The ROG Phone 8 Pro is the top model of the 2024 gaming lineup from ASUS. The company announced it at CES in January 2024. In the US, it launched at $1,199.99 with 16 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage. The ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition with 24 GB and 1 TB cost $1,499.99. It came with the AeroActive Cooler X fan.
Design and display
The phone measures 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9 mm and weighs 225 g. It has an aluminum frame and a matte glass back in Phantom Black. Instead of the RGB logo of the base model, the back hides AniMe Vision, a matrix of 341 mini-LEDs. It can show icons, animations and notifications. The phone also carries an IP68 rating.
The 6.78-inch Samsung Flexible AMOLED panel has a 2400 x 1080 resolution and Gorilla Glass Victus 2. The LTPO screen runs from 1 Hz to 120 Hz. In games, it can reach 165 Hz. ASUS lists 2,500 nits of peak brightness and HDR10 support.
Performance
The phone runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with an Adreno 750 GPU. It has 16 GB or 24 GB of LPDDR5X RAM. Storage is 512 GB or 1 TB of UFS 4.0. There is no microSD slot. Gaming extras include AirTrigger ultrasonic shoulder buttons and a second USB-C port on the side. That port docks the AeroActive Cooler X.
Cameras
The main camera uses a 50 MP Sony IMX890 sensor. It has an f/1.9 lens and gimbal stabilization. A 13 MP ultrawide and a 32 MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom and OIS join it. Unlike the base model, the Pro has the telephoto in every market. The rear camera records video up to 8K at 24 fps. The 32 MP front camera records 1080p video at 30 fps.
Battery and charging
The 5,500 mAh capacity comes from two 2,750 mAh cells. The phone supports 65W wired charging and 15W Qi wireless charging. ASUS includes a 65W charger in most markets.
Software and updates
The ROG Phone 8 Pro shipped with Android 14 and ROG UI. ASUS promises two major Android updates and four years of security patches.
Should you buy the ROG Phone 8 Pro?
The ROG Phone 8 Pro suits gamers who want more memory and the AniMe Vision back. It also keeps a 3.5 mm headphone jack and stereo speakers. Otherwise, it shares the screen, chip, cameras and battery with the ROG Phone 8. As a result, the base model offers the same core hardware for less. ASUS has since released the ROG Phone 9 Pro as its successor.
