Best gaming Phones In 2022
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.
These are the Best Gaming Phones:
- Asus ROG Phone 5S
- ZTE Nubia RedMagic 6S Pro
- iPhone 13 Pro
- Xiaomi Black Shark 4
- OnePlus 9 Pro
- Samsung Galaxy 21
- iPhone SE (2020)
- 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. ZTE Nubia RedMagic 6S Pro
Best Budget Gaming Phone
The ZTE Nubia RedMagic 6S Pro may not have the same level of polish like some other great gaming phones, but it sure packs a lot of performance into a phone that costs shockingly little. It comes loaded with Snapdragon 888 Plus, which is a chipset powering the best Android phones out there, though this one costs hundreds less. And, this device comes loaded with the features we loved in the Nubia RedMagic 6 including a speedy 165Hz AMOLED display now with an insanely responsive 720Hz touch sample rate and 7.4ms touch response rate perfect for keeping you in the game action.
The 12GB of 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. The Nubia RedMagic 6S Pro also manages to pack in handy shoulder triggers, which can be mapped to on-screen controls, letting you activate buttons you'd normally need to use your thumbs for. This comes in handy when you're trying to walk, aim, and shoot at the same time in FPS games. There really isn’t 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 9 Pro
True Full Screen Mobile Gaming
If you want a great phone with a brilliant display that can still double as a gaming-ready beast, then the OnePlus 9 Pro will be right up your alley. This phone has one of the best-looking displays you'll find on a smartphone, and it provides plenty of space for gaming along with an enhanced touch polling rate in some games. Not only that, but the AMOLED panel actually offers 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 9 Pro has high-performance parts under the hood with a Snapdragon 888 chipset. And, though it's not packed with as much memory as some of its competitors, we've seen it do an impressive job of holding recent apps in memory for fast resumption. The big advantages the OnePlus 9 Pro has over some of the gaming-focused devices are its refined design, elegant software, and superior camera system.
6. Samsung Galaxy S21
Best Everyday Phone for Gaming
For a practical, everyday phone, the Samsung Galaxy S21 is a strong pick. This phone costs $800, but it's just chock full of features. Naturally, as a Samsung flagship, the Galaxy S21 comes running on the latest chipset from Qualcomm, which is the Snapdragon 888 in this case. That gives it a ton of speed for everyday use and more than enough to handle whatever games are thrown at it.
Samsung's screens are also top-notch. Though the screen on the Galaxy S21 is a more compact 6.2 inches (making it a bit more pocket-friendly) it's still a sharp AMOLED display and even offers a variable refresh rate from 48Hz to 120Hz. The phone also comes with a great design that includes water resistance (not always a given on gaming phones) and packs a versatile camera system most gaming phones won't come close to matching.
7. iPhone SE
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 2020 iPhone SE gives you all the performance of the Apple A13 Bionic chipset (the same found in the iPhone 11 Pro), but it costs substantially less than any other iPhone launched this year.
The iPhone SE will let you access the treasure trove of games available on iOS as well as the collection in Apple Arcade. The screen may be a bit on the small side by recent standards and the storage space is limited at 64GB, but there aren't too many other trade-offs otherwise. Pair it with a phone controller and you won't lose the screen space you'd normally be covering with your thumbs.
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 888 platform (or even the Snapdragon 888+) which packs in a load of powerful processing cores and has strong graphics onboard. 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 865 or 855.
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 A14 Bionic in all of the iPhone 12 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 (2020) so compelling with its inclusion of the A13 Bionic chipset at a $400 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.
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