ASUS ROG Phone 8 launches with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, muted design

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ASUS has been wowing us for years with its ROG Phone series, a modern line of gaming phones equipped with impressive hardware, enhanced cooling, and numerous gaming features.

The Taiwanese company has now revealed its latest iteration, the ASUS ROG Phone 8 series, as promised. With the ROG Phone 8 series, ASUS likely intends to deliver the mainstream Android flagship experience.

In terms of design, the latest iteration is a far cry from the previous generations. Although you still get the capacitive shoulder triggers, the company has ditched the cooling vent and the typical gaming-oriented design we have seen on previous devices.

So, this time, with the ASUS ROG Phone 8 series, we have a bit toned-down and slimmer design, more like the mainstream smartphones, and it lines up with the leaked renders we’ve seen.

Also, for the very first time, an ROG phone is rated IP68, probably because there are no cooling vents. The company has also added wireless charging. 

So, it is clear that ASUS doesn’t want to limit the series to only gaming-focused customers, and is going all out this time. 

That said, it’s not like ASUS has skipped out on all the cool gaming features. Besides the capacitive triggers, you are also getting an enhanced cooling system and RGB logo on the back, and while it may be optional, let’s not forget the AeroActive Cooler X fan.

ASUS ROG Phone 8 specs

	ASUS ROG Phone 8
Display	6.78-inch Dynamic AMOLED FHD+ resolution (2,400 x 1,080) 165Hz refresh rate (1-120Hz LTPO)
Processor	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Cameras	Rear Cameras: 50MP wide main sensor (f/1.9, 1/1,56-inch sensor, PDAF, 6-axis hybrid gimbal stabilization) + 13MP ultrawide (f/2.2) + 32MP 3x telephoto (f/2.4, 0.7-micron pixel size) Front Camera: 32MP wide
RAM	12GB/16GB/24GB LPDDR5X
Storage	256GB/512GB/1TB UFS4.0
Battery & Charging	5,500mAh battery 65W wired charging 15W wireless charging
Software	ROG UI / Zen UI based on Android 14 Android 14
IP Rating	IP68
Weight & Dimensions	225g & 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9 mm
Colors	Black Dark Grey (base variant only)

The ASUS ROG Phone 8 is a high-end Android phone, and the hardware reflects the same. 

The ROG Phone 8 and its variants are all powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, paired with an enhanced cooling system. 

At the front, you get a 6.78-inch FHD+ OLED screen with a 165Hz refresh rate, 2,500 nits of peak brightness, and 1,600 nits HBM.

ASUS is also offering a plethora of features, including Microsoft Phone Link support, Snapdragon Seamless support with future X Elite laptops, and Dirac Virtuo spatial audio support.

ASUS ROG Phone 8 also has AI support and has upped its game. You can expect features like AI noise cancelation and AI Semantic Search for more flexible system search capabilities. 

There are also multiple AI-based gaming features. In addition, AI-generated wallpapers will come through a future update.

A 5,500mAh battery is powering the handset, down from last year’s 6,000mAh, which is undoubtedly an effect of slimming down the ROG phone.

Additionally, ASUS has included a 3.5mm port, Bluetooth 5.3 support, Wi-Fi 7-ready support, and a second, side-mounted USB-C port. 

Unfortunately, the device lacks eSIM support, a staple among ASUS competitors for years.

There’s a flagship-grade camera too!

ROG Phones have always lagged behind its competitors in terms of the camera experience. However, with the ASUS ROG Phone 8, the company is trying to change that. 

The ROG Phone 8 sports the brand’s most ambitious effort yet with the handset’s cameras. For the very first time, an ROG phone is carrying a 32MP 3x telephoto camera.

ASUS is also marketing the device’s promising 10x “Hyper Clarity Zoom” and up to 30x digital zoom.

Besides the very first telephoto lens, the new ROG Phone sports a 50MP IMX890 primary camera, featuring the gimbal stabilization tech we saw on the Zenfone 10. There’s also a 13MP ultrawide camera with a free-form lens.

Lastly, a 32MP camera is available at the front for selfies with a wider 90-degree field of view.

ASUS ROG Phone 8 colors, pricing & availability

ASUS’s latest ROG Phone 8 series consists of the vanilla ROG Phone 8, the ROG Phone 8 Pro, and the ROG Phone Pro Edition.

While the standard ROG Phone 8 is available in two colorways – Rebel Grey and Phantom Black, the ROG Phone 8 Pro and 8 Pro Edition are available only in Phantom Black colorway.

ASUS has confirmed the ROG Phone 8 comes with a $1,099.99 (€1,099.99 / £949.99) price tag for the 12GB/256GB model. However, the phone has a pre-order price of $999.99.

If you want higher RAM and storage configurations, the ROG Phone 8 Pro with 16GB RAM and 512GB internal storage is available for $1,199.99 (€1,199.99 / £1,099.99).

Meanwhile, the top-end ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition with 24GB of RAM,1TB of storage, and an included AeroActive Cooler X fan is available at $1,499.99 (€1,499.99 / £1,299.99).

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