It’s that time again when we’ll be looking at the newest additions to the phones that gamers are eagerly anticipating. So, here’s the ROG Phone 8, poised to shake things up with changes and upgrades that people have been asking for. Did ROG hit the mark with this device? We’ll find out in this full review.
Table of Contents
ROG Phone 8 Specifications
| OS: | Android 14 |
|---|---|
| Processor: | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 |
| Display: | 6.78″ 120Hz LTPO AMOLED HDR10+ |
| Wireless Connections: | 5G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, dual-band, GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, BDS, NavI |
| Memory: | 12GB+256GB |
| Connectors: | USB Type-C 2.0 , OTG |
| Cameras: | Rear Camera: (main) 50 MP, f/1.9, Gimbal OIS (ultrawide) 13 MP, f/2.2 (Macro) 5 MP, f/2.4 Front Camera: 32 MP, f/2.2 |
| SIM Card Slots: | Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) |
| Battery: | 5500mAh 65W wired 15W Qi Wireless 10W Reverse wired |
| Price: | 12GB+256GB: Php 50,995 |
The Design
The ROG Phone 8 has a redesign having a two-tone back panel design with our color variant which is the Rebel Grey. There is also a Phantom Black color which has a simple but stylish design.
For the non-pro version, we got an Aura RGB on its ROG logo and has a four individual LEDs that light up. But the pro version has a better bling which is the AniMe Vision that you can personalize.
You can see also that this time, there is now a huge bump to its rear camera as it is one of the major upgrades to this year’s model. When you place it layed flat on the table, it wobbles alot when playing.
On the front, you can see the display, which now features a punch-hole design rather than an unobstructed display. However, it boasts a better screen-to-body ratio this time, and the bezel is consistent across all corners. Additionally, it now uses Corning Gorilla Victus 2 for screen protection.
Moreover, it is now IP68 dust and water-resistant, capable of withstanding depths of up to 1.5m for 30 minutes, as opposed to just splash resistance on its previous generation.
For the buttons and ports, there is a volume rocker and power button on the right side of the device you can also see there on both corners the AirTrigger that is an ultrasonic zone that acts like extra buttons for gaming. You can program them to do different things, making your gaming experience much better.
On the left side of the phone, you will see a USB Type-C port that gives you an option to still enjoy playing games while charging. On the bottom, there is an audio jack, speaker grill, SIM tray slot that accommodates two nano SIM cards, another USB Type-C port, and a microphone hole. For its fingerprint sensor, it is placed under its display.
The Display and Speaker
The ROG Phone 8 features a 6.78-inch 165Hz AMOLED display with a punch hole to accommodate the front camera. This marks the first time we’re seeing ROG adopt a modern-looking design, which we appreciate for its reduced bezel.
It still maintains a screen resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and a touch sample rate of 720Hz. However, it now incorporates LTPO technology, which optimizes battery life by adjusting the refresh rate dynamically between 1Hz to 120Hz based on the on-screen activity.
In addition, it has upgraded its screen brightness to a peak of 2500 nits and 1600 nits HBM, up from the Phone 7’s 1500 nits peak and 1000 nits HBM. Other features include Eye Care Display, which reduces harmful blue light to less than 6.5%, along with HDR10+ and HLG support.
Thanks to the AMOLED display, the display quality is excellent, offering vibrant colors and deep blacks. Users can customize the display settings from options such as Optimal (default), Natural, Cinematic, Standard, and Customized.
While the speakers of the ROG Phone 8 remain stereo, the slimmer bezels have resulted in a slight downgrade in speaker quality due to reduced space for accommodating speakers. Nevertheless, users can still expect loud and clear audio from the device.
The audio features are still packed with Hi-Res Audio (HRA) and Hi-Res Audio Wireless certifications, along with the Dirac Virtuo headphone technology that delivers spatial sound to all your headphones, whether wired, Bluetooth, or USB-C. Additionally, they feature AI Noise Cancellation technology for clear voice calls, effectively removing unwanted background noise.
Furthermore, they support Qualcomm aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless to ensure super-low-latency, high-fidelity Bluetooth audio.
The Performance
The ROG Phone 8 is equipped with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, featuring the Adreno 750 GPU. Paired with it is 12GB LPDDR5X of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, utilizing UFS 4.0.
Here are the benchmark scores for the ROG Phone 8.
When you first boot up the ROG Phone 8, you will be prompted to choose your system preference: stock Android or ASUS Optimized, which resembles a ROG-themed device. It’s nice to have this option, as the ROG Phone 8 now appeals not only to gamers but also to the mainstream market.
Regarding software, it runs on Android 14 OS, boasting a clean interface with minimal pre-installed bloatware. Navigating the device is smooth, and we didn’t encounter any issues or bugs.
To tweak performance, air trigger settings, and other optimizations, there’s an app called Armoury Crate. Our experience using this app was smooth and user-friendly.
Within the performance settings of the app, you can choose between Dynamic, X Mode (boost mode), and Ultra Durable, which extends device longevity at the expense of performance. We mostly used X Mode, especially during gaming sessions, knowing it would impact battery life, as expected.
When playing games on the ROG Phone 8, it handles everything smoothly. Whether it’s esports titles like Mobile Legends and CODM or graphically demanding games like Genshin Impact, you can expect smooth performance that will handle any game for years to come.
In terms of thermal performance, it’s impressive how well the device manages the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, even without the AeroActive Cooler. Our reviewer unit didn’t come with it, so we weren’t able to test the difference it would make. In our tests, it maintained a stability score of 80.8% in the Wild Life Extreme Stress Test, which is impressive compared to other devices with the same chipset scoring under 50%. However, it does get warm during benchmarking, peaking at 54°C. During actual gameplay sessions, it remained warm to the touch but didn’t reach uncomfortable levels.
The Camera
They focused on upgrading the cameras for the ROG Phone 8. This time, it now has a Sony IMX890 50-megapixel main rear camera with OIS, along with a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera. Interestingly, for some parts of the Asian market including the Philippines, there’s still a 5-megapixel macro lens, while other countries will receive a 32-megapixel telephoto camera. You need to upgrade to the Pro model if your country does not have a telephoto to non-pro models if you want one. On the flip side, the selfie camera is now 32 megapixels and housed in a punch hole.
When capturing with its main rear camera, the 50 megapixels are pixel-binned to 12.58 megapixels. The picture quality we got was really impressive; it’s a night-and-day difference compared to its predecessor. It’s nice to see the upgrade; even when zoomed in or out, you get a great image.
Although it struggles a bit in low-light environments, you can easily switch to its night mode to brighten up and retain some details. However, when taking portraits, it’s still hit or miss.
The ultrawide camera, still 13 megapixels, performs well, capturing images with decent details and a slight shift in colors compared to the main camera.
When taking selfies, the 32-megapixel selfie camera is pixel-binned to 8 megapixels. They’ve given us the option to have a wider viewing angle, which is appreciated. Image quality is sharp, and skin colors are natural, though it sometimes oversaturates, especially in low light.
For recording videos, you have the option to record up to 8K@24 fps or 4k@60fps with the main camera. Video quality is sharp, with good stabilization thanks to the 6-axis Hybrid Gimbal Stabilization.
As for the front camera, it still records up to 1080p@30fps, performing adequately, but hopefully, they’ll upgrade to a higher resolution to match the rear main camera.
The Battery
The ROG Phone 8 battery has been downgraded to a 5500mAh capacity, but it still manages to last longer compared to other smartphones. In our PCMark Work 3.0 battery life benchmark, it lasted for 21 hours and 27 minutes with the brightness set at 50% and starting the test with an 80% battery. This demonstrates an excellent efficient chipset plus the LTPO display performance even with the downgrade battery.
Its charging speed remains the same; they’ve included a 65W fast charger. After 30 minutes of charging, it reached 80% from 0%, and in under 50 minutes, it fully charged. Additionally, you can now wirelessly charge the ROG Phone 8 with a 15W Qi charger, a feature many people have been waiting for in the ROG Phone lineup for years.
ROG Phone 8 Verdict
We’ve witnessed significant improvements in this year’s ROG Phone 8. It’s satisfying to see that they’ve finally addressed some of the requests people have been making, such as camera improvements, which they’ve been anticipating since last year. Additionally, it now boasts an IP68 dust and water resistance rating and supports wireless charging. While it’s not cheap, it competes with other flagship phones in the market. Having an excellent camera is a crucial factor for mainstream consumers when purchasing phones. Finally, it’s not just for gamers anymore; it caters to a broader audience interested in gaming and photography.
Furthermore, it features the latest flagship chipset from Qualcomm, providing better performance, a display with LTPO technology, and overall excellent design and protection upgrades, despite the battery downgrade. However, it’s odd to see that some countries, like the Philippines, still have a macro camera configuration while others have upgraded to a telephoto camera. Nevertheless, it’s a significant improvement over last year’s model.
The ROG Phone 8 is priced at Php 50,995 for the 12GB+256GB model and is available in Phantom Black or Storm Grey.
