Are you ready to welcome a couple of new ultra-high-end gaming handsets from industry veteran Asus to the global market? Yes, it appears that the ROG Phone 8 series will be released a lot earlier in the new year than the ROG Phone 7 and 7 Ultimate were in 2023 while swapping the latter model for a Pro.
An overhauled design for the masses and all the raw power you can handle
We don't know exactly what the ROG Phone 8 and ROG Phone 8 Pro have to do with Windows, but there's no legitimate reason whatsoever to doubt the veracity of the high-quality renders and the accuracy of all the specifications revealed by the aforementioned publication.
If you're a longtime hardcore fan of this decidedly unconventional smartphone family, you might be a little disappointed by how these next-gen gaming flagships are set to look on the outside. Although you will still be able to easily tell the ROG Phone 8 duo apart from all the best Android phones available today, their design language is significantly watered down compared to the ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate.
There's no tiny display on the back this time around, no bold curves, no trend-defying screen bezels, and even the rear-facing camera module is redesigned to attract (a little) less attention. But it's pretty clear what the manufacturer's intentions are here, and they're not (necessarily) to enrage hardcore gamers.
Instead, the ROG Phone 8 and ROG Phone 8 Pro seem designed to appeal to a larger audience than their forerunners, with a conventional centered hole punch on the front, a cleaner rear cover that does still include that swanky RGB ROG logo, a much thinner overall profile, and a chunkier camera system widely expected to vastly improve real-life photography performance.
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Speaking of performance, we're undoubtedly looking at two absolute Android powerhouses here, set to share a state-of-the-art Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor under their redesigned hoods while supporting as much as 24GB RAM.
Wait, what?!
It's true (at least according to this credible new report), the top-of-the-line ROG Phone 8 Pro configuration will pack more memory than your laptop. Of course, the "regular" ROG Phone 8 will have to "settle" for 12 gigs of the good stuff, while the "entry-level" Pro variant is expected to offer a hefty 16GB RAM count of its own.
Perhaps even more impressively, the ROG Phone 8 Pro is tipped to support up to 1TB of internal storage space, with the non-Pro model playing things relatively safe in order to keep its price point reasonable with 256 gigs of local digital hoarding room.
Criticized for its sub-par camera capabilities (by high-end standards, at least), the ROG Phone series is likely to get its biggest upgrade precisely in that department in just a few weeks. Unfortunately (and oddly enough), we don't have any details on that for the ROG Phone 8, while the ROG Phone 8 Pro should combine a super-premium 50MP Sony IMX890 imaging sensor with a 13MP ultra-wide-angle shooter and a 32MP lens supporting 3x optical zoom.
The 6.78-inch screen on both next-gen gaming phones is likely to be just as spectacular as what the ROG Phone 7 and 7 Ultimate have to offer in that department, with AMOLED technology and silky smooth 165Hz refresh rate functionality.
Another important change will see the slimmer and boxier ROG Phone 8 and 8 Pro handle water immersion and dust contact thanks to IP68 certification, but alas, the battery capacity will purportedly be reduced from 6,000 to 5,500mAh in line with that thinner body.
Last but certainly not least, the more mainstream-oriented new members of the Asus ROG Phone family will still cater to a core gaming-focused audience with a bunch of neat and eye-catching optional accessories also pictured today, including a largely unchanged AeroActive Cooler and a see-through Devilcase Guardian cover.
What's not rumored today is how much the Asus ROG Phone 8 and ROG Phone 8 Pro could cost anywhere around the world, so we'll just have to wait for next month's Chinese announcement likely to be closely followed by an international launch to see that very important piece of the puzzle fall into place.
Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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