Following the release of the ROG Phone 9 and 9 Pro late last year, it seems that Asus is taking a leaf out of Samsung’s book and launching a new mid-range and more affordable alternative to its flagship devices. Yes, the Asus ROG Phone 9 FE could be a reality, at least according to certification listings out of Malaysia and Thailand.
For those who don’t know, the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro is one of the best gaming phones around, giving devices such as the iPhone 16 Pro Max and RedMagic 10 Pro a run for their money. While we wouldn’t expect an FE, or Fan Edition, version to be quite as powerful, we imagine it might still come with some of the same hardware and software features as the Android flagship. Hopefully, that includes the refined AirTrigger shoulder buttons we were so keen on in our Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro review.

In terms of the Asus ROG Phone 9 FE’s specs, there’s very little to go off from the listings, but a distinct similarity between the 9 FE’ serial number and that of last year’s ROG Phone 8 Pro suggests it could utilize a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. Admittedly, Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite is a better chipset, but the 8 Gen 3 is still more than capable of running almost all of the best Android games at optimal settings.
Unfortunately, neither of the certification listings offers any clues as to when the Asus ROG Phone 9 FE might arrive. We gather it might not be too soon as the ROG Phone 9 only just arrived in the US in the last few weeks, but Asus could always surprise us. The pricing is also a mystery, but if the gulf between the Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 FE is anything to go off, we’d expect the ROG Phone 9 FE to retail at around $600.
Of course, we’ll be sure to keep an eye out for any updates from Asus, and we recommend following the brand’s social media channels if you want to do the same. If you can’t wait any longer to pick up a new phone, check out our guides to the best budget gaming phones and the best gaming iPhones. Or, if you’d rather have a fresh console, see our list of the best Steam Deck alternatives.