ASUS ROG Phone 9 wishlist: All the features I want to see

The ASUS ROG Phone 8 has only been around about five months, and even a bit less than that in the United States. So far, it’s gotten great reviews and is easily looking to be one of the best phones for gaming to date. Not only does it build on everything that comes before it, but it adds new features like dust resistance that help make it a bit more mainstream-friendly. Even if it’s one of the best Android phones around, no phone is perfect. There are certainly a few things that could be improved upon next year with a new model. With that in mind, here is my ROG Phone 9 wishlist.

Continue to blend mainstream with gaming

It’s no secret ASUS has struggled with its smartphone division recently, with many questioning even if we’d see the ASUS Zenfone 11. ASUS has since clarified it’s not done with phones yet, but it is pretty clear which of the two product lines has the most potential to bring in new customers if ASUS plays its cards right at least.

The ROG has always been the more exciting of the two, but this year the phone received a substantial design update that added water and dust resistance for the first time. The design also has a much more mainstream look than previous iterations. There’s still plenty of gaming flare, but it’s a much more reserved experience that reminds me of the now-defunct Razer Phone series.

I think ASUS should continue to lean on this. A quick look around Reddit and other communities makes it clear that a portion of older ROG Phone owners are quite disappointed by the change, but those who prefer more reserved designs have much more positive things to say. Even better, first-time buyers are finally sitting up and taking notice. Interestingly, it’s not all just from gamers either. After all, the ROG Phone 8 stands out for those looking for something powerful and different from the pack.

I’m not saying that the ROG Phone 9 could ever compete at the same level as other mainstream phones, the point is that balancing mainstream appeal with hardcore gaming appeal might provide ASUS with a larger target audience than they have now. A less flashy design could also appeal to gamer types (like myself, actually) who love powerful hardware but don’t want it to be overly flashy. For example, my ROG Phone Zephyrus G14 straddles the line between the gaming machine and productivity beast, and that’s what I love about it.

The ASUS ROG Phone 9 doesn’t need to shake up this new design much at all. Instead, it should work on diversifying its lineup to satisfy all budgets, from the most modest mobile gamer to the hardcore gamer who’ll use emulators, streaming services, and more. That leads to the next point.

A lower-tier option might appeal to more users than you’d think

The ASUS ROG Phone series finally has the chance to appeal to more than just hardcore mobile gamers. Yes, that might feel a bit ironic but the talk around the web makes it clear that this is a phone that is eye-catching and interesting enough to appeal to a slightly wider audience. Granted this pales massively in comparison to the audience for Apple, Samsung, or really even Google’s Pixel series. Still, it’s an opening ASUS could work with by introducing a more wallet-friendly base version of the ASUS ROG Phone 9 that’s more aimed at casual gamers.

Right now, the ROG Phone 8 family starts at $1,099 for a phone with 256GB of storage and 16GB of RAM. Imagine if there was a base model that had only 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, akin to devices like the base Galaxy S24. This change would allow the ROG Phone 8 to compete a little better for those who are just fans of the ROG laptop series (like myself) but aren’t necessarily looking for a mobile gaming powerhouse. It could also be great for those looking for more options in the US outside of the usual suspects.

Bigger battery

The ASUS ROG Phone 8 dropped the battery down a bit with this generation, opting for a 5,500mAh battery instead. While the 500mAh drop sounds like a lot, the good news is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and other optimizations mean you’ll get roughly the same battery life as the older model. But, this is a gaming phone! More battery life is never a bad thing, as games can drain battery life pretty fast compared to other activities.

I’d like to see the ASUS ROG Phone 9 continue improving battery life through optimization while also returning to form with a 6,000mAh battery.

Continue to refine the camera

The ASUS ROG Phone 8 is actually a pretty decent camera phone, especially compared to its predecessors. It has decent color saturation, white balance, and exposure. Of course, it also has some lens flare issues and a pretty inconsistent zoom experience.

It’s true that gamers don’t typically care about the camera as much but that’s slowly changing. Mobile gaming is improving on the whole, largely thanks to Apple and its push, and as these games improve they will no doubt attract new audiences that might not consider themselves your typical hardcore gamer. I believe ASUS may have a limited recipe for success if the ROG Phone 9 can balance these high-end gaming features with a camera that’s close to as good as Samsung, Google, and Apple.

Better update policy

This last point is extremely important. Two years of OS updates in 2024 is absolutely crazy. This is a high-end gaming machine that would absolutely benefit from having the latest and great improvements from Google.

ASUS might not want to commit to the same crazy seven-year promise that Samsung and Google are starting to offer, but I’d settle for any improvement. Heck, even a promise of just three to four OS upgrades and five years of security would really go a long way. This is especially true for those who have never bought an ASUS phone and are a bit nervous about its long-term life support.

Will there be a ROG Phone 9?

ASUS has had its share of struggles in the smartphone space and it’s clear that nothing about its future here is certain. There are still whispers that the Zenfone series might be heading toward the grave, and it’s equally possible the ROG series could also be in trouble. As it stands, I can’t say with 100% certainty there will be a ROG Phone 9. That said, I’d say it’s still very likely.

The ROG Phone 8 has been extremely well reviewed so far and has seen equally positive attention from the online community. All that bodes well for the future of the ROG Phone 9. If it does arrive, when might we see it? That’s a bit complicated as the phone doesn’t have the most consistent launch history, as you can see:

• ROG Phone 8 — February 29, 2024
• ROG Phone 7 — April 13, 2023
• ROG Phone 6 — July 5, 2022

For now, all I can really say with any certainty is the ROG Phone 9 won’t surface until 2025 barring some major change in their strategy, which seems pretty unlikely.

Should you wait for the ROG Phone 9?

Absolutely not! Odds are the ROG Phone 9 will continue the legacy built by the ROG Phone 8’s major design change, just with further refinement. If you want a gaming phone now, we highly recommend the ASUS ROG Phone 8.

Just want a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 phone and don’t care if it’s gaming-centric? The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra ($1419.99 at Amazon) would be a wonderful alternative and is one of the best Android phones on the market.