Asus’ upcoming gaming smartphone, tagged as the ROG Phone 8 series, is said to get several upgrades, one of which also includes a new design and appearance. The new smartphones are expected to be first revealed at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show 2024 (CES 2024) in Las Vegas. Still, Asus will also see an official launch in China on 16 January 2024. Apart from packing in some exciting hardware, the new smartphones are now also confirmed to pack an IP68 rating, which has never been possible on previous models for various reasons.
According to a post on the brand’s official handle on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, the phone is now confirmed to have an IP68 rating for both dust and water resistance. This would bring the new smartphones on par with devices from Samsung, which has been offering an IP68 rating for several years. Asus’s ROG Phone 8 series is also said to go with a flat display with thin bezels on all sides and a camera embedded into a hole-punch cavity at the top.
The new design, as per previously leaked renders, appears very different from past models, with a noticeably chunky camera module protruding from what appears to be a reasonably slim device for a gaming smartphone. The rear panel, as per the latest teaser, appears to have a dual-tone finish and flattened sides rounded on the previous model.
As for the IP68 rating on the upcoming ROG Phone 8 series, it is expected to turn the phone into a proper premium offering, bringing it on par with regular smartphones from premium brands. And, IP68 rating means that the phone is protected from dust and water and can withstand immersion up to a certain depth. What remains to be seen is whether Asus has also included wireless charging, which would be another premium smartphone feature.
There’s good enough reason for Asus to offer a solid IP rating on its latest smartphone, as the price of gaming smartphones keeps rising with every passing year. The Asus ROG Phone 7 was priced at Rs. 74,999 in India, while the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate was launched at Rs. 99,999, both of which are well in line with premium camera-centric offerings from Samsung, OnePlus, Oppo and Vivo.
As per recently leaked specifications, the ROG Phone 8 series will have a 6.78-inch, full-HD+ AMOLED panel with Corning Gorilla Victus protection. The display is expected to offer a maximum refresh rate of 165Hz and support HDR10. Inside, there’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. The standard ROG Phone 8 will be offered with 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage, while the Pro model is said to get 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. The phones are said to get a triple rear camera setup. It is said to offer a 5,500mAh battery and offer Quick Charge 5.0 support.