ASUS ROG Phone 6 Pro vs ROG Phone 5s Pro: Should you upgrade?

ASUS ROG recently launched its new gaming smartphone for 2021, the ROG Phone 6 and ROG Phone 6 Pro. Those who are looking for the most powerful in the new series should look at the latter. But what are the improvements it brings compared to last year’s ROG Phone 5s Pro? Let’s find out in this specs comparison.

Table of Contents

Display

The ROG Phone 6 Pro sports the same screen size, resolution, and panel as the ROG Phone 5s Pro. We’re talking about 6.78-inch Full HD+ (2448 x 1080) Samung AMOLED. However, their similarities stop there, as the ROG Phone 6 Pro has a higher refresh rate of 165Hz (vs 144Hz) and a higher touch sampling rate of 720Hz (vs 360Hz). This means that the new model can produce smoother visuals and is more responsive when it comes to gaming.

One of the exclusive features of high-end ROG Phones is the secondary display, which the company calls ROG Vision. Both models have it, with the ROG Phone 6 sporting an OLED panel (vs PMOLED).

Both devices feature Gorilla Glass Victus for protection.

Chipset and Memory

This is one of the improvements of the ROG Phone 6 Pro over the ROG Phone 5s Pro as the latter is equipped with the newer Snapdragon 8+ Gen1 5G chipset which packs an octa-core CPU clocked at a maximum of 3.19GHz and an Adreno 730 GPU (vs Snapdragon 888+ 5G with 2.99GHz octa-core and Adreno 660 GPU.

While most people won’t feel the performance difference when it comes to everyday task, the benchmark scores show significant improvement. According to Kimovil, the ROG Phone 6 Pro got a score of 1,126,983 on AnTuTu v9, compared to the ROG Phone 5s Pro’s 811,284.

For the RAM and storage, both have 18GB LPDDR5 and 512GB UFS 3.1.

Cameras

When it comes to cameras, there are a few differences as well. The ROG Phone 6 Pro still has a triple rear camera with a lower resolution at 50MP versus the 64MP on the ROG Phone 5s Pro. However, the latter sports a newer Sony IMX766 sensor versus the Sony IMX686 of the predecessor. Ultrawide and macro cameras, on the other hand, are the same.

For the front camera, the ROG Phone 6 Pro has a lower 12MP shooter versus the ROG Phone 5s Pro’s 24MP. However, the latter has a Sony IMX663, which I think is better than whatever’s on the former.

Connectivity and Features

Connectivity-wise, the two devices are similar. Both have dual-SIM with 5G, WiFi 6e, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and two USB-C ports. They also have in-display fingerprint scanners and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

They differ though in other features. For the speakers, the two have dual front-facing stereo speakers. However, the ROG Phone 6 Pro has 5-magnet speakers, while the ROG Phone 5s Por has 7-magnet. We’re not sure if this is a downgrade or note.

The number of microphones is different as well. The ROG Phone 6 Pro has three while the ROG Phone 5s Pro has four. Both use ASUS Noise Reduction Technology.

ASUS also improved other features on the ROG Phone 6 Pro as it has the newer-generation AirTrigger, GameCool Cooling system and AeroActive Cooler. It’s worth noting as well that the new phone has IPX4 splash resistance.

The ROG Phone 6 Pro also comes out with Android 12 out of the box.

Battery

As for the battery, both have a 6,000mAh battery with 65W HyperCharge. We’ll learn more about its battery capacity in our full review of the ROG Phone 6 Pro.

Which one to get?

If it’s your first time buying a gaming smartphone, I think you can still get a great gaming experience on the ROG Phone 5s Pro, especially if you have a lower budget. The local price of the ROG Phone 6 Pro is yet to be announced but we can expect the older models to get a lower price once it launches in the Philippines. If money is no option, you can go for the ROG Phone 6 Pro.

If you already have a ROG Phone 5s Pro and thinking of upgrading, you’ll get a new design, an improved refresh rate and touch sampling rate, a more powerful chipset, better cameras, an improved AirTrigger and cooling system, and IPX4 splash resistance. If these things don’t really matter to you, there’s no reason to upgrade.

However, if you’re using a ROG Phone 5 and older and thinking of upgrading to keep up with the latest titles and want to have a gaming advantage, the ROG Phone 6 Pro is one of the best gaming smartphones to upgrade to right now.