Asus ROG Phone 8 launches with improved cameras, IP68 rating, & subtle design

Asus has announced its new gaming phone series, the ROG Phone 8. The new lineup brings notable changes and aims to be more mainstream than its predecessors.

Asus ROG Phone 8 lineup consists of the standard ROG Phone 8, the ROG Phone 8 Pro, and the ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition. The company has toned down the gamer aesthetics but hasn’t sacrificed any of its cutting-edge hardware.

All three phones pack the best Qualcomm processor, brighter display, and improved cameras. Asus has also packed an IP68 rating, which is a first for the ROG phone series.

The ROG Phone 8, ROG Phone 8 Pro, and ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition come in sleeker designs, measuring 8.9mm thin compared to the bulkier 10.49mm of the ROG Phone 7.

Asus

They’re also lighter, weighing in at 225g instead of the previous 239g. Asus is considering not only mobile gaming enthusiasts but also the broader consumer market with these more streamlined and lighter devices.

That doesn’t mean the new gaming phones lack dedicated gaming features. You still get capacitive triggers, an improved cooling system, an RGB logo on the back, and support for the optional AeroActive Cooler X fan.

Performance, core specs, and price

Asus ROG Phone 8 is built around a 6.78-inch Dynamic AMOLED panel with FHD+ resolution, 165Hz refresh rate, and 2,500 nits peak brightness. You get a 5,500 mAh battery, which is smaller than the ROG Phone 7’s 6,000 mAh.

There’s 65W wired and 15W wireless charging support. A charger comes included in the box, which is very rare nowadays.

Previous ROG Phones had underwhelming cameras, but Asus has changed things a bit with ROG Phone 8. There’s a 50MP main sensor, 13MP ultrawide, and a new 32MP telephoto lens with 3X optical zoom. The phone also has a 32MP selfie shooter up front.

Unsurprisingly, the ROG Phone 8 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which can be paired with up to 24GB of LPDDR5X RAM and up to 1TB UFS 4.0. There’s also a 12/256GB trim and a middle 16/512GB variant.

Asus ROG Phone 8 is offered in Phantom Black and Rebel Grey. The ROG Phone 8 Pro and Pro Edition only come in Phantom Black with a small OLED display on the back.

ROG Phone 8 is set to launch in the US with a starting price of $1,099, and sales are expected to kick off in the first quarter.

Meanwhile, in Europe, pre-orders have officially opened today. The ROG Phone 8 comes with a price tag of €1,099, while the Pro variant is priced at €1,199 for the 16GB/512GB model. The Pro Edition is available at €1,499, featuring an impressive 24GB RAM and 1TB storage.