All of the options I wish to see

The ASUS ROG Telephone 8 has solely been round about 5 months, and even a bit lower than that in the USA. Up to now, it’s gotten nice evaluations and is well seeking to be one of many greatest telephones for gaming up to now. Not solely does it construct on every part that comes earlier than it, nevertheless it provides new options like mud resistance that assist make it a bit extra mainstream-friendly. Even when it’s one of many greatest Android telephones round, no telephone is ideal. There are actually a couple of issues that may very well be improved upon subsequent 12 months with a brand new mannequin. With that in thoughts, right here is my ROG Telephone 9 wishlist.

It’s no secret ASUS has struggled with its smartphone division not too long ago, with many questioning even when we’d see the ASUS Zenfone 11. ASUS has since clarified it’s not completed with telephones but, however it’s fairly clear which of the 2 product strains has probably the most potential to herald new clients if ASUS performs its playing cards proper at the very least.

The ROG has at all times been the extra thrilling of the 2, however this 12 months the telephone acquired a considerable design replace that added water and mud resistance for the primary time. The design additionally has a way more mainstream look than earlier iterations. There’s nonetheless loads of gaming flare, nevertheless it’s a way more reserved expertise that jogs my memory of the now-defunct Razer Telephone collection.

I believe ASUS ought to proceed to lean on this. A fast go searching Reddit and different communities makes it clear {that a} portion of older ROG Telephone homeowners are fairly disillusioned by the change, however those that choose extra reserved designs have way more constructive issues to say. Even higher, first-time consumers are lastly sitting up and taking discover. Apparently, it’s not all simply from players both. In any case, the ROG Telephone 8 stands out for these in search of one thing highly effective and totally different from the pack.

I’m not saying that the ROG Telephone 9 might ever compete on the similar degree as different mainstream telephones, the purpose is that balancing mainstream enchantment with hardcore gaming enchantment would possibly present ASUS with a bigger audience than they’ve now. A much less flashy design might additionally enchantment to gamer sorts (like myself, really) who love highly effective {hardware} however don’t need it to be overly flashy. For instance, my ROG Telephone Zephyrus G14 straddles the road between the gaming machine and productiveness beast, and that’s what I really like about it.

The ASUS ROG Telephone 9 doesn’t have to shake up this new design a lot in any respect. As a substitute, it ought to work on diversifying its lineup to fulfill all budgets, from probably the most modest cellular gamer to the hardcore gamer who’ll use emulators, streaming providers, and extra. That results in the following level.

A lower-tier choice would possibly enchantment to extra customers than you’d assume

The ASUS ROG Telephone collection lastly has the possibility to enchantment to extra than simply hardcore cellular players. Sure, that may really feel a bit ironic however the discuss across the internet makes it clear that this can be a telephone that’s eye-catching and fascinating sufficient to enchantment to a barely wider viewers. Granted this pales massively compared to the viewers for Apple, Samsung, or actually even Google’s Pixel collection. Nonetheless, it’s a gap ASUS might work with by introducing a extra wallet-friendly base model of the ASUS ROG Telephone 9 that’s extra aimed toward informal players.

Proper now, the ROG Telephone 8 household begins at $1,099 for a telephone with 256GB of storage and 16GB of RAM. Think about if there was a base mannequin that had solely 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, akin to gadgets like the bottom Galaxy S24. This variation would permit the ROG Telephone 8 to compete a bit of higher for individuals who are simply followers of the ROG laptop computer collection (like myself) however aren’t essentially in search of a cellular gaming powerhouse. It is also nice for these in search of extra choices within the US exterior of the same old suspects.

The ASUS ROG Telephone 8 dropped the battery down a bit with this technology, choosing a 5,500mAh battery as a substitute. Whereas the 500mAh drop seems like quite a bit, the excellent news is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and different optimizations imply you’ll get roughly the identical battery life because the older mannequin. However, this can be a gaming telephone! Extra battery life isn’t a foul factor, as video games can drain battery life fairly quick in comparison with different actions.

I’d prefer to see the ASUS ROG Telephone 9 proceed enhancing battery life by means of optimization whereas additionally returning to type with a 6,000mAh battery.

The ASUS ROG Telephone 8 is definitely a fairly first rate digital camera telephone, particularly in comparison with its predecessors. It has first rate colour saturation, white steadiness, and publicity. After all, it additionally has some lens flare points and a fairly inconsistent zoom expertise.

It’s true that players don’t sometimes care concerning the digital camera as a lot however that’s slowly altering. Cellular gaming is enhancing on the entire, largely due to Apple and its push, and as these video games enhance they are going to little question appeal to new audiences that may not think about themselves your typical hardcore gamer. I imagine ASUS might have a restricted recipe for fulfillment if the ROG Telephone 9 can steadiness these high-end gaming options with a digital camera that’s near pretty much as good as Samsung, Google, and Apple.

Higher replace coverage

This final level is extraordinarily vital. Two years of OS updates in 2024 is completely loopy. This can be a high-end gaming machine that may completely profit from having the most recent and nice enhancements from Google.

ASUS won’t wish to decide to the identical loopy seven-year promise that Samsung and Google are beginning to provide, however I’d accept any enchancment. Heck, even a promise of simply three to 4 OS upgrades and 5 years of safety would actually go a great distance. That is very true for individuals who have by no means purchased an ASUS telephone and are a bit nervous about its long-term life help.

ASUS has had its share of struggles within the smartphone area and it’s clear that nothing about its future right here is definite. There are nonetheless whispers that the Zenfone collection may be heading towards the grave, and it’s equally doable the ROG collection is also in bother. Because it stands, I can’t say with 100% certainty there will likely be a ROG Telephone 9. That mentioned, I’d say it’s nonetheless very probably.

The ROG Telephone 8 has been extraordinarily properly reviewed thus far and has seen equally constructive consideration from the net neighborhood. All that bodes properly for the way forward for the ROG Telephone 9. If it does arrive, when would possibly we see it? That’s a bit sophisticated because the telephone doesn’t have probably the most constant launch historical past, as you may see:

• ROG Telephone 8 — February 29, 2024
• ROG Telephone 7 — April 13, 2023
• ROG Telephone 6 — July 5, 2022

For now, all I can actually say with any certainty is the ROG Telephone 9 received’t floor till 2025 barring some main change of their technique, which appears fairly unlikely.

Completely not! Odds are the ROG Telephone 9 will proceed the legacy constructed by the ROG Telephone 8’s main design change, simply with additional refinement. In order for you a gaming telephone now, we extremely suggest the ASUS ROG Telephone 8.

Simply desire a highly effective Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 telephone and don’t care if it’s gaming-centric? The Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely ($1419.99 at Amazon) could be an exquisite different and is among the greatest Android telephones available on the market.