Asus ROG Phone 5 finally arrives in US — and it's $999

Asus ROG Phone 5 review
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

The Asus ROG Phone 5 is now officially available in the U.S. and is currently selling at $999.99 on the ASUS store.

However, one thing to note is that users can only purchase the standard model that packs 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and has the Asus ROG RGB-lit logo on its back rather than the monochromatic OLED display seen on the Ultimate model.

The highly anticipated Asus Rog Phone 5 is without a doubt one of the best gaming phones available right now. In fact, we went as far as declaring this phone as the number one phone in the gaming industry, and it's easy to see why. 

In our Asus ROG Phone 5 review, we were impressed with its beautiful AMOLED display with its 144Hz refresh rate, the superb battery life and excellent gaming capabilities. And although the lack of wireless charging and water resistance is admittedly disappointing, overall, this phone delivers outstanding gaming performance with a signature aesthetic that gamers have come to love. 

The Asus ROG Phone 5 packs a punch with its 6.78-inch display, a powerful Snapdragon 888 chip, storage of up to 256GB, and support for up to 16GB of RAM. And if that's not enough, this phone's lengthy battery life can last you up to 10,5 hours even in its high refresh rate mode. 

Weighing 8.39 ounces, the Asus ROG Phone 5 also features three rear camera lenses: 64MP ultrawide (f/1.8), 13MP ultrawide (f/2.4), 5MP macro (f/2.0), and a 24 MP (f/2.45) front camera lens. Although compared to other flagship smartphones, the camera lenses may be on a mediocre side, this Android gaming phone isn't really intended for impressive camera work after all. But the fact that you can also shoot videos in up to 8K quality at 30 frames per second definitely scores some points in our book. 

At launch, Asus announced that there would be five different models to choose from, all with different builds. However, as we've just mentioned, U.S.-based mobile gamers can only purchase the standard model for now. 

So if you're hoping to get your hands on the more premium models, you'll have to wait until Asus brings those to the table later on in the year. 

And in case the set of specs of the standard model fits your mobile gaming needs, you might also want to check out Asus' AeroActive Cooler 5, a handy cooling device that will prevent your new phone from overheating, which is currently sold at a hefty $69.99 price tag. 

Speaking of handy accessories, a must-have would be the ROG Kunai 3 gamepad, which will transform your phone into a handheld console. It's priced at $149.99, though if you're planning to get both the phone and the gamepad you can save $100 when purchasing the bundle ($1,039). 

Denise Primbet
News Writer

Denise is a Life Reporter at Newsweek, covering everything lifestyle-related, including health, relationships, personal finance, beauty and more. She was formerly a news writer at Tom’s Guide, regularly producing stories on all things tech, gaming software/hardware, fitness, streaming, and more. Her published content ranges from short-form news articles to long-form pieces, including reviews, buying guides, how-tos, and features. When she's not playing horror games, she can be found exploring East London with her adorable puppy. She’s also a part-time piano enthusiast and regularly experiments in the kitchen.