2024-01-10 18:06:00
In participation at CES 2024, ASUS and MSI presented their new products aimed at gamers.
Starting with the Taiwanese manufacturer, the company brought the ROG Phone 8 line to the world. The smartphones feature a renewed design, Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and a series of improvements designed for the gamer audience.
MSI decided to challenge the ROG Ally, Steam Deck and other portable consoles with the new Claw.
So, without further ado, let’s go hands-on in double dose to learn regarding these two devices that were present in Las Vegas.
ASUS ROG Phone 8
The ROG Phone 8 line arrives on the market renewed to cater to the gaming public, presenting not only superior performance to that of the previous generation, but also a revamped design.
Here we have a clear change to something more sober, and in the Pro version we have a small LED screen on the back to display information such as time, date and also the ROG logo.
The camera module is new, has a new format and accommodates three sensors. On the front, the Taiwanese manufacturer finally removed that thick top edge of smartphones and now presents an approach closer to other high-end smartphones.
According to the manufacturer itself, we had a 70% reduction in this edge, something that makes the device more elegant. The screen is a 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED that has FHD Plus resolution and a refresh rate of up to 165 Hz.
This panel also has a maximum brightness of 2,500 nits, with the touch sensor responding at 720 Hz for lower latency. Another important highlight is that this gaming smartphone is IP68 certified, something unprecedented in this category.
The chipset is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and it works together with up to 24 GB of RAM in the ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition and up to 1 TB of storage in this version too.
As it is a smartphone aimed at gamers, ASUS features an improved cooling system in this device to maintain the temperature within acceptable standards.
The company says that the user will be able to play long games without worrying regarding possible overheating problems.
To power the entire set, we have a 5,500 mAh battery here with support for fast charging of up to 65W in wired mode, and this year we have the surprise of 15W wireless charging.
Moving on to connectivity, we obviously have two USB-C ports to allow you to recharge your smartphone while playing, P2 port for wired headphones, 5G network support, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3 and NFC for contactless payments.
In the camera department, ASUS promises a significant leap in the quality of images captured with the ROG Phone 8. The main sensor is 50 MP, being the Sony IMX890.
The ultrawide lens is 13 MP, while the telephoto lens is 32 MP and allows optical zoom of up to 3 times. On the other hand, the front sensor is also 32 MP.
Finally, we have Android 14 as the operating system, and the software has a series of well-known features to make life easier for those who like to play.
ASUS ROG Phone 8
- 6.78-inch AMOLED screen, with Full HD+ resolution
- Refresh rate up to 165 Hz
- Plataforma Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
- 12 GB (ROG 8), 16 GB (ROG 8 e 8 Pro) or 24 GB (8 Pro Edition) de RAM
- 256 GB (ROG 8), 512 GB (8 Pro) or 1 TB (8 Pro Edition) of storage
- Suporte a 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.3 e NFC
- 32 MP front camera
- Triple Rear Camera:
- Sensor principal de 50 MP, f/1.9, OIS
- Sensor ultrawide de 13 MP, f/2.2
- 32 MP telephoto sensor, f/2.4, OIS, 3x optical zoom
- 5,500 mAh battery, with 65W charging
- Dimensions 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9 mm
- 225g weight
- Android 14 as operating system
MSI Claw
Looking to challenge the ROG Ally, Steam Deck and other portable consoles, MSI launched the new Claw.
It is already established, with directional pads, shoulder buttons and much more. The ergonomics are good and the weight is approximately 685 grams.
At the top, we have the P2 port for wired headphones, volume buttons, and there is also a power button, a single USB-C port and a MicroSD card slot.
The screen is a 7-inch IPS LCD touchscreen that offers Full HD resolution with a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz.
The chips offered are Intel Core Ultra 5 and 7 155H, there is 16 GB or 32 GB of RAM and storage via 512 GB or 1 TB NVME M2 SSD. In wireless connectivity, we have Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4.
According to MSI, the new Claw has a performance mode that, even when disconnected from the power source, offers 5% higher performance than that found in competitors that have the AMD Z1 Extreme platform.
Furthermore, the Claw has a 53 watt hour battery to allow between 1 and a half and 2 hours of gaming away from the socket.
A detail that we really liked regarding this portable console is its cooling system, which has two fans to efficiently cool the set.
Furthermore, as the air vents are away from the hands, the user will have a certain comfort when spending long hours holding this device.
The company’s proprietary software is called MSI Center M, but it is an interface that runs on top of Windows 11 or 11 Pro.
In other words, it is here to correct the great difficulty that Windows has in dealing with touch-sensitive displays with such small sizes. In short, it’s basically what ASUS and Lenovo do in their portable consoles.
A curious detail is that the MSI console allows you to play some games developed for Android, but only in-depth tests will tell if this proposal will deliver the necessary fluidity.
MSI Claw
- 7-inch IPS LCD screen with FHD resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate
- Plataforma Intel Core Ultra 5 e 7 155H
- 16 GB or 32 GB of RAM
- 512 GB or 1 TB of internal storage (NVMe M.2 2230 SSD)
- Expandable memory with MicroSD card
- Wi-Fi 7 BE1750, Bluetooth v5.4
- 6-Axis IMU Vibration Motor
- Windows 11 Home / Windows 11 Pro
- Dimensions: 294 x 117 x 21.2 mm
- Weight: 685g
- Black color
Price and availability
With no plans to arrive in Brazil, the ROG Phone 8 starts at R$5,430 in the United States. The ROG Phone 8 Pro costs R$5,924 and the Pro Edition increases this price to the equivalent of R$7,405.
The MSI Claw starts at US$699, around R$3,418 in direct conversion and without considering Brazilian taxes.
- The Asus ROG Phone 8 is not yet available in Brazilian stores. To be notified when it arrives.
- The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro is not yet available in Brazilian stores. To be notified when it arrives.
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