Verdict
The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition has inflect down the flashy play pattern to appeal to a wider audience , therefore seeing compromise to the shelling and loudspeaker system , but the 165Hz AMOLED screen , speedy execution and suite of gambling features nevertheless make this a good option for hardcore gamers .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition is the latest gaming earphone to enter the ruffle , show off a higher performance ceiling thanks to the newSnapdragon 8 Gen 3chip .
However , the boastful change to the latest ROG Phone , compare to old iterations , can actually be found with the design . Asus has settle to scale back the ‘ in - your - cheek ’ design of old to appeal to those beyond the hard-core gambling scene .
In order of magnitude to vie with non - gaming flagship , Asus has also upgrade the camera with a 32MPtelephotosensor that makes a 3x ocular rapid growth possible .
It makes sense for Asus to go after a wider market rather than ardently sticking to a recess , but is the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition in danger of alienating its loyal fans ? Let ’s plunk in for a close-fitting look .
Design
The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition has seen so many changes to its design that it is barely recognizable from its predecessors . The sci - fi emblazoned rear has been ditched in favour of a more grim - visibility look . This may disappoint gamers looking for something a tad flashier , but induce it more likeable to a wider audience .
When using the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition out in public , I never had to worry about stranger giving me unpaired looks as I did theAsus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate – as much as I liked the design of the old headphone , it was a bit loud compared to the more mature oblation I ’m reviewing now .
That ’s not to say the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition is completely null of gaming design quirks . I particularly like the AniMe Matrix feature , which usesMini LEDlights on the hind end to expose the the likes of of the time , battery status and notifications .
you’re able to customise what the lights display , or even twist it off completely to conserve barrage fire life . This AniMe Matrix feature is only available with the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro and ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition – the received ROG Phone 8 is limited to RGB lighting of the ROG logo instead .
However , I have one major bogeyman with the phone ’s rear ; it is unbelievably leisurely to scratch .
For the past few calendar week , I ’ve been keep the ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition in my pouch along with myGoogle Pixel 6andSony WH-1000MX5case . As a final result , the ROG Phone is already cover in scratches and scuff marks . They are admittedly only seeable when view from certain angles in lustrous light , but it ’s still concerning for a telephone that costs upwards of £ 1000/$1000 .
Most people true wo n’t carry two phones around at once which may subjugate the likelihood of boodle , but if my revaluation sample is already scuff after a couple of weeks , I imagine that any accidental bang , scrapes and drops will ensue in a number of marks by the end of the yr .
Using a case could figure out this issue , but I ’m not too fond of the look of the bundled Aero Case , while most other cases will immobilize the AniMe Matrix feature .
Flip the phone over to its front , and you ’ll find that Asus has slimmed down the covert bezel for the Asus ROG Phone 8 serial publication . This has allowed Asus to retain the same 6.78 - inch screenland size while also reduce the size of the telephone set . The Asus ROG Phone 8 is observably thinner than its predecessor score it significantly easier to admit , even with my little hand .
Asus has trim the bezel by by placing the selfie photographic camera under the screen , with a pinhole allowing it to glint through . This design choice has been adopt by the vast absolute majority of Android earphone , and helps to bring the ROG Phone 8 up to advanced standards . Asus is also continuing with the fingerprint sensor embedded into the exhibit , which figure out as well as you could go for for .
The downside of slimming those bezel is that there ’s no longer way for the front - face speaker . Instead , the utterer have been moved to the top and bottom edge of the phone , which is knotty since this is where my hands by nature rest when take on a plot , result in dull audio . There ’s also no distance for the amplifier this time , so there ’s been a huge downgrade to the phone ’s basso .
The AirTriggers were one of my favourite feature of the ROG Phone 7 , so I ’m enthralled to see their take . This enable you to practice practical induction on the phone ’s edge for the ilk of shooting in Call of Duty . It ’s fully customisable , even tolerate you to plant your preferred quiver intensity to ensure satisfying feedback .
Most people will credibly choose to use a control add-on like theBackbone OneorRazer Kishiinstead , but the AirTriggers are an splendid substitute for when you do n’t want to lug around an surplus appurtenance .
In full term of port wine , you ’ll happen a pair ofUSB - Cconnections on the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition – one at the bottom in the conventional spot , and a second on the left-hand side so you may carry on gaming without interruption , as well as plug in the bundled AeroActive Cooler X. There ’s also a earpiece jack , which is strange for a earphone in 2024 .
The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro is bang up to date with wireless technology , supportingWi - Fi 7and Bluetooth 5.3 . Asus has also made the phone more robust with anIP68rating , bringing the waterproofing up to the same standard as the flagship Samsung and Google earphone .
I ca n’t chance any claim from Asus in terms of using sustainable stuff for the ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition , which is dissatisfactory . The phone total in a fashionable cardboard loge which can be recycle , but many of the accessories within the boxful are wrap in plastic .
Screen
The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition has n’t seen wholesale changes to the silver screen compared to its older siblings . The AMOLED instrument panel still comes in at 6.78 inches , while the Full HD+ resolving and 165Hz refresh rate remain unchanged .
However , Asus has manage to boost the acme luminosity by a considerable margin , from 1600 nits to a whopping 2500 nit . This upgrade is obvious to the defenseless eye too , with the projection screen of my Google Pixel 6 looking dull by direct contrast .
The higher brightness not only have it far easier for me to regard the exhibit in shiny conditions , but also result in more vivid on - screen colours when recreate biz and watching picture . It ’s an inviolable joy to ogle .
The AMOLED engineering science also ensures that the silver screen is capable of display inky-black Negro rather than murky grey , leave in dazzling contrast . Other than upping the resolution – which would impact battery lifetime and secret plan build rate – it ’s unvoiced to see how Asus can improve further on this terrific smartphone presentation .
Camera
The Asus ROG Phone 8 family sports the same main 50MP sensor as before , but this time , it ’s assist by a fresh gimbal that helps to achieve unchanging photo and videos .
It ’s a pity that there have n’t been any other meaningful upgrades to the independent sensing element , with the seizure tone fall behind far behind standardised - price phones from the likes of Apple , Google and Samsung .
During my sentence with the ROG Phone 8 , I still found it to be a absolutely adequate snapper , make bold colours and chance upon gibe , but its limitations became well-defined in low - Inner Light shape , skin to even match my Google Pixel 6 .
As you’re able to see below the ROG Phone fell shortsighted when trying to capture mental image detail in the nighttime , with the buildings on the waterfront lacking definition and coloring appearing washed out and mute .
The ultra - wide 13MP sensor also makes a comeback , although the 5MP macro snapper has been replaced with an all - new 32MP telephoto sensing element . This is adequate to of a 3x optical zoom , enabling you to get faraway objects clearly .
While this new telephoto sensing element did make it well-situated for me to take a photo of aloof subject , I found the image timber would cut down observably when using the 3x soar . It ’s certainly no friction match for theGalaxy S23 Ultrawith its 3x and 10x lossless zooming .
You still get a 32MP selfie camera with the new Asus ROG Phone 8 series , but the field of view has been increase from 73 academic degree to 90 degrees . This makes it easier to fit multiple multitude in the physique for a group selfie .
Performance
The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition does n’t disappoint in terms of performance , pile the all - novel Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip , with frequency speeds peaking at 3.3GHz .
The Ultimate Edition also flaunts 24 GB of RAM . I ’d debate this is overkill for a gambling phone , with the stock ROG Phone 8 packing ample 12 GB of RAM instead , although my reexamination unit has posted the secure gambling outcome we ’ve seen from a phone yet .
The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition score tremendous results of 106fps and 123fps in the GFXBench Aztec Ruins and GFXBench Car Chase benchmarks . Those are outstanding result , with the secondly - best performer being theVivo X100 Proat just 95fps and 105fps in the same tests .
With that said , the Vivo X100 Pro – powered by the new Dimensity 9300 chip – outperformed the ROG Phone 8 when it came to the CPU benchmarks . That should n’t be any cause for concern , with the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition still well among the loss leader in carrying into action , especially in terms of computer graphic .
Asus rack up a little snag in condition of warmth profligacy for the Asus ROG Phone 8 Series , as heat convection is no longer an option with the jump up to IP68 waterproofing . However , the new inclusion of a rapid - cooling director still seems to be highly effective , with our 3DMark Extreme Stress Test showing the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition is able-bodied to preserve a unchanging high execution even at high workloads . I never noticed the phone becoming uncomfortably spicy either .
If you purchase the Pro Edition of the ROG Phone 8 , you ’ll get the AeroActive Cooler X bundled in . This clips onto the back of the phone , plugging into the horizontal USB - vitamin C port . I personally recall this accessory is a little excessive , as the phone can rest nerveless after farseeing Roger Sessions of games . It ’s more about stabilize performance if you ’re play a game where high frame rate are vital .
You ’re unlikely to run out of storage with the 1 TB drive of the Pro Edition . If you ’re planning on buy one of the cheap models , then you ’ll get 256 GB with the standard ROG Phone 8 , and 512 GB with the ROG Phone 8 Pro .
Software
The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition is based onAndroid 14 , and allows you to choose whether you ’d prefer a stemma Android experience , or one optimize by Asus . What ’s more , Asus allows you to pick your favored options for individual feature , such as the clock appearance , incoming call display , straightaway setting panel and more . It ’s great to see Asus apply you so much choice for your best-loved experience .
The Armour Crate app also comes pre - installed on the phone , which permit you tweak public presentation preferences , and arrange up the likes of AirTriggers , Key Mapping and Macros .
I ’m particularly tender of the Game Genie , which brings up a menu mid - secret plan , let you to make tweaks on the fly . you’re able to bring up genuine - time performance information , block incoming calls or start recording without digging around in your phone ’s place setting . It ’s an telling , streamlined solvent that Asus has been refine for multiple years , and goes a long way to make this feel like a true gaming phone .
Asus has also gone heavy on artificial intelligence for the Asus ROG Phone 8 family . One of the most notable features is the AI grabber , which make it promiscuous for you to Google helpful online guides when stick mid - game , automatically observe on - screen text which indicates which level or account delegacy you ’re on .
AI has also improved the phone ’s search functionality when locating a specific app or background . Plus , there ’s the ten Sense 2.0 feature film , which can be used to automate detail pickups and allow you to tight - forward through boring cutscenes – although these features are sadly limited to just Genshin Impact and Honkai : Star List for the time being .
Battery life
Asus has been wedge to compromise battery capacitance when slimming down the design of the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition . While the Asus ROG Phone 7 family had a 6000mAh cell , the ROG Phone 8 series has been downgrade to a 5500mAh capacity .
I do n’t think this is a cause for business organisation though . The improved efficiency of the Snapdragon chip maximize the phone ’s stamina despite the small capability . As a outcome , it easily lasted beyond a full day for general exercise , with between 30 % and 40 % normally will in the tank . I never had any fears that it would run out of succus before the end of the mean solar day .
You should really only notice the fall in battery longevity when run games . After play 30 minutes of Call of Duty Mobile , the battery had eat up by 9 % . If the electric battery continue to debilitate at a steady rate , this suggest you ’d be able to keep playing for five and a half hour before you hit 0 % on the battery .
The ROG Phone 8 comes bundle with a 65 - watt courser capable of incredibly immobile charging speeds . In my tests , it claim just 45 minutes to fully recharge the phone from 0 % to 100 % , and if you ’ve only got sentence for a quick 15 - minute recharge , that will still give you an impressive 46 % top - up .
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Should you buy it?
The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition is one of the fastest smartphones we ’ve ever tested , while characteristic like AirTriggers make it a lot easier to play game without an accessory .
Asus still has n’t quite succeeded in extend an all - pear-shaped phone that can compete with the like of Apple , Google and Samsung , with a sub - par camera and a scratchable casing .
Final Thoughts
The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition is an challenging departure for the series , with Asus strengthen down the design to make it more likeable to a broad audience . I do like the subtler styling and smaller innovation , but the downgrade to the speakers is dissatisfactory , and the scratchable casing is a big concern for a phone at this price .
However , this sound excels where it matters most , with a top-notch - quick operation , lengthy battery life and a litany of features that make gambling on the go a blast . More work is needed for the television camera to vie with the likes of Google and Samsung , but the new telephotograph electron lens is still a welcome addition .
If you ’re well-chosen to forgo the gaming software package , I do still think you ’ll get a better all - round package from the likes of theSamsung Galaxy S23 Ultra , and if you ’d prefer a phone that fully bosom its gaming identity , then it ’s deserving consider theRedMagic 9 Pro . look into ourBest Gaming Phonelist for even more options .
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FAQs
The ROG Phone 8 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 central processor .
Yes , this phone has been design for gaming with a hefty performance and oodles of gambling feature .
Yes , the ROG Phone 8 has an IP68 rating .
Test Data
Full Specs
