Alongside the launch of Qualcomm's latest and greatest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC, Asus sent out some very early prototypes of its upcoming gaming handset, the ROG Phone 6.

Among those lucky enough to get their mitts on the new handset were Android Central and Youtuber Dave2D.

Both were barred from sharing any information about the device's software features, and the rear camera module was replaced with a slab of black glass, but we still got to learn a fair bit about the Android gaming monster.

Firstly, although the camera module is blacked out, we can see that it's a fairly dramatic change from the ROG Phone 5. It's a much larger module, that will, hopefully, bring some welcome improvements to the ROG Phone 5's adequate but uninspiring camera array.

The design of the phone is pretty striking too, it carries over some of the design cues of its predecessors, but adds a semi-transparent rear panel that shows off some of the phone's internals. It's also got the word 'Dare' emblazoned across the back, which we're not sure will prove so popular.

The dual USB-C ports are here to stay, as is the headphone jack. This time, though, it would seem Asus is going for a sealed design with no exposed cooling grilles, and a rubber gasket on the SIM card tray hints at a degree of waterproofing.

Asus ROG Phone 6 prototype reveals performance info and design updates photo 2

Of course, the most exciting part about the ROG Phone 6 is that it is powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 - meaning it should be one of the most powerful Android phones in the world.

Android Central was able to benchmark the device and, unsurprisingly, it beats out all previous generation phones. The only thing to beat it was the iPhone 13 Pro series, which manages a marginally higher score in the 3DMark Wild Life Extreme test.

Unfortunately, the increased efficiency offered by Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 wasn't able to be tested, and the longer battery life offered by this handset may turn out to be one of its killer features.

There's still no word on when the ROG Phone 6 will be released, but we'll be keeping our ears to the ground.