Asus ROG Phone 5 vs. Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max: A Deep Dive for Power Users
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🏆 Quick Verdict
For the average user prioritizing a polished experience and strong camera, the iPhone 12 Pro Max remains a compelling choice. However, the Asus ROG Phone 5 decisively wins for gamers and power users who demand sustained performance and rapid charging, offering a significantly longer endurance rating and a more focused feature set.
| PHONES | ||
|---|---|---|
| Phone Names | Asus ROG Phone 5 | Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max |
| Network | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2G bands | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands | HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1800 / 1900 / 2100 - Version 1 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 |
| 4G bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 48, 66, 71 - Version 1 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 46, 48, 66, 71 - A2342 |
| 5G bands | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA - Version 1 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79, 260, 261 Sub6/mmWave - A2342 |
| Speed | HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE (7CA) Cat20 1400/150 Mbps, 5G 4 Gbps DL | HSPA, LTE, 5G, EV-DO Rev.A 3.1 Mbps |
| Technology | GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G | GSM / CDMA / HSPA / EVDO / LTE / 5G |
| 1, 3, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 41, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA - Version 2, Version 3 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78, 79 Sub6 - A2410, A2411, A2412 | |
| Launch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Announced | 2021, March 10 | 2020, October 13 |
| Status | Available. Released 2021, April 26 | Available. Released 2020, November 13 |
| Body | ||
|---|---|---|
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 3), aluminum frame | Glass front, glass back, stainless steel frame |
| Dimensions | 172.8 x 77.3 x 10.3 mm (6.80 x 3.04 x 0.41 in) | 160.8 x 78.1 x 7.4 mm (6.33 x 3.07 x 0.29 in) |
| SIM | Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM | · Nano-SIM + eSIM· Nano-SIM + Nano-SIM (China) |
| Weight | 238 g (8.40 oz) | 228 g (8.04 oz) |
| RGB light panel (on the back) Pressure sensitive zones (Gaming triggers) | IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 6m for 30 min) Apple Pay (Visa, MasterCard, AMEX certified) | |
| Display | ||
|---|---|---|
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus | Ceramic Shield glass |
| Resolution | 1080 x 2448 pixels (~395 ppi density) | 1284 x 2778 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~458 ppi density) |
| Size | 6.78 inches, 109.5 cm2 (~82.0% screen-to-body ratio) | 6.7 inches, 109.8 cm2 (~87.4% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Type | AMOLED, 1B colors, 144Hz, HDR10+, 800 nits (typ), 1200 nits (peak) | Super Retina XDR OLED, HDR10, Dolby Vision, 800 nits (HBM), 1200 nits (peak) |
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55) | Hexa-core (2x3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4x1.8 GHz Icestorm) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm) | Apple A14 Bionic (5 nm) |
| GPU | Adreno 660 | Apple GPU (4-core graphics) |
| OS | Android 11, upgradable to Android 13, ROG UI | iOS 14.1, upgradable to iOS 26.1 |
| Memory | ||
|---|---|---|
| Card slot | No | No |
| Internal | 128GB 8GB RAM, 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM | 128GB 6GB RAM, 256GB 6GB RAM, 512GB 6GB RAM |
| UFS 3.1 | NVMe | |
| Main Camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | LED flash, HDR, panorama | Dual-LED dual-tone flash, HDR (photo/panorama) |
| Triple | 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.73", 0.8µm, PDAF 13 MP, f/2.4, 11mm, 125˚ (ultrawide) 5 MP (macro) | 12 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.9", 1.7µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS 12 MP, f/2.2, 65mm (telephoto), 1/3.4", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 2.5x optical zoom 12 MP, f/2.4, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide), 1/3.4", 1.0µm TOF 3D LiDAR scanner (depth) |
| Video | 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 720p@480fps; gyro-EIS | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120/240fps, 10‑bit HDR, Dolby Vision HDR (up to 60fps), stereo sound rec. |
| Selfie camera | ||
|---|---|---|
| Features | Panorama, HDR | HDR |
| Single | 24 MP, f/2.5, 27mm (wide), 0.9µm | 12 MP, f/2.2, 23mm (wide), 1/3.6", 1.0µm SL 3D, (depth/biometrics sensor) |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 4K@24/25/30/60fps, 1080p@25/30/60/120fps, gyro-EIS |
| Sound | ||
|---|---|---|
| 3.5mm jack | Yes | No |
| 35mm jack | Yes | No |
| Loudspeaker | Yes, with DTS:X stereo speakers (2 dedicated amplifiers) | Yes, with stereo speakers |
| 24-bit/192kHz audio | - | |
| Comms | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bluetooth | 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive | 5.0, A2DP, LE |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Positioning | GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5) | GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | USB Type-C 3.1 (side), USB Type-C 2.0 (bottom), OTG, accessory connector | Lightning, USB 2.0 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, hotspot |
| Features | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sensors | Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass | Face ID, accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer |
| - | Ultra Wideband (UWB) support | |
| Battery | ||
|---|---|---|
| Charging | 65W wired, PD3.0, QC5, 70% in 30 min, 100% in 52 min 10W reverse wired | Wired, PD2.0, 50% in 30 min 15W wireless (MagSafe) 15W wireless (Qi2) - requires iOS 17.4 update |
| Type | Li-Po 6000 mAh | Li-Ion 3687 mAh (14.13 Wh) |
| Misc | ||
|---|---|---|
| Colors | Phantom Black, Storm White | Silver, Graphite, Gold, Pacific Blue |
| Models | ZS673KS, ZS673KS-1B048IN, ASUS_I005DB, ASUS_I005DA, I005DA, I005DB | A2411, A2342, A2410, A2412, iPhone13,4 |
| Price | About 370 EUR | $ 328.00 / C$ 549.75 / £ 270.67 / € 339.00 |
| SAR EU | - | 0.99 W/kg (head) 0.99 W/kg (body) |
| Pricing | ||
|---|---|---|
| 128GB 6GB RAM | - | $ 599.99 |
| 256GB 6GB RAM | - | $ 728.45 |
| 512GB 6GB RAM | - | $ 886.67 |
| RENEWED | - | $ 627.00 |
| Tests | ||
|---|---|---|
| Battery life | Endurance rating 110h | Endurance rating 95h |
| Camera | Photo / Video | Photo / Video |
| Display | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) | Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal) |
| Loudspeaker | -24.0 LUFS (Very good) | -23.8 LUFS (Very good) |
| Performance | AnTuTu: 718864 (v8) GeekBench: 14536 (v4.4), 3745 (v5.1) GFXBench: 72fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) | AnTuTu: 638584 (v8) GeekBench: 4240 (v5.1) GFXBench: 55fps (ES 3.1 onscreen) |
Asus ROG Phone 5
- Exceptional battery life (110h endurance)
- Blazing-fast 65W charging
- Superior gaming performance with active cooling
- Bulky and less refined design
- Camera system not as versatile as iPhone
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
- Premium build quality and design
- Excellent camera system with Dolby Vision HDR
- Seamless integration with Apple ecosystem
- Slower charging speeds
- Lower battery endurance (95h)
Display Comparison
Both devices feature 'Infinite' contrast ratio displays, typical of OLED technology. However, the iPhone 12 Pro Max edges out the ROG Phone 5 with a measured peak brightness of 822 nits compared to the ROG Phone 5’s 806 nits, offering slightly better visibility in direct sunlight. While neither boasts a high refresh rate (a key omission for the ROG Phone 5 given its gaming focus), the iPhone’s color accuracy is generally considered superior, benefiting content creators. The ROG Phone 5’s larger form factor allows for a more immersive gaming experience, but the iPhone’s display is arguably more refined.
Camera Comparison
Both phones offer capable photo and video recording, but their approaches differ. The iPhone 12 Pro Max excels in computational photography, delivering consistently excellent results in various lighting conditions. While specific sensor details are missing for the ROG Phone 5, it’s likely to prioritize speed and dynamic range for gaming-related content capture. The iPhone’s video recording capabilities, particularly in Dolby Vision HDR, are a significant advantage for videographers. The ROG Phone 5’s camera system is likely geared towards quick snapshots and streaming, rather than professional-grade photography.
Performance
The core battle lies between the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G in the ROG Phone 5 and the Apple A14 Bionic in the iPhone 12 Pro Max. While both are 5nm chips, Apple’s A14 Bionic consistently demonstrates superior single-core performance due to its Firestorm cores clocked at 3.1 GHz, exceeding the ROG Phone 5’s 2.84 GHz Cortex-X1. However, the ROG Phone 5 compensates with a larger RAM capacity (typically 8GB or 12GB vs the iPhone’s 6GB), potentially aiding multitasking. The ROG Phone 5’s active cooling system is crucial for sustained performance during extended gaming sessions, mitigating thermal throttling that the iPhone 12 Pro Max may experience under similar loads.
Battery Life
The Asus ROG Phone 5 boasts an endurance rating of 110 hours, significantly surpassing the iPhone 12 Pro Max’s 95 hours. This advantage is further amplified by the ROG Phone 5’s 65W wired charging, capable of reaching 70% charge in just 30 minutes and 100% in 52 minutes, compared to the iPhone’s slower wired charging and reliance on 15W wireless charging (MagSafe/Qi2). The ROG Phone 5 also offers 10W reverse wired charging, a feature absent on the iPhone, allowing it to top up other devices on the go.
Buying Guide
Buy the Asus ROG Phone 5 if you need a dedicated gaming machine with exceptional battery life, rapid charging, and a high-performance chipset optimized for demanding titles. Buy the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max if you prefer a streamlined user experience, a superior camera system for everyday photography and videography, and seamless integration within the Apple ecosystem.