Finding the best gaming phone is like trying to explain to your parents why you can’t pause an online game. Jokes apart, navigating through the digital minefield of bizarre options out there as you just look for a gaming phone that can handle all your games without going bankrupt. Decoding the hype beneath all those fancy RGBs, technical jargon, and confusing processor names is a challenge in itself. We have shortlisted the best gaming phones out there so you can pick one based on your budget and use case without selling your kidney.
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Things to Consider Before Choosing a Gaming Phone
Here are a few things to keep in mind before purchasing a gaming phone:
- Processor: As games become more graphically intensive and demanding than before, you should pick a phone with the latest flagship chipset. Phones powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite, Apple A18 Pro, or the MediaTek Dimensity 9400 (we compare all three here) can handle any game out there. Even if you opt for last year’s flagship chipset like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, you won’t be missing out on performance much. This is the most important consideration when buying a good processor that can ensure consistent frame rates and help you get the best graphics out there.
- Display: Another aspect worth considering is the display of the phone. A flat display might not be the most visually appealing but it’s the one best suited for gaming. A curved or curved screen might seem lucrative but it can lead to accidental touches which might ruin your gaming experience. Make sure to also check other display parameters such as the refresh rate, touch sampling rate, panel type and resolution. A higher refresh rate such as 120Hz will ultimately result in a smoother gaming experience. Similarly, a display with a faster touch sampling rate will ensure that it can register your touch inputs quicker so it can execute those commands faster. While a bigger display might offer an immersive experience, it isn’t ideal for those with smaller hands or those looking for a compact phone so choose your phone’s size wisely.
- Cooling System: Just like a good sports car needs great aerodynamics, a gaming phone requires an efficient thermal management system. As phones become more powerful, they generate more heat resulting in performance throttling. A good thermal management system ensures that the phone does not get uncomfortably warm or drastically sees performance drops during intense gaming sessions. Most phones have a vapour or graphite cooling chamber with some like the Nubia Red Magic 10 Pro opting for a dedicated cooling fan.
- Battery: A gaming phone is only useful if it can last until the end of your gaming sessions. If you play all day then you should opt for phones with a massive battery. With OEMs opting for newer technologies like Silicon Carbon, phones now have bigger and denser batteries often up to 6000 mAh without affecting their thickness or bulk.
- Charging Speed: The bigger the battery, the longer it will take to charge it. While Apple and Samsung have been stuck at 45W charging for years, most Chinese manufacturers offer 80W-100W charging speeds. This means you can fully charge your device within an hour.
- Software and Gaming Features: Just like a sports car needs a skilled driver to make the most out of it, a gaming phone needs to have great software underneath it. In today’s age, software optimization is equally important as hardware. Apart from the basic choice of going with Android or iOS, you need to consider things like long-term software updates, gaming features, and optimization. If your phone gets at least 4-5 years of support, you don’t have to worry about it becoming outdated anytime soon. Similarly, having useful and not gimmicky gaming and AI features can enhance your overall experience.
- Price to Performance Ratio: Last but not least, you need to consider the gaming phone’s price. Consider the price-to-performance ratio of the smartphone. While a flagship phone will offer the fancy bells and whistles, it might not be the most value for money. So you need to find the phone that offers the best balance between price and performance without a lot of compromises.
Best Overall Gaming Phone: ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro
- Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite
- RAM: Up to 24 GB LPDDR5X
- Storage: Up to 1 TB UFS 4.0
- Display: 6.78” E6 AMOLED, up to 185 Hz refresh rate, 720 Hz touch sampling rate
- Battery: 5800 mAh, 65W HyperCharge, 15W wireless charging
- Main Camera: 50 MP
- Front Camera: 32 MP
- Water/Dust Resistance: IP68
- Special Features: AirTriggers, advanced cooling system, AniMe Vision display, 2 USB-C ports
- Price: Starting at $1,199.99
Want the ultimate gaming phone that offers the best performance possible? The ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro is the one for you. Powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, it has an advanced cooling system with a massive graphite cooling chamber and there is also AeroActive Cooler X Pro for sustained gaming performance. You can configure it with up to 24GB of RAM and 1TB of internal storage.
With dedicated AirTriggers for gaming and AI features with ASUS Armoury Crate, you can be at the top of your game every time. To complete the game aesthetics, there’s an AniMe Vision display on the back with 648 customizable mini LEDs that can be personalized with various patterns. ASUS’s wide range of accessories includes the ROG Chill case for cooling and the ROG Tessen mobile controller
Reasons to buy:
- Super smooth 185Hz refresh rate
- Pressure sensitive AirTriggers
- Latest Snapdragon 8 Elite
- Dedicated AI gaming features
- 5,800mAh battery
- 2 USB-C port with passthrough charging support
Reasons to skip:
- Only 2 years of OS updates
- Average camera
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Most Unique Gaming Phone: Nubia Red Magic 10 Pro
- Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite
- RAM: Up to 24GB
- Storage: Up to 1TB
- Display: 6.85″ AMOLED, 144Hz refresh rate
- Battery: 7050mAh
- Main Camera: 50MP
- Front Camera: 16MP
- Special Features: Built-in cooling fan, gaming software, touch triggers
- Price: Starting at $749
Perhaps the most unique and rather interesting alternative to the ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro is the Nubia Red Magic 10 Pro. Just like its crazy looks, it has equally mind-boggling specifications to match. You get a massive 6.85-inch Full-HD+ display with a 144Hz refresh rate. But what sets this display apart is the under-display front-facing camera which combined with the thin bezels results in an immersive viewing experience.
There’s a proprietary ICE-X cooling system with liquid metal for thermal conductivity. Oh, and there’s a built-in fan running at 23,000 RPM with RGB to ensure sustained peak performance. To ensure that your gaming sessions never end, there’s a massive 7,050mAh battery with 100W fast charging. The best part? It’s significantly cheaper than other gaming phones like the ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro.
Reasons to buy:
- Powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite processor
- Cool transparent design
- Massive display with under-display cameras
- Dedicated cooling fan for peak sustained performance
- Touch triggers similar to ROG Phone 9 Pro
- Huge 7,050mAh battery
- Superfast 100W charging
- Upto 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage
Reasons to skip:
- Software isn’t even close to the competition
- Translation issues in UI as some things are still in Chinese
- Mediocre cameras
- .Only 1 OS update promised
Best Foldable Gaming Phone: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
- Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
- Display: 7.6″ Inner AMOLED (120Hz), 6.3″ Outer AMOLED (120Hz)
- Battery: 4400 mAh
- Main Rear Camera: 50MP
- Front Camera: 10MP (Outer), 4MP (Inner)
- Special Features: Foldable screen, multi-window support, S Pen support
- Price: Starting at $1,599.99 (256GB)
If you want a gaming and productivity beast, consider the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6. This foldable phone is perfect for juggling between your multitasking and gaming needs. After all, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Thanks to the 7.6-inch inner screen, you get a canvas that is bigger than any phone and closer to an iPad mini. Powered by last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, it still has enough power to run any game out there.
The inner screen has a taller aspect ratio compared to the Z Fold 6. It even works with S Pen (that you need to purchase separately) so you can enjoy casual games like Candy Crush with precision. So whether you are looking to trade stocks and play games at the same time or enjoy multiplayer titles like Monopoly with your friends, having a bigger screen makes all the sense in the world. Samsung’s software remains unmatched on Android and it is the only company that can match Apple’s tightly integrated ecosystem.
Reasons to buy;
- Masssive screen, bigger than any phone available
- S-Pen support for productivity.
- 7 years of software updates
- Unique form factor with dual displays
Reasons to skip:
- Crease is noticeable and can ruin your gaming sessions
- Not all games are optimized for the square aspect ratio
- Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 isn’t the most powerful out there
Best Samsung Phone for Gaming: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
- Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
- Display: 6.9″ Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
- Battery: 5000 mAh, 45W charging
- Main Camera: 200MP
- Front Camera: 12MP
- Water/Dust Resistance: IP68
- Special Features: Powerful AI features, versatile cameras, S Pen support (reduced functionality)
- Price: Starting at $1,299
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is the reigning king of Android and the jack of all trades. Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, it’s a custom version of the processor with higher clock speeds. This makes it the most powerful Samsung phone you can buy right now. The 6.9-inch QHD+ display is perfect for gaming due to its flat nature. The bezels are thinner than before and you get rounded corners which makes it slightly ergonomic.
The new larger vapor cooling chamber should also help in heat management ensuring your enemies get warm on the battlefield but your hands don’t. Thanks to Samsung’s ProScaler technology, you can upscale older gamers to take advantage of the Quad HD+ screen. You also get S-Pen built-in unlike the Z Fold 6 so you can also annotate or draw things on the go. While the 5,000mAh battery is the same as last year, the efficiency gains with 8 Elite make it last longer than before.
Reasons to buy:
- Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
- S-Pen built-in
- Versatile quad camera setup
- 7 years of OS updates
- Great battery backup
Reasons to skip:
- Not many changes over the S24 Ultra
- No Silicon Carbon battery
Best iPhone for Gaming: Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
- Processor: Apple A18 Pro
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB
- Display: 6.9″ Super Retina XDR, 120Hz ProMotion
- Battery: Approximately 4685 mAh (unofficial), up to 29 hours of video playback
- Main Camera: 48 MP
- Front Camera: 12 MP
- Water/Dust Resistance: IP68
- Special Features: Optimized iOS ecosystem, excellent video features, AAA games support
- Price: Starting at $1,199
For those invested in the Apple ecosystem or simply looking for the best iPhone for gaming, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is the best gaming phone out there. It has the biggest screen on an iPhone measuring at 6.9-inches with a 120Hz ProMotion. Unlike the base models which are still stuck at 60Hz, you can enjoy 120Hz gaming on the Pro models. And if the Pro Max feels too huge, you can always opt for the smaller iPhone 16 Pro.
Both are powered by the A18 Pro chipset which can play console games like AC Mirage, Death Stranding, and Resident Evil Village with a breeze. If you are not into AAA games, you can opt for some fun indie titles from Apple’s Arcade subscription. The best part? Most games on iPhone are optimized really well so you can enjoy Genshin Impact at 120 FPS which you simply can’t on Android. The iPhone 16 Pro Max also has the longest battery on an iPhone so your opponents will run outof juice before your phone does. Some other features include the Camera Control button, Apple Intelligence support, and superfast charging.
Reasons to buy:
- Powerful A18 Pro chipset
- AAA games like AC Mirage and Resident Evil Village
- Next level game optimization-Genshin Impact at 120 FPS.
- Camera Control button
- Longest battery on an iPhone
- Biggest screen on an iPhone
Reasons to skip:
- Too bulky and hefty design
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Best Budget Gaming Phone: OnePlus 13R
- Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 256GB UFS 4.0
- Display: 6.78-inch 1.5K ProXDR, 1-120 Hz dynamic refresh rate
- Battery: 6,000 mAh, 55W SUPERVOOC charging (up to 80W supported)
- Main Camera: 50MP
- Front Camera: 16MP
- Water/Dust Resistance: IP65
- Special Features: Hyperboost Game Engine, Alert Slider
- Price: $599.99
Last but not least is the OnePlus 13R which offers the best price-to-performance ratio. It uses last year’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the same processor as the Z Fold 6 for one-third of its price. Also, unlike the more expensive OnePlus 13, you get a completely flat 6.78-inch display making it ideal for playing games. There is a massive 9925mm two-layer vapour cooling chamber to dissipate heat.
The HyperBoost gaming modes can reduce latency, manage temperature, and also show real-time FPS. And yes, there’s UFS 4.0 storage this time (IFYKYK) with 12GB of RAM as standard. With support for 120 FPS in BGMI and Aqua Touch, you can even use the phone with wet fingers. OxygenOS 15 is pretty refined and one of the smoothest software skins out there. The 6,000mAh battery is just the icing on top and there’s 80W fast charging support. Overall, if you want the best bang for your buck, the OnePlus 13R is the best gaming phone you can purchase.
Reasons to buy:
- Powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor
- Flat display with 120Hz refresh rate
- Massive 6,000mAh battery
- 80W SUPERVOOC charging
- Telephoto lens
Reasons to skip:
- No wireless charging
- Lithium-ion instead of silicon carbon battery
Specs Table of All Gaming Phones
| Feature | OnePlus 13R | ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro | Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max | Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra | RedMagic 10 Pro | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 | OnePlus Open |
| Lowest Price (USD) | $599.99 | $1,199.99 | $1,199 | $1,299 | $749 | $1,599.99 | $1,699.99 |
| Operating System | Android 15 | Android 15 | iOS 18 | Android 15 | Android 15 | Android 14 | Android 13 |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Snapdragon 8 Elite | Apple A18 Pro | Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy | Snapdragon 8 Elite | Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy | Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 |
| RAM (Base) | 12GB | 16GB | 8GB | 12GB | 12GB | 12GB | 16GB |
| Storage (Base) | 256GB | 512GB | 256GB | 256GB | 256GB | 256GB | 512GB |
| Display Size | 6.78″ | 6.78″ | 6.9″ | 6.9″ | 6.85″ | 7.6″ (Inner) / 6.3″ (Outer) | 7.8″ (Inner) / 6.3″ (Outer) |
| Display Refresh Rate | 120Hz | Up to 185Hz | 120Hz | 120Hz | 144Hz | 120Hz | 120Hz |
| Battery Capacity | 6000 mAh | 5800 mAh | 4685 mAh (Unofficial) | 5000 mAh | 7050 mAh | 4400 mAh | 4805 mAh |
| Main Rear Camera | 50MP | 50MP | 48MP | 200MP | 50MP | 50MP | 48MP |
| Special Gaming Features | Hyperboost Game Engine | AirTriggers, Advanced Cooling, AniMe Vision, Gaming Modes | Optimized iOS Ecosystem | Game Booster Mode | Built-in Cooling Fan, Gaming Modes, Touch Triggers | Foldable Screen, Multi-Window Support | Foldable Screen, Multi-Window Support |
