From its inception, the ROG Phone knew exactly what it wanted to be – a powerful, portable mobile gaming machine that’s still a smartphone. And while ROG has consistently delivered on the gaming and performance part, a few other attributes lagged behind. That’s what they hope to address with the ROG Phone 8. 

To be more specific, ROG made sure to improve its camera performance as well as add an IP rating for dust and water resistance. Elsewhere, you get the usual upgrades. 

AI Cameras

Yes, you read that right. AI Cameras. Expect “AI” to show up on many devices for 2024 until such time that it becomes a norm. For now, let’s focus on these ones on the ROG Phone 8. 

Known mostly as a “mid” camera performer, the ROG Phone 8 looks to go beyond gaming with its new set of shooters. 

Its primary camera is a 50MP IMX890 image sensor. It’s the same hardware as the ones on the OnePlus 11, Nothing Phone (2), and OPPO Find N3 Flip among others. That same lens has a 6-axis Gimbal Stabilizer for steadier videos and 2x lossless zoom for when you want to get a bit closer. 

The AI part kicks-in once you take the photos much like how it is with most smartphones. The ROG Phone 8 post-processes the photo to come out with what it promises to be flagship-level photos. 

Its 32MP telephoto camera can go up to 3x optical zoom, 10x with hyper clarity, and up to 30x with AI zooming. 

Then, there’s a 13MP, 120-degree ultra-wide angle lens with less distortion. For selfies, you’re getting a 32MP 90-degree ultra-wide shooter. 

There’s also a bunch of features taking advantage of AI and not just for post-processing images. These all look good on paper but we’re most excited to take it out into the wild to test the cameras. 

Wireless charging, IP Rating

A couple of new additions include Wireless Charging and IP Rating. These are two features that have eluded most gaming smartphones all these years. But now, they’re present on the ROG Phone 8. 

The phone has an IP68 rating making it weather resistant. Specifically it’s both dust and water resistant. With the water part being able to survive fresh water submersion of up to 1.5m for about 30 minutes. 

Wireless-charging is a long-time-coming feature. The ROG Phone 8 supports Qi 1.3 standard. That’s a maximum power transmission of 15W. Actual charging speeds will vary depending on the devices you use. 

Battery capacity is at 5500mAh with a 65W charging adapter. That’s smaller than usual for ROG Phone standards. But the company says performance should still be on par with previous generations. 

The usual upgrades

Naturally, the ROG Phone 8 is equipped with Qualcomm’s latest — the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. It’s a chip that integrates plenty of on-device AI capabilities and you’ll get sick of hearing “AI” from Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered smartphones. 

ROG chose to dedicate most of this to improve the gaming performance. There’s a whole bunch of features here. X Sense 2.0, for instance, lets you set Auto Pick-up items, fast forward cutscenes, lock running, and single press to escape encounters. 

A popular AI feature is image-generation. The ROG Phone 8 lets you do that. Specifically, it lets you generate your own wallpapers — with images all sourced from copyright free/friendly sources.

AI is also on audio with Noise Cancellation. This improves the overall voice quality and call experience. And for capable headphones, you also get to enjoy spatial audio, hi-res audio, as well as aptX Lossless audio. 

A cleaner look 

While it’s still undeniably ROG, the ROG Phone 8 sports a cleaner look – a two-tone back with the ROG Logo drawing much of the attention. 

The ROG Phone 8 base model has an RGB-backlit logo while the pro model features a customizable Anime Vision display. It’s the same AnimeMatrix tech found in ROG’s other products.

Some display details by the numbers are as follows: 6.78 inches, 2500 nit brightness, and165Hz refresh rate. 

Is this still the ultimate gaming smartphone? 

We had the chance to ask ROG if they’re monitoring the iPhone 15 Pro’s developments and its capability to play console-level AAA games. Most notably these are titles from Capcom (RE Village, RE4 Remake) and from acclaimed game director Hideo Kojima (Death Stranding). 

ROG says they are, indeed, monitoring the situation and comments that the nature of the platforms are quite different. For their part, they are focused on the delivering the best gaming experience they can with the materials and tech at their disposal. 

Price and availability

The ROG Phone 8 will retail for US$ 1,199.99 while the ROG Phone 8 Pro will sell for US$ 1,499.99. The AeroActive CoolerX which is a notable companion of the ROG Phone will retail for US$ 99.99. 

Availability will vary per country/region.