The smartphone gaming industry has grown exponentially in the past few years. Games like PUBG Mobile, Asphalt 9, and Mortal Combat X have given a great push to this industry. We can play games on almost any smartphone. That said, playing games on a gaming smartphone is a more enjoyable experience. So in no particular order, these are best smartphones that you can buy right now for playing games.
Best Gaming Smartphones
1. Asus ROG Phone 2
The first and possibly the most powerful gaming smartphone on the list is Asus ROG Phone 2. This gaming smartphone sports an AMOLED display with a 120HZ refresh rate. The high refresh rate on this smartphone makes the gaming experience buttery smooth.
Best Gaming Smartphones1. Asus ROG Phone 2 2. Xiaomi Black Shark 23. Nubia Red Magic 34. Razer Phone 25. OnePlus 7 Pro
The ROG Phone 2 packs powerful internals coupled with advanced cooling solutions. This gaming smartphone is powered by the new Snapdragon 855 Plus processor. Furthermore, this smartphone comes with 12GB of RAM coupled with 512GB storage.
Asus ROG Phone 2 Specifications
6.59-inch Full HD+ 120Hz OLED HDR display with a resolution of 2340 × 1080 pixels, 10-bit HDR, Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection Octa-Core Snapdragon 855 Plus 7nm Processor 675MHz Adreno 640 GPU 12GB LPDDR4x RAM 512GB (UFS 3.0) storage Android 9.0 (Pie) with ROG UI custom skin Dual SIM (nano + nano) 48MP rear camera with 1/2µm Sony IMX586 sensor, 0.8µm pixel size, f/1.79 aperture, up to 4K 60fps video recording, 13MP 125° ultra-wide camera 24MP front-facing camera Dual front-facing 5-magnet speakers with dual smart amplifier,3.5mm audio jack, Hi-Res audio, DTS Headphone:X 7.1 virtual surround sound for headphone, Quad mics with noise-cancellation In-display fingerprint sensor Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11ac dual-band (2×2 MU-MIMO ) / 802.11ad 60GHz, Bluetooth 5, GPS/GLONASS/Beidou, Galileo(E1+E5a), QZSS(L1+L5), USB Type-C, NFC 6000mAh battery with 10V 3A 30W HyperCharge fast charging, supports up to 30W QC4.0 / PD3.0 / Direct Charge adapter
Asus has designed this smartphone for hardcore gamers. Consequently, ROG Phone 2 supports many first-party accessories like AeroActive Cooler II, Aero Case, TwinView Dock II, ROG Kunai Gamepad, Mobile Desktop Dock, Pro Dock, and many more. ASUS has included four microphones on this smartphone which makes it a capable streaming device.
Overall, ROG Phone 2 is a feature-rich gaming smartphone and the global variant will be launched by the first week of September.
2. Xiaomi Black Shark 2
The next best smartphone for gaming is Xiaomi’s Black Shark 2. This gaming smartphone sports a well-constructed body with LED strips on its back and it can easily sustain rough usage. Similar to ROG Phone Xiaomi also offers many different accessories to improve the gaming experience on this smartphone. The Black Shark 2 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor and it also comes with Adreno 640 GPU. Xiaomi Black Shark 2 is also available in 6GB, 8GB, and 12GB RAM variants. Furthermore, it comes in 128GB/256GB storage variants. The processor in Black Shark 2 is slightly underpowered as compared to the ROG Phone 2.
Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Specifications
6.39-inch Full HD+ display with a resolution of 2340×1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 Octa-Core Snapdragon 855 7nm Processor Adreno 640 GPU 6GB / 8GB / 12GB LPDDR4x RAM 128GB / 256GB (UFS 2.1) internal storage Android 9.0 (Pie) Dual SIM (nano + nano) 48MP rear camera with 1/2.0 Samsung GM1 sensor, 0.8µm pixel size, f/1.75 aperture, LED flash, 12MP 1/3.6µm Samsung S5K3M5, a telephoto lens with f/2.2 aperture, 1.0µm pixel size, 6P lens, 2x lossless zoom, 20MP front-facing camera with 0.9µm pixel size, f/2.0 aperture In-display fingerprint sensor Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11ac dual-band (2×2 MU-MIMO ), Bluetooth 5, GPS/GLONASS/Beidou, USB Type-C 4000mAh battery with 27W fast charging
The Black Shark 2 relies on Liquid Cooling 3.0 to overcome heating and prevent throttling during long gaming sessions. Some of the major highlights of the Black Shark 2 are an in-display fingerprint scanner, pressure-sensitive controls for the display, and AI gaming.
It is worth noting that, Xiaomi will soon release an upgraded version of the Black Shark 2 known as the Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro. This smartphone will be powered by the Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC coupled with a 15% faster GPU.
3. Nubia Red Magic 3
Nubia Red Magic 3 is another great smartphone for gaming. This gaming smartphone sports a 6.65-inch FHD+ HDR AMOLED display with 90hz refresh rate. The refresh rate on this smartphone is not as good as that on ROG Phone 2 but still, it’s better than the most other smartphones out there.
The Snapdragon 855 processor powers this gaming smartphone and Nubia has equipped this smartphone with an active cooling system to improve the thermal performance. Red Magic 3 comes with touch-sensitive shoulder triggers that eliminate the need for additional gamepad accessory. Nubia Red Magic 3 Specifications
6.65-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a resolution of 2340 × 1080 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and 90Hz refresh rate, 430 nits brightness Octa-Core Snapdragon 855 7nm Processor Adreno 640 GPU 6GB / 8GB / 12GB LPDDR4x RAM 64GB / 128GB / 256GB (UFS 2.1) internal storage Android 9.0 (Pie) with Redmagic OS 2.0 custom skin Dual SIM (nano + nano) 48MP rear camera with 1/2.0µm Sony IMX586, 0.8µm pixel size, f/1.75 aperture, Dual LED flash 16MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture Fingerprint sensor 3.5mm audio jack, Stereo front-facing speakers, DTS:X Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11ac dual-band (2×2 MU-MIMO ), Bluetooth 5, GPS/GLONASS/Beidou, USB Type-C 5000mAh battery with 27W fast charging
Red Magic has offered impressive sound hardware like front-facing stereo speakers, DTS:X, and 3D sound technologies that create a cinematic soundscape. The 5,000mAh battery in this smartphone can easily withstand long gaming sessions and 27W quick charging drastically improves the charging speed of this smartphone. Infact, Red Magic claims that this smartphone can offer an hour of gameplay with a 10-minute charge.
The 48-megapixel rear camera with Sony IMX586 sensor is ideal for casual photography. Overall, RED Magic 3 is an impressive gaming smartphone and the RGB light panel on it’s back makes it stand out from the crowd.
4. Razer Phone 2
Razer is one of the leading brands in the PC gaming industry. In fact, Razer was the first company that introduced the concept of gaming smartphones with Razer Phone 1. Last year, Razer released the successor to their first gaming smartphone i.e. the Razer Phone 2.
Similar to other gaming smartphones on the list Razer Phone 2 sports a 5.72-inch Quad HD 120 Hz UltraMotion display. The higher refresh rate makes the gameplay experience much smoother. Furthermore, Razer Phone 2 has 645 nits of brightness which makes it ideal for playing games in any lighting conditions. Razer Phone 2 specifications
5.72-inch Quad HD IGZO LCD UltraMotion display with a resolution of 2560×1440 pixels 645 nits brightness, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection 2.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 845 64-bit 10nm processor with Vapor Chamber Cooling Adreno 630 GPU 8GB LPDDR4x RAM 64GB (UFS) storage, expandable memory up to 2TB with microSD Android 8.1 (Oreo), upgradable to Android 9.0 (Pie) 12MP camera with f/1.75 wide-angle lens, OIS, Dual PDAF and 12MP secondary camera with f/2.6 aperture telephoto lens, Sony IMX Sensors, dual-tone LED flash 8MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture Side-mounted Fingerprint sensor Water-resistant (IP67) Stereo front-facing speakers with Dual amplifiers, Dolby Atmos, 24-bit DAC Audio Adapter 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5, GPS/ GLONASS, USB Type-C, NFC 4000mAh battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+, Wireless Charging
The major downside of the Razer Phone 2 is it’s one generation old Snapdragon 845 processor. Razer Phone 2 will comparatively perform a bit weaker than the above-mentioned smartphones.
That said, it packs many interesting features like wireless charging, a reliable IP rating, 24-bit DAC Audio Adapter which makes it a worthy competitor.
5. OnePlus 7 Pro
Gaming smartphones have stealthy and flashy designs with RGB lighting and cooling vants. Well, if you don’t want to carry a gaming smartphone but still want a good gaming experience then OnePlus 7 Pro might impress you.
This flagship smartphone is powered by the Snapdragon 855 processor and it comes with a visually appealing 6.67-inch Fluid AMOLED display without a notch and a 90Hz refresh rate. This smartphone relies on 10-layer liquid cooling to prevent heating and CPU throttling issues. OnePlus 7 Pro has a comparatively clean design that looks more premium. OnePlus 7 Pro Specifications
6.67-inch Quad HD+ Fluid AMOLED display with a resolution of 3120 x 1440 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9, 90Hz refresh rate, HDR10, 3D Corning Gorilla Glass protection Octa-Core Snapdragon 855 7nm Mobile Processor Adreno 640 GPU 6GB / 8GB / 12GB LPDDR4X RAM 128GB / 256GB (UFS 3.0) storage Android 9.0 (Pie) with OxygenOS 9.5 custom skin Dual SIM (nano + nano) 48MP rear camera with Dual LED Flash, 7P lens, f/1.6 aperture, 1/2.25µm Sony IMX586 sensor, 0.8µm pixel size, OIS, EIS,8MP Telephoto lens with f/2.4 aperture, 1.0µm pixel size, OIS, 3x zoom, 16MP 117° Ultra-wide lens with f/2.2 aperture 16MP front-facing camera with Sony IMX471 sensor, f/2.0 aperture, 1.0µm pixel size In-display fingerprint sensor USB Type-C audio, Dual Stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz) 2×2 MIMO, Bluetooth 5, GPS (L1+L5 Dual Band) + GLONASS, USB Type-C 4000mAh battery with Warp Charge 30 Fast Charging (5V/6A)
Unlike other smartphones on the list, the camera quality of OnePlus 7 Pro is exceptionally great and it has scored 111 points in DxOMark mobile. In addition to excellent hardware, OnePlus 7 Pro also relies on software features like RAM Boost to enhance the performance.
Overall, OnePlus 7 Pro is a great smartphone and the top-end variant of this smartphone will definitely satisfy your gaming needs.
CONCLUSION
So these were some of the best smartphones for gaming that can be purchased right now. Do share your recommendations for the best gaming smartphones in the comments section below.
