first impressions

The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition scaled back the geeky design elements for a more mature presentation, while retaining excellent gaming-centric features, raising the performance ceiling, and introducing a new telephoto camera sensor. On paper, this looks like a top contender as one of the best gaming phones of 2024.

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The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition is the latest gaming phone to join the fray, showcasing a higher performance ceiling thanks to the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip.

But the biggest change in the latest ROG Phone compared to previous versions is actually the design. Asus decided to scale back the geeky design to appeal to more than just hardcore gamers.

To compete with non-gaming flagships, Asus has also improved the camera with a 32MP telephoto sensor that enables 3x optical zoom.

It makes sense for Asus to go after a broader market rather than fervently sticking to a niche, but is the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition in danger of alienating its loyal fans? I got hands-on with the phone before launch to get a closer look.

Price and availability

The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition is priced at £1299/$1499 and will be available exclusively on the ASUS Official Online Store. For your money, the Pro Edition gets you 24GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and an AeroActive Cooler X pack in the box.

If that’s too expensive for you, it’s worth considering the standard ROG Phone 8, priced at £949/$999, equipped with 12GB of memory and 256GB of storage. Meanwhile, the ROG Phone Pro retails for £1099/$1299 with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage.

Asus ROG Phone 8 family can be pre-ordered now; Those who order the ROG Phone 8 Pro before February 4, 2024 will receive a free AeroActive Cooler X.

Design

• More mature design aimed at a wider audience
• Smaller build with shaved frame
• AniMe Matrix lights add flair and personality

The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition has seen so many changes in its design that it’s barely recognizable from its predecessors like the flashy ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. The sci-fi emblems have been removed in favor of a lower-profile look. This may disappoint players looking for a flashy style that stands out, but it makes it more appealing to a wider audience.

That’s not to say the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition is completely devoid of gaming design quirks. I especially like the AniMe Matrix feature, which uses a set of 341 programmable LED lights on the back to display the time, battery status, and notifications.

Asus says you can even customize the display of the lights, or even turn the light off completely to save battery life. This AniMe Matrix feature is only available on Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro and ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition; the standard ROG Phone 8 is limited to RGB lighting of the ROG logo instead.

When you turn the phone to the front, you will see that Asus has thinned the screen bezel for the Asus ROG Phone 8 series. This allowed Asus to reduce the size of the phone while maintaining the same 6.78-inch screen size. The Asus ROG Phone 8 is noticeably thinner than its predecessor, making it significantly easier to hold, even with my small hands.

Asus has managed to shave off the bezel by placing the selfie camera below the screen and with a pinhole that allows it to look through. This design choice has been adopted by the vast majority of Android phones and helps bring the ROG Phone 8 collection up to modern standards. Asus also maintains the in-display fingerprint sensor.

AirTriggers were one of my favorite features of the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, so I’m very happy to see them return. This allows you to use virtual triggers on the side of the phone for purposes like shooting in Call of Duty or triggering abilities in Genshin Impact. It’s fully customizable, even allowing you to set your preferred vibration intensity to deliver satisfying feedback.

In terms of ports, you’ll find a pair of USB-C connections on the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition; one at the bottom in the traditional spot, the other on the left side, so you can continue gaming uninterrupted. as well as installing the included AeroActive Cooler X. There’s also a headphone jack here, which is rare for smartphones in 2024.

Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro is very up-to-date with wireless technology, supporting Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.3. Asus has also made the phone more rugged with an IP68 rating, bringing water resistance to the same standard as flagship Samsung and Google phones.

Screen

• Same 6.78 inch screen size as before
• AMOLED screen is now even brighter
• Still offers features up to 165Hz refresh rate

The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition has not seen any major changes on the display compared to its older siblings. While the AMOLED panel still comes in 6.78 inches in size, the Full HD + resolution and 165Hz refresh rate remain unchanged.

However, Asus has managed to increase the peak brightness by a significant margin, from 1600 nits to 2500 nits. This upgrade is also clearly visible to the naked eye, as even during my brief hands-on time, my Google Pixel 6’s screen appeared dull due to contrast.

AMOLED technology also enables the screen to display inky blacks instead of dark grays, providing dazzling contrast.

Other than increasing the resolution, which will affect battery life, it’s hard to see how Asus could further improve this gorgeous smartphone display. However, I’ll have to wait until I’ve fully tested the screen to make sure it delivers promising first impressions.

cameras

• New telephoto camera allows 3x optical zoom
• Gimbal helps keep photos and videos more stable
• Selfie camera can now capture more people in the frame

The camera has been the main area that has kept the Asus ROG Phone series from competing with more traditional phones from the likes of Apple, Google and Samsung. Fortunately, Asus hopes to fix this with significant sensor upgrades.

The Asus ROG Phone 8 family features the same main 50MP sensor as before but this time, it is powered by a new gimbal that can help deliver still photos and videos.

The large 13MP sensor also returns, but the 5MP macro camera is replaced by an all-new 32MP telephoto sensor. Asus says it’s capable of 3x optical zoom, allowing you to capture distant objects with plenty of detail.

The new Asus ROG Phone 8 series still has a 32MP selfie camera, but Asus claims that the field of view has been increased from 73° to 90°. This will make it easier to fit more than one person into the frame for a group selfie.

I haven’t been able to test the camera yet, so you’ll have to wait until our full review for our verdict, but it’s still great to see Asus making improvements to the ROG Phone’s weakest area.

Performance and battery life

• One of the fastest chips you can buy
• Pro Edition has 24 GB RAM
• Battery made smaller

Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition looks to be one of the most powerful phones in the world, featuring the all-new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip with frequency speeds up to 3.3GHz. We expect to see more phones adopting this chip in 2024, but so far it’s an exclusive club.

The Ultimate Edition also has 24GB of RAM. I’d argue that’s overkill for a gaming phone, where the standard ROG Phone 8 has plenty of 12GB of RAM, while the ROG Phone 8 Pro has a nice middle ground with 16GB.

When I think of the Pro Edition, I’m more attracted to the huge 1 TB storage space. If you’re planning to buy one of the cheaper models, you’ll get 256GB with the standard ROG Phone 8 and 512GB with the ROG Phone 8 Pro.

Asus says it’s doing a lot of work behind the scenes to improve thermal efficiency with its new fast-cooling conductor design. When you purchase the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition, you will be able to equip the phone with AeroActive Cooler X, which is claimed to cool the back of the phone up to 26°C.

I didn’t benchmark the phone or run any games during my hands-on session, so it’s hard to know how performance compares to its predecessors yet. But considering the features this phone offers, I expect it to be one of the most powerful options on the market.

If there’s any reason to worry about this phone compared to its predecessor, it’s battery life. Asus had to compromise on battery capacity while reducing the design of the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition from 6000mAh to 5500mAh.

However, the improved efficiency of the Snapdragon chip can make up for this loss in battery life, and the ROG Phone 7 Series was already capable of lasting more than a day in general usage. All in all I’m not too worried, but I’ll reserve final judgment until I test the battery in my full review.