What you need to know
- ASUS is planning to release an ROG Phone 8 and ROG Phone 8 Pro next year, and a spec and design leak just revealed more information on the phones.
- The ROG Phone 8 and Phone 8 Pro feature a flatter design on the rails, with chamfered edges leading into the display. Notably, the back display is gone on the new phones.
- Both phones will get the boost to Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 platform, and improved cameras.
ASUS is gearing up to release new smartphones in its ROG Phone lineup next year, and a massive leak from WindowsReport gives us our best look at them yet. The exclusive includes full images and specs and paints a nearly complete picture of the rumored ROG Phone 8 and ROG Phone 8 Pro.
With these smartphones, ASUS will improve the specs to make the ROG Phone 8 series an even better smartphone for mobile gaming. That includes a pretty significant memory upgrade, with the ROG Phone 8 Pro reportedly supporting a configuration that includes up to 24GB of LPDDR5X memory. Both phones will also get the boost with Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 platform, which has some impressive benchmarking scores.
But on the other hand, ASUS is also toning down the design of the ROG Phone 8 series. This is presumably part of an effort to make the ROG Phone 8 and 8 Pro appeal to a wider audience, expanding beyond "Republic of Gamers" enthusiasts. The new design cuts out the rear display, a staple of previous models like the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. Plus, the sides are mostly flat with slightly chamfered edges, following the design of the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Another upgrade is found in the rear camera system, which is apparently using an IMX890 50MP main sensor from Sony. There's also a 13MP ultra-wide camera, and this is presumably the same sensor in the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. But ASUS is swapping out the 5MP macro sensor on the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate for a telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. These upgrades are only rumored for the ROG Phone 8 Pro, though, as the leak doesn't cover the ROG Phone 8 cameras.
Here are the full specs from WindowsReport, plus the current ROG Phone 7 Ultimate specifications for comparison:
Despite some improvements for more casual users, there will still be some gamer-focused elements to the ROG Phone 8 Pro. Accessories are still a big part of the experience, like the AeroActive Cooler X, which can slot into a DEVILCASE Guardian case with a removable backplate.
We don't have to wait much longer for official confirmation of these specs since ASUS will announce both phones at CES 2023. Aside from that, we still don't have an idea of what pricing for these phones could look like. After that, it'll be released as both global and China-only variants.
