We put two of the top gaming phones in the market, the iPhone 15 Pro Max and the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro, against each other in an ultimate gaming test to see which performs better.
iPhone 15 Pro Max (Left) and the ROG Phone 8 Pro
It was back in 2003 that Nokia launched a gaming smartphone called the N-gage. The phone carried a unique design, unlike anything we’d seen before. The console-like design philosophy, reminiscent of a Game Boy, piqued curiosity globally. The Nokia N-gage didn’t encounter any challenges as the level of games you could run on the Symbian operating system had their limitations in terms of graphics and gameplay.
Samsung also tried its hand at bringing a gaming-dedicated device with the Samsung SPH-B5200 and Sony experimented with the Xperia Play. While some embraced the idea of a gaming smartphone, some sceptics questioned its practicality and labelled it as gimmicky and ostentatious.
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This is 2024 and things are a lot different now when it comes to gaming on smartphones.
The beginning marked the launch of the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro, the marquee gaming flagship from the Taiwanese tech giant. Undoubtedly, it packs all the bells and whistles to be christened as the ultimate gaming device, and one that can run some of the top Android titles in the market. The ROG Phone 8 Pro hardly has an equal competitor in the gaming smartphone segment. At least one that is being marketed as a “gaming smartphone”.
However, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is a mighty challenger in this segment and a device that many of the top gamers and streamers in India swear by. This piqued my curiosity. Can the iPhone 15 Pro Max serve as a daily driver and double as a gaming device when you’re in the mood for a little arcade bonanza? Can it match the gaming prowess of a ROG Phone 8 Pro? Let's find out.
The ‘quintessential’ gaming aesthetics
The ROG Phone 8 Pro has been designed to give mobile gamers a competitive edge. I mean going that extra mile and adding specific hardware that makes the ROG Phone stand out. Let’s first talk about the most obvious, the air triggers. The physical triggers on the ROG Phone series aren’t anything new and go back to the 2019 edition of the ROG Phone 2. One of the first devices to get dedicated gaming buttons was the Xperia Play.
While the idea was inspired by game controllers that came bundled with the PlayStation, air triggers lend an advantage to gamers in the battle arena. The side-mounted USB Type-C port on the ROG Phone 8 is another unique design philosophy that helps gamers add more hardware to their gaming experience. I am talking about the Aero Active Cooler that can be bought separately for Rs 5,999 and comes bundled as part of the box with the 24GB variant.
This futuristic-looking gizmo not only adds a pair of extra triggers to the gaming experience but also helps manage the heat which in our testing went up to 42 degrees. With the triggers, you’ll experience faster battery drain but at the same time, it’ll help maintain the device temperature under 35 degrees during long gaming sessions, which is ideal. Also, you can even use the phone while charging the device from the side port and that will not disrupt the gaming experience. Something that is usually an issue with regular smartphones.
While the iPhone 15 Pro Max doesn’t come bundled with any extra hardware for gaming nor adds any gaming triggers, you can always buy a good pair of triggers online. These triggers can be attached to the phone and the cost can vary between Rs 500-Rs 5000 depending on the quality and functionality they offer. As for heat management, the iPhone 15 Pro Max did a good job during our one-hour gaming test.
In one hour of playing BGMI and COD: Mobile on max settings and at 90Hz refresh rate, the phone's maximum temperature recorded was 38.4 degrees after 45 minutes. This compared to the 40.8 degrees on the ROG Phone 8 Pro after 30 minutes is far better. For this, Apple uses an advanced thermal architecture for better heat management which helps keep the device's temperature in check. Barring the additional hardware that the ROG Phone brings to the table, gaming on the two devices doesn’t feel that different. Both weigh around 220 grams and if you take away the triggers on the ROG, the gaming experience is the same.
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Undoubtedly, the additional hardware will help you level up your gaming skills faster, but you can always get the attachments on an iPhone and compete at a similar level.
More than what meets the eye
Right off the bat, the ROG Phone 8 Pro is a beast of a device that packs a solid 6.78-inch OLED display that’s vibrant and bright enough with 2500 nits of peak brightness. It has also added the 165HZ refresh rate this time around which is great for gamers who regularly engage in FPS and fast-paced combat games. On the other hand, the iPhone 15 Pro Max comes with a 6.7-inch OLED display with 2000 nits of peak brightness.
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Yes, it has a 120Hz refresh rate panel which, though less than the ROG Phone 8 Pro, is still ideal for most of the games that you’d find in the mobile ecosystem. While we were testing both devices, we did not feel any lags in either device and that predicates that the iPhone is equally capable of handling heavy-duty graphic games as well. The advantage that the iPhone holds is that at 460 ppi, it’s pushing more pixels compared to the 388 ppi on the Phone 8 Pro.
While much of what is on paper isn’t enough to help us decide which of the two is a better gaming device, a lot of it will depend on how long you are gaming. Visually, I feel both phones are equally good, and I wouldn’t pick a winner in this department.
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Is 24GB enough to run BGMI?
While the whole idea of 24GB RAM on a smartphone sounds ridiculous, I wonder what the engineers at Asus were thinking when they thought of adding this kind of heavy hardware to a phone. Sure, it looks fabulous on paper and might help the company sell a few devices just because of this, but is it practical?
Even if one is looking to take up gaming professionally and buys the ROG Phone 8 Pro, I’d imagine he’d use the device for streaming the game online while running multiple games in the background, because that’s what the audience demands. They might be running additional streaming software like OBS Studio while engaging with their audience on YouTube simultaneously.
Additionally, they could run Twitch in the backend to connect with their community. I cannot think of any more apps that could be needed.
Still, the biggest question is, do I need 24GB of RAM to run all of this or is 8GB of RAM on the iPhone sufficient? Presently, professional gamers and YouTubers prefer the iPhone 15 Pro Max as their go-to gaming and streaming device not only because it comes with the A17 Pro chipset, but also because the phone comes with hardware-accelerated ray tracing, which makes the gaming experience better. While testing, we were running multiple applications in the background while playing BGMI and not once did we experience a lag during our experience. It goes without saying that efficient hardware and software are pivotal for a good gaming device.
But then are you getting anything extra with the ROG Phone 8 Pro? Of course, you are.
The X Mode on the phone brings a slew of gaming customisations with the help of AI and also boosts the overall gaming performance. You get a dedicated gaming drawer to stack all your games and the whole look of the UI seems very pleasing to the eyes. Again, these customisations are for gamers who are looking to go mainstream and want dedicated gaming hardware for themselves.
On the iPhone, you can stack the games in a single folder, and you’re done! Performance-wise, there’s hardly anything to separate these two devices apart from what you see on paper. The ROG Phone 8 Pro offers a stellar gaming experience and is the perfect gadget for gamers aspiring to take their gaming to the next level. However, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is equally good when it comes to gaming performance, minus the jazzy user interface and some of the gaming-centric software integrations you get with the ROG Phone.
ROG betting big on battery
The ROG Phone 8 Pro comes with a 5500mAh battery that’s bundled with 65W fast wired charging. I was able to get a 0-100% charge in 43 minutes, which is fast enough if I wanted to resume a gaming session after my battery ran out.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max comes with a 4441mAh battery and supports up to 27W with a PD charger. During our testing, I was able to get 50% battery juice with 30 minutes of charging. Yes, the ROG Phone 8 Pro has a bigger battery pack but also drains faster. Below is a chart showing the battery drain recorded during our 1-hour gaming test.
Here in our 1-hour gaming test, the ROG Phone 8 Pro went from 100% to 82% while the iPhone 15 Pro Max was left with 86% battery. At the end of the session, the iPhone with the relatively smaller battery had 5% more juice, which tells how Apple has been able to ace the battery management department.
The king of the hill?
So, which of the two is the ultimate gaming champion? Tough question. On one hand, the ROG Phone 8 Pro screams gaming in terms of the design philosophy and the added hardware customisations you get. You get gaming-dedicated UI and software which helps better the overall experience.
The 24GB RAM variant with 1TB of storage is priced at Rs 1,19,000, which is quite steep if you’re someone who is also looking at this device as a daily driver. In the phone’s defence, it’s packed to the brim with top-of-the-line hardware like a Snapdragon 8 Gen3 chipset, a triple rear camera system and a 5,500mAh battery with fast charging. However, I think there are very few who would pay that much unless they want to flaunt a gaming smartphone like the ROG.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max carries a premium price tag. The 1TB storage variant is priced at Rs 1,99,900. That’s a lot of money to pay for a gaming smartphone. But again, understand that the iPhone 15 Pro Max is not just a gaming phone and is one of the best phones out there that also offers a good gaming experience. It doesn’t have the fancy hardware but add a few third-party mods, and you’re good to go. You can use the iPhone as your daily driver (if you like the iOS ecosystem) and also enjoy playing high-end games on it without compromising on the quality or experience.
To conclude, I'd say that the ROG Phone 8 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max each bring their unique strengths to the gaming smartphone arena. While the ROG Phone 8 Pro caters specifically to gamers with its dedicated hardware and gaming-centric features, the iPhone 15 Pro Max offers a more versatile experience, seamlessly integrating gaming with its broader functionality as a flagship smartphone. Ultimately, the choice between the two depends on individual preferences, budget considerations, and whether gaming is the primary focus or just one aspect of overall device usage. Both devices represent the pinnacle of mobile gaming technology, offering exceptional performance and features to satisfy even the most demanding gamers.
Published By:
Cyrus John
Published On:
Apr 29, 2024
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