Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Unboxed: A Unique Package for a Sleek Gaming Phone

This year's Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro has shockingly mainstream looks. Gone are the spaceship-like white hues of the ROG Phone 6 and ROG Phone 7 and in comes a restrained matte black color scheme -- an understated appearance for a mature gaming phone.

The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro still puts a lot of emphasis on how the phone's horizontal gameplay, including sensors that can function like shoulder buttons.

Opening Asus' box for the ROG Phone 8 Pro is quite an experience. It's unlike any other phone sold in 2024.

The cardboard box unfurls to reveal an interactive experience.

The unboxing experience continues: You're given an onscreen mission when you get to the phone itself.

The front 6.78-inch display has an optical in-screen fingerprint sensor that can unlock the phone. By default the screen runs at a 1 to 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, but it can be locked at 165Hz at all times. The screen has a 720Hz touch sampling rate -- the same as last year's Phone 7 -- for responsiveness. 

The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro has a mini-LED display on the back that shows preset or user-created animations.

The phone supports 15-watt wireless charging.

The side USB-C port connects the AeroActive Cooler X fan accessor, which chills the outside of the phone. Clipping the accessory to the phone feels like you're attaching a spider to help keep it cool.

Asus brands the phone with the Republic of Gamers logo, its "Dare to Win" mantra and an "Est. 2006" message like it's a pair of Levi's jeans. A fairly large camera hump houses a trio of cameras.

The mini-LED screen shows a camera icon when you're taking a photo.

It has a 50-megapixel main camera, a 32-megapixel telephoto and a 13-megapixel ultrawide.

It's great to see that the Phone 8 Pro can turn in some good photos. That will make the phone substantially more useful, even when you're not gaming.

Read more about the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro in my review.