There has never been a better time to turn to our phones for gaming. Their screens are bigger and brighter than ever, and more and more of them are offering fast refresh rates on the display for smoother visuals. The power inside the best gaming phones also make them as capable as ever at running popular mobile games locally while 5G connectivity and faster Wi-Fi 6 improves the experience on the ever-improving cloud gaming services, including Nvidia GeForce Now and Xbox Game Pass.
The market for gaming phones is also getting extra spicy. It’s not just brands known for making gaming gear like Asus that are churning out compelling options, so you won’t be limited to just over-the-top, sometimes gaudy gaming phones to get a smartphone capable of offering a compelling gaming experience. We’ve rounded up our top picks of high-performance gaming smartphones that will give you the best chance of getting to the top of the scoreboard whether you’re on iOS or Android.
TL;DR – These are the Best Gaming Phones:
- Asus ROG Phone 5S
- Nubia RedMagic 7
- iPhone 13 Pro
- Xiaomi Black Shark 4
- OnePlus 10 Pro
- Samsung Galaxy 22
- iPhone SE (2022)
- Sony Xperia 5 III
1. Asus ROG Phone 5S
Best Gaming Phone
If you’re ready for some next-level mobile gaming, the Asus ROG Phone 5S will blow you away. This device takes the already great Asus ROG Phone 5 and packs it with even more power. You’re still getting a whopping 16GB of RAM, but it now comes running on the Snapdragon 888 Plus chipset to boost its performance a little further. It's also loaded up with 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage. We struggle to imagine a situation where that's not enough memory for mobile multitasking and storage for the biggest mobile game library.
All that brawn is going to driving the 6.78-inch AMOLED display at serious speeds – we're talking 144Hz. While that's plenty of screen space to let you use the improved 360Hz touch sample rate with the on-screen controls and still see your games, you don't have to. This phone includes ultrasonic side buttons that can detect taps to simulate triggers or even detect swipes. And, the phone's motion sensors can be used to enable special gesture controls that will register phone movements. The Asus ROG Phone 5S may be marketed as a gaming phone, but you’ll love it for streaming movies or scrolling through TikTok, too, thanks to its solid stereo speakers and bright display.
2. Nubia RedMagic 7
Best Budget Gaming Phone
The Nubia RedMagic 7 packs a lot of performance prowess. It’s loaded with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which is a chipset powering the best Android phones out there, though the phone manages to cost hundreds less. Using this CPU, the device runs faster and uses less power than the Nubia RedMagic 6. All that capability is put behind a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a speedy 165Hz refresh rate. It also offers an insanely responsive 720Hz multi-touch sample rate perfect for keeping you in the game’s action.
There’s a whole lot more the Nubia RedMagic 7 offers for gamers, including handy touch-sensitive shoulder triggers. These can be mapped to on-screen controls, letting you activate buttons you'd normally need to use your thumbs for. When you're attempting to walk, aim, and shoot at the same time in FPS games, they can be super helpful. Plus, the 12GB memory and 128GB of storage help the phone handle whatever you can throw at it. There's even active cooling built-in to help ensure clock speeds stay high. It’s hard to find much to dislike about this phone other than it’s a bit bulky and the battery life could always be improved. So, if you’re in the market for a gaming phone, this is an excellent, affordable option.
3. iPhone 13 Pro
Best iPhone for Gaming
With the plethora of games on iOS, you can't be blamed for wanting the best iPhone to play them on. Apple’s latest iPhone 13 Pro is the one you’ll want. It improves upon last year’s already impressive iPhone 12 Pro. Most notably, the new A15 Bionic processor provides the phone with an additional GPU core, which helps to power the new 120Hz ProMotion display–this makes for smoother scrolling on par with some of the impressive Androids on our list. The 6.1-inch all-screen OLED display provides plenty of room to play the impressive amount of games offered in Apple Arcade.
The support of 5G means that you can still get into some cloud gaming if you don’t have Wi-Fi access. Also, a minimum of 128GB of storage is standard on the phone, but it can go up to an excessive 1TB, so you have plenty of space to save games. If you still aren’t sold on the iPhone 13 Pro, the stunning cameras, longer battery life, and improved MagSafe charging may justify the splurge.
4. Xiaomi Black Shark 4
Made to Game
The Xiaomi Black Shark 4 isn't bred for excess in quite the same way as some of its competitors, but it is certainly bred for excellence among the field of $500 smartphones. The Snapdragon 870 chipset inside may not be a top performer like the Snapdragon 888, but it is no slouch and only lags a little bit behind. Since most mobile games can run on even modest chipsets, this won't likely be an issue anytime soon.
The Black Shark 4 still packs in 8GB of memory and 128GB of fast UFS 3.1 storage. And, its display is just as ready for gaming as the competitors with a sharp, AMOLED panel that can run at 144Hz. The phone also comes with something special in the form of its two magnetic, pop-up triggers. Unlike the touch controls on many competing phones, the Black Shark 4 has physical shoulder buttons that you actually get to push down. They feel great to use, and they can recess back into the phone when you're not using them. Xiaomi also gets bonus points for letting you use the shoulder buttons as camera controls in the camera app.
5. OnePlus 10 Pro
True Full Screen Mobile Gaming
If you want a great phone with a brilliant display that doubles as a gaming-ready beast, then the OnePlus 10 Pro is right up your alley. The OnePlus 9 Pro offers one of the best-looking displays on a smartphone, and this latest model continues the tradition. A 6.7-inch QHD+ display provides plenty of space for gaming along with an enhanced touch polling rate in some games. This AMOLED panel manages an adaptive refresh rate from 1Hz up to 120Hz, giving you smooth gaming when you need it and battery savings when you don't.
The OnePlus 10 Pro packs plenty of high-performance parts under the hood including one of the best mobile CPUs on the market, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. This provides plenty of oomph to cruise through all your favorite mobile games. And, the 5,000mAh battery ensures you get loads of on-the-go game time. But if you find its juice running low, a 65W fast charging option gets your phone ready to take on the day in just 15 minutes. The OnePlus 10 Pro also has a few more advantages over some of the more gaming-focused phones like its refined design, elegant software, and superior camera system.
6. Samsung Galaxy S22
Best Everyday Phone for Gaming
For a practical, everyday phone, the Samsung Galaxy S22 is a strong pick making some slight improvements to last year’s Galaxy S21. This phone starts at just $700, but it's just chock full of features for gaming and beyond. As a Samsung flagship, it comes running on the latest chipset from Qualcomm, which is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 in this case. You also get 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. That provides this smartphone with plenty of speed for everyday use and more than enough power to handle whatever games are thrown at it.
Samsung has also improved upon its screens with the Galaxy S22 lineup. You get a bright, 6.1-inch AMOLED display that offers an adaptive refresh rate from 48Hz to 120Hz. This allows for some pleasant tear-free gaming. And, a versatile camera system is on board, which most gaming phones can’t come close to matching. The only thing it’s lacking is an impressive battery life, otherwise, this is a perfectly capable multipurpose phone.
7. iPhone SE (2022)
Best Budget iPhone for Gaming
You can actually get a fairly strong gaming experience without having to fork out for the most expensive iPhone. The recently released third-gen iPhone SE offers tons of performance prowess thanks to the incredibly fluid A15 bionic chip powering it, yet it still manages a $429 price tag that’s hard to beat. And, since it’s running on iOS, you get access to a treasure trove of games not found on Andriod as well as the collection in Apple Arcade.
To be honest, the screen on the iPhone SE definitely lacks some luster. It’s only 4.7-inches with thick bezels matching the specs of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8. If you’re afraid of using too much screen space when gaming, though, pair it with a phone controller to reveal more of the display. There is also limited storage with only 64GB, however, you can go up to 256GB. Cloud gaming is an easy solution to this issue, especially with the phone's support of 5G when not connected to Wi-Fi.
8. Sony Xperia 5 III
Best Ultrawide Gaming Phone
The aspect ratio on most phones is 16:9, but the Sony Xperia 5 III switches that up thanks to its 21:9 display. This makes it one of the only phones out there providing these dimensions, which allows for the ultrawide, 6.1inch OLED display. If you find that your thumbs get in the way of visuals, this design helps keep them further away from the center of the gaming action.
Aside from the unorthodox display ratio, a 120Hz refresh rate means smooth scrolling and a 240Hz touch polling rate makes for a quick response to your finger taps and swipes. A special gaming feature lets a wired power connection skip past the battery and power the internals directly, so you can keep playing while holding the temperature down. And when not plugged in, the Sony Xperia 5 III should last the entire day even with a good amount of usage. Other features including a Snapdragon 888 processor, 240Hz motion blur reduction, and custom display and audio settings, make the Sony Xperia III a game-winning ultrawide phone.
What to Look for in a Gaming Phone
Choosing the right gaming phone is a little different than finding the best smartphone. With regular phones, you might be more interested in battery life, the cameras, and a plethora of other specs, but the best gaming phones are all about their screens and processors with everything else being less important. You also rarely need to worry about the battery on a gaming phone, as most pack in some of the biggest smartphone batteries you’ll find.
With that in mind, we’ll start with the processors. Generally, you’re going to get a better gaming experience out of the latest and greatest processor that’s on the market when you’re shopping. At the moment, Android phones will find that in the form of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 which packs in a load of powerful processing cores and has strong graphics on board. That said, if you’re on a budget, Qualcomm’s highest-tier chipsets tend to offer so much power you might not even take full advantage of it, so you shouldn’t feel too shy about seeking out a phone with an earlier chipset like the Snapdragon 888 or 865.
For iPhones, Apple makes its own chipsets, and they are extremely powerful. Again, you'll want to stick with the latest iteration for the absolute best performance, and that’ll always be found in the newest iPhone. At present, that's the A15 Bionic in all of the iPhone 13 models from the mini up to the Pro Max. This is another case where there’s still plenty of power in previous-generation chipsets, which is part of what makes Apple’s iPhone SE (2022) so compelling with its inclusion of the A15 Bionic chipset at a $429 price point.
In terms of displays, you should pick out anything that’s a step up from your average phone screen. Often, smartphones made for gaming will feature a display with a refresh rate greater than 60Hz. 90Hz is a good start for extra fluidity, but we’re seeing the top gaming phones start to go to 120Hz and beyond. Some displays are even offering variable refresh rates that can let you take advantage of power savings while you’re not gaming. Faster touch sampling rates on displays are also starting to take off, so it may be a spec to keep in mind when comparison shopping. With many gaming phones adding in shoulder buttons, it may not just be the screen you should look at when thinking about the gaming interface.
That's everything you need to know about gaming phones for now. We'll be updating this list periodically, especially as even more brands are entering the foray with phones that are especially well suited to gaming.
Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam
Mark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark
