The ASUS ROG Phone series of smart gaming devices has now entered its eighth iteration with the ASUS ROG Phone 8. This eighth generation gaming device is seen to remain with premium class specifications that house a combination of the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon processing chip and also large memory and storage options.
However, it is now more elegant compared to the previous models which are seen as very aggressive in terms of construction and design. I have several opinions as to why ASUS decided to introduce such a design for this device, and I will give them in this review.
Specifications
ASUS ROG Phone 8
6.78″ AMOLED screen, 165Hz
1080 x 2400 pixels
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 5G processor (4 nm)
1 x 3.3 GHz Corteax-X4 chip
5 x 3.2 GHz Cortex-A720
3 x 2.3 GHz Cortex-A520
Adreno 750 Graphics Chip
RAM 12GB LPDDR5
Internal Storage 256GB UFS 4.0
Primary Camera 50 MP, f/1.9, (wide), PDAF
13 MP, f/2.2, (ultra-wide)
5 MP, f/2.0 (macro)
32MP f/2.5 Selfie Camera
5500 mAH battery
Wired 65W
Wireless 15W
SIM/Telephony Dual SIM nano / 5G
NFC Yes
Audio Jack Available
Waterproof IP68
Scan System Fingerprint scanner
Face Scan
Sale Price RM3,999 (12/256GB)
Starting with the specifications of this ASUS ROG Phone 8, it is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processing chip, and the model we have is equipped with 12GB of LPDDR5 memory and also 256GB of internal storage.
For the local market, ASUS Malaysia told us that the device will come with two other memory and storage offerings, including 16GB/512GB and 24GB/1TB. The model we are holding may be the base model, but we expect that the performance of this ROG Phone 8 device will still come out with a pretty impressive performance.
In the meantime, ROG Phone 8 is also equipped with a 6.78-inch Samsung Flexible AMOLED screen display with FHD+ resolution (2400×1080) and also a 165Hz refresh rate that can process 100 percent of the DCI-P3 and NTSC color gamut and 145 percent of the sRGB color gamut. .
This screen display also comes with a maximum brightness value of 2500 nits and supports HDR10 display technology that can be used by various types of viewers and also video applications such as YouTube and Netflix.
The main capabilities of ROG Phone 8 come from the use of the latest and most powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processing chip. this device is also seen as one of a small group of devices that come with X-Mode overclocking mode that is able to extract the best performance from the chip, and maintain that performance, suitable for prolonged gaming sessions.
Meanwhile, the ASUS ROG Phone 8 runs the latest Android 14 operating system using the updated ROG UI interface as well. Although the design of the device is now seen to be less square, the icon pack shown with this interface is still square and maintains a more gamer and aggressive design.
The Armory Crate software is also back which houses various settings for the device's overclocking mode, Air Trigger side haptic button settings, game controls, the AeroActive Cooler X cooling accessory and even interesting firsts suggestions.
Design
One significant change shown on this ROG Phone 8 device is in terms of its design. If the ROG Phone device previously came with a sharp-edged design and an aggressive back frame, the ROG Phone 8 now comes with a neater design that looks more like a mainstream smart device.
The latest ROG Phone 8 design is their third generation device design, replacing their first and second generation designs that were used on the first ROG Phone device up to the ROG Phone 7.
The most noticeable difference that can be seen in terms of design is that although the ROG Phone 8 looks more compact, it is thinner at 1.67mm thickness which makes the device easier to hold. It still uses a glass frame on the back but now houses a larger camera module and also the ROG logo that comes with built-in RGB lighting.
For me, this is a little sad because one of the unique features of the ROG Phone device is its aggressive design. It's like giving a statement that ASUS is a maker of smart gaming devices that is different from others on the market. In my opinion, this is because ASUS wants to market this device as a mainstream premium class device, especially because of the impressive sales of this device series every year.
Other than that, other ROG Phone 8 features, such as the audio volume button, power button are in the same place as the previous device. Just like the previous devices is also the Air Trigger haptic button used for shortcuts in the first.
Similar to the previous device is also the use of two USB charging plugs that support PD 3.0 and QC 5.0 65W fast charging. This charging may not be the fastest on the market right now, but it can still charge the device fairly quickly and ensure that the battery maintains a long lifespan.
User Experience
ASUS may have changed the appearance of the ASUS ROG Phone 8 device, but when you use it, it is undeniably a very powerful gaming device. If the previous ROG Phone 7 device showed great performance, the ROG Phone 8 is seen to be able to maintain the same performance more efficiently.
But before that I want to say that one of the biggest issues I have with this device is with the use of the glass back of this device. This is nothing new, and I mentioned it in my previous ROG Phone 7 review. Yes, the new design of the device is more comfortable to hold, but my recommendation is that you use a device frame to ensure a more secure grip on the device.
In terms of device performance, ASUS seems to have succeeded in maintaining high performance while playing games while ensuring that the temperature of the device is not too high. In our tests running several games such as Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail and Call of Duty Mobile, we rarely saw the temperature of the device higher than 42-43 degrees Celsius even in X-Mode overclocking mode.
At best, this device only feels warm when held during our gaming session without using any device frame to reduce the heat feeling when holding it. The initial frame rate also looked very high and our gaming sessions were all very smooth.
The use of an OLED panel also ensures that the video color processing on this device is quite beautiful. On a small-sized device like the ROG Phone 8, color accuracy may not be a priority, but it's nice because it shows how serious ASUS is in making sure all aspects of this device are optimized for gaming and leisure purposes.
This can especially be seen when watching HDR content on YouTube or Netflix. One issue I might have is that even though the ROG Phone 8 uses stereo speakers on both sides of the device, they are downward-facing speakers, so if the device is held on the bottom, it covers the speaker chamber, causing muffled audio quality .
AeroActive Cooler X
If you own a ROG Phone 7 device and the AeroActive Cooler cooling system for that device, unfortunately once again ASUS has introduced the AeroActive Cooler X cooling system developed specifically for the ROG Phone 8, and you have to buy it to use together with this new device.
This is because the design of the ROG Phone 8 is quite different from the previous ROG Phone 7, so the grooves on the previous AeroActive Cooler cannot be installed on this latest device. The latch on the cooler will not attach to the device, and the cooler will not activate.
For the latest AeroActive Cooler X accessory, it comes with a slimmer design. It also only has two buttons instead of four on the previous cooler, while the subwoofer speaker has also been removed.
The AeroActive Cooler X must be purchased separately, unless you purchase the ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition model (as opposed to the ROG Phone 8 Pro model), in which case it will come with that model for free.
Artificial Intelligence
Apart from the performance of the device, one new technology shown on the ASUS ROG Phone 8 is the use of artificial intelligence. On this device, artificial intelligence technology is used in several parts, including in the Game Genie software and also in the camera part.
For the first part, ASUS has updated the XSense 2.0 software to allow the device to automate a number of in-game activities that make it easier for users to perform trivial tasks such as speeding up in-game conversations.
So far the first two that seem to have good support for the XSense 2.0 feature are Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail. Users can automatically move characters in the game, collect items and speed up dialogue without requiring any input.
Another artificial intelligence feature in the game is the AI Grabber. Through the Game Genie menu, this feature can be used to scan the text in the game, specifically the quest text to search for game guides on Google for ways to complete the quest.
ROG Phone 8 also introduces the AI Semantic Search feature for easier in-device searches. Instead of using a specific search, users can use context search to find the desired application or device features.
For example, searching for "Travel" will give search results for applications related to tourism. In fact, this AI Semantic Search can also help with searches in context even with "typos".
There are also some other functions that use artificial intelligence, but these are among the examples that I find more interesting to share with you.
Battery
Compared to the ROG Phone 7 which has a 6000mAH battery, the ROG Phone 8 comes with a smaller battery at 5500mAH. According to ASUS, this smaller capacity doesn't have that much of an impact on daily use.
With this device ROG Phone 8, I can get around 9 hours of screen time installed, but if I move the device for long periods, that value can decrease to 4-5 hours with one full charge
This isn't a huge issue, as the ROG Phone 8's 65W charger can charge the device from empty to full in around 30-40 minutes without a problem.
In terms of device temperature, most of the time when I move a number of devices, the device temperature rarely exceeds 40-42 degrees Celsius, but one incident when I downloaded the Honkai: Star Rail file update, the device temperature increased to 50-52 degrees Celsius, which is a hot temperature where I can't hold this device directly.
Camera
The ASUS ROG Phone 8 camera also shows an upgrade in terms of the sensor used. It now comes with a Sony IMX 890 sensor on the 50MP main camera. For the base ROG Phone 8 model we're reviewing, it also comes with a 13MP ultra-wide and a 5MP micro sensor. For ROG Phone 8 Pro and ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition models, the micro lens uses a 32MP sensor.
Pictures with enough light are as expected, but what is more surprising is
Bench mark
Here are some of the benchmark software scores we used to test the processing capabilities of the ASUS ROG Phone 8 device.
3DMark Wild Life Extreme
GeekBench 6
An Tutu
In the box
This is what you will receive in the box when purchasing the ASUS ROG Phone 8 device:
1x ASUS ROG Phone 8
1x USB-C 65W Charger
1x USB-C Cable
1x Silicone Frame
Closing
ASUS ROG Phone 8 is ASUS' attempt to introduce a premium gaming class device with a neater design. As I said before, I feel a little disappointed with this decision, because the uniqueness of the ASUS ROG Phone series of devices seems to be lost with this more streamlined design.
Even so, there is no denying that the ROG Phone 8 still retains the gamer's DNA in terms of internal performance combined with a charming OLED display and a high refresh rate that is useful for the flagships that support it.
At a price tag of RM3999, ASUS ROG Phone 8 can now be seen and dubbed as a premium class flagship device on par with other brands' premium devices. For the Malaysian market, three ASUS ROG Phone 8 models will be introduced, including the basic ASUS ROG Phone 8, ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro and ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition which come with 24GB memory and 1TB storage.
Pros:
Powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 performance
Long lasting battery
Useful artificial intelligence functions
No need for a cooling fan to run the primer on high settings
Cons:
No more aggressive and gamer device designs
No support for old accessories (AeroActive Cooler)