They are using the full Aspides, not the 3/4ths sized one. They are in a heavy infantry role with light infantry armor. That and when they have to start fighting in hth, they are already surrounded and screwed anyways so its not really a good comparison to look at msot of hte examples that are passed down of phalangite vs something else...

The one fair example I can think of was during the Macedonian Wars where due to rough terrain, the phalangites reformed into a 2x thick sword wielding formation and gave the Romans a run for their money. So it appears that they could hold their own when not surrounded and totally screwed.