Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Review: The Best Again?

Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro

4.5

Overall

4.5/5

The Good Stuff

• More compact design
• Slim bezels enhance impressive display
• Gorilla glass protection
• Water and dust resistance
• Superb battery life
• Impressive chip performance
• Acceptable camera & video quality

The Bad Stuff

• Speaker quality not the best
• Cooler accessory needed for gaming
• Selfie & telephoto capped at 1080p
• Very expensive

Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro

Ultimately, the ROG Phone 8 Pro is a love letter to hardcore gamers who demand the absolute best

In mobile gaming, few beasts roar louder than the Asus ROG Phone series. Now, the eighth release, the ROG Phone 8 Pro, arrives with promises of unchained power, impressive performance and sheer dominance.

But in the heat of the battle, does it truly conquer, or does it fall victim to its own excessive ambition? Buckle up, gamers, and let’s dive deep into the world of the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro gaming smartphone.

A Beast Emerges: Overview

Right off the bat, the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro throws down its gauntlet with specs that would make even seasoned tech warriors tremble. The heart of it all is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, a 4nm chipset that is pulsating with raw power, challenging even the most impressive A17 Pro chipset in the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Alongside it, 16GB or 24GB of RAM stands guard, ensuring seamless multitasking and buttery-smooth gaming. Storage options reach a staggering 1TB, enough to house your entire digital library and then some. But is this overkill? Well, that depends on your definition of “enough.”

For hardcore gamers with libraries bigger than the Library of Congress, it’s heaven. For casual players, it might be a luxurious, and slightly extravagant, playground.

Speaking of playgrounds, the display is nothing short of a gamer’s paradise. A 6.78-inch 165Hz AMOLED panel explodes with vibrant colors and razor-sharp clarity. The 2500 nits peak brightness lets you game comfortably even under the sun’s harshest glare, while HDR support makes every explosion and spell cast a feast for the eyes.

Specs

A Good Looking Specimen

And let’s not forget the design. The ROG Phone 8 Pro cuts a fierce figure, with a futuristic aesthetic that wouldn’t be out of place in a cyberpunk cityscape. Programmable LEDs adorn the backplate, pulsating and shifting colors to your whim.

The aggressive angles and dual USB-C ports scream “gaming beast” at every turn. However, with great power comes great responsibility (and heat), which leads us to our first burning question: can the cooling system tame this ferocious beast?

Performance Prowess: Pushing the Limits

Benchmarks sing the ROG Phone 8 Pro’s praises, with unmatched scores in synthetic tests. But numbers only tell half the story. Real-world performance is where the rubber meets the road, and here, the ROG Phone 8 Pro does not disappoint.

Demanding titles like Genshin Impact and Apex Legends run flawlessly, with frame rates as smooth as a freshly paved highway. But there’s a niggling doubt, a whisper in the back of your mind: will this stability hold under prolonged stress?

The cooling system does its job admirably, keeping the phone comfortably cool during casual gaming sessions. However, during marathon gaming sessions, especially with graphically demanding titles, the heat does start to creep in. It’s not unbearable, but it’s noticeable, and some users might prefer a bit more thermal headroom for peace of mind.

Beyond Brute Force: Features and Extras

But the ROG Phone 8 Pro isn’t just about sheer power. It’s packed with features designed to elevate your gaming experience to the next level. AirTriggers and shoulder buttons provide tactile feedback for those crucial in-game actions, giving you an edge in competitive play.

Dual front-facing speakers blast out Dolby Atmos-powered audio, immersing you in the thick of the action. And the 5500mAh battery, with an overall groundbreaking ±15 hours of battery life, it provides enough juice to keep you gaming for hours on end.

Note that for heavy gamers, you will need the AeroActive Cooler X accessory to keep the ROG Phone 8 Pro from heating up, during those extended gaming sessions.

The ROG Armoury Crate app is your gamer’s command center, letting you tweak performance settings, create game profiles, and customize lighting effects. And the bundled phone case protects your precious weapon from the inevitable drops and spills.

Verdict

So, is the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro the undisputed king of mobile gaming? It’s certainly a great contender. Its raw power, impressive overall phone and gaming performance, the stunning display, and the gamer-centric features are undeniable.

But its hefty price tag, occasional thermal concerns, questionable camera features, and sound quality, might give budget-conscious gamers pause.

Ultimately, the ROG Phone 8 Pro is a love letter to hardcore gamers who demand the absolute best. For them, it’s a no-brainer. However, for casual players or those on a tighter budget, other options might offer a more balanced and affordable experience.

The ROG Phone 8 Pro is a beast, no doubt about it. It pushes the boundaries of mobile gaming, offering an experience that’s as close to console-quality as you can get on a phone. However, its exclusivity comes at a cost, both literally and figuratively. Whether it’s the right choice for you comes down to one question: are you willing. 

So are you satisfied with the review? Do you see yourself gaming with this smartphone? What is your overall experience with gaming smartphones? Let us know below in the comments.