for video calls and presentations, though this is not the best we have experienced. The camera also provided image quality of the expected levels. The laptops come with Windows 10 pre-installed but are eligible for a free Windows 11 upgrade.

RATING

★★★★

WE’RE IMPRESSED Lightweight, full-sized keyboard, good response, excellent display

WE’D IMPROVE Display calibration, Touchpad response

THE LAST WORD The Asus Vivobook K15 is a competent value-for-money laptop that exceeds the usually expected specs by a wide margin.

ASUS ROG Strix Arion S500 is a high-speed portable SSD

by

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG), well known for high-quality gaming laptops and accessories, have launched the ROG Strix Arion S500 which is a high-speed portable SSD with the latest state-of-the-art features and an impressively-designed chassis and thermal pad.

The ROG Strix Arion S500 is a portable NVMe SSD with DRAM and USB-C 3.2 Gen 2 connectivity. This facilitates file transfers to speeds of up to 1050 MB/s. The ROG Strix Arion S500 is a high-performance Phison SSD, which means that the offered speeds are almost 12X faster than standard external HDDs. Additionally, the DRAM memory and large SLC cache maximize data performance and helps extend the lifespan of the SSD.

The ROG Strix Arion S500 provides exceptional cooling through the internal thermal pad that keep operating temperatures at an optimum level in order to maintain the high-speed data transfers. This also directly affects the lifespan of the device.

Through a 256-bit AES disk and data encryption, the ROG Strix Arion S500 ensures data security without affecting CPU performance. The users’ digital assets are protected from malicious software, attacks, and hardware failure through the NTI Backup Now EZ software. The data recovery feature also helps in instances when a file is accidentally deleted.

The ROG Strix Arion S500 is compatible with mobile devices, laptops, PCs, and the latest generation of gaming consoles. This SSD is also the recipient of a 2020 iF Design Award, and it also features the ASUS Aura Sync lighting to provide unrivalled system-wide ambient light effects.

The ROG SSD Dashboard interface displays vital information such as the drive’s temperature, storage status, health status, and much more. Here are the specifications of the ROG Strix Arion S500:

The ROG Strix Arion S500 is available in India from September and is priced at Rs. 13,500. For more information, please visit this page.