Between the iPhone 17 and ROG Phone 9, the iPhone 17 comes out ahead in wireless charging and weight, while the ROG Phone 9 wins on front camera and wired charging. Overall, the iPhone 17 scores 61.7 and the ROG Phone 9 scores 75.1 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The ROG Phone 9 is the clear pick on raw spec strength, leading by 13.4 points on the Mars Score. The margin is wide enough that the underdog only makes sense if its individual strengths line up with what you specifically need.
Pick the iPhone 17 if the display is what you stare at all day — refresh rate, brightness, or sharpness is where the difference will be most visible. The biggest gaps in its favor are wireless charging, weight, pixel density, among others.
Pick the ROG Phone 9 if you photograph or shoot video regularly and want the better imaging pipeline of the two. Its strongest claims are front camera, wired charging, ram, among others.
Both ship with comparable 5g support, water resistance, optical image stabilization, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: the ROG Phone 9 is the safer default. The other model is the right choice only when its specific advantages line up with your priorities.
Why Apple - iPhone 17 wins
- ▲Wireless charging — 66.67% more. 25 W vs 15 W.
- ▲Weight — 33.00 g less. 194 vs 227.
- ▲Pixel density — 18.56% more. 460 ppi vs 388 ppi.
- ▲Promised OS updates: 6 (vs 3).
Why ASUS - ROG Phone 9 wins
- ▲Front camera — 166.67% more. 32 MP vs 12 MP.
- ▲Wired charging — 140.74% more. 65 W vs 27 W.
- ▲RAM — 100.00% more. 16 GB vs 8 GB.
- ▲Battery capacity — 57.10% more. 5800 mAh vs 3692 mAh.
- ▲Refresh rate — 54.17% more. 185 Hz vs 120 Hz.
- ▲AnTuTu — 30.30% more. 2580000 vs 1980000.
- ▲Screen size — 7.62% more. 6.78 " vs 6.3 ".
- ▲Main camera — 4.17% more. 50 MP vs 48 MP.
Spec comparison
Design
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 | ASUS - ROG Phone 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 194 glead | 227 g |
| Thickness | 8.1 mmlead | 8.9 mm |
| Water resistanceⓘ | IP68 | IP68 |
| Form factor | bar | bar |
Display
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 | ASUS - ROG Phone 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Screen sizeⓘ | 6.3 " | 6.78 "lead |
| Pixel densityⓘ | 460 ppilead | 388 ppi |
| Refresh rateⓘ | 120 Hz | 185 Hzlead |
| Peak brightnessⓘ | 2200 nits | 2500 nitslead |
Performance
Cameras
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 | ASUS - ROG Phone 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Main cameraⓘ | 48 MP | 50 MPlead |
| Front camera | 12 MP | 32 MPlead |
| Optical image stabilizationⓘ | true | true |
Battery
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 | ASUS - ROG Phone 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Battery capacity | 3692 mAh | 5800 mAhlead |
| Wired chargingⓘ | 27 W | 65 Wlead |
| Wireless chargingⓘ | 25 Wlead | 15 W |
Connectivity
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 | ASUS - ROG Phone 9 |
|---|---|---|
| 5G supportⓘ | true | true |
| Headphone jack | false | truelead |
| microSD slot | false | false |
Operating System
| Spec | Apple - iPhone 17 | ASUS - ROG Phone 9 |
|---|---|---|
| OS | iOSlead | Android |
| Promised OS updates | 6 yearslead | 3 years |
Frequently asked
Which has better battery, iPhone 17 or ROG Phone 9?+
ROG Phone 9 has 57.1% more battery — 3692 mAh vs 5800 mAh.
Which is lighter, iPhone 17 or ROG Phone 9?+
iPhone 17 is 33g lighter — 194g vs 227g.
Is iPhone 17 waterproof?+
iPhone 17 has an IP68 rating.
Does ROG Phone 9 support 5G?+
Yes, ROG Phone 9 supports 5G.
Which has more RAM, iPhone 17 or ROG Phone 9?+
ROG Phone 9 offers 16GB of RAM.
Which has a better camera, iPhone 17 or ROG Phone 9?+
ROG Phone 9 has a 50 MP main camera vs 48 MP.
Spec-level deep dives
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