Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Review: Ultimate Gaming Smartphone That Raises the Stakes

Renowned for its expertise in the gaming PC realm, Asus has been expanding its offerings to the smartphone sector since 2018 with the launch of the first ROG Phone. The Rog Phone 8 Pro version released in early 2024 leaves nothing to chance.

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Introduction

Just a few years ago, running a highly demanding game required purchasing a high-end smartphone. The Razer Phone was among the first to clearly target the mobile gaming market. Since 2018, Asus has followed suit with the ROG Phone and has established itself in the sector catering to demanding gamers.

Inspired by its own gaming PC lineup, the ROG Phone 8 Pro was released on February 7, 2024, priced at $1,350 for the 16/512 GB version or $1,990 for the 24 GB/1 TB version reviewed here. This configuration also allows for the enjoyment of the AeroActive Cooler X, optional for its other variant ($89). At this price point, the ROG Phone 8 Pro competes with the cream of the crop in mobile, such as the Xiaomi 13 Pro, Sony Xperia 1 V, or the new Samsung Galaxy S24+ and Ultra.

Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Technical Specifications

Ergonomics and Design

True to its recognizable gamer design, Asus’ ROG Phone 8 Pro features less rounded lines and more subdued finishes than its previous iterations. The AirTriggers are still present, these zones of ultrasonic sensors on which different functions can be assigned, along with a mini-jack socket and two USB-C ports for comfortable handling in both portrait and landscape modes. The side USB-C port also accommodates the AeroActive Cooler X, the thermoelectric cooling accessory that regulates the device’s heat during intensive gaming sessions.

On the front, the 6.78-inch Amoled display occupies over 88.6% of the total surface, resulting in thinner bezels than usual and a discreet punch-hole placed in the middle of the panel to house the selfie camera. This screen also hosts an efficient fingerprint reader. In terms of dimensions, the smartphone has been slimmed down compared to previous models (163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9 mm for 225 g), which is noticeable in hand and might surprise gamers accustomed to massive smartphones.

Despite the choice of matte plastic for its back, this Asus terminal displays a high-end design. The inscriptions, from the brand to the transverse line, as well as the AniMe Vision, a display composed of 341 programmable mini-LEDs visible through the casing, give it a welcome futuristic look. While its back avoids fingerprints, the device tends to slip a bit in the hand. Another (small) downside is the protruding camera block, making the phone wobble when placed flat.

The ROG Phone 8 Pro benefits from IP68 certification, protecting it from dust and complete immersion up to 1 m in water. It is also not stingy on connectivity, as it is compatible with Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, 5G, wireless charging, and wifi 7, which Free recently made available in France through its new Freebox.

Audio

The 3.5 mm jack of the ROG Phone 8 Pro stands out with very satisfactory output power, contained distortion, and above-average dynamic range. Stereo playback is in tune, and simply being able to connect wired headphones avoids any potential audio latency in gaming via Bluetooth.

Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Screen

Asus has a habit of ensuring the quality of its displays, and the ROG Phone 8 Pro proves it once again. The Taiwanese manufacturer equips this device with a 6.78-inch Amoled display showing 1080 x 2400 pixels at a 20:9 ratio. It benefits from LTPO technology, allowing it to vary its refresh rate between 1 and 120 Hz with a peak of up to 165 Hz. It has a maximum brightness of 1254 cd/m², which, combined with a reflectance of 44.25%, provides perfect readability in direct sunlight. At its minimum, the ROG Phone 8 Pro’s screen allows for comfortable use in darkness with 5.9 cd/m² under our probes. We would have appreciated a bit less.

In terms of default calibration, the screen achieves a delta E of 2.8, dropping to 1.2 in standard mode with a color temperature of 6674 K (7652 K out of the factory), very close to the reference standard. It is therefore a well-calibrated screen, with infinite contrast (thanks to OLED) and zero residual latency thanks to the same technology. Touch delay is contained at 37 ms. All of this makes it ideal for enjoying games and other multimedia content.

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Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Performance

Like any premium smartphone worth its salt, and like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, the ROG Phone 8 Pro relies on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, the high-end chip of 2024. Coupled here with 24 GB of RAM, the device can handle all tasks without hesitation, and its 165 Hz refresh rate makes it perfectly smooth.

It’s obviously in the gaming department that the ROG Phone 8 Pro shows what it’s made of. With an average of 165.9 fps, it’s simply the most powerful smartphone in the field. At maximum, it reaches 166 fps almost continuously, and at its lowest, it only drops to 121 fps. An impressive result that crushes the competition and elevates it to the top spot among the most powerful smartphones of the moment. Heat management is also well-controlled and can be further managed — in case of very long gaming sessions — with the AeroActive Cooler X, this optional or standard external fan depending on the acquired ROG Phone.

Our performance review are carried out with viSer, the application developed by SmartViser.

Camera of Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro

Asus has heavily marketed the change adopted in the camera department. The Taiwanese giant chose to beef up its game by swapping the macro module for a telephoto lens (x3). While the latter is paired with a 32 Mpx sensor, the rest retains the same configuration as the ROG Phone 7. Thus, we find a main module of 50 Mpx accompanied by a 13 Mpx ultra-wide-angle.

Main module: 50 Mpx, f/1.9, eq. 24 mm

Asus may swear to have made efforts on the photo side, but it’s difficult to notice a real difference compared to previous models. This is all the more apparent compared to its competitors. While the shots are of decent quality, a closer look reveals their limitations. In daylight and under optimal conditions, the shots lack sharpness, the micro-contrasts are pronounced, and the colors seem washed out. Furthermore, if the software processing focuses on the center of the image, it hardly concerns the periphery.

In low light, the ROG Phone 8 Pro reproduces the scene rather well with fairly faithful tones, but the shots undergo excessive smoothing, significantly reducing the level of detail.

50 Mpx mode

At full resolution, daytime shots are more detailed than on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, but the processing struggles to accurately reproduce image details. At night, however, the smoothing is too pronounced for this mode to be of real interest.

Ultra-wide-angle module: 13 Mpx, f/2.2, eq. 13 mm

It’s hard to be satisfied with the images produced by the smartphone’s ultra-wide-angle module. The colors are natural, but the focusing is hit-or-miss, with small areas simply being blurry. From a general perspective, the image is acceptable as long as you don’t zoom in, but it’s clear that it lacks detail and suffers from pronounced smoothing.

In low light, digital noise adds to the general lack of sharpness. The color rendering, very vivid, lacks accuracy, and the processing struggles to increase contrast to improve overall readability. Look at the edge of the book cover: we’ve seen more effective results.

Telephoto module x3: 32 Mpx, f/2.4, eq. 65 mm

With the equivalent of a x3 zoom, the third photo module of the ROG Phone 8 Pro is unfortunately struggling. The colors are rather natural, but that’s not enough to convince. There is far too much contrast to give the illusion of a sharper image, but just look at our color dot chart to see that the software processing is completely confused. Textures disappear, as is the case on the book cover, and the lack of information generally affects the rendering.

It must be acknowledged that the smartphone is no worse than the competition when it comes to capturing photos in low light with the telephoto lens. We can spot some chromatic aberrations here and there and a contrast that is too high. Nevertheless, it’s a result that is still usable, provided you’re not too demanding.

Front module, portrait mode, and video

For its front module, Asus offers, as on its previous model, a resolution of 32 Mpx (f/2.5). Selfies are very convincing both day and night, with respected tones, well-managed brightness, and satisfactory portrait mode trimming.

In video, the device can shoot up to 8K at 24 fps. Optical image stabilization (OIS), combined with electronic image stabilization (EIS), also helps to limit shakes.

Read Also: Four Things That Make ASUS ROG Laptops More Optimal for AI Usage

ROG Phone 8 Pro Battery Life

Unlike the previous generation, the ROG Phone 8 Pro features a less generous battery of 5500 mAh, compared to 6000 mAh on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. And while the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip allows it to be energy-efficient, it is clear that Asus’ new smartphone performs less well in terms of endurance. While its predecessor lasted 22 h 9 min on our viSer test protocol, this one gives up after 17 h 45 min. This is still a good performance that allows it, with “normal” usage, to last a day without difficulty away from its charger. In case of repeated gaming sessions, its endurance will obviously be lower.

Regarding charging, the device still comes with a 65 W charger, allowing it to reach 100% charge in less than 50 minutes. A very satisfactory result compared to its direct competitors. Another good point, although expected at its price level, the ROG Phone 8 Pro is compatible with 15 W wireless charging.

Our battery review tests are automated by viSer, the application developed by SmartViser.

Results obtained with viSer are based on measurements taken in real usage conditions (calls, SMS, videos, launching applications, web browsing…).

Durability

Our durability score determines the smartphone’s durability aspect both for the consumer and the environment. It is based on both the repairability index, durability criteria (protection index, standard connectors, warranty duration, and updates…), and an assessment of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) policies. You will find all the details of the analysis in our article presenting the durability score.

While it enjoys an IP68 certification, the weak point of this ROG Phone 8 Pro concerns its software support which does not evolve: two years of Android updates and four years of security patches, while Google and Samsung offer seven years of support. Its repairability index does not exceed 6.8/10.

Read Also: Review of Asus ROG Strix Scar 18 (RTX 4080): Bigger and Better than Ever

Interface & OS

The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro runs on Android 14 and the ROG UI custom interface with numerous customization options focused on the gaming universe. The Armoury Crate app gathers both games and associated presets, such as display mode and AirTriggers settings. The Game Genie function allows not only to modify the performance mode but also to check the number of frames per second, monitor the device’s heat, or even block the brightness level. We also appreciate the low number of preinstalled apps, excluding those from Google and Meta.

Pros and Cons of Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro

Pros

• 165 Hz screen well calibrated.
• High-flying performance.
• IP68 certification.
• AeroActive Cooler X provided…

Cons

• Camera aspect falls behind.
• Only two years of Android updates.
• …in its 24 GB + 1 TB version, otherwise optional.

Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro  Review Conclusion

With the ROG Phone 8 Pro, Asus opts for consistency and once again offers an excellent gaming smartphone. The device proves to be increasingly powerful and boasts an excellent display. Its ambition is to satisfy all uses, and while the Taiwanese company has revised the camera block by adding a telephoto lens, this increases its versatility, but with room for improvement in results. It’s primarily in game optimization that this smartphone stands out, and that’s what we ask of it. However, the ROG Phone 8 Pro still lacks a more generous update policy to make it an ideal choice in the long run.

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