The problem with thebest gaming phonesis that they are big and bulky. This makes it difficult to carry them around, though it is a compromise you have to make if you want all the extra goodies that such phones usually come with. Asus is changing the game with its latest gaming phone: theROG Phone 8 series. The device ships with a revamped design, which is a lot sleeker than what you find in previous ROG phones. Additionally, the Taiwanese company has equipped its 2024 gaming phone with decent cameras, including a telephoto sensor.
Asus claims the Phone 8 series is 15% thinner than its predecessor without sacrificing performance or any of the lineup’s key features. Apparently, it is also the world’s first IP68-certified gaming phone, making it dust and water-resistant. But due to this, there’s no cooling vent, as seen on previous models like theROG Phone 7. The back of the ROG Phone 8 has a textured finish behind the glass layer, so you can’t feel it.
The rear of the Phone 8 features an Aura RGB Lighting Logo, while the Phone 8 Pro and Pro Edition are equipped with a customizable Mini-LED display. You can have the display show preset or custom animations. Plus, you can unlock some hidden animations by tapping the back of the phone with another ROG Phone 8.
Asus ROG Phone 8
The Asus ROG Phone 8 is the company’s sleekest gaming phone yet, with a 15% slimmer design. The company has also improved the phone’s cameras, with the ROG Phone 8 packing an impressive triple-camera setup.
The ROG Phone 8 Pro features a 6.78-inch FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED panel with a peak brightness of 2,500 nits. You can boost the refresh rate to 165Hz and touch sampling rate to 720Hz for a smoother gaming experience. Other specs are equally impressive: a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, up to 16GB LPDDR5X RAM, 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage, and a 5,500mAh battery with 66W wired and 15W wireless charging. The ROG Phone 8 packs all the latest connectivity standards, including a 3.5mm jack, Wi-FI 7 ready, Bluetooth 5.3, and a side-mounted USB-C port. The only bummer is the lack of eSIM support, which has become a common feature in thebest Android phones.
Asus has also focused on the cameras of its ROG Phone this year. There’s a 50MP primary camera with 6-axis gimbal stabilization, a 13MP f/2.2 ultrawide, and a 32MP 3x telephoto — a first for an ROG phone. The company says the optical shooter can deliver 10x Hyper Clarity Zoom, with support for 30x digital zoom. However, this sensor uses pixel binning and can only output photos at 8MP resolution. It is the same story with the front 32MP camera, which can only capture selfies at 8MP resolution.
Like almost every Android phone that will launch in 2024, the ROG Phone 8 packs several AI-powered features. This includes AI Grabber, X Sense 2.0, Semantic Search in the Gallery app, AI wallpapers, and more. The Phone 8 runs onAndroid 14out of the box, with Asus promising two OS updates and four years of security patches.
The entry-level ROG Phone 8 will ship with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage. If you want more storage or RAM, you must opt for the ROG Phone 8 Pro, which has 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. Asus also offers a ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition with 24GB RAM, 1TB storage, and an AeroActive Cooler X Fan. This accessory has been redesigned to make it a claimed 29% smaller while offering 1.2x higher thermal efficiency.
