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When I reviewed the Asus ROG Phone 8 for one of GamesRadar's sister publications, I gave it a three-star score; that's one of the lowest ratings I've ever given a smartphone I've tested. My biggest gripe was that Asus was asking far more for the phone than it was worth, and a massive discount on the mobile means I'm having to completely rethink my stance.
You can pick up the ROG Phone 8 for $699.99 in Newegg's early Black Friday deals, which represents a $400 or 36% saving off the mobile's original asking price. That's a great saving, however it won't last forever, as Newegg's timer shows that the deal will end at midnight of November 19 (today). So if you're interested in the phone, you're going to have to act fast to buy it.
Just to be clear, this deal is for the standard model of 8th-gen Asus phone, and not for the premium model which we gave 4.5 stars in our Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro review. It's also not for the more recent Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro, and neither of those phones currently has a discount. So at the time of writing, the Phone 8's closest sibling is twice its price.
The ROG Phone 8 comes with a 6.78-inch AMOLED screen which supports up to 165Hz refresh rate, and keeps the light on with a 5,500mAh battery that charges at 65W wired or 30W wireless. The brains of the operation is a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset from Qualcomm, the most powerful mobile processor of last year (which is only slightly weaker than the current-gen versions), and there's also 16GB RAM and 256GB storage. Features to add to the ROG's gaming credentials are side triggers, RGB decorations and a gaming mode that silences non-gaming operations around the phone to focus the RAM.
Should you buy the ASUS Rog Phone 8?
I've used countless gaming phones from all the major brands over several years, and I've never really liked the ROG Phones; they seem to fumble the bag on key gaming features while costing an astronomical amount. I'm not sure I'm in the consensus with this stance, but my expectations were sadly ruined by stellar offerings from Lenovo Legion and Xiaomi Black Shark, both of which no longer make gaming phones. Most of my favorite alternatives don't actually sell in the US, and I can definitely recommend buying a discounted ROG Phone 8 over importing an alternative.
I'd recommend looking to one of the Pro models over Black Friday, as they come with better specs and select improvements across the board, however at the time of writing they're not reduced.
To people who want a gaming-focus phone, this could end up being one of the better deals over Black Friday, as it's a hearty discount on an older mobile. Even if the 8 Pro and 9 Pro get reduced by $400, they'll still end up being a fair amount more expensive.
But if you're preparing for general cell phone deals over Black Friday, and want a phone for gaming but not just gaming, I'd advise in avoiding Asus. That's because its mobiles are designed with a strong focus on gaming, and this bumps up the price quite a way.
You'll almost definitely find other options for under $700, perhaps for a lot less; bear in mind that you don't need all the trappings of a gaming phone to make the most out of your chosen title, as mainstream mobile titles are optimized to run on anything.
I've personally liked gaming on Motorola's Edge phones, as they have decent processors and lots of RAM but also svelte builds, and I'm currently testing the top-spec Nothing Phone (3) which only costs $799 before sales. I've also just found a Samsung Galaxy S25 FE reduction which you can find below that won't be as good for gaming as the ROG Phone 8, but is better-rounded for everyday use and costs less.
- See all Black Friday deals at Newegg
- Samsung Galaxy S25 FE (128GB) |
$649.99$474.99 at Amazon - Asus ROG Tessen mobile controller |
$129.99$97.50 at Amazon
Check out our full ranking of the best gaming phones, or prepare for Black Friday gaming deals which could see more smartphones reduced. We've also got a round-up of Black Friday iPad deals, if you prefer to game on a big screen.
