The ASUS ROG Phone 7 was my first experience with the ROG Phone and I loved it for its gaming capability as well as how cool so many of its features were, but as an everyday phone, it was probably a little too out there design-wise.
That’s been rectified with the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro which brings many of the same features as the ROG Phone 7, but in a design that looks similar to what you’d expect from a high-end smart phone.
Firstly, it comes in a black design that is 15% thinner than the Phone 7 which in turn makes it lighter as well. It has a 6.78-inches flexible AMOLED display that has a refresh rate of 165hz and brightness of up to 2500 nits. It’s absolutely eye watering and one of the best displays that I’ve seen on a phone to date.
One of the things I loved most about the ROG Phone 7 was its back display, but it did stand out like a sore thumb. The display is now called AniMe Vision and is integrated into the back of the phone. It’s comprised of 341 individual LEDs that can show things such as battery life, a call coming through as well as volume just by tapping the back of the display. It feels much more high-end and thought out that it did on the previous model.
THE CHEAPEST PRICES:
- ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition – AUD 2,499 / NZD 2,749 PB Tech
- ROG Phone 8 Pro – AUD 1,999 / NZD 2,199 PB Tech
- ROG Phone 8 – AUD 1,799 / NZD 1,949
Similarly, the new AeroActive Cooler X external cooler that pops onto the back is 29% smaller but provides 1.2x the thermal efficiency bringing down the phone’s temperature to 36 degrees but also still has a stand built-in. If you’re all about the RGB life and standing out, this definitely adds an extra bit of pop to the phone that was lost in the new design.
Whilst the ROG Phone 8 Pro has a smaller battery coming n at 5,500 MaH versus 6,000 MaH, the efficiency of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor must make up the difference as day to day, I didn’t notice a heap of difference in battery life, and it was similarly powerful when playing mobiles games such as Fortnite, Genshin Impact or Call of Duty Mobile.
The cameras include a 50MP main camera with a new stabilising system, a 3x telephoto camera with a 32MP resolution as well as a 120-degree ultra wide camera with a 13MP sensor, and there’s a bunch of new AI features that enhance the experience too.
Whilst the ASUS ROG Phone 8 range comes in at a hefty price starting at $1,799 (for the standard edition) ranging all the way up to $2,499 for the model that I used, I feel like it’s a much more complete package now with the features feeling fully realised and also not feeling like you’re compromising a high-end design for gaming features.
