Asus' ROG Phone series has established itself as the GOAT, as far as the best gaming phones are concerned, consistently landing the top spot on our shortlist, with each new iteration doubling down on standout features that serious mobile gamers will unquestionably love. With the newly-announed ROG Phone 8 line, however, gaming no longer feels like the priority, in fact, Asus outright states that it isn't.
There are a few established traits and tropes that help define a great gaming phone: a large, sharp display with a high refresh rate, solid sound – ideally through both stereo speakers and headphones (bonus points for a physical headphone jack); great cooling – in particular active cooling, through the use of fans, vents and a large vapor chamber; physical controls – this typically manifests as capacitive shoulder buttons; a large battery; dedicated software to manage notifications; device performance, and of course, heaps of power.
