With the launch of the ROG Phone, Asus broke new ground in the world of smartphone gaming. Not everyone is a fan of Asus’ beefy gaming machine, but that hasn’t stopped the company from bringing a second iteration.
The ROG Phone 2 has been launched in China for 5,999 yuan (~$873), which is the same as the ROG 1’s launch price. The device will be made available, globally, in September.
In this section, we’ll talk security updates, bug fixes, Android OS upgrades and everything in between. So, without further ado, let’s dig in.
Latest News
March 9, 2020: Android 10 finally makes its way to the ROG Phone II. Asus has started rolling out the latest version of Android to its gaming smartphone. Here’s the complete changelog:
November 21, 2019: Asus has started rolling out a sizeable software update for the ROG Phone II. The update, which carries software version 16.0631.1910.44, fixes a bunch of issues regarding phone navigation, Air Triggers, Wi-Fi Hotspot, car Bluetooth, and more.
Check out the complete changelog to see all the fixes and improvements.
- Fixed the abnormal vibration sound issue when certain notifications arrived
- Fixed the issue where occasionally the Back gesture did not work
- Fixed the issue where occasionally in-screen fingerprint icon would not disappear
- Fixed the issue where hotspot icon still appeared in the status bar after WiFi hotspot had been turned off
- Fixed the issue where the phone occasionally could not connect to car’s Bluetooth
- Fixed the issue where user could not set up AirTriggers buttons when the system language was in Hebrew
- Fixed the issue where in some regions there was no Google Assistant option in AirTriggers squeeze gesture settings
- Fixed the issue where occasionally Kunai GamePad did not work
- Fixed the issue where making a phone call accidentally triggered AirTriggers squeeze function
November 08, 2019: As anticipated, Asus is bringing Android 10 to ROG Phone II and has opened the beta registration portal to the smartphone’s enthusiasts. There aren’t many requirements, per se, to test Android 10 beta, but users are required to be active on ZenTalk and provide valuable feedback. To get yourself registered for the ROG Phone II Android 10 beta program, follow this link and fill out the application form.
November 07, 2019: Asus has started rolling out a software update for its ROG Phone II. The OTA, which carries software version WW1910.35, brings all new AirTrigger gestures, adds game cover customization, fixes navigation bar problem, updates the security patch to October 2019, and more.
Asus ROG Phone 2 Android 10 update
As it’s Asus’ greatest smartphone on the market, the ROG Phone 2 is expected to get the Android 10 update. Asus has been pretty sloppy with its updates lately, so, we are expecting the OEM to release the update by the end of Q3 2020.
Last year, when Asus released the first ROG device, most users expected the company to provide lightning-quick updates due to the phone’s unchallenged, flagship status. The phone shipped with Android 8.1 Oreo, just around the time when Android Pie popped up around the block. Months went by, but the Taiwanese giant never got around to publishing the update. The original ROG users are still waiting for the update, which, according to Asus will go live by end of September 2019.
The Asus ROG Phone 2 will be the first device to pack the Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset, so, its performance should arguably be the best on the market. However, if you are in for a device that’s guaranteed to get lightning-fast updates, you’d be better off looking for alternatives.
The OnePlus 7 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S10 are a couple of great alternatives. Both come with top-of-the-line specs and are guaranteed to get a couple of major OS upgrades. In terms of speed, OnePlus beats Samsung by a margin, as there are no highly-modified skins involved. However, judging by the quality of the two devices, you can’t go wrong with either.
RELATED → Asus ROG Phone 1 update
Asus ROG Phone 2 update timeline
| Release Date | Software Version — Changelog |
| Mar 09, 2020 | Installs Android 10 |
| Aug 15, 2019 | NA — Always On Display setting is back |
Why Asus ROG Phone 2 Android 10 update will be delayed
You have already seen how sloppy Asus has been with updates lately, and that isn’t expected to change much with the introduction of ROG Phone 2. Asus implements a heavy skin on top of the vanilla Android build that Google releases, which itself is quite time-consuming.
Also, the Taiwanese giant is usually more concerned with updating its Zenfone lineup ahead of ROG, which could prevail with the ROG Phone 2, as well.
In contrast, devices like OnePlus 7 Pro, Galaxy S10, Huawei P30 Pro, etc. shall be getting stable (beta could arrive early) Android 10 update by November 2019, January 2019, and December 2019 respectively. If you talk about dedicated gaming phones though, we won’t be surprised if Razer is able to update the Razer Phone 2 to Android 10 before Asus rolls out the 10 update for ROG Phone 2.
