Chinese Version Vs International Version

[shaw38]

I’m going to buy an ROG phone 8, and it’s the Chinese version because it’s cheaper in my region. I want to know if there are any downsides or things I should look out for on the Chinese version and how it’s different from the international version of the phone.

[mickey10021]

Quite a lot. The main thing are

• Very few languages (Chinese and English)
• Wifi channel doesn't support channel 100 - 144 for 5 ghz so you can't connect on some networks
• Notification may not work on some apps. This is due to China policy

None of these will be an issue on global version

Do note that if you buy the global rom on Tencent model, the OTA update will not work and you have to update manually 

[MariooB87]

If you buy the Tencent version but with global ROM, you won't notice the difference except for the logo on the back of the phone. And only manual updates.

[BPM]

Another issue with going with the Chinese model versus the global model is going to be the supported network bands . Global versus each regional model (China, US, etc) have different network bands supported for the intended market.

Take the US for example: https://www.kimovil.com/en/frequency-checker/US/asus-rog-phone-8

I'm using T-Mobile in the US. The US model supports all of T-Mobile's 4G and 5G bands (minus mmWave; but I kinda think mmWave is pointless). The Global model is missing one 4G and one 5G band, and the Chinese model is missing three 4G and three 5G bands.

Before switching to the ROG Phone 8, I was previously using the ROG Phone 3. I didn't realize I had purchased the global model instead of the US model (just like the 8, the global 3 also lacked band B71/n71). As a result, there were a lot of spots where I had bad/no signal. But my 8 is the US model, so I haven't had any connection issues anymore.

I'm not sure what country you're from, but I'd recommend to use that link, switch to your country, and make sure most/all of your carrier's bands are supported.

[Mattias_ASUS]

Another thing to have in consideration @shaw38 is that the Tencent versions do NOT have any warranty outside of China, if something happens then the Service Center might not be able to help.