The new Asus ROG Phone 8 is still a gaming phone, but this time Asus designed it with everyday ease of use in mind. It’s smaller and lighter than before and has a decent IP68 dust and water resistance rating (versus IP54 on last year’s model).
Bigger changes include a 32MP 3x telephoto camera and improved stabilization for the main camera (Hybrid Gimbal Stabilizer 3.0). There’s now wireless charging too (15W), although the battery capacity is slightly reduced (at 5,500mAh, it’s by no means small).
As a gaming phone, it will benefit from the new variable refresh rate (1-120Hz) enabled by the LTPO panel. Some games will be able to take advantage of the 165Hz mode as well, although the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 doesn’t have the ability to achieve this goal for more demanding titles.
The Asus ROG Phone 8 is available for pre-order in Europe and the base model is priced at €1,100 (12/256GB). In the United States, this same model costs $1,100.
There is also a Pro model with a small LED matrix on the back, and this model is priced at 1,200 euros for 16/512GB. The Pro Edition model has 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage and is priced at €1,500. The Pro will be available in India as well, costing INR 95,000, and the Pro version will be INR 1,20,000.
The Red Magic 9 Pro also has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, but it lacks an LTPO display. Its built-in cooling fan means no water leakage. On the plus side, the international model is much cheaper with a 12/256GB unit costing just $650/€650 and a 16/512GB unit costing $800/€800. However, there is no remote camera or wireless charging on this model.
With a new design philosophy, the ROG Phone 8 competes with regular flagships as well. The OnePlus 12 will launch globally later this month, the Samsung Galaxy S24 launch is fast approaching, and the Xiaomi 14 should become available outside of China sooner or later (but the 14 Pro won’t be).
What do you think of the Asus ROG Phone 8 – is it your next phone or has the company missed the mark? By the way, we have the ROG Phone 8 and 8 Pro in the office already working on the review, so stay tuned for more on Asus’ latest gaming phones.