ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro review: The gaming phone is all grown up

ASUS adopted an analogous sample with its gaming telephones during the last six years: roll out a tool with aggressive styling, the newest inside {hardware}, huge battery, and distinctive gaming extras together with an exhaustive accent ecosystem. Last yr’s ROG Phone 7 Ultimate specifically was excellent, delivering all of the options you possibly can ever ask for in a gaming cellphone.For 2024, ASUS is taking a unique technique — as an alternative of constructing a cellphone only for players, the model is rolling out a tool that may achieve this rather more, whereas nonetheless being the perfect at gaming. It is an bold endeavor, and after utilizing the ROG Phone 8 Pro as my each day driver for simply over three weeks, I can safely say that ASUS managed to drag it off; the gadget is a terrific all-rounder that goes above and past a standard gaming cellphone.The ROG Phone 8 Pro has an all-new design that brings it consistent with mainstream units, and also you get overhauled cameras with a brand-new telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, IP68 ingress safety, and wi-fi charging. You additionally get clear software program with loads of distinctive options, and the battery simply lasts two days. Even although the cellphone is geared toward players, it’s simply pretty much as good as any conventional flagship in most areas, and that is no small feat.ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro: Price and launch date(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)ASUS unveiled the ROG Phone 8 Pro on January 8, and the cellphone is occurring sale in choose nations beginning January 16. There are two fashions out there at launch: an ordinary ROG Phone 8 that will probably be bought in Rebel Grey and Phantom Black colour choices, and an ROG Phone 8 Pro mannequin that is debuting in a Phantom Black hue. The customary mannequin with 16GB/256GB prices $1,099 within the U.S., however these pre-ordering the gadget will have the ability to decide it up at $999.The Pro variant is accessible in a 16GB/512GB model that prices $1,199, and also you additionally get a 24GB/1TB mannequin that comes with the brand new AeroActive Cooler C bundled within the field. This is the one I’m utilizing, and it’s debuting at $1,499 globally.Swipe to scroll horizontallyCategoryASUS ROG Phone 8 ProOSZenUI primarily based on Android 14Display6.78-inch 165Hz LTPO AMOLED, FHD+, HDR10+, 2,500 nits, Gorilla Glass Victus 2ChipsetQualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, Adreno 750, 4nmRAM12GB/16GB/24GB LPDDR5XStorage256GB/512GB/1TB UFS 4.0Rear digital camera 150MP f/1.9 Sony IMX890, 1/1.56-inch sensor, OIS, 6-axis gimbal stabilizationRear digital camera 232MP f/2.4 telephoto lens, 3x optical zoom, OISRear digital camera 313MP f/2.2 wide-angle lensFront digital camera32MP RGBW moduleIngress protectionIP68 mud and water resistanceConnectivityWi-Fi 7, Sub-6 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, dual-band GPSSecurityIn-display optical fingerprint sensor Audio3.5mm jack, 32-bit/384kHz audio, AptX HD codecBattery5500mAh battery, 65W USB PD 3.0 charging, 15W Qi wi-fi chargingDimensions163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9mm, 225gColorsPhantom BlackASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro: Design(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)The greatest distinction with the ROG Phone 8 Pro is the design; ASUS went with a way more conservative design this time round, and that enables the model to focus on a mainstream viewers with the gadget. While earlier fashions within the collection had a lot to supply, the aggressive design with etched strains and large batteries meant that they had been solely a viable possibility for fanatic players — that is not the case this yr. (Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)The new design seems mature, and it provides the gadget loads of sophistication — one thing I could not say about its predecessors. Look, I favored the gamer-focused designs of earlier years, however I’ll agree that the brand new design language is rather more elegant, and it nonetheless manages to look cool. The again has a satin texture that feels nice to carry and use, and ASUS nailed the in-hand really feel — the whole lot from the size to the burden distribution is excellent.(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)The digital camera island is bigger than earlier iterations, and that is sensible contemplating the brand new lenses on provide. Thankfully, the cellphone would not wobble an excessive amount of when utilizing it on a desk, and the digital camera housing would not stand out — ASUS did a very good job making a cohesive design aesthetic. (Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)On that notice, the ROG Phone 8 Pro weighs 225g, a full 21g lighter than its predecessor. That makes an enormous distinction in each day use, and greater than the rest, it is this modification that impacts real-world usability probably the most. While I used earlier fashions within the collection as my each day drivers, they had been heavy and unwieldy at occasions, and having a lighter cellphone is fairly nice. (Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)Another design change that I like is the flatter sides; there’s nonetheless a delicate curve on the again so you possibly can simply maintain the cellphone, however you now get extra width alongside the edges to comfortably maintain the cellphone. And whereas numerous that gamer aesthetic has given option to a standard design, you continue to get RGB lighting with the usual model.Image 1 of two(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)The Pro mannequin would not get RGB lighting, as an alternative that includes an AniMe Vision panel that makes use of a number of mini-LEDs to point out off customized designs, incoming name alerts, and rather more. I’ll cowl the panel in additional element within the part beneath, however what’s fascinating is that in case you do not wish to use the characteristic, you possibly can flip it off completely, and it would not seem like the cellphone has a secondary display screen on the again in any respect — once more, this performs into the narrative that ASUS needs a mainstream viewers to purchase the gadget. (Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)Yet one other design change is the bezels on the entrance, or lack thereof. ASUS used chunkier bezels till final yr, however the ROG Phone 8 is getting ultra-thin bezels on all sides, with the cellphone now providing a hole-punch cutout. This transfer was inevitable contemplating all different telephones switched to an analogous system a number of years in the past, and no matter usability, the bigger bezels meant the ROG Phone 7 appeared a bit archaic — that is not a difficulty with this technology.(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)The ROG Phone 8 is sleeker as effectively, coming in at 8.9mm, or 1.6mm thinner than its predecessor. You nonetheless get the ultrasonic AirTriggers on the edges, and like earlier years, they’re simply as customizable. And sure, the 3.5mm jack is unbroken as effectively, and also you get ASUS’s AudioWizard characteristic that lets you customise the sound to a granular diploma. Dirac Virtuo is accessible too, and it helps you to create digital encompass sound when utilizing IEMs and wi-fi earbuds. And simply to cowl the fundamentals, you get all high-res audio codecs.(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)The energy and quantity buttons are situated on the appropriate, the 3.5mm jack is on the backside, and there is a SIM card tray subsequent to it. The USB-C charging port is mounted to 1 nook on the backside, and my favourite characteristic is again: a side-mounted USB-C connector. You can use this to cost the cellphone, and it connects over the identical USB 3.2 Gen 2 customary as the primary port, and is extremely handy. There’s additionally a nifty again faucet gesture that is customizable, and this can be utilized to launch the flashlight, digital camera, or another motion.(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)A key differentiator this yr is the inclusion of IP68 ingress safety, with the ROG Phone 8 Pro changing into the primary gaming cellphone to roll out this characteristic. This permits the gadget to climate the weather, and within the three weeks I used the gadget, I used to be capable of check its efficacy — it holds up simply in addition to the perfect Samsung telephones on this regard.(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)Rounding out the checklist of exhaustive options, the cellphone comes with an optical in-display fingerprint sensor. It is ideally situated, however I had points with the sensor being sluggish to authenticate. It takes a smidgen longer than different telephones to register, and there have been cases the place it did not authenticate. Outside of that quibble, I did not discover another points on this space.Overall, the ROG Phone 8 Pro seems each bit as premium as its price ticket suggests — this can be a high-end cellphone that is designed to face out, and it manages to try this with ease.ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro: Display(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)ASUS outfitted a 6.78-inch panel on the ROG Phone 8 Pro, however as a result of the gadget itself is thinner, shorter, and narrower than earlier years, you get the sensation that the panel is way larger. There’s nonetheless the identical 165Hz refresh, however the panel is packing severe upgrades this time: it now goes as much as 2,500 nits, and also you get LTPO tech that dynamically switches the refresh all the way down to 1Hz when viewing static content material. The display screen is protected by a layer of Gorilla Glass Victus 2.The Samsung AMOLED panel is attractive, providing vibrant colours with wonderful distinction ranges. While the display screen itself is excellent, I observed just a few points: the ambient gentle sensor is not fairly as quick as different units at adjusting display screen brightness when going right into a darkish room, and the characteristic to wake the panel everytime you get a notification would not work — the display screen simply lights up an infinitesimal second.(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)The Optimal colour mode is enabled out of the field, and colours tend to be a bit cooler; even within the Natural mode, the panel had a distinctly cooler hue. Thankfully, it is fairly easy to tweak the colour stability, and you’ll arrange an always-on mode, allow anti-flicker that reduces pressure on the eyes. The eye safety characteristic now covers all refresh charges, kicking in from simply 1Hz all the way in which to 165Hz. (Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)While ASUS was obstinate prior to now about overlaying up the highest and backside parts of the display screen with giant bezels — noting it could make holding the cellphone simpler — the brand new design instantly makes the gadget look that rather more trendy. But in case you’re used to the thought of these bezels, you possibly can go into Armoury Crate and allow a Centered view that covers up the digital camera cutout.(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)As you’d think about, the ROG Phone 8 Pro holds up extremely effectively in each day use. Unlike Chinese producers, ASUS would not limit excessive refresh price gaming in any method, and titles that may benefit from this characteristic are incredible on the cellphone. The gadget is simply as comfy whereas streaming content material as effectively, and I did not see any points on this space. You get loud stereo sound, and it’s simply nice to have the ability to plug IEMs to the cellphone with no need a dongle; I used the gadget with Sennheiser’s wonderful IE600 more often than not.Of course, you do not simply get one display screen right here — the ROG Phone 8 Pro has an AniMe Vision panel on the again that options 341 programmable mini-LEDs. These may be custom-made to point out textual content, pictures, and different results. You get a collection of 20 animations put in out of the field, however you possibly can at all times make your personal. It additionally reveals battery cost stage, notification alerts, and the time. It was a bit glitchy at occasions as scrolling textual content would not really scroll, however toggling the characteristic on and off sorted out the problem. ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro: Performance(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)A giant draw with gaming telephones is the {hardware}, and ASUS is aware of a factor or two about delivering an ideal {hardware} bundle. The ROG Phone 8 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and also you stand up to 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The cellphone has a singular thermal system that is designed to supply lag-free gaming even with prolonged use, and this yr, ASUS is including a second heatsink to extend thermal effectivity.Basically, that is the perfect gaming cellphone you will get in the mean time, and there actually is not another gadget that delivers fairly the identical stage of sustained efficiency in demanding titles. There’s additionally a brand new AeroActive Cooler X that is higher than final yr’s mannequin; it has a built-in kickstand, provides two bodily buttons that may be custom-made to in-game actions, and a 3.5mm jack.(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)The ROG Phone 8 Pro is phenomenal at gaming — that has been the case with its predecessors as effectively. I get to make use of all flagship units launched over the course of the yr, and the place ASUS differentiates itself is the optimization; the ROG Phone 8 Pro helps you to play a wider choice of titles at 120fps and past, and it doesn’t throttle even throughout prolonged gaming classes. This is not the case with most different units, which often throttle considerably after hitting the 30-minute mark.Swipe to scroll horizontallyCategoryASUS ROG Phone 7 UltimateASUS ROG Phone 8 ProiPhone 15 Pro MaxGeekbench 6 (single-core)200822422950Geekbench 6 (multi-core)5607697873813DMark Wild Life Extreme (rating)3752520736483DMark Wild Life Extreme (FPS)22.4531.1721.93DMark Solar Bay (rating)4586865550243DMark Solar Bay (FPS)17.5532.9119.1This is clear in artificial workloads as effectively, and the cellphone hit a stability rating of 93.80% in 3DMark’s Solar Bay stress check — that is leagues higher than the 40 – 50% that almost all telephones handle. On that notice, the cellphone tends to get sizzling throughout marathon gaming classes, however it is not uncomfortable. The solely time when the gadget received too sizzling to deal with was after working 3DMark’s stress check; it went as much as 53 levels Celsius, and that is seven levels greater than the iQOO 12 and Vivo X100 Pro managed. In real-world gaming eventualities, I did not see the gadget crossing 42.3 levels. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 tends to run a bit hotter because it has elevated headroom, however then once more, you get significantly better efficiency.(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)I additionally like the quantity of customizability you get relating to gaming. AirTriggers proceed to be a useful utility, and you’ll simply assign in-game actions to the ultrasonic triggers. Similarly, Armoury Crate helps you to customise settings for particular person titles, and toggle between utilization modes: Dynamic, Ultra sturdy, and X Mode. X Mode turns issues up a notch and maximizes the gadget’s {hardware} potential, Dynamic mode is nice in each day use, and Ultra sturdy is designed to eke out the perfect battery life.(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)Thanks to Game Genie, you possibly can arrange macros, report video games, change notification settings, and a lot extra when you’re inside a sport. And in case you’re keen on getting the 24GB/1TB mannequin, the bundled AeroActive Cooler X does an ideal job with thermal administration. (Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)If you are undecided what mannequin to get, the 1TB storage mainly alleviates any worries round working out of storage. I switched to this gadget from the Pixel 8 Pro and its paltry 128GB of storage, and after simply two months of use, I crammed up 85% of the out there storage. I’m at the moment utilizing 104GB on the ROG Phone 8 Pro, and that’s simply 10% of the entire storage on the gadget. Crazy.Coming to connectivity, the ROG Phone 8 Pro has Sub-6 5G bands with world connectivity, a Wi-Fi 7 modem that makes a sizeable distinction in case you’ve made the change to a Wi-Fi 7 router, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, and dual-band GPS. There’s additionally a extremely good vibration motor, and it delivers good suggestions when utilizing the keyboard and navigating the UI.ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro: Battery(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)ASUS supplied a 6,000mAh battery in earlier iterations of ROG Phones, however this yr, the model is providing a 5,500mAh battery. While it’s smaller than its predecessors, you continue to get terrific battery life. There was by no means an occasion the place I wanted to cost the cellphone earlier than the top of the day, and even with heavy use, the cellphone managed to final a day and a half with ease.In truth, more often than not, I solely charged the cellphone as soon as in two days, and on this specific space, there are completely no points. Of course, in case you’re trying to get the gadget primarily to play video games, you will want to plug in it on the finish of the day, however there isn’t any motive to have any type of battery nervousness.(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)The cellphone expenses over the USB PD 3.0 customary, going as much as 65W. ASUS bundles a charger within the field, and you should utilize it to cost different equipment and telephones as effectively. A full cost takes a smidgen over 40 minutes, with the cellphone hitting a 50% in 15 minutes. A giant addition this time is the inclusion of wi-fi charging; the cellphone makes use of the Qi customary and goes as much as 15W.ASUS presents the identical battery safeguards as you get in most different telephones, together with regular charging that expenses the cellphone slowly, scheduled charging, and a cost restrict that may be set to as little as 80%.ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro: Cameras(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)ASUS is making an enormous deal concerning the cameras this time round, and it is simple to see why; earlier units within the ROG Phone collection had lackluster cameras that had been an afterthought, however with the ROG Phone 8 Pro, you are getting a dependable bundle. The cellphone has a 50MP Sony IMX890 main lens that is joined by a 13MP wide-angle module and 32MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and OIS. The zoom lens is ready to ship photographs as much as 5x with no noticeable distinction in high quality, and it hits 30x through digital zoom.The cellphone makes use of the identical six-axis gimbal stabilization that debuted on the Zenfone 10, and it makes a noticeable distinction — significantly whereas taking pictures movies. The digital camera interface is customary, and also you get the taking pictures modes in a ribbon on the backside, toggles for all the assorted lenses, Google Lens button, flash, magnificence results, and a pull-down menu that offers you entry to all of the settings. Up entrance, you get a 32MP module that may now shoot at 0.7x along with the standard 1x mode.Image 1 of 9(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)(Image credit score: Harish Jonnalagadda / Android Central)I used dozens of telephones that had the Sony IMX890, and although it’s kind of outdated at this level, this can be a dependable sensor that is identified to ship nice images. The ROG Phone 8 Pro produces detailed photographs in daylight eventualities, providing loads of element and good dynamic vary generally. Colors are precisely rendered, and ASUS does a very good job on this space. I might’ve favored a bigger module in use right here, as a result of in sure conditions, the digital camera tends to smoothen out granular particulars, significantly with foliage.The wide-angle lens does a very good job as effectively, and aside from scenes with little to no ambient gentle, I received usable photographs out of the module. I used to be within the 32MP telephoto lens, as that is been the largest omission in earlier years, and it does an honest job at 3x zoom. The cellphone makes use of in-sensor zoom to shoot 2x, switching to the telephoto when utilizing 3x and past.Even at 2x, there’s a noticeable distinction intimately rendition, however you get the identical colour stability as the primary lens. That is not the case with the 3x module, and it tends to clean out colours in just a few conditions. This is not at all times the case, and for what it is value, the lens itself has quite a bit to supply — ASUS simply must tune its algorithms a bit higher. What’s irksome is that the Indian model of the cellphone will not include the telephoto lens, with ASUS providing a macro module as an alternative. The cellphone takes good photographs in low-light conditions as effectively, however it limits the publicity ranges to reduce noise and grain — the low-light keyboard shot above illustrates this effectively, the place you possibly can solely make out the silhouette of the wrist relaxation. That mentioned, this can be a significantly better displaying than earlier years, and whereas the digital camera is not going to problem the perfect that Google and Xiaomi have to supply, it’s now not a limitation.ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro: Software(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)The ROG Phone 8 Pro runs Android 14 out of the field, and it comes with ASUS’s ZenUI interface. Most telephones I exploit today have bloated interfaces with loads of useless customization, so it is nice that ASUS continues to supply a clear interface. That’s if you’d like a vanilla Android UI with none overt styling; in case you’re a fan of the gamer-focused interface that was a characteristic in earlier years, you possibly can at all times change to that within the settings.But I desire the usual model of ZenUI, and it will get quite a bit proper. The interface is clear, you get in depth customizability, and it’s fluid like no different gadget I used — it jogs my memory of legacy variations of OxygenOS. ASUS helps you to tweak varied UI parts, together with the quantity panel, incoming name view, energy button menu, and notably, the notification pane. You can use the big tiles that debuted with Android 12, or the smaller spherical tiles in case you want extra toggles within the pane.(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)This is the one different gadget exterior of the Pixel collection that does not have any bloatware — that is an achievement in and of itself. I examined the cellphone with software program construct 34.1410.1410.18, and just some hours earlier than the evaluation embargo lifted, ASUS rolled out the 34.1420.1420.173 construct with stability tweaks.While I like numerous issues concerning the interface, there have been just a few bugs alongside the way in which; I did not get any push notifications in Gmail or SMS Organizer, so I continually missed well timed alerts. Setting the reminiscence administration for these to Unrestricted did not make a distinction both, and even on the secure construct, I did not see any notifications. Outside of that and some glitches with app launches, ZenUI managed to ship an ideal expertise that is very totally different to what you get on most different telephones. ASUS can also be including just a few AI options to the gadget, together with a semantic search that runs completely on-device. And you get integration with Phone Link, much like Samsung’s telephones.The greatest downside on the software program entrance is software program updates; ASUS will solely ship two Android OS updates and 4 years of safety updates to the ROG Phone 8 Pro, and that’s nowhere near being sufficient for a tool that prices $1,499. With different manufacturers now providing 4 updates as customary — and Google going as much as seven — ASUS is distinctly on the backfoot right here, and the model is unwilling to alter its stance.ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro: The competitors(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)The OnePlus 12 is on the horizon, however ColorOS is not designed for gaming, and you aren’t getting to play demanding titles at over 60fps. So that finally makes it a poor selection if you wish to get pleasure from excessive refresh price gaming. I’m excited to see what Xiaomi does on this space with the Xiaomi 14 Pro, however that gadget continues to be but to make its world debut.The iQOO 12 is a wonderful various that will get quite a bit proper. It additionally has a beautiful design, comes with the identical Qualcomm platform, and has wonderful battery life. The software program is not as refined, however it would not have any gaming-related limitations, and it’ll get three OS updates. Oh, and it is a good worth as effectively.ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro: Should you purchase it?(Image credit score: Apoorva Bhardwaj / Android Central)You should purchase this if:You’re searching for the perfect efficiency on AndroidYou need a cellphone with an ideal designYou want a vibrant AMOLED panel that goes as much as 165HzYou want versatile cameras that take nice imagesYou need clear software program with zero bloatwareYou should not purchase this if:You need long-term software program updatesYou want flagship-tier camerasI used numerous gaming telephones over time, and the ROG Phone 8 Pro is in a league of its personal. The new design means it is not embarrassing to make use of in public, the upgraded AMOLED panel is excellent, and the {hardware} is the perfect of any cellphone you get right this moment. ASUS continues to do an ideal job delivering helpful extras that make gaming extremely fulfilling.ASUS made significant adjustments to the cameras, and whereas it is not fairly on par with the likes of the Xiaomi 13 Ultra or the Pixel 8 Pro, it’s considerably higher than its predecessors, and that is what finally issues. But what I like probably the most is the clear software program; that is a rarity in a section the place flashiness is the norm.ZenUI presents a pleasant stability between options energy customers want, and ease of use. There is not any overt customization nor bloatware to be discovered, and that is simply refreshing. The greatest downside is that it’ll get simply two platform updates, and that simply is not sufficient in 2024. All different main manufacturers now assure no less than 4 Android OS updates, and ASUS wants to alter its stance if it needs to cost $1,499 for the cellphone.On the entire, you are getting a terrific gaming cellphone — however the ROG Phone 8 Pro is a lot greater than that. Even in case you do not find yourself enjoying many video games, it’s a magnificent selection.