Asus ROG Phone 9 launch confirmed, among first to debut with Snapdragon 8 Elite

2024 will go out with a bang for phones

Asus has announced that its much-anticipated ROG Phone 9 series will be two of the first smartphones with the freshly announced flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset.

The ROG Phone 9 and ROG Phone 9 Pro (assumed devices) will officially arrive with the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite, a chip designed to revolutionise mobile performance, particularly for gamers. We now know they will launch globally on 19 November 2024.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite, which also will power the upcoming Xiaomi 15 and OnePlus 13, is equipped with the second-generation Qualcomm Oryon CPU and an enhanced Adreno GPU.

These features are expected to bring a new benchmark for mobile gaming, offering incredible speed, efficiency, and graphics capabilities.

With this cutting-edge chipset, the ROG Phone 9 series might be positioned to be a standout in the gaming world, appealing to users who demand top-tier performance from their devices.

The ROG Phone 9 series builds on the success of its predecessor, the ROG Phone 8 series, which was well-received for its gaming-oriented design and powerful features.

However, although the new models are likely to go even further with better performance and higher-level graphics, a recent rumour (via Android Headlines) hints at incremental improvements rather than a major overhaul.

According to the often-reliable leaker Smart Pikachu on Weibo, the ROG Phone 9 is indeed expected to feature Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite (previously referred to as 8 Gen 4) processor, paired with up to 24GB of RAM, and 1TB of internal storage, aligning with its predecessor’s top configuration.

A key highlight from the leak is an “upgraded” display, which could involve a brighter panel, higher resolution, or both. The phone will also likely retain 65W wired charging, similar to the ROG Phone 8, as it was reportedly spotted on China’s 3C certification platform.

Overall, the leak suggests a focus on refinement over revolution, building on the solid foundation of the ROG Phone 8’s impressive specs.

Asus is set to showcase the ROG Phone 9 at the Snapdragon Summit 2024, giving attendees an exclusive first look and hands-on experience with engineering prototypes.

With the ROG Phone 9 series, Asus seems to be on the right track to push the boundaries of mobile gaming innovation. Whether this will be the case remains to be seen on 19 November, when we’ll learn more about the ROG Phone 9 series.

“With its signature gamer-centric design ethos, the ROG Phone 9 series is designed to offer an immersive, lag-free gaming experience, making it a must-have for serious gamers and technology lovers alike,” said Asus.

In the meantime, you can check out our roundups of the best upcoming phones and the best gaming phones to see what Asus models will be up against.