Gaming phones are becoming all the rage these days. This is because of the latest mobile games becoming more sophisticated. Previous mobile games only had simple graphics and game mechanics. But now, mobile games feature heavy graphics and gameplay.
Gaming phones are not an exclusive type of phone. There are gaming phones dedicated to gaming only. But, there are mainstream smartphones that have the specs good enough for a gaming phone.
In this guide, we will look at the best gaming phones to buy this 2021.
ASUS’s ROG Phone 2 is being seen as the ultimate gaming phone. The phone features a huge 1080 x 2340 display. The screen comes with a 120 Hz refresh rate. It runs on an octa-core processor and has a memory that reaches 1 TB. It also has a 6,000 mAh capacity battery. This is enough for the phone to run for two days. The battery is rechargeable using a 30W quick charger. The phone also has side charging and headphone ports and control sensors on the corners.
Pros
- Designed for gaming
- Smooth gameplay experience
- Innovative features
- Good battery life
Cons
- Expensive
- Only excels at gaming
Check out the Asus ROG Phone 2 on Amazon and play your favorite mobile games without experiencing a dip in performance.
This OnePlus phone is not a gaming phone but has features fit for gaming. It has a 1440 x 3120 screen with a 90Hz refresh rate. It runs on an octa-core processor and has a memory of 256 GB. Moreover, it has a 4,000 mAh battery that runs near to 10 hours. Its 30 W charger allows you to recharge your phone even while using it. The phone also features a gaming mode, which allows the phone to focus all its power on running a game.
Pros
- Gaming mode
- Provides good gaming experience
- Useful as a phone
- Can recharge while you play
Cons
- No headphone jack
Check out the One Plus 7 Pro on Amazon and play all your favorite mobile games at maximum performance.
iPhone’s latest phone offers good features suitable for gaming. The phone has a 1242 x 2688 screen. It runs on a hexacore processor with a memory of up to 512 GB. It has a 3,969 mAh battery that runs up to 10 hours. The battery is rechargeable using an 18W charger. The charger is capable of fast charging.
Pros
- Good display
- Good OS
- Easy access to mainstream games
- Useful as a phone aside from gaming
Cons
- Expensive
Check out the iPhone 11 Pro Max today and play all your favorite iOS-exclusive games.
Samsung’s phone promises an excellent gaming experience. It has a 1440 x 3040 AMOLED screen and runs on an octa-core processor. The phone has up to 1 TB of memory. A 4,100 mAh battery runs the phone for up to 12 hours. The battery is rechargeable using a 15W fast charger. It has a headphone jack, a MicroSD slot, and VR support.
Pros
- Good display
- Good specs for gaming
- Smooth gaming experience
Cons
- Expensive
- Slippery design
Check out Samsung’s flagship phone today and play all the games you want at maximum performance.
This phone from Huawei allows for a good gaming experience without spending too much. It has a 1080 x 2340 screen. The phone runs on an octa-core processor. It also has up to 256 GB of memory. A 4,000 mAh battery powers the phone for up to 11 hours. Aside from its gaming features, it has a 48 MP camera that takes clear photos. But, it does not have a socket for headphones. The phone may have an issue with Android support as Huawei is in dispute with Google.
Also Read: 10 Google Play Store Alternatives for Huawei Phones
Pros
- Optimized for gameplay
- Good battery life
- Has useful non-gaming features such as a good camera
- Cheaper than other phones
Cons
- No headphone socket
- Issues with Android support
Check out the Huawei Honor 20 Pro and maximize your budget with a phone that can perform well for its price.
LG’s folding smartphone offers new possibilities for gaming. The phone’s main feature is a folding dual-screen. The screen is 1080 x 2340. The folding screen allows for dedicated touchscreen control. The phone runs on an octa-core processor and has up to 128 GB of memory. It has a 4,000 mAh battery capable of running near to 11 hours. The phone also has a MicroSD slot and a headphone jack.
Pros
- Folding dual screen allows for dedicated touchscreen control
- Separate screens for gameplay and controls
Cons
- Foldable dual-screen making the phone bulky
Check out the LG G8X ThinQ and play your favorite games using the two foldable screens.
Razer Phone 2 is a smartphone that is definitely built for gaming. The phone uses a simple block-like design. It has a 1440 x 2560 screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate. It also has a 64 GB memory that runs on an octa-core processor. The phone runs on a 4,000 mAh battery that lasts up to 10 hours. It also features a front-facing speaker but lacks a headphone jack.
Pros
- Features built for gaming
- Specs optimized for smooth gameplay
- Lower price than other phones
Cons
- No headphone jack
- Only excels as a gaming phone
Check out this gadget from Razer and experience a high-quality mobile gaming experience.
Xiaomi’s gaming phone is an affordable option for a good mobile gaming experience. It has a 1080 x 2160 screen. The phone runs on an octa-core processor with up to 64 GB of memory. Its 4,000 mAh battery is capable of running up to more than 12 hours. The phone features a gaming mode. This mode allows for easy access to games and enhanced gameplay performance.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Gaming optimized mode
- Affordable
Cons
- Not easy to find in stores
- Lacks US warranty and compatibility with some networks
- No microSD
- No headphone jack
Check out the Xiaomi Black Shark and get a high-quality gaming phone without paying more than $300!
Sony’s gaming phone offers a quality gaming experience for an affordable price. It has a 1080 x 2160 HDR screen. An octa-core processor powers the phone. The phone has up to 64 GB and has a slot for a MicroSD. It also has a 3,180 mAh battery that is capable of running for a whole day. The phone features front-facing stereo speakers and haptic feedback.
Pros
- Long hours of gaming
- Good display
- Stereo audio
- Haptic feedback
- Budget gaming phone
Cons
- No headphone jack
- Only works as a gaming phone
Check out this phone today and experience Haptic feedback while playing mobile games.
This phone from Google provides the full Android touch to your gaming experience. It features a 1440 x 2960 OLED display. An octa-core processor powers the phone which has up to 128 GB memory. The phone has a 3,430 mAh battery capable of running for up to 9 hours. It also features stereo speakers but lacks a headphone jack. As a Google phone, it has easy access to Android updates and the Stadia game streaming platform.
Pros
- Good display
- Access to Android updates
- Access to Stadia
Cons
- No headphone jacks
Check out the Google Pixel 3 XL and get access to Stadia and other features.
This Huawei phone is more known for its camera. But, it does have features that are good enough for gaming. It has a 1080 x 2340 OLED display. The phone has an octa-core processor, as well as a 512 GB memory. It can run for a day or two with its 4,200 mAh battery. Aside from this, its most notable feature is its 40 MP main camera and 32 MP selfie camera.
Pros
- Smooth gameplay performance
- Long-lasting battery
- Fast charging
Cons
- More known for its cameras
Check out the Huawei P30 Pro for a fast charging gaming phone that also has an excellent camera.
The iPhone XR is a cheap Apple alternative that offers a good gaming experience. The phone has an 828 x 1792 LCD screen. It uses a hexa-core processor and has up to 256 GB of memory. A 2,942 mAh battery powers the phone up to 10 hours. The phone offers iPhone XS features for a cheaper price. It also has access to a stable and optimized gaming experience through the use of iOS.
Pros
- iPhone XS features for a cheaper price
- Optimized gaming experience
Cons
- Screen a downgrade compared with iPhone XS screen
Check out the iPhone XR today and play all your favorite iOS-exclusive games on the go.
Nokia 6.1
Nokia 6.1 provides a very cheap option for a gaming phone. The phone has a 1080 x 1920 display. It also has an octa-core processor with up to 64 GB memory. It runs on a 3,000 mAh battery capable of lasting up to 10 hours. But, it has low RAM. This could mean issues whenever you run a game on this phone.
Pros
- Cheap phone that allows for decent gaming experience
Cons
- Lower specs
- Less RAM means gaming issues
Check out the Nokia 6.1 and experience a decent gaming experience while sticking to your budget.
This Sony phone gives the best gaming display among gaming phones. Like the Xperia XZ2, its design is for the improvement of the gaming experience. It has a 1080 x 1920 OLED display. An octa-core processor powers the phone which has up to 64 GB of memory. The phone has a 3,000 mAh battery that has a life of 10 hours. It has a stereo speaker, a game enhancer mode, and haptic feedback.
Pros
- Good display
- Stereo speakers
- Haptic feedback
- MicroSD
Cons
- No headphone jack
Check out the Xperia 1 today and enjoy a gaming phone with a good display and haptic feedback features.
The Black Shark 2 is a budget gaming phone from Xiaomi. It has a 1080 x 2340 AMOLED screen. An octa-core processor powers the phone, which has up to 256 GB of memory. The 4,000 mAh battery can make the phone run for up to 12 hours. While the phone has a low touch latency, it is still known for having some gaming issues. Also, as this is a Xiaomi phone, it could prove difficult to find the phone in stores.
Pros
- Specs good for gaming
- Good display
- Responsive touch input
Cons
- Not easy to find in stores
Check out the Xiaomi Black Shark 2 today and enjoy responsive touch input that can give you an advantage!
What Is a Gaming Phone?
Gaming phones are phones capable of running mobile games. These phones are usually smartphones, a kind of phone capable of multi-purpose use.
Usually, gaming phones have an excellent display, touch screen, mobile processor, and battery. These are the usual relevant features for a good gaming experience. There are some gaming phones built only for the intention of gaming. But, there are a lot of standard smartphones considered as gaming phones.
What to Consider When Buying a Gaming Phone
The things to consider in buying gaming phones focus on mobile gaming performance. Running a game on a phone involves a lot of power. It also involves the need for features optimized for gaming.
Gaming Phone Display
The display is important in mobile gaming. You need a good display to play a game on your phone. Usually, bigger displays are good for gaming. One of the reasons for this rule is that a mobile game’s controls and display share the same screen.
But, there are gaming phones that offer dual screens. These dual screens allow for controls to be on one screen and for the game screen to be on another. But you need to watch out if a phone’s dual-screen would have input issues. Input issues can lead to a game being not responsive to your phone.
Processor
Another important thing to look for is a gaming phone’s processor. Having a large display is useless if your phone’s processor cannot run your game. More processing power means that games would run smoothly on your phone. Gaming phones these days use octa-core processors. This means that it makes use of eight processing cores to make task processing easy.
Memory
Memory is important as mobile games are becoming more complex these days. It is important to look at a phone’s read-only memory (ROM) and random access memory (RAM). ROM refers to internal data storage while RAM refers to temporary data storage. High ROM allows for games that have heavy graphics to install on your phone. High RAM allows for faster data processing during gameplay.
Battery
Running a game on a phone takes a lot of battery power. You need more power to have the processor and memory running when playing a game. A 4,000 mAh battery can handle the demands of mobile gaming. A fast charger is also recommended. This is for when your battery power is running out. This is to allow you to return to your game as soon as possible when your battery finally goes down.
Other Features
Check out if your gaming phone has other useful features. See if it has speaker options that fit your needs as well as a headphone jack. Also check if the phone has special features for temperature control. You will need this as it can get hot while gaming.
Further, you may also take a look at the phone’s design. Check if it fits your gaming preferences. You would also want to look for other features fit for gaming. These include controls and haptic feedback. It is also a plus if your gaming phone can also be useful for other things such as calls, text, social media, and browsing.
