Asus confirmed that it will launch the ROG Phone 8 and ROG Phone 8 Pro on January 8 at CES in Las Vegas, but details about the gaming phones remain rumors. Well, not anymore! The full specifications of the duo have leaked alongside the official marketing images.
Asus ROG Phone 8 (Pro) processor and memory
The full identity of Asus’ ROG Phone 8 series is now revealed by outlet Windows Report. First, we take a look at the internals. The pair is equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC and a memory configuration of 256/12 GB RAM for the vanilla model and 16/512 GB for the Pro model. However, the latter can be configured up to 24 GB and a whopping 1 TB of storage. The chip’s processor speed also appears to support overclocking up to 3.3 GHz.
While most of the innards get better and bigger, the battery capacities on the two upcoming gaming-centric phones look set to be reduced. Both ROG Phone 8 and Phone 8 Pro arrive with a 5,500 mAh cell compared to the 6,000 mAh on the ROG Phone 7 (review). It is safe to say the higher power efficiency of the processor might make up for the smaller battery capacity while retaining a similar endurance. You will also get Quick Charge 5.0 for charging.
Asus ROG Phone 8 design and camera
The ROG Phone 8 features a 6.7-inch Samsung AMOLED screen with Gorilla Victus 2 protection and up to a 165 Hz refresh rate, accompanied by very thin bezels. There is also a 5-magnet speaker system, hi-res audio, and Dirac Virtuo support for connected headphones.
The back panel retains the illuminated RGB logo, but it is noticeable there is no secondary display on both models as found on this year’s ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. It’s unknown whether the integrated shoulder triggers will be retained on the frame’s flatter right side. Asus will no doubt offer gaming accessories to pair with the ROG Phone 7, such as an Aero Active Cooler add-on and a transparent case.
In the camera department, the ROG Phone 8 Pro sports a rear triple camera in a new housing design and headlined by a 50 MP Sony IMX sensor. This is paired with a familiar 13 MP ultra-wide shooter while a new 32 MP telephoto replaces the macro sensor. Last but not least, the front-facing 32 MP camera is now located in a punch-hole cut-out rather on a thick top bezel.
The news outlet didn’t specify whether the ROG Phone 8 will share the same imaging components. Based on the leaked material, the model may retain the disappointing macro snapper as hinted by the miniscule lens.
With an updated design, do you think the Asus ROG Phone 8 looks like a proper smartphone this time? We look forward to hear your thoughts on the matter.
