The ROG Phone 8 Pro is worse than before. I can’t stop using it

What was the ROG Phone

In an unexpected turn of events, Asus released a ROG Phone 8 that is a major departure from what they had with their gaming handsets. Since the first ROG Phone, these things have been bulky, excessive, completely ridiculous, and designed to deliver a gaming console-like feel to a smartphone. What I mean is that they used to be big and extravagant – huge top and bottom bezel to house stereo speakers in front, RGB lights in back (later upgraded towards mini-displays whose sole purpose was to display flashy logos), two USB C ports on the device, gaming triggers built into the frame and very little else. we care about phone cameras (and we certainly didn't need them to add more weight).

The overkill that is the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate (Image credit – PhoneArena)

That sounds great, but add to that the fact that ROG Phones are high-end, expensive devices, and it was clear that these were going to be phones aimed at a dedicated niche that values ​​exactly that type of aesthetic and functionality. intended use.

The ROG Phone 8 changes course

It seems like this niche is too small to realistically try to expand into, so Asus has dramatically changed course with the ROG Phone 8 – it's now smaller, with a thin uniform bezel all around, software tweaks to make it feel a little more like an iPhone, and an emphasis on camera performance.

iPhone-style Control Center (disabled by default) (Image credit – PhoneArena)

The phone is all black, with very subtle accents suggesting that the game's aggressive aesthetic is still there somewhere. The Pro model does away with the colored LEDs or rear displays and simply has a white LED matrix on the back to display flashy logos. If you turn it off, it disappears entirely under the matte glass back.

Much more subtle (Image credit – PhoneArena)

So far, so good. But this change of direction requires a sacrifice. This is how the ROG Phone 8 is worse than its predecessor — the excellent ROG Phone 7:

• The speakers are not forward-facing and sound noticeably worse/more boxy
• The screen now has a hole for the selfie camera
• Smaller frames make it more difficult to play with the side triggers, as your index fingers will naturally rest deeper towards the center of the frame.
• The battery took a hit of 500 mAh
• The AeroActive Cooler X fan is now smaller, has 2 buttons instead of 4

Most of these seem to be… minor complaints, right? I agree, but the thing is, when you have 6 generations of phones that are aimed at a very specialized, very focused group of people, these are exactly the things they wouldn't want to change.

From our preview ROG Phone 8 Pro hands-on on YouTubecomments from disappointed people started pouring in.

And if we look at things objectively, I think it's fair to say that the ROG Phone 8 is a worse ROG phone – just by the standards the series has set for itself. Just with the ROG Phone 7, they reached the pinnacle of sound quality from their speakers (I'm always impressed with their quality), and they even added a subwoofer in the AeroActive Cooler 7, which was a Bold move, they had an actual flap on the phone that opens automatically to get better cooling.

A year later, the subwoofer is gone, the speakers are downgraded, the Portal flap is forgotten (to be fair, we got the IP68 water resistance rating instead).

However… Asus may be right. You know why? Because…

The ROG Phone 8 Pro is the first ROG phone I've actually used

Let me be clear. I love ROG phones. I've tested most of the models since the ROG Phone 3, and every year since then I've said to myself, “I want to pick this up and use it as my daily driver.”

No joke, on several occasions I've taken the newest ROG phone from the office, to have it at home, to set it up as a personal device and… I never end up using it for long. In fact, looking back, there's a PhoneArena editorial article where we list our favorite phones for 2019, where I went with the iPhone XS Max and got the ROG Phone II as an honorable mention (yes , I had a hard time letting go of 2018). iPhone XS because of 3D Touch. I guess I'm a fan of extra buttons on a phone).

What was stopping me? Well, for gaming they are great. To be used with one hand in portrait mode, they are huge, slippery, heavy and cumbersome. They look a little cheesy and you might not want to carry them around in public if you're not in line with the “I AM A GAMER” aesthetic. And their cameras weren't very good (the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate's cameras were perfectly fine, though, as I noted in my review a year ago).

You can still use the LED logo to make people smile on camera (Image credit – PhoneArena)

Ever since I wrote the ROG Phone 8 Pro review, I haven't put the phone down. It's the right shape, it's the right size, it's discreet, so I don't look like a geek at the bar (while playing Mighty Doom on my phone).

The speakers aren't as good as before, but still better than the competition, in my opinion. The camera isn't spectacular, but hey… that's enough. The performance is exceptional, the screen is beautiful, the battery lasts so long that I forget to charge it. And even if I forget, it doesn't matter, because it recharges in no time. And the headphone jack still saves me from time to time – imagine that, people are still using cables in 2024, Apple.

In theory, I lament what was lost here. In practice, Asus has stated that it wants ROG Phone 8 to be a high-end 'everyday' phone, and I think they've achieved the goal – as a living example of someone now using it as an 'everyday' phone.

For next year, I'd like to see improvements in the camera, the return of clearer-sounding speakers, and the gaming triggers moved slightly further inside the frame (if possible, design-wise). ?). Keep that headphone jack and give us back the subwoofer in the AeroActive Cooler. Pretty please?