Asus ROG Phone 8 unveiled – the new gaming phone king?
The market for the best Android phones is peppered with fantastic models. You'll find models which are made to offer just about everything which users could need.
If you have a specific interest, though, there are often lesser known models which can better serve your needs. Audiophiles might enjoy the credentials of the Sony Experia 5 V, for example.
If you're a mobile gaming fan, there are a host of devices made specifically to satisfy your niche. The best gaming phones often offer bigger batteries, better display technology and a whole lot more to ensure you can play with the very best setup.
Up until now, my top pick has been the Asus ROG Phone 7. That one was packed with top tech, and the result was an absolute gaming monster. Now, Asus have announced the next generation of that line up – the Asus ROG Phone 8.
There are a whole host of features worthy of note here. For starters, Asus say the new devices are up to 15% thinner than previous generations. I can't recall the ROG Phone 7 being an especially chunky device, either, so that could be a really sweet silhouette.
As we'd probably have guessed, the device is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. That's likely to be found in a whole range of Android devices this year, and should offer the absolute pinnacle of performance for these handsets.
Elsewhere, the handset is also the first ever IP68 rated gaming phone. That means that users can enjoy some top notch water and dust resistance, allowing them to use their devices in all sorts of situations without fear.
The display is a 6.78-inch AMOLED display from Samsung. That supports an adaptive refresh rate between 1Hz and 120Hz and even allows for 165Hz rates during gameplay. Peak brightness of 2,500 nits should ensure gameplay is visible in all kinds of light, while 720Hz touch sampling ensures every button press is timely.
By far the most exciting part of the spec sheet sits in the camera, though. That is one area where I really felt the ROG Phone 7 lagged behind, and I'm pleased to see a big improvement this time out. Far from just being any old upgrade, though, Asus has incorporated one of my favourite camera systems.
You'll find the 6-axis hybrid gimbal stabilizer technology from the Asus Zenfone 10 here, sat behind a 50MP Sony sensor. That is brilliant for ensuring stability in your photography and videography, and works fantastically.
It's all sounding pretty good so far. In fact, the only part which is worrying me right now is the battery. That is a 5,500mAh unit – down from the 6,00mAh cell in the previous model.
Hopefully that's a concession which doesn't have too much of a bearing on the performance. We'll have to wait and see when we get hands on with the device.
Pricing is also pretty reasonable. The base model ROG Phone 8 will come with a 12+256GB configuration, and costs ￡949.99. At the other end, the top spec ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition will include the AeroActive Cooler X in the box, come with 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage and costs ￡1,299.99.
That's a lot of money, but it's not horrendous. It's similar to the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra in terms of pricing, but placing the specs side-by-side should show a substantial difference for the Asus model.