ROG 5 vs Legion 2 Pro: Which is Better?
The ROG Phone 5 and Legion 2 Pro are the best phones on the market for avid mobile gamers, having the best hardware, extremely fast refresh rates, and displays that cannot be matched. With mobile gaming becoming more popular, which is the best mobile?
Mobile gaming has come a long way from tertius and snakes that many of us remember. Now avid gamers can enjoy games like Need for Speed, FIFA, Football Manager, F1 Manager, Minecraft and more all on their phone. With tournaments and competitions becoming the norm, mobile gaming is more competitive than ever. To succeed in today’s current mobile gaming world, one must have the best gaming mobile. Without it, you will simply fall behind.
The question is, which of these two phones is the best value for your money? Let’s dive into the finer details and find out!
Mobile Design
Design is a crucial aspect of a gaming phone. How it looks and feels directly affects your gaming ability and experience. Here are some key design details:
- Legion Phone Duel 2: 176 x 78.5 x 9.9mm (12.56mm centre), 259g
- ROG Phone 5: 173x77x9.9mm, 239g
The Legion Phone Duel/Pro 2 has a different design than the previous version. It features a raised bump at the rear. This bump contains the RBG Legion logo and the external fan that draws in cool air to power the active cooling system. There are exhaust ports at the top and bottom.
It is designed to be held in landscape or gaming mode. There are two touch triggers at the top and two on the back. There are eight additional control options, plus over 200 configurations.
The ROG Phone 5 features a dot display at the rear and two RGB zones to allow for different colour combinations. ROG Phone 5 Pro, Ultimate and Ultimate upgrades include the ROG Vision display that can display animations or custom graphics.
Air Triggers are also available on the ROG Phone 5 models. The ROG Phone 5 Pro, Ultimate and Ultimate offer two additional touch zones at the rear. To further assist your gaming experience, the ROG Phone 5 supports programmable gestures and a 3.5mm headset socket.
The Legion Phone is more like a handheld gaming device, while the ROG Phone 5 looks more like a phone.
Display
Having the best display will assist you in gaming better. Being able to see clearly and having a fast reframe rate that avoids delays is vital. Here are the display details:
- Legion Phone Duel 2 – 6.92 inch AMOLED, 2460×1080 pixels, 144Hz
- ROG Phone 5: 6.78 inch AMOLED, 2448×1080 pixels, 144Hz
The Legion Phone Duel 2 has a larger display than the previous phone, allowing for more immersive gaming and more room for touch controllers. This greatly improves your gaming experience.
The display is now a 6.92 inch AMOLED and supports a refresh rate of 144Hz. You can also use HDR10+ to enhance your gaming experience with a brightness of 1300 nits.
It also has a touch sampling rate of 720Hz to make touches even more immediate.
ROG Phone 5 models feature a 6.78 inch display. However, it is not very large. Both offer Full HD+ resolution and a similar refresh rate of 144Hz.
ROG claims that the Legion Phone has a touch sampling rate of 300Hz, so it may offer a slightly faster response.
Hardware
Both phones have incredible hardware to ensure you have the best gaming experience. Here are some details about their hardware:
- Legion Phone Duel 2 – Snapdragon 888, 12-18GB RAM and 5500mAh, with 90W charging
- ROG Phone 5 – Snapdragon 888, 8-18GB RAM and 6,000mAh, 65W Charging
The new Legion Phone 2 follows the same principle as the original model. It splits the battery into two cells, and places the Snapdragon 888 in its centre to provide direct cooling. This might be more effective for long gaming sessions.
Two USB-C ports allow for up to 90W charging. There is also a bypass mode that allows you to charge the phone directly while gaming, if needed. The battery is 5500mAh in total.
Lenovo offers options for 12/16/18GB RAM, 256/512GB storage and ROG also offers more combinations at lower prices. Some models may not be available in all areas.
The ROG Phone 5 uses the Snapdragon 888. We expect the same performance but with 8-18GB RAM, depending on which model you choose. We mentioned that there are 128-512GB storage options, which gives you more choice.
ROG Phone 5’s larger battery, at 6000mAh, may last longer. However, the Legion Phone Duel will be charged faster because ROG offers only 65W charging.
The ROG Phone features a pogo pin connector for clip-on accessories. This includes a cooling fan for its rear. The accessory allows the phone to have a more traditional design than the Legion Phone. However, the Lenovo phone has a more advanced cooling system that may make it more useful for gamers.
Both have dual stereo speakers, and both include quad microphones.
The Best Choice?
Both phones have great features and capabilities making them both suitable for avid mobile gamers. While the ROG does offer some extra capabilities the Legion has been described as a more usable size as it fits better in your hand and pocket.
Let’s look at the prices to understand which mobile is the best value for money:
Legion Phone Duel 2:
- 12/256: €799
- 16/512: €999
ROG Phone 5:
- 8/128: €799
- 12/256: €899
- 16/256: €999
Prices can be hard to compare as there are different features and sizes. If we compare the 12/256 we see that the Legion is slightly cheaper at €799 compared to €899 for the ROG.
After looking at both these phones and considering the price difference, the ROG Phone 5 does seem to come out on top. However, the difference is marginal and both phones would upgrade your mobile gaming. With new games being released towards the end of this year, now is a great time to consider a new gaming mobile.
