We recently reviewed the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro, and while it’s undeniably a gaming powerhouse under the hood, it sported small but significant design changes that suggest Asus doesn’t consider a dedicated gaming phone a viable product for mass audiences. So, what does 2024 hold for Android gaming phones, and is there a future for the niche product?
For those unfamiliar with the range of mobile gaming hardware, the idea of a dedicated gaming phone might be a little silly. What’s the point of buying a phone dedicated to gaming when even budget Android devices can run most games on the Play Store without a problem? To answer this, let’s look at the Nubia RedMagic 9 Pro we recently reviewed.
The Redmagic 9 Pro offers a physical fan to keep the phone’s internals cool when playing demanding games, touch triggers for easier gameplay without a controller, the latest Snapdragon chipset for unbeatable performance, a massive battery, and dedicated software for recording and managing games. None of these features got in the way of the everyday tasks I used my phone for, and it indeed made for a noticeably better gaming experience. If it weren’t for the abysmal cameras and buggy software, I could see myself using a Redmagic as my daily driver. Unfortunately, Nubia’s poor software support and wasteful production (The Redmagic 8s Pro, which launched in July 2023, is no longer available for purchase) means it’s not a good long-term investment. So, Asus is the next port of call for those looking for a reliable gaming phone.
The Asus ROG phones have been powerful (if expensive) Android phones for years, pairing dedicated gaming tools with all the features we expect with flagship phones from Google or Samsung. ROG phones are the way to go if you’re looking for a flagship phone to game regularly on. But with the ROG Phone 8 Pro, Asus has leaned more towards designing a regular Android phone rather than a gaming phone. This places the device in a strange zone between a gaming phone and a regular Android flagship, where it’s unable to satisfy fans of either.
The Rog Phone 7 is a better dedicated gaming device than its successor
The ROG Phone 8 Pro loses the dual front-facing speakers from earlier devices. This is a considerable drawback for a media device, sacrificing the excellent audio we loved from the ROG Phone 7 and 6. The addition of a pinhole camera is also distracting during gameplay; nobody likes a hole in the middle of their games. These sacrifices are necessary to fit the edge-to-edge screen, which, while stylish, is not something we actually need on a gaming phone.
Without the LEDs across the back, it would be nearly impossible to tell the ROG Phone 8 is a dedicated gaming device without delving into its software. This puts the phone in closer competition with the best flagship Android phones, something Asus is assuredly hoping for — mass appeal. Still, most of those devices offer slightly better cameras, longer software support, better build quality, and equal gaming performance for less money. So why would anyone buy the latest gaming phone when mainstream options are often comparable or better?
Without a doubt, gaming phones are a niche market, and with the advent of chipsets like the Snapdragon Gen 3, a gaming powerhouse already found in many Android phones, it’s hard to justify spending over $1000 on a dedicated gaming device. If Asus changes direction to appeal to mainstream Android fans even further, the market for top-of-the-line gaming phones could disappear altogether. Instead, people looking for a dedicated gaming phone will have to rely on midrange devices from Nubia, who make great gaming phones but don’t provide enough support to last users more than a couple of years, which means Nubia’s offshoot, Redmagic, isn’t a viable option for daily drivers, at least not without some signifigant compromises.
If this trend continues where gaming phones can’t be both quality smartphones and quality gaming devices, the best Android gaming experience will likely be your favorite Android controller paired with a Galaxy Phone. And with how bland the S24 line is this year, that’s a future I don’t think any gamer wants to see.
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