Asus wants its ROG Phone 8/Pro to entice Aussie gamers

Asus’ latest premium phones, the ROG Phone 8 and ROG Phone 8 Pro have arrived in Australia – here’s what you need to know and my early thoughts on the range.

Asus is far better known in Australia for its straight IT products – laptops especially – and for its ROG (Republic Of Gamers) gaming sub-brand, but for some years now it’s also offered a small range of gamer-centric ROG smartphones.

Also read:
Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate Review
Asus ROG Ally Review

Asus has just announced that the ROG Phone 8 and ROG Phone 8 Pro and ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition will be available in Australia.

Yes, that’s a confusing naming convention.

Here’s your basic rundown, and my early thoughts.

• Asus ROG Phone 8/Pro Specifications
• How much do the ROG Phone 8 and ROG Phone 8 Pro cost in Australia?
• When can I buy the ROG Phone 8 in Australia?
• ROG Phone 8/Pro: Alex’s Early Take

Asus Rog Phone 8 / Pro Specifications

Specifications as per ASUS Australia.

How much do the ROG Phone 8 and ROG Phone 8 Pro cost in Australia?

The ROG Phone 8 will run you $1,799 outright, while the ROG Phone 8 Pro will cost $1,999. At the top of the ROG family tree, the confusingly named ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition will cost $2,499.

When can I buy the ROG Phone 8 in Australia?

The new ASUS ROG Phone 8 range goes on sale in Australia from the 13th of March 2024 through ASUS’ online store and JB Hi-Fi.

ROG Phone 8/Pro: Alex’s Early Take

Asus’ prior gaming phones have focused their efforts with near laser precision on the gamer market, with additional accessories such as cooling fans and plenty of RGB to keep the gamer crowd happy. That’s still part of the story here, but it very much appears that it’s also going just a little more mainstream with the 8 series phones, especially the upper tier Pro and Pro Edition models.

A lot of what’s in play here is what a premium 2024 Android phone should have – a high-end processor (in this case the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3) paired up with a solid allotment of RAM, especially on the higher-end Pro Edition model.

24GB RAM on a phone is... kinda crazy, really. Still, it'll be good to see further competition in the high-end Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 space, and a phone to take on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra specifically. More consumer choice is always better.

In the past the real weak link in Asus’ phone offerings has been the camera systems, which were never quite up to par with similarly priced competition from the likes of Apple or Samsung.

The inclusion of decent-sounding (remember, I’ll save my full judgement for when I get to properly test it) stabilisation and a proper 3x telephoto lens could go a long way to rectifying that.

On the silly/fun side, the Pro models also feature “AniMe Vision”, a programmable LED rear screen. It’s the kind of thing that it also puts onto many of its gaming systems so you can show off your gaming animations or show simple stats like battery life – hardly essential, but certainly a differentiator in the premium smartphone space.

I’ve asked Asus for a review sample, so stay tuned for a full review.

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