We subjected the Asus ROG Phone 7 to our rigorous SBMARK audio test suite to measure its performance both when recording sound using its built-in microphones, and when playing audio through its speakers.
In this review, we’ll analyze how it performed in a variety of tests and several common use cases.
Overview
Key audio specs include:
- Two speakers (top center, bottom center)
- 3.5mm audio out
- Dirac HD technology
Reproduction
Pros
- Good tonal balance with nice upper bass presence
- Good dynamic performance
- Good spatial performance
Against
- Aggressive tonal balance at maximum volume
- Bass distortion even at nominal volume
- The upper bass emphasis can induce resonances
Registration
Pros
- Excellent tonal performance overall, with a rich, warm tonal balance
- Excellent spatial performance, large amplitude
- Excellent all-round recording performance, largely free of artifacts
Against
- The tonal balance would benefit from a little more treble
- Midrange resonances and boomy bass delivery at high SPLs
- No audio zoom
In SBMARK Audio tests, the gaming-oriented Asus ROG Phone 7 was a great all-round performer with an AeroActive Cooler feature that could give an extra boost to the sonic experience while gaming. The Asus performed very well both as a playback device and when recording sound, but was held back slightly by the lack of an audio zoom function. Our experts also noted some bass distortion with the built-in speakers.
In playback, the ROG Phone 7 performed best when listening to music, but it also performed very well when watching movies or playing games. As a recording device it was the best when shooting selfie video, but it also performed excellently with major camera and memo apps, making it an easy recommendation for any sound-focused smartphone user.
Trial summary
Learn about SBMARK audio tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone audio reviews, SBMARK engineers perform a series of objective tests and undertake more than 20 hours of perceptual evaluation under controlled laboratory conditions.
(For more details on our playback protocol, click here; for more details on our recording protocol, click here.)
The following section compiles the key elements of our extensive testing and analysis performed in the SBMARK laboratories. Detailed performance evaluations in the form of reports are available upon request. Do not hesitate to contact us.
How the audio playback score is composed
SBMARK engineers test playback through smartphone speakers, the performance of which is evaluated in our labs and under real-life conditions, using apps and preset settings.
In our playback tests, the ROG Phone 7 offered a good tonal balance that was pretty close to what we’d previously observed on the ROG Phone 6. The presence of the lower treble was pleasing, but our experts found the extension slightly understaffed high-end. The midrange was rich, and the bass and natural delivery was powerful. With the AeroActive Cooler extension enabled, our experts observed some additional low-mid and upper highs, but the feature also induced some confusion in tonal balance. However, results achieved with the AeroActive Cooler enabled were not included in the ROG Phone 7’s score.
Dynamics were good, with sharp and precise attack, bass precision benefitting from improved sustain and big punch. In terms of spatial capabilities, the Asus device provided an acceptable but not particularly large sound stage compared to other phones of the same class. The good localizability made it possible to locate individual sound elements easily. Both amplitude and localizability have been improved by the AeroActive Cooler when enabled. The rendering of distance and depth was very good.
Our testers found the minimum volume setting a bit too low, with some soft sections barely audible when listening to classical music. Maximum volume was good, though. In terms of unwanted audio artifacts, bass distortion and significant resonances were noticeable at nominal volume and became more intrusive at max volume. However, the built-in speakers weren’t particularly prone to hand clogging.
Hear about the playback performance of the smartphone tested in this comparison with some of its competitors:
Recordings of smartphones playing some of our songs at 60 LAeq in an anechoic environment via 2 microphones in AB configuration, at 30 cm
Here’s how the Asus ROG Phone 7 fares in playback use cases compared to its competitors:
Playback of use case scores
The Timbre score represents how well a phone reproduces sound across the audible tonal range and takes into account bass, mids, treble, tonal balance, and volume dependence. It is the most important attribute for reproduction.
Frequency response of music reproduction
A 1/12-octave frequency response graph, which measures the loudness of each frequency emitted by your smartphone as it reproduces a pure sine wave in an anechoic environment.
The Dynamics Score measures the accuracy of changes in the energy level of sound sources, such as how accurately a bass note or impact sound of drums is played.
Secondary attributes for spatial testing include pinpointing the location of a specific sound, its positional balance, distance, and amplitude.
The volume score represents the overall volume of a smartphone and how smoothly the volume increases and decreases based on user input.
Here are some sound pressure levels (SPL) measured while playing our sample recordings of hip-hop and classical music at maximum volume:
| hip-hop | Classic | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 | 75.2 dBA | 71 dBA |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 | 74.9 dBA | 72.6 dBA |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (Snapdragon) | 74.8 dBA | 71.8 dBA |
The following graph shows the gradual changes in volume from minimum to maximum. We expect these changes to be consistent across the range, so that all volume steps match user expectations:
Music volume consistency
This line graph shows the relative loudness of the playback versus the user selected volume step, measured at several volume steps with correlated pink noise in an anechoic box recorded 0.20 meter on axis.
The artifact score measures the extent to which the sound is affected by various types of distortion. The higher the score, the less noticeable sound disturbances are. Distortion can occur due to the sound processing in the device and the quality of the speakers.
Playback Total Harmonic Distortion (maximum volume)
This graph shows total harmonic distortion and noise over the audible frequency range.
It represents the distortion and noise of the device playing our test signal (0 dB Fs, Sweep Sine in an anechoic box at 40cm) at the device’s maximum volume.
How the score of the audio recording is composed
SBMARK engineers test recording by evaluating recorded files on reference audio equipment. These recordings are made in our laboratories and under real-life conditions, using apps and default settings.
In recording the tonal balance was excellent in all use cases, with great treble rendition and excellent midrange when recording with the main camera. With the front-facing camera, though, the midrange sounded slightly thinner. The signal-to-noise ratio was not a strong point and background noises, for example in urban environments, could become quite intrusive. However, the performance of the envelope was excellent in all use cases.
Soundstage breadth was excellent, especially when recording in landscape orientation with the main camera. Individual sound sources were easy to locate within the scene, and distance rendering was accurate. On main camera recordings the volume could have been louder, but it was good in all other test use cases. The ROG Phone 7 performed very well in terms of recording artifacts. Some slight compression and distortion was noted on loud vocals, but otherwise the recordings were quite clean. The background was also excellent, free of artifacts and with a natural tonal balance.
Here’s how the Asus ROG Phone 7 fares in recording use cases compared to its competitors:
Use case scoring
The Timbre Score represents how well a phone captures sounds across the audible tonal range and takes into account bass, mids, treble, and tonal balance. It is the most important attribute for registration.
Video frequency response of life
A 1/12-octave frequency response graph, which measures the loudness of each frequency captured by your smartphone while recording a pure sine wave in an anechoic environment.
The Dynamics Score measures the accuracy of changes in the energy level of sound sources, such as how accurately plosives in a voice (p, t, k, for example) are reproduced. The score also considers the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), such as how loud the lead voice is compared to the background noise.
Secondary attributes for spatial testing include locating a specific sound’s location, positional balance, distance, and amplitude on recorded audio files.
Directness of registration
Smartphone directivity graph while recording test signals using the camera app, with the main camera. It represents the acoustic energy (in dB) on the angle of incidence of the sound source. (Normalized to 0° angle, in front of the device.)
The loudness score represents how loud audio is normalized on recorded files and how well the device handles loud environments, such as electronic concerts, while recording.
Here are the sound levels recorded in the audio and video files, measured in LUFS (Loudness Unit Full Scale); for reference, we expect volume levels to be above -24 LUFS for recorded content:
| Encounter | Videos life | Selfie videos | Memorandum | |
| Asus ROG Phone 7 | -27.5 LUFS | -23.1 LUFS | -21.1 LUFS | -21.7 LUFS |
| Asus ROG Phone 6 | -21.4 LUFS | -19.9 LUFS | -18.1 LUFS | -17.6 LUFS |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (Snapdragon) | -26.5 LUFS | -21.8 LUFS | -22.4 LUFS | -21.6 LUFS |
The Artifacts score measures the extent to which recorded sounds are affected by various types of distortions. The higher the score, the less noticeable sound disturbances are. Distortions can occur due to in-device sound processing and microphone quality, as well as user handling, such as how the phone is held.
In this audio comparison, you can hear how this smartphone handles wind noise compared to its competitors:
matrix(3) {
[“Asus ROG Phone 7”]=> string(66) “resources/Asus/ROGPhone7V2.1/AsusROGPhone7_MicrophoneArtifacts.m4a”
[“Asus ROG Phone 6”]=> string(66) “resources/Asus/ROGPhone7V2.1/AsusROGPhone6_MicrophoneArtifacts.m4a”
[“Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra”]=> string(74) “resources/Asus/ROGPhone7V2.1/SamsungGalaxyS23Ultra_MicrophoneArtifacts.m4a” }
Recordings of a voice sample with slight background noise, facing a 5 m/s turbulent wind
Background evaluates how smoothly various sounds around a voice blend into the video recording file. For example, when recording a speech at an event, the background shouldn’t interfere with the main vocal, but should provide context of your surroundings.
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