ASUS adopted an identical sample with its gaming telephones over the past six years: roll out a tool with aggressive styling, the most recent inner {hardware}, large battery, and distinctive gaming extras together with an exhaustive accent ecosystem. Last 12 months’s ROG Phone 7 Ultimate specifically was excellent, delivering all the options you might ever ask for in a gaming phone.
For 2024, ASUS is taking a special technique — as an alternative of constructing a phone only for players, the model is rolling out a tool that may achieve this rather more, whereas nonetheless being one of the best at gaming. It is an bold enterprise, and after utilizing the ROG Phone 8 Pro as my day by day driver for simply over three weeks, I can safely say that ASUS managed to drag it off; the gadget is a terrific all-rounder that goes above and past a standard gaming phone.
The ROG Phone 8 Pro has an all-new design that brings it in step with mainstream gadgets, and also you get overhauled cameras with a brand-new telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, IP68 ingress safety, and wi-fi charging. You additionally get clear software program with loads of distinctive options, and the battery simply lasts two days. Even although the phone is aimed toward players, it is simply nearly as good as any conventional flagship in most areas, and that is no small feat.
ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro: Price and launch date
ASUS unveiled the ROG Phone 8 Pro on January 8, and the phone is occurring sale in choose international locations beginning January 16. There are two fashions obtainable at launch: a normal ROG Phone 8 that shall be bought in Rebel Grey and Phantom Black coloration choices, and an ROG Phone 8 Pro mannequin that is debuting in a Phantom Black hue.
The normal mannequin with 16GB/256GB prices $1,099 within the U.S., however these pre-ordering the gadget will be capable to decide it up at $999.
The Pro variant is obtainable in a 16GB/512GB model that prices $1,199, and also you additionally get a 24GB/1TB mannequin that comes with the brand new AeroActive Cooler C bundled within the field. This is the one I’m utilizing, and it is debuting at $1,499 globally.
| Category | ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro |
|---|---|
| OS | ZenUI based mostly on Android 14 |
| Display | 6.78-inch 165Hz LTPO AMOLED, FHD+, HDR10+, 2,500 nits, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 |
| Chipset | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Adreno 750, 4nm |
| RAM | 12GB/16GB/24GB LPDDR5X |
| Storage | 256GB/512GB/1TB UFS 4.0 |
| Rear digital camera 1 | 50MP f/1.9 Sony IMX890, 1/1.56-inch sensor, OIS, 6-axis gimbal stabilization |
| Rear digital camera 2 | 32MP f/2.4 telephoto lens, 3x optical zoom, OIS |
| Rear digital camera 3 | 13MP f/2.2 wide-angle lens |
| Front digital camera | 32MP RGBW module |
| Ingress safety | IP68 mud and water resistance |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 7, Sub-6 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, dual-band GPS |
| Security | In-display optical fingerprint sensor |
| Audio | 3.5mm jack, 32-bit/384kHz audio, AptX HD codec |
| Battery | 5500mAh battery, 65W USB PD 3.0 charging, 15W Qi wi-fi charging |
| Dimensions | 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9mm, 225g |
| Colors | Phantom Black |
ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro: Design
The largest distinction with the ROG Phone 8 Pro is the design; ASUS went with a way more conservative design this time round, and that permits the model to focus on a mainstream viewers with the gadget. While earlier fashions within the sequence had a lot to supply, the aggressive design with etched strains and large batteries meant that they have been solely a viable possibility for fanatic players — that is not the case this 12 months.
The new design seems to be mature, and it offers the gadget loads of sophistication — one thing I could not say about its predecessors. Look, I favored the gamer-focused designs of earlier years, however I’ll agree that the brand new design language is rather more elegant, and it nonetheless manages to look cool. The again has a satin texture that feels nice to carry and use, and ASUS nailed the in-hand really feel — all the things from the size to the burden distribution is good.
The digital camera island is bigger than earlier iterations, and that is smart contemplating the brand new lenses on provide. Thankfully, the phone would not wobble an excessive amount of when utilizing it on a desk, and the digital camera housing would not stand out — ASUS did a great job making a cohesive design aesthetic.
On that be aware, the ROG Phone 8 Pro weighs 225g, a full 21g lighter than its predecessor. That makes an enormous distinction in day by day use, and greater than anything, it is this modification that impacts real-world usability essentially the most. While I used earlier fashions within the sequence as my day by day drivers, they have been heavy and unwieldy at instances, and having a lighter phone is fairly nice.
Another design change that I like is the flatter sides; there’s nonetheless a delicate curve on the again so you may simply maintain the phone, however you now get extra width alongside the perimeters to comfortably maintain the phone. And whereas a whole lot of that gamer aesthetic has given strategy to a standard design, you continue to get RGB lighting with the usual model.
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The Pro mannequin would not get RGB lighting, as an alternative that includes an AniMe Vision panel that makes use of a number of mini-LEDs to indicate off customized designs, incoming name alerts, and rather more. I’ll cowl the panel in additional element within the part beneath, however what’s fascinating is that should you do not wish to use the characteristic, you may flip it off fully, and it would not seem like the phone has a secondary display screen on the again at all — once more, this performs into the narrative that ASUS needs a mainstream viewers to purchase the gadget.
Yet one other design change is the bezels on the entrance, or lack thereof. ASUS used chunkier bezels till final 12 months, however the ROG Phone 8 is getting ultra-thin bezels on all sides, with the phone now providing a hole-punch cutout. This transfer was inevitable contemplating all different telephones switched to an identical system a number of years in the past, and no matter usability, the bigger bezels meant the ROG Phone 7 seemed a bit archaic — that is not a difficulty with this era.
The ROG Phone 8 is sleeker as nicely, coming in at 8.9mm, or 1.6mm thinner than its predecessor. You nonetheless get the ultrasonic AirTriggers on the perimeters, and like earlier years, they’re simply as customizable. And sure, the three.5mm jack is intact as nicely, and also you get ASUS’s AudioWizard characteristic that means that you can customise the sound to a granular diploma. Dirac Virtuo is obtainable too, and it allows you to create digital encompass sound when utilizing IEMs and wi-fi earbuds. And simply to cowl the fundamentals, you get all high-res audio codecs.
The energy and quantity buttons are situated on the precise, the three.5mm jack is on the backside, and there is a SIM card tray subsequent to it. The USB-C charging port is mounted to at least one nook on the backside, and my favourite characteristic is again: a side-mounted USB-C connector. You can use this to cost the phone, and it connects over the identical USB 3.2 Gen 2 normal as the principle port, and is extremely handy. There’s additionally a nifty again faucet gesture that is customizable, and this can be utilized to launch the flashlight, digital camera, or another motion.
A key differentiator this 12 months is the inclusion of IP68 ingress safety, with the ROG Phone 8 Pro turning into the primary gaming phone to roll out this characteristic. This permits the gadget to climate the weather, and within the three weeks I used the gadget, I used to be in a position to check its efficacy — it holds up simply in addition to one of the best Samsung telephones on this regard.
Rounding out the record of exhaustive options, the phone comes with an optical in-display fingerprint sensor. It is ideally situated, however I had points with the sensor being gradual to authenticate. It takes a smidgen longer than different telephones to register, and there have been situations the place it didn’t authenticate. Outside of that quibble, I did not discover another points on this space.
Overall, the ROG Phone 8 Pro seems to be each bit as premium as its price ticket suggests — this is a high-end phone that is designed to face out, and it manages to do this with ease.
ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro: Display
ASUS outfitted a 6.78-inch panel on the ROG Phone 8 Pro, however as a result of the gadget itself is thinner, shorter, and narrower than earlier years, you get the sensation that the panel is a lot larger. There’s nonetheless the identical 165Hz refresh, however the panel is packing critical upgrades this time: it now goes up to 2,500 nits, and also you get LTPO tech that dynamically switches the refresh right down to 1Hz when viewing static content material. The display screen is protected by a layer of Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
The Samsung AMOLED panel is beautiful, providing vibrant colours with wonderful distinction ranges. While the display screen itself is excellent, I seen just a few points: the ambient mild sensor is not fairly as quick as different gadgets at adjusting display screen brightness when going right into a darkish room, and the characteristic to wake the panel everytime you get a notification would not work — the display screen simply lights up an infinitesimal second.
The Optimal coloration mode is enabled out of the field, and colours tend to be a bit cooler; even within the Natural mode, the panel had a distinctly cooler hue. Thankfully, it is fairly simple to tweak the colour steadiness, and you’ll set up an always-on mode, allow anti-flicker that reduces pressure on the eyes. The eye safety characteristic now covers all refresh charges, kicking in from simply 1Hz all the best way to 165Hz.
While ASUS was obstinate up to now about masking up the highest and backside parts of the display screen with massive bezels — noting it could make holding the phone simpler — the brand new design instantly makes the gadget look that rather more fashionable. But should you’re used to the thought of these bezels, you may go into Armoury Crate and allow a Centered view that covers up the digital camera cutout.
As you’d think about, the ROG Phone 8 Pro holds up extremely nicely in day by day use. Unlike Chinese producers, ASUS would not limit excessive refresh charge gaming in any method, and titles that may benefit from this characteristic are incredible on the phone. The gadget is simply as snug whereas streaming content material as nicely, and I did not see any points on this space. You get loud stereo sound, and it is simply nice to have the ability to plug IEMs to the phone with no need a dongle; I used the gadget with Sennheiser’s wonderful IE600 more often than not.
Of course, you do not simply get one display screen right here — the ROG Phone 8 Pro has an AniMe Vision panel on the again that options 341 programmable mini-LEDs. These might be custom-made to indicate textual content, photographs, and different results. You get a sequence of 20 animations put in out of the field, however you may all the time make your individual. It additionally reveals battery cost stage, notification alerts, and the time. It was a bit glitchy at instances as scrolling textual content would not really scroll, however toggling the characteristic on and off sorted out the difficulty.
ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro: Performance
An enormous draw with gaming telephones is the {hardware}, and ASUS is aware of a factor or two about delivering an incredible {hardware} package deal. The ROG Phone 8 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and also you get up to 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The phone has a novel thermal system that is designed to supply lag-free gaming even with prolonged use, and this 12 months, ASUS is including a second heatsink to extend thermal effectivity.
Basically, this is one of the best gaming phone you may get for the time being, and there actually is not another gadget that delivers fairly the identical stage of sustained efficiency in demanding titles. There’s additionally a brand new AeroActive Cooler X that is higher than final 12 months’s mannequin; it has a built-in kickstand, provides two bodily buttons that may be custom-made to in-game actions, and a 3.5mm jack.
The ROG Phone 8 Pro is phenomenal at gaming — that has been the case with its predecessors as nicely. I get to make use of all flagship gadgets launched over the course of the 12 months, and the place ASUS differentiates itself is the optimization; the ROG Phone 8 Pro allows you to play a wider collection of titles at 120fps and past, and it doesn’t throttle even throughout prolonged gaming classes. This is not the case with most different gadgets, which normally throttle considerably after hitting the 30-minute mark.
| Category | ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate | ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro | iPhone 15 Pro Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 (single-core) | 2008 | 2242 | 2950 |
| Geekbench 6 (multi-core) | 5607 | 6978 | 7381 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Extreme (rating) | 3752 | 5207 | 3648 |
| 3DMark Wild Life Extreme (FPS) | 22.45 | 31.17 | 21.9 |
| 3DMark Solar Bay (rating) | 4586 | 8655 | 5024 |
| 3DMark Solar Bay (FPS) | 17.55 | 32.91 | 19.1 |
This is evident in artificial workloads as nicely, and the phone hit a stability rating of 93.80% in 3DMark’s Solar Bay stress check — that is leagues higher than the 40 – 50% that almost all telephones handle.
On that be aware, the phone tends to get sizzling throughout marathon gaming classes, however it is not uncomfortable. The solely time when the gadget bought too sizzling to deal with was after working 3DMark’s stress check; it went up to 53 levels Celsius, and that is seven levels greater than the iQOO 12 and Vivo X100 Pro managed.
In real-world gaming situations, I did not see the gadget crossing 42.3 levels. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 tends to run just a little hotter because it has elevated headroom, however then once more, you get significantly better efficiency.
I additionally like the quantity of customizability you get in the case of gaming. AirTriggers proceed to be a helpful utility, and you’ll simply assign in-game actions to the ultrasonic triggers. Similarly, Armoury Crate allows you to customise settings for particular person titles, and toggle between utilization modes: Dynamic, Ultra sturdy, and X Mode. X Mode turns issues up a notch and maximizes the gadget’s {hardware} potential, Dynamic mode is nice in day by day use, and Ultra sturdy is designed to eke out one of the best battery life.
Thanks to Game Genie, you may set up macros, document video games, change notification settings, and a lot extra when you’re inside a sport. And should you’re fascinated about getting the 24GB/1TB mannequin, the bundled AeroActive Cooler X does an incredible job with thermal administration.
If you are undecided what mannequin to get, the 1TB storage principally alleviates any worries round working out of storage. I switched to this gadget from the Pixel 8 Pro and its paltry 128GB of storage, and after simply two months of use, I crammed up 85% of the obtainable storage. I’m presently utilizing 104GB on the ROG Phone 8 Pro, and that is simply 10% of the overall storage on the gadget. Crazy.
Coming to connectivity, the ROG Phone 8 Pro has Sub-6 5G bands with world connectivity, a Wi-Fi 7 modem that makes a sizeable distinction should you’ve made the change to a Wi-Fi 7 router, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, and dual-band GPS. There’s additionally a extremely good vibration motor, and it delivers good suggestions when utilizing the keyboard and navigating the UI.
ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro: Battery
ASUS supplied a 6,000mAh battery in earlier iterations of ROG Phones, however this 12 months, the model is providing a 5,500mAh battery. While it is smaller than its predecessors, you continue to get terrific battery life. There was by no means an occasion the place I wanted to cost the phone earlier than the tip of the day, and even with heavy use, the phone managed to final a day and a half with ease.
In reality, more often than not, I solely charged the phone as soon as in two days, and on this explicit space, there are completely no points. Of course, should you’re seeking to get the gadget primarily to play video games, you’ll need to plug in it on the finish of the day, however there is no motive to have any type of battery anxiousness.
The phone prices over the USB PD 3.0 normal, going up to 65W. ASUS bundles a charger within the field, and you should utilize it to cost different equipment and telephones as nicely. A full cost takes a smidgen over 40 minutes, with the phone hitting a 50% in quarter-hour. An enormous addition this time is the inclusion of wi-fi charging; the phone makes use of the Qi normal and goes up to 15W.
ASUS provides the identical battery safeguards as you get in most different telephones, together with regular charging that prices the phone slowly, scheduled charging, and a cost restrict that may be set to as little as 80%.
ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro: Cameras
ASUS is making a giant deal in regards to the cameras this time round, and it is easy to see why; earlier gadgets within the ROG Phone sequence had lackluster cameras that have been an afterthought, however with the ROG Phone 8 Pro, you are getting a dependable package deal. The phone has a 50MP Sony IMX890 main lens that is joined by a 13MP wide-angle module and 32MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and OIS. The zoom lens is in a position to ship pictures up to 5x with no noticeable distinction in high quality, and it hits 30x by way of digital zoom.
The phone makes use of the identical six-axis gimbal stabilization that debuted on the Zenfone 10, and it makes a noticeable distinction — notably whereas capturing movies. The digital camera interface is normal, and also you get the capturing modes in a ribbon on the backside, toggles for all the varied lenses, Google Lens button, flash, magnificence results, and a pull-down menu that provides you entry to all the settings. Up entrance, you get a 32MP module that may now shoot at 0.7x along with the same old 1x mode.
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I used dozens of telephones that had the Sony IMX890, and despite the fact that it is a bit outdated at this level, this is a dependable sensor that is identified to ship nice images. The ROG Phone 8 Pro produces detailed pictures in daylight situations, providing loads of element and good dynamic vary on the whole. Colors are precisely rendered, and ASUS does a great job on this space. I might’ve favored a bigger module in use right here, as a result of in sure conditions, the digital camera tends to smoothen out granular particulars, notably with foliage.
The wide-angle lens does a great job as nicely, and apart from scenes with little to no ambient mild, I bought usable pictures out of the module. I used to be within the 32MP telephoto lens, as that is been the most important omission in earlier years, and it does a good job at 3x zoom. The phone makes use of in-sensor zoom to shoot 2x, switching to the telephoto when utilizing 3x and past.
Even at 2x, there is a noticeable distinction intimately rendition, however you get the identical coloration steadiness as the principle lens. That is not the case with the 3x module, and it tends to scrub out colours in just a few conditions. This is not all the time the case, and for what it is price, the lens itself has so much to supply — ASUS simply must tune its algorithms just a little higher. What’s irksome is that the Indian model of the phone will not include the telephoto lens, with ASUS providing a macro module as an alternative.
The phone takes good pictures in low-light conditions as nicely, however it limits the publicity ranges to attenuate noise and grain — the low-light keyboard shot above illustrates this nicely, the place you may solely make out the silhouette of the wrist relaxation. That mentioned, this is a significantly better displaying than earlier years, and whereas the digital camera is not going to problem one of the best that Google and Xiaomi have to supply, it is not a limitation.
ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro: Software
The ROG Phone 8 Pro runs Android 14 out of the field, and it comes with ASUS’s ZenUI interface. Most telephones I take advantage of today have bloated interfaces with loads of unnecessary customization, so it is nice that ASUS continues to supply a clear interface. That’s if you’d like a vanilla Android UI with none overt styling; should you’re a fan of the gamer-focused interface that was a characteristic in earlier years, you may all the time change to that within the settings.
But I choose the usual model of ZenUI, and it will get so much proper. The interface is clear, you get in depth customizability, and it is fluid like no different gadget I used — it jogs my memory of legacy variations of OxygenOS. ASUS allows you to tweak varied UI parts, together with the amount panel, incoming name view, energy button menu, and notably, the notification pane. You can use the big tiles that debuted with Android 12, or the smaller spherical tiles should you want extra toggles within the pane.
This is the one different gadget outdoors of the Pixel sequence that does not have any bloatware — that is an achievement in and of itself. I examined the phone with software program construct 34.1410.1410.18, and just some hours earlier than the assessment embargo lifted, ASUS rolled out the 34.1420.1420.173 construct with stability tweaks.
While I like a whole lot of issues in regards to the interface, there have been just a few bugs alongside the best way; I did not get any push notifications in Gmail or SMS Organizer, so I consistently missed well timed alerts. Setting the reminiscence administration for these to Unrestricted did not make a distinction both, and even on the steady construct, I did not see any notifications.
Outside of that and some glitches with app launches, ZenUI managed to ship an incredible expertise that is very completely different to what you get on most different telephones. ASUS is additionally including just a few AI options to the gadget, together with a semantic search that runs fully on-device. And you get integration with Phone Link, just like Samsung’s telephones.
The largest downside on the software program entrance is software program updates; ASUS will solely ship two Android OS updates and 4 years of safety updates to the ROG Phone 8 Pro, and that is nowhere near being sufficient for a tool that prices $1,499. With different manufacturers now providing 4 updates as normal — and Google going up to seven — ASUS is distinctly on the backfoot right here, and the model is unwilling to vary its stance.
ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro: The competitors
The OnePlus 12 is on the horizon, however ColorOS is not designed for gaming, and you do not get to play demanding titles at over 60fps. So that finally makes it a poor alternative if you wish to get pleasure from excessive refresh charge gaming. I’m excited to see what Xiaomi does on this space with the Xiaomi 14 Pro, however that gadget is nonetheless but to make its world debut.
The iQOO 12 is a wonderful various that will get so much proper. It additionally has a beautiful design, comes with the identical Qualcomm platform, and has wonderful battery life. The software program is not as refined, however it would not have any gaming-related limitations, and it’ll get three OS updates. Oh, and it is a good worth as nicely.
ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro: Should you purchase it?
You should purchase this if:
- You’re on the lookout for one of the best efficiency on Android
- You need a phone with an incredible design
- You want a vibrant AMOLED panel that goes up to 165Hz
- You want versatile cameras that take nice images
- You need clear software program with zero bloatware
You should not purchase this if:
- You need long-term software program updates
- You want flagship-tier cameras
I used a whole lot of gaming telephones over time, and the ROG Phone 8 Pro is in a league of its personal. The new design means it is not embarrassing to make use of in public, the upgraded AMOLED panel is excellent, and the {hardware} is one of the best of any phone you get in the present day. ASUS continues to do an incredible job delivering helpful extras that make gaming extremely pleasing.
ASUS made significant adjustments to the cameras, and whereas it is not fairly on par with the likes of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra or the Pixel 8 Pro, it is considerably higher than its predecessors, and that is what finally issues. But what I like essentially the most is the clear software program; that is a rarity in a phase the place flashiness is the norm.
ZenUI provides a pleasant steadiness between options energy customers want, and ease of use. There is not any overt customization nor bloatware to be discovered, and that is simply refreshing. The largest disadvantage is that it’s going to get simply two platform updates, and that simply is not sufficient in 2024. All different main manufacturers now assure at the very least 4 Android OS updates, and ASUS wants to vary its stance if it needs to cost $1,499 for the phone.
On the entire, you are getting a terrific gaming phone — however the ROG Phone 8 Pro is a lot greater than that. Even should you do not finish up taking part in many video games, it is an impressive alternative.