The Asus ROG Phone 3 has just been launched in Malaysia. As promised, three variants of the gaming smartphone are offered here, and it starts at RM2,999. Quite a bit more than the starting price of its predecessor (RM2,499), but still relatively well-priced for a device of this calibre.

Of course, the RM2,999 price tag is for the base ROG Phone 3 Strix Edition, which features a regular Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The other two variants of the gaming smartphone, on the other hand, come with a newer Snapdragon 865+ SoC, 512GB of storage, as well as either 12GB (RM3,799) or 16GB (RM4,499) of RAM.

Besides the different processor, RAM, and storage capacity, all variants of ROG Phone 3 have the same hardware, including a 6.59-inch 2340 x 1080 AMOLED display with a very high 144Hz refresh rate. While this is not the first smartphone to pack such a fast screen – the Nubia RedMagic 5G did it first – it’s still quite a unique feature. To top it off, the display sports a fast 270Hz touch sampling rate too.

The design of the ROG Phone 3 got an overhaul as well, giving it a more refined, “smartphone-like” aesthetic. Compared to the previous model, the new phone feels better in the hands, thanks to the redesigned rear panel. Unlike the textured back of the ROG Phone II, the ROG Phone 3’s back panel is just a single piece of glass now.

Another noteworthy improvement is the camera system of the ROG Phone 3. Its triple camera array is made up of a 64MP f/1.8 primary sensor, a 13MP f/2.4 ultra-wide angle lens, and a 5MP f/2.0 macro shooter. Still no telephoto sensor, unfortunately, but this is a gaming smartphone; camera isn’t exactly the main focus here.

Other specifications of the ROG Phone 3 include two ultrasonic shoulder buttons on the right side of the phone – perfect for playing shooters like PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty: Mobile – a 24MP f/2.0 selfie camera, a huge 6,000mAh battery with 30W fast charging, as well as an in-screen fingerprint sensor.

All three variants of the Asus ROG Phone 3 are now available for purchase in Malaysia. To recap, the base Strix Edition with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM retails at RM2,999, while the standard ROG Phone 3 with 512GB of storage and 12GB RAM goes for RM3,799. If you want to upgrade the RAM to a whopping 16GB, it will cost you a cool RM4,499.