All of the options I need to see

The ASUS ROG Telephone 8 has solely been round about 5 months, and even a bit lower than that in the US. To date, it’s gotten nice critiques and is well seeking to be one of many greatest telephones for gaming up to now. Not solely does it construct on the whole lot 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 might 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 just lately, 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 traces has probably the most potential to usher in new clients if ASUS performs its playing cards proper not less than.

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 dirt 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 sequence.

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 want extra reserved designs have rather 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 spite of everything, the ROG Telephone 8 stands out for these searching for one thing highly effective and totally different from the pack.

I’m not saying that the ROG Telephone 9 might ever compete on the identical stage 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 varieties (like myself, truly) 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 like about it.

The ASUS ROG Telephone 9 doesn’t must 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 subsequent level.

A lower-tier possibility would possibly enchantment to extra customers than you’d suppose

The ASUS ROG Telephone sequence lastly has the possibility to enchantment to extra than simply hardcore cellular players. Sure, which may really feel a bit ironic however the speak across the internet makes it clear that it is a telephone that’s eye-catching and attention-grabbing 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 sequence. 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 modification would enable the ROG Telephone 8 to compete somewhat higher for individuals who are simply followers of the ROG laptop computer sequence (like myself) however aren’t essentially searching for a cellular gaming powerhouse. It may be nice for these searching for extra choices within the US exterior of the same old suspects.

The ASUS ROG Telephone 8 dropped the battery down a bit with this era, choosing a 5,500mAh battery as an alternative. Whereas the 500mAh drop seems like rather a lot, 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, it is 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 wish to see the ASUS ROG Telephone 9 proceed bettering battery life by means of optimization whereas additionally returning to kind with a 6,000mAh battery.

The ASUS ROG Telephone 8 is definitely a reasonably first rate digicam telephone, particularly in comparison with its predecessors. It has first rate shade saturation, white steadiness, and publicity. In fact, it additionally has some lens flare points and a reasonably inconsistent zoom expertise.

It’s true that players don’t sometimes care concerning the digicam as a lot however that’s slowly altering. Cell gaming is bettering on the entire, largely because of Apple and its push, and as these video games enhance they’ll little question appeal to new audiences which may not take into account themselves your typical hardcore gamer. I consider ASUS could have a restricted recipe for achievement if the ROG Telephone 9 can steadiness these high-end gaming options with a digicam that’s near nearly as good as Samsung, Google, and Apple.

Higher replace coverage

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

ASUS may not need to decide to the identical loopy seven-year promise that Samsung and Google are beginning to supply, 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 good 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 for certain. There are nonetheless whispers that the Zenfone sequence could be heading towards the grave, and it’s equally attainable the ROG sequence may be in hassle. Because it stands, I can’t say with 100% certainty there will probably be a ROG Telephone 9. That stated, I’d say it’s nonetheless very possible.

The ROG Telephone 8 has been extraordinarily nicely reviewed to date and has seen equally constructive consideration from the net group. All that bodes nicely 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 possibly can 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 gained’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. If you’d like a gaming telephone now, we extremely suggest the ASUS ROG Telephone 8.

Simply need 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 various and is without doubt one of the greatest Android telephones available on the market.