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The true, devoted gaming smartphone is lifeless.
No longer will we see a telephone with the highest-resolution display screen and quickest processor inside the place the first perform is to play probably the most hardcore video games for so long as attainable, on the expense of different, extra conventional telephone options. It’s the arrival of the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro at CES 2024 that has cemented the gaming smartphone’s destiny, and the style now seems to have been consigned to the historical past books.
The ROG Phone 8 Pro is for gaming, proper?
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But wait, the brand new Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro is a gaming smartphone, isn’t it? Yes, the ROG Phone 8 Pro is a telephone for gaming in that it has the newest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, AirTrigger buttons on its shoulders, and a side-mounted USB-C port — all of which avid players will admire. Asus works exhausting to get the software program proper, too, with its performance-enhancing X Mode, new AI instruments, and its Armory Crate app to gather and modify video games.
But in contrast to the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, the ROG Phone 6D, or any of the earlier fashions, it’s additionally a smartphone that’s primed for on a regular basis use. It has wi-fi charging and an IP68 water and mud resistance ranking, smaller bezels across the display screen, a lighter weight, and a extra smart form too. It could have the acquainted and really cool RGB LED display screen on the rear panel, nevertheless it’s totally hidden when it’s not in use. No one would realize it was there.
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This is why it’s a telephone for taking part in video games and never a gaming smartphone. The insanity of earlier ROG Phone fashions has been toned down in favor of helpful (and arguably, important) options we would like on the telephone we use every day. Games are nonetheless on the high of the listing of its skills, however in the identical means the digital camera is on the high of the listing of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s listing. Both are sensible telephones to make use of once you’re not taking part in video games or taking pictures. Before, the ROG Phone was solely sensible once you have been gaming and common at nearly all different occasions. Now, it’s a way more even cut up.
Asus isn’t the primary, nevertheless it’s doing it proper
Black Shark 5 Pro Prakhar Khanna / Digital Trends
The choice to make the ROG Phone 8 Pro a extra regular high-performance telephone makes good enterprise sense, however we’re extra happy to see it hasn’t deserted the style totally, which is what has occurred elsewhere. Asus isn’t the one firm making gaming smartphones, with different manufacturers resembling Lenovo, Xiaomi, and Nubia dabbling in it, however curiosity from all of them appears to have tailed off.
Xiaomi’s gaming arm is Black Shark, and it hasn’t launched any new telephones because the Black Shark 5 collection in March 2022. Since then, the model has switched to creating gaming equipment and smartwatches. Lenovo has stopped making the Legion Phone collection totally. RedMagic, the gaming arm of Nubia, makes a single gaming smartphone known as the RedMagic 9 Pro, however has prolonged its product portfolio to incorporate displays, keyboards, mice, and extra. Admittedly, the telephone could be very gaming telephone foolish with its actual cooling fan, however there isn’t a variety of units this time round, as there was with the RedMagic 8.
Razer Phone 2 Julian Chokkattu / Digital Trends
Other than these three, Razer is likely one of the solely different main firms that attempted to make a go of gaming smartphones, nevertheless it hasn’t revisited them because the Razer Phone 2 was launched in 2018. Poco has lengthy leaned into gaming to advertise its smartphones, however outdoors of 2022’s F4 GT, it’s extra usually for advertising and marketing functions than the model going headfirst right into a hardcore machine that competes with the ROG Phone collection.
Is there no demand?
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The query of why Asus has dialed again the craziness and Black Shark has disappeared into the murky waters is tough to reply, however logically, it has to do with demand, the price of improvement, and the prevalence of highly effective flagship telephones that may fulfill the overwhelming majority of cellular players. But it might additionally should do with the sudden inflow of handheld gaming consoles, which offer entry to non-mobile video games on the transfer.
The Valve Steam Deck leads the cost, nevertheless it has been adopted by a number of related units, together with the Lenovo Legion Go, the Razer Edge, and the Asus ROG Ally — all very acquainted names. Out of the three, solely Asus remains to be really making a smartphone the place gaming is the main focus, however as already said, it’s far nearer to a standard flagship smartphone than ever earlier than. Demand for cellular gaming units doesn’t appear to have waned, however the necessities and the video games the viewers needs to play are dictating the place manufacturers focus their efforts.
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
This is probably the principle purpose for the true gaming smartphone’s demise: More persons are keen on spending time taking part in the identical video games they get pleasure from on their PC or console on the go relatively than hardcore cellular video games. Mobile esports remains to be very talked-about, however this may increasingly not have translated over to smartphone consumers making an effort to prioritize gaming options after they go to purchase a brand new telephone.
Goodbye, gaming telephones
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Is the gaming telephone actually lifeless? Sadly, I do consider the gaming smartphone as we knew it’s lifeless. The craziness of the previous couple of years is over, fewer producers are making devoted fashions, and the telephones which are nonetheless right here have developed into one thing new. It’s not that we gained’t see telephones made with the devoted cellular gamer in thoughts, however the days when that was their sole goal have ended.
I don’t see it as a unfavourable factor, as we’re getting extra enjoyable telephones that we will use extra usually. Regular telephones just like the Nothing Phone 2 have put a spin on the eye-catching flashing lights related to pure gaming telephones. Gaming smartphones are adopting commonplace options like IP68 whereas retaining customizable buttons and high-level cooling, then firming down the design silliness, which means extra folks might be keen to think about it.
Although the gaming smartphone is lifeless, we’ve now acquired a variety of wonderful handheld gaming consoles,a small collection of on a regular basis telephones made for cellular players, and a few unbelievable mainstream flagship telephones which are additionally sensible for informal gaming. To get there, we’ve needed to sacrifice motorized cooling vents, mad colour schemes, and all types of different loopy gaming smartphone gimmicks — however I’d say it’s a greater than acceptable trade-off.
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