Asus ROG Phone 5 release date, specs: Certification shows few design changes with ‘Tencent Games’ brand

Asus ROG Phone 5 is making headlines once again after the device appeared in one of China’s certification agencies. It was listed along with a preview of its design, suggesting it will look slightly different on the rear side.

Certification listing confirms name change and interesting addition to the design

More evidence points at the imminent launch of Asus ROG Phone 5, especially now that it has appeared on an official website. The device was recently spotted online after it received certification from China’s TENAA. The listing has also provided tech fans the potential first look at the unannounced gaming-focused smartphone.

The Asus ROG Phone 5 listing appears with a photo that shows how its rear side might look. While its basic layout appears similar to its predecessors, there are a few details that make it unique as well. But fans of the smartphone line might find the most interesting detail to be the number “05” written on the back of the Asus ROG Phone 5.

This is not the first time that Asus has been hinted to skip the number four in naming its next ROG mobile device. This inscription has also appeared on a couple of live photos leaked last month. It makes sense for the company to skip the number four since it is widely believed to bring bad luck in Taiwan, where the Asus headquarters are.

What was not shown in the earlier leak and was present in the TENAA image is the inclusion of “Tencent Games” in the Asus ROG Phone 5 design. It is still unclear what this means, but TechRadar suggested the possibility that what TENAA certified may have been a special edition produced with help from Tencent. If such a model version exists, it would not be surprising if it is going to be exclusively launched in China since that is Tencent’s base. But it the collaboration might also mean the device comes pre-installed with popular Tencent mobile games.

Asus ROG Phone 5 release date: What to expect

The same listing mentions Asus ROG Phone 5 will support 5G connectivity, which is hardly surprising at this point. But this adds weight to the speculations that the Snapdragon 888 chip would power the device.

There was no mention of a release window in the certification or in the earlier leak. However, it is worth noting that Asus has announced a new ROG Phone during July for the last two years. But last year, the Asus ROG Phone 3 arrived in the market in the same month instead of waiting until fall, which was the company’s strategy in 2018 and 2019.