The Asus ROG Phone 9 and Phone 9 Pro have transformed from previous hyper-focused gaming smartphones into gaming smartphones with more mainstream appeal. Has Asus found the winning formula?

I booted up the game Mortal Kombat Mobile on the new Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro, and the tutorial that led me into Scorpion pulling off a Fatality against Sub-Zero shows the fiery character slicing through his opponent's skull like butter.

Asus ROG Phone 9 is a Snapdragon 8 Elite gaming phone with a 185 Hz display, up to 24GB RAM, and a new Anime Play feature

Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro is a gaming smartphone that also doubles as a productivity beast, making it ideal for gamers and power users alike.

The ROG Phone 9 series brings Android 15 powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. The Pro model comes in a 16/24GB and 512GB/1TB combo, while the base model brings 12GB of memory and 2156GB of storage. Both bring an improved cooling system by GameCool 9 with a larger graphite sheet that brings better heat dissipation.

The ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro doesn't make major advances versus last year's phone, but it's faster, runs a little longer, it's got more LEDs for bling

A bigger battery and new chipset allows the ROG Phone 9 Pro to take the dual titles of most powerful and longest-lasting phone we've ever had the honor of testing. It's designed to be a great gaming phone,

The Asus ROG Phone 9 with a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip is a performance powerhouse, but it can't match other $1,000 phones in ways that matter.

The Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro continues the company's trend of delivering a consumer-friendly device that packs a ton of power.

Asus' ROG Phone 9 offers innovative gaming features like AirTriggers and a stunning AMOLED display. Battery life is respectable at 21 hours, but daily use, especially with the camera, is underwhelming. The ROG Phone 9 excels at gaming, but its design doesn't stand out as a smartphone for non-gamers.