When ASUS asked if I’d like to review the Diablo Immortal Edition of the ROG Phone 6, I of course said yes. I am a huge Diablo fan and I was curious to see what sorts of cool things ASUS came up with for the design of this phone. This is ASUS’s second co-branded ROG Phone 6, having previously released a Batman version. And as this is a co-branded product, it features a unique Diablo Immortal-themed design inside and out.
What I mean by that is it features a unique graphic on the back with special detailing, and comes with some special Aura RGB lighting, as well as themed fingerprint scanner animations, wallpapers, and notification sounds. It even comes in themed packaging designed after game-related elements, and comes with matching themed accessories including a case, a leather rollup pouch for storing your charger (with a map of Sanctuary on the back), and Fahir’s Light, which is really just a small flashlight for revealing invisible ink (more on that later, because it does come into play).
All-in-all, it’s a neat experience for anyone who’s a fan of Diablo Immortal. Even if you don’t like the mobile game and are a fan of the Diablo franchise in general, the phone still serves as a cool collector’s piece. For the most part, this is the same as the regular ROG Phone 6. The specs haven’t changed. So this review will focus mostly on the aspects unique to this Limited-Edition version of the phone.
That said, here’s what you’re getting with the specs. The phone comes with 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage, and it’s powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip. It also has the signature AirTrigger 6 ultrasonic shoulder buttons, as well as a 3.5mm port for wired headphones and two USB-C ports for charging. It comes running Android 12 and also features a 6.78-inch 165Hz display with a 720Hz touch sampling rate.
Unboxing the ROG Phone 6 Diablo Immortal Edition is like finding a high-stat legendary
No matter how you feel about Diablo Immortal, which we’ll be the first to admit has some notable flaws that we’re not fond of, the unboxing experience of this phone is undoubtedly cool. First things first, when you get this device you the thing you’ll notice before anything else is the giant square box it comes in. Obviously, this isn’t a normal-sized phone box. And there’s a reason for that.
One is functionality. It serves the purpose of holding the extra stuff that comes with the phone. Secondly, it was designed after the Horadric Cube. An item within the Diablo universe that has great importance. And that all Diablo fans will be familiar with. It has the power to transform any item that you place inside of it.
Inside this main larger carton, is the actual phone box which itself is shaped like the Worldstone. Another cool nod to the series and an item of immense power that pops up in every game. Even the ‘Immortality’ SIM ejector pin comes with a unique design, with a message that says “Immortality Awaits” on one side and the Diablo Immortal logo on the other. Unfortunately, the one from our review unit was lost during packing so we don’t have that to show you. We did however include a screenshot of its design.
The last item inside the box is a leather map of Sanctuary. Which is actually a roll-up pouch with pockets for storing your charger brick and USB-C cable. On the outside is the map of Sanctuary and on the inside is some embossed detailing of the Diablo Immortal and Republic of Gamers logos.
Matching accessories give additional nods to the game
We already mentioned the map of Sanctuary pouch, but there’s a little more to it. While it’s mainly meant to store your charger brick and USB-C cable, it also servers another purpose. The map itself is of course, a neat detail. But there’s also some hidden marks in invisible ink that can be revealed. To see these, you need the included Fahir’s Light flashlight bundled with the phone.
Upon shining this light onto the map, what I like to think of as “points of interest” are marked in a glowing red ink. Pretty neat. But there’s more. There’s also a hidden link printed on the map that you can type into your browser. This takes you to a special promotion website where you can register your purchased Diablo Immortal Edition phone and grab some in-game rewards. You’ll have until December 30 of 2023 to complete registration.
You also need a serial number for this, so not just anyone can go and pick these rewards up. You do have to buy the phone. That being said, the rewards are, admittedly pretty weak. Once you claim your rewards, here’s what shows up in-game: An Adventurer’s Pack, 6 Aspirant’s Keys, 100 Culling Stones, 4 Reforge Stones, and 3 Gem Power. Unfortunately, the phone does not come with the game’s most valuable resources. Which are Eternal Orbs and Legendary Crests. All that said, you’re not buying this phone for the included rewards. You’re buying it because of the design.
In addition to the map, there’s also an exclusive ‘Shield Blessing’ Aero case with Diablo Immortal detailing. On the inside of the case there’s a design of Diablo. While on the outside is a design of the teleport. This will illuminate red when you shin Fahir’s Light on it thanks to the same invisible ink used on the map. Overall, the accessories are some really cool touches to a co-branded product.
Fans will appreciate the hellish new design
Everything about the phone’s new design screams Diablo. More pronounced in some ways and more subtly in others. To start, the phones in a ‘Hellfire Red’ matte finish. The power button also has red chamfered edges, and the SIM tray is naturally, red as well. On the back is yet another depiction of Diablo, alongside RGB-lit Diablo Immortal and ROG logos, and RGB-lit “Diablo Immortal” branding in the place of the “Dare To Play” message on the original model.
The RGB lighting here features a special flame effect when active. While I can appreciate this, it would have been much cooler if Diablo himself lit up. Lastly, there’s some special detailing on the camera array along with the same “Immortality Awaits” message found on the SIM ejector pin.
That’s it for the special design on the outside of the phone. But you’ll find plenty more to delight your love for Diablo Immortal in the software. Everything from the notification and system sounds to the charging indicator is Diablo-themed. You can even change the unlock animation and fingerprint indicator styles. My only complaint here is that the indicator styles feature a singular design based on the game’s classes – the barbarian. And it would have been nice to see one indicator for each of the game’s initial classes.
Still, these are all neat touches to the overall design that you’ll love either way if you love Diablo Immortal.
Pricing and availability
We know the phone will cost $1,299, unfortunately, ASUS hasn’t yet confirmed when the phone will be available for purchase. Also worth noting is that for $1,299, you could get the ROG Phone 6 Pro instead which is a more powerful phone. Then again, not by a whole lot, and if you really love Diablo, this model is definitely the one to go for.
The cool phone designs, the Diablo theme in the software, the matching accessories. The ROG Phone 6 Diablo Immortal Edition is a cool experience that ASUS and Blizzard put together.
2022-11-18 15:08:20