The ASUS ROG Phone 8 Series is an overpowered gaming beast for your pocket and is available now

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True story: As I was updating our guide to the best gaming phones yesterday, I excluded both the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro and the ROG Phone 8, because they weren't available in Australia.

Today, ASUS has launched both models (and the ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition) at the ASUS e-shop and JB Hi-Fi. How's that for timing?

Looking at the spec sheets for these new handsets, it's clear to see why they were recommended so highly.

The ROG Phone Series 8 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, supported by 8533 Mbps LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 storage.

The key difference between the three models is the amount of RAM and ROM you get. The ROG Phone 8 comes with 12GB RAM + 256GB storage, the ROG Phone 8 Pro has 16GB RAM and 512GB ROM, and the ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition cranks that all the way to 11, with 24GB RAM and 1TB of storage.

I'm not sure what a phone is going to do with 24GB of RAM, but I can't wait to find out.

That's a cool design

All three models measure in at 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9mm and weigh 225 grams. A 6.78-inch flexible FHD+ AMOLED display boasts a 165 Hz refresh rate and peak brightness 2500 nits.

Given the powerful specs inside, the phone has the potential to run hot, but ASUS has that covered through intelligent design. To allow marathon gaming sessions without overheating, the Rapid-Cooling Conductor design conducts heat directly from the centre of the device to the back cover.

ASUS also sells an add-on called the AeroActive Cooler X, which clips onto your phone and can reduce the back cover temperature by as much as 36°C. 

Rated for IP68 to keep out dust and liquid, this is a gaming phone to take anywhere.

And standing out visually is the Aura RGB Lighting logo on the ROG Phone 8 and AniMe Vision Mini-LED display on the ROG Phone 8 Pro and Pro Edition.

AniMe Vision is a 341-element display on the back of the phone that can display preset or user-created animations. It's niche, but also super cool 

Shooting photos and enemies in CoD

ASUS has packed a lot of tech into this device, and the cameras have seen a major upgrade.

The main camera is a 50 MP Sony image sensor with a 24 mm wide-angle lens. It also boasts a a 3X telephoto lens and a 13 MP ultrawide lens.

The front 32 MP ultrawide selfie camera has a 90º field of view (FoV), which is a big increase on the previous model's 73°.

There's a 5,500 mAh battery inside too, giving you plenty of grunt to get through the day.

The phone offers built-in AirTrigger controls which promise a console-like experience. there's a range of gestures on offer, including Dual Action, Press and Lift, and Gyroscope Aiming.

Pricing and availability

The new ROG Phone 8 Series is available now from the ASUS web store and JB Hi-Fi.

Pricing looks like this:

• ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition – $2,499
• ROG Phone 8 Pro – $1,999
• ROG Phone 8 – $1,799