ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro Review

We’ve gotten a whole slew of wonderful ASUS ROG devices right at the first quarter of the year, and things are only getting hotter. With the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro kicking down the door of every potential smartphone enjoyer, we’re looking at a gadget that looks to go beyond gaming and more into the mainstream.

As the centerpiece of ASUS ROG’s smartphone series–being the only one, it carries the most premium of specs that give its competitors a run for their money with each iteration. However, it looks like they’re switching gears ever so slightly this year by aiming their crosshairs a bit further. It’s purely conjecture as to whether the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro is aiming to challenge the flagships outside of the gaming sphere, but the aesthetics alone are sending a message.

From its sleek, minimalist design, to paying more detailed attention to its camera system, we’re looking at a totally different beast that can already do the heavy lifting when it comes to daily tasks, and more importantly–gaming.

Check out our quick unboxing of the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro

We’ve been able to spend some quality time with the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro–perhaps a bit more than its older sibling, and we have a few thoughts that can be validated quite easily by a clear statement from the ROG head honchos themselves. Will this smartphone bring the fight to the best of the best outside of its usual realm, or will it sit comfortably atop the tier list of gaming smartphones?

Geeksthetic

The Phantom Black colorway is just wonderful. It also further enforces the notion that the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro is more geared towards daily use than the usual day-long gaming sessions. Aside from the usual aesthetics that give the smartphone its identity, you’re looking at a totally different beast compared to its previous 7 iterations. This new Gen 3 design comes in at 8.9mm and 225 grams. You’re getting a surprisingly thin smartphone–and that weight isn’t so bad either, given the power it’s packing inside.

The camera face, while evident, doesn’t span the entire topside of the phone’s posterior. But it’s big enough to get your attention. We have the usual set of buttons, two strategically placed USB-C ports, and my, oh my, a sweet 3.5mm headphone jack. It’s basically retro at this point, but we embrace it wholeheartedly. In terms of accessories, you get a 65W HyperCharge adapter, a USB-C to USB-C braided cable, and the brand new AeroActive Cooler X.

There really isn’t a lot going on when it comes to the phone’s outward appearance–and we believe that’s both an advantage, and part of its charm. You’d expect a loud and garish design language when you think about gaming smartphones, and our expectations were very much subverted. Still, they didn’t go down the minimalist deep end and lose their identity altogether.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro is the world’s very first IP68 gaming phone. Aside from being dust and submerge-proof, this also plays a crucial role in its gaming performance–which we’ll discuss later.

Binge-Watching Factor

When it comes to viewable real estate, the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro has it in spades. First off, we get a 6.78″ E6 Flexible AMOLED display. This not only helped in keeping the phone slim and trim, but also provides some vivid color and a peak 2,500 nits of brightness.

We have 1.65mm vertical bezels and 1.67mm bezels side-to-7side make up the 94% screen-to-body ratio that’s a pleasure to have, given the very adaptive 1-120Hz refresh rate thanks to the LTPO display. All this is well-protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

Even though we have that trusty 3.5mm headphone jack, we can still blast at full volume if need be. The dual stereo speakers provide a great amount of clear, crisp audio even when cranked up to maximum volume. There’s no addition ROG customizability in this department, but if you’re simply binge watching and streaming your favorite shows, you’d want to keep the additional bells and whistles to a minimum.

Well, with a display as gorgeous as that, you’d really want to just get down to watching.

Gaming Prowess

It’s what most of you came for, and why most have stayed. The lifeblood of this phone’s proud lineage. It’s in the device’s full name, after all–and it’s darn worthy of the title.

Kicking things off with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen3 mobile platform, you’re getting a chipset that already kicks a few flagships’ posteriors. With an ultrafast 3.3Ghz CPU Clock, and an Adreno 750 GPU, you can expect graphical setting compromises to go out the window. No truce, no quarter. Max settings from the get-go.

We also get up to 24GB of RAM right out of the box. This isn’t your usual 12+12 expansion that makes use of your internal storage–this is a solid 24 gigabytes. Speaking of storage, you can get up to 1TB. You don’t need us to convince you that it’s a massive amount of space.

Now, we’ll cut to the chase. Genshin Impact can run on max settings at 60 fps. You won’t get any frame drops unless you try to willfully overload your display with enemies and burst skills. Still, the best you’ll get is a slight jitter. All this was expected, given the chipset and components that complement it. But what about the ROG Phone’s supplementary gaming features?

Beyond Gaming Prowess

We believe some of the ROG Phone 8 Pro’s gaming apps and hardware deserves a section of its own. We won’t claim that it’s like night and day compared to the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, but it definitely has some new features worth talking about.

Enter X-Sense 2.0 featuring a very nifty AI pattern recognition system. For now, it supports both Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail and allows players to auto-loot, auto-run, auto-escape, and skip dialogue. Veteran players might not find much use for the first three functions–but let’s be honest, everyone will enjoy the last one. The ROG Phone’s air triggers are always a welcome feature to have. Just like before, you can tweak and customize them at will, even outside of gameplay.

You’re probable wondering, what about thermals and cooling? We’re glad you asked. The ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro features the “Ultimate of Conduction
Cooling” with the help of Boron Nitride for better heat exhaustion on a centralized system-on-a-chip (SoC). This works hand-in-hand with the ROG Phone’s AeroActive Cooler X–a powerful peripheral that keeps your phone frosty.

It’s unlike your usual cooler that simply blows air onto your phone’s backside. Sure, it does produce a serviceable gale, but the main cooling effect happens thanks to the Boron Nitride–which works efficiently with the phone’s IP68 rating.

You’ll actually feel the coolness on the phone once you detach the AeroActive Cooler X. What’s more, is it comes with a few different settings via the Armory Crate, including one that requires you to be plugged in via USB-C.

You really won’t be having any overheating concerns. ASUS ROG made sure of it.

Geek Photoshoot Capabilities

If you thought the gaming capabilities were the only highlight of this gaming phone–well, we’d understand. It’s a gaming phone by nature. Anything else that exceeds expectations would simply be icing on the cake. Not this time, though. The ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro’s cameras are very much part of the meat and potatoes.

Let’s talk about what’s inside that three-camera setup. First off, a 50MP IMX890 main shooter that comes with an internal gimbal, a 13MP ultra-wide free form lens, and a 32MP telephoto lens with 3X optical zoom. Goodness gracious.

The cameras on this phone were quite the pleasant surprise. This isn’t to say that the ROG Phone 7’s shooter was a slouch. It’s just that this particular setup really punches into a different jurisdiction. Coming from someone who’s by no means a half-decent photographer, the shots come out very nicely.

It’s like they’re trying to send a message.

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Portrait shots might not be what they’re showing off for, but these shots can be shown off. There’s a good amount of bokeh which doesn’t eat up the subject, and the snaps come out nice and clear.

Here’s how it looks at 2X zoom.

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While it’s an additional feature that won’t likely be used on the daily, the panoramic shot came out surprisingly good, and was easy to execute.

Lastly, selfies. We get a 32MP shooter with a maximum 90-degree FOV for a nice, ultra-wide shot. The same applies for portrait selfies. Nice, non-aggressive bokeh that delivers a clear photo of your wonderful face.

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Shooting videos on the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro is such a pleasure. Being able to go up to 8K 24 fps is great to have, and most definitely has its cinematic uses. However, the main gamechangers here are the 6-Axis Hybrid Gimbal Stabilizer and Super HyperSteady video recording. Having a built-in gimbal is a godsend for shaky hands. The EIS that assists both video and photo shots makes things even easier.

There’s much more to unpack in this camera setup, and we might dive a bit deeper, so stay tuned.

Everyday Reliability

We already know that the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro will always come through without a hitch. The gargantuan 5,500 mAh battery will be more than enough to last you a few days on complete standby, just under 24 hours under regular use, and about ten or so with intense gaming. It’s 500 mAh less than the ROG Phone 7, but this is a compromise we’re fine with. If you need to top things up, the 65W HyperCharge can get you back to 100% in less than 40 minutes.

As for some nice, quality of life features, we’re sure the AniMe Vision caught your eye. It has its own variety of prompts which you can toggle on and off. They’re nice to have, and will likely be nice conversation starters. We also prefer this over the previous small LED screens. This also triggers when using ROG Together–a feature limited to fellow ROG Phone 8 users.

There’s also a good use of non-invasive AI in this smartphone, mainly with noise cancellation, semantic search, and customizable wallpapers. Lastly, the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro is also a great device to link to your Windows computer via Microsoft Phone Link. This allows you to access SMS, make calls, and browse photos. You also have more advanced settings that include app streaming and file saving.

Final Geek Lifestyle Verdict

The ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro brings is a gaming smartphone with a lot more to offer. Aside from its powerhouse internals, it sports a premium, almost luxurious aesthetic, some surprisingly capable cameras, and a whole lot of potential to give the more popular flagships a run for their money. Perhaps not now, but soon enough.

If you’re looking to snag an ROG Phone 8 Pro (24GB/1TB) with AeroActive Cooler X it costs PHP 75,995. As an early bird promo, you get a free black ROG Cetra True Wireless worth PHP 4,510.

The ROG Phone 8 Pro 16GB/512GB variant costs PHP 60,995. On the other hand, the ROG Phone 8 (12GB/256GB) costs PHP 50,995 with Storm Grey and Phantom Black colorways. Early bird buyers will get the AeroActive Cooler X (worth PHP 4,995) for free.

Early bird promo will run from March 7 to April 10, 2024. For more details, visit ASUS ROG’s official Facebook page.

ROG Phone 8 Pro Specs