Asus ROG Phone 5s review: 'S' is for 'Slightly better'

Of all the gaming phones out there, it's arguably the ROG Phone that has brought the most interest to the category, and so it's no surprise to see Asus milking it for all its worth.
Earlier in 2021, the manufacturer launched the ROG Phone 5 series, which included three different models. And now it's back with an 'S' version of that phone family in form of the ROG Phone 5s and ROG Phone 5s Pro. So, what's the deal exactly?
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@ASUS #ROGPhone

[@jamescampbell5734]

I have the 5s with 16 GB of RAM, along with the cooling fan. I'm able to play Genshin Impact on high graphics settings at 60 fps and both the CPU and battery temps tend to max out at ~45 degrees celsius, and on a full charge I'm guessing it would last around 5 hours. I think that's pretty decent (but I think the fan is pretty necessary if you're really trying to push the graphics and performance). With just regular daily usage, I only go through about 30% - 40% of the battery per day. All-in-all I'm pretty happy with it.

[@Ahlong9711]

Phone it self game performance work fine without cooler fan because I really less using a cooler fan on a phone hmm and it is worth upgrade my ROG 2 to ROG 5s ?

[@jamescampbell5734]

@@Ahlong9711 You can play without the fan if you use lower graphics settings - but if you want to use the highest (or close to the highest) you should have it. Should you upgrade? If you have the money, sure, why not? But at this point maybe wait for the ROG phone 6.

[@Ahlong9711]

@@jamescampbell5734 Ok sir I think I going get this phone

[@jamescampbell5734]

@@Ahlong9711 Nice!

[@Shorty_Lickens]

I have it for weather and email. Its OK I guess.

[@unleaded6470]

I see reports that og rog 5 had motherboard issue after some updates? Is this rog 5s any better?

[@chriskhoury2879]

Great review thanks brother.

[@kobetayco3726]

hows 5s doing after some software update? cause a lot people complaining about the new update that damage's the motherboard

[@vbkactiongaming1312]

Hi I live in the USA and was wondering for the regular rog phone 5 what carriers you recommend and stuff I had a rog phone 5 I sent back cause it was a global rom one and I couldn't get signal most the time and didn't know if it mattered that it was the global one and not the international one or something? Basically ordered it and when I went to use it straight talk wouldn't let me even try to activate it with them so I did the at and t bring your own phone thing and I only got signal in town about 30% the time when I have friends in town on at and t that have signal everywhere . I was led to believe that some versions of the phone work better or pickup more towers in the USA .

[@userwest626]

its almost perfect if the screen fill to full screen. good things this does not have punch hole like a red spy eye, the bottom still have space, wasted space.

[@mahdiarhashemi5407]

Hi, thanks for honest information bro Between 5s type and 5s pro wich one do you think is better and does ram 18 type heat up faster and more than ram 16?

[@devaditya449]

Not really. Tbh, you cannot use that much ram and even if you can, it doesn't affect much.

[@wanashraf1707]

bro.. how do u set up for status bar on the left side next to time? i cant see it on setting.. mind to help me?

[@LegendaryPhenom]

Would buy it if the camera would be on par or slightly worse than current flagships, other than that, that phone sounds amazing.

[@willstikken5619]

You must rely on the phone camera a lot. Most people spend more time using the rest of the phone, especially with a gaming phone.

[@gogriarpit1]

Would you suggest Rog 5s or OnePlus 10 pro. I am concerned about the display and camera. Everything else I love about the ROG

[@thequietkid4l]

Display is gorgeous in the Rog Phone 5s but the camera is average.

[@eternalgaming5089]

Does rog 5s also have problems like rog 5? Tell me plz because I am thinking of buying rog 5s 🙏

[@danleeworth]

Dude, you're an awesome reviewer! You're right, definitely not just a great gaming phone. I never play games, but watch movies and shows like a goof! The stereo speakers rock and the headphone jack is amazing!

[@jhojanoful]

Can you connect to 2 Bluetooth devices at the same time?

[@eternalgaming5089]

Does 5s still have the motherboard problem?

[@hasnayensalman2697]

Got one brand new for $800 at My World Phone.

[@kannada-technewz]

Sir we are big fan of yours, bcz if your honest reviews which is not like other paid reviewers, so sir please all asus rog phone 5 users had issues with WiFi, hotspot and sudden dead phone issues after the updating to latest firmware.. So kindly please please update the phone and give us honest review of all the issues faced by you (if any) even minor issues so that we all buyers can get know to whether to buy this phone or go for other options.... Kindly please read my message and do let us know either we should go for this device or not... Please let us all know the issues of the phone before we buy this device major question is (did asus sorted the WiFi, hotspot and sudden dead phone issues so that we need not to get our motherboards replaced after we purchase.... Thank you

[@dudewithamood4673]

Can you use both USB C at the same time ? one for connecting to a bigger display and the other for charging ? Second question , can you change the refresh rate from 144 to 60 or 90 ?

[@devaditya449]

Yes you can change the refresh rate. And no, you can't use both like the legion.

[@saviom8166]

Why does no one mention the 4 microphones, better WiFi reception and perhaps better LTE signal reception?

[@davidagiel8130]

I had ROG 2 phone, just died on me, so I’m thinking of getting red magic 7 pro, black shark 5 pro or poco f4 gt instead this time, plus you get gen1 chipset.

[@athomenotavailable]

Have they improved the durability issue? Maybe strengthened that weak point by adding a stiff long bracket or something along the weak points?

[@devaditya449]

Nope.

[@ryanb2633]

Anyone can snap a phone if they wanted to, though.

[@tucker12435]

I just ordered a rog phone 5s. Im excited

[@marekm2094]

Właśnie dziś oddałem do serwisu mego rog5 po ładowaniu rozgrzał się do takiej temperatury że już się nie włączył cztery miesiące używania

[@anatol1204]

The jack should be on the top of the phone not under

[@jitxettri4126]

When I connect my Rog 3 with Elgato Capture through USB C to HDMI my rog 3 display automatically becomes 60hz and it's unchangeable. The display becomes 60hz and it looks blurry, bad quality graphics. Please reply

[@HectorOvalle18]

I have the rog phone 2 with the asus professional dock and it does the same

[@jitxettri4126]

@@HectorOvalle18 do you have any solution?

[@duelguardian3089]

I'm confused now rog phone 5 pro and there is a rog phone 5s? Then there is a pro variant for that?

[@pocketlintcom]

Yeah, there's both regular and 'Pro' models of both the 5 and the 5s.

[@kaseycarr9130]

Liked the video, but the contacts man, your eyes, just kinda freaky bro🤭😅

[@jasppytheunfriendlyghost235]

Hi guys, thoughts? Buy 5s pro now or wait for rog 6/6s

[@userwest626]

that will have to wait 1 whole year. long wait .🙄 I think get the 5s now. next one for next year may use same setup as the 5s power has reach most powerful spec for all phones, only difference is use quaancomm gen 1, but as compared 888+ and gen 1 is about same speed.

[@devaditya449]

Gen 1 is only slightly faster, and even then, you don't really need that much processing power. And from most reviews, the gen 1, at least the one in the moto phone that's already released has been proven bad for gaming. In case that continues, there's a strong chance the 6 will come with dimensity 9000, since it's proven to be slightly better at benchmarks, but it could come with either. The only reason I'd ask you to wait is if you want better cameras. The rog 5s has a decent camera but it's not the best value for that premium price, most reviewers came down hard on it and Asus could work on that in the 6.

[@chini2W0]

@@userwest626 is it safe to get the 5s rather than the classic 5? I've seen reviews about the 5 and 5pro having motherboard problems. Does it also apply to 5s & 5s Pro?

[@parikshitbasu5017]

@@chini2W0 same question here

[@eigelgregossweisse9563]

Whatever you do, DO NOT, DO NOT expose this phone to water. Like, any type. Just put it in a pouch if you feel you are going anywhere that has a body of water. Hiking, going to the beach, even if it's at the sandy part, anywhere! My ROG 3 hated it, and now I'm in despair with it being at the repairs. Good news, I bought the last ROG 5s at my electronics store.

[@1Pawlos]

What about durability?

[@devaditya449]

You don't really have to worry about it. I've seen Jerry rig's vid too. It is strong, more than enough for a normal user. Don't put it in your back pocket and then sit down on it and it'll be just fine.

[@abhijamwal6590]

Why rog 5 motherboard problem after update

[@chini2W0]

What happened to your rog?

[@hironbk3093]

I am don't get it, how is the the update can effect the motherboard?

[@saviom8166]

The battery is 6000 mAh, not 5000 mAh .

[@jonasvitting8795]

6000mah not 5000 😊

[@komruz]

6000mah battery not 5000

[@Julian-tq9vb]

Give me the rog 5 wich you want but i need one. Please!

[@mukurorokudo4099]

give it 8 months, that phone's cpu and motherboard will get broken and you'll only blame yourself for buying that phone.

[@chini2W0]

Have you experienced this yourself?

[@zzstrone1354]

Yes same thing happened to me...rog 2 and 3, blackshark 2 pro...all the same thing... battery health significantly degrades overtime and everything starts to fall apart from then on

[@abhijamwal6590]

Phone is dead

[@userwest626]

what did you do to it?

[@devaditya449]

@@userwest626In some countries like India, Asus rolled out a wrong system update which ended up crashing the motherboards.

[@chini2W0]

@@devaditya449 is it still smart to buy rog phone 5s now? Is it safe? I also heard about motherboards dying

[@devaditya449]

@@chini2W0 , can't be sure about places like India, Indonesia and some other countries. Whilst in the US, UK and other places, the device works fine, due to some technical issues in some countries here, motherboards were dying. However, that happened mostly only with the rog 5. The 5s was never released in India, so I can't be sure but the rog 5 ultimate seems to be working fine so far. So, 5s could be good, but however, it won't be a smart investment rn. The rog 6 will come out soon, probably in March or April. I suggest if you can, wait for it, see how big the difference is between the price and the specs, and then either buy the new one, or the 5s. But if you need a phone immediately, then maybe you can go for it.

[@chini2W0]

@@devaditya449 yeah. You got some points correct. Gotta wait for what Asus has to offer with 6, hopefully they polish every thing, learn from their recent flaws and listen to feedbacks from customers. They surely lost a lot because of the said issues, not just on ROG 5, but also 3 and 2 as others also encountered issues with it due to their system updates