The Best Gaming Cell Phones List





Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro



Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro

1st place 

    Technical details   

  • CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 - 1 x 3.3GHz + 3 x 3.15GHz + 2 x 2.26GHz
  • RAM: 12GB, 16GB, or 24GB
  • Display: 2400 x 1080, 6.8 inch, 165Hz (AMOLED)
  • Operating System: Android 14
  • Battery: 5500 mAh
  • Camera: 50MP + 13MP (dual) + 32MP (triple)
  • Front Camera: 32 MP
  • 4G Bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 34, 66, 38, 39, 40, 41
  • 5G Bands: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 20, 25, 28, 38, 40, 41, 66, 77, 78
  • SIM: Dual - nano
  • Storage: 1TB, 256GB, or 512GB
  • Memory Expandable: No
  • Weight: 225 g
  • Dimensions: 163.8 x 76.8 x 8.9 mm
  • Antutu: 2180100
      Advantages

  • Computing power in abundance at all times
  • Extremely bright 165 Hertz AMOLED
  • Extensive equipment
  • Great extras in the details
  • Good battery life
  • Excellent speaker
      Disadvantages
  • Thermal throttling in benchmarks 
  • Short update promise (2+4)


Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Features Overview

RedMagic 9S Pro

ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate

2nd place 

    Technical details   

  • CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 - 1 x 3.3GHz + 3 x 3.15GHz + 2 x 2.26GHz
  • RAM: 12 GB RAM or 16 GB RAM
  • Display: 2484 x 1116, 6.8 inch, 120Hz (AMOLED)
  • Operating System: Android 14
  • Battery: 6500 mAh
  • Camera: 50MP + 50MP (dual) + 2MP (triple)
  • Front Camera: 16 MP
  • 4G Bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 66, 38, 39, 40, 41
  • 5G Bands: 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 41, 66, 77, 78
  • SIM: Dual - nano
  • Storage: 256 GB or 512 GB
  • Memory Expandable: No
  • Weight: 229 g
  • Dimensions: 164 x 76.3 x 8.9 mm
  • Antutu Score: 2,195,300
      Advantages

  • Brutal performance
  • Great flat design
  • Stylish AMOLED full-screen display
  • Long battery life, fast charging
  • Many software features
  • Gaming hardware: fans & buttons
      Disadvantages
  • Camera not at flagship level
  • No update promise


RedMagic 9 Pro

Black Shark 5 Pro

3rd place 

    Technical details   

  • CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 - 1 x 3.3GHz + 3 x 3.15GHz + 2 x 2.26GHz
  • RAM: 12 GB RAM or 16 GB RAM
  • Display: 2480 x 1116, 6.8 inch, 120Hz (AMOLED)
  • Operating System: Android 14
  • Battery: 6500 mAh
  • Camera: 50MP + 50MP (dual) + 2MP (triple)
  • Front Camera: 16 MP
  • 4G Bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 66, 38, 39, 40, 41
  • 5G Bands: 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 41, 66, 77, 78
  • SIM: Dual - nano
  • Storage: 256 GB or 512 GB
  • Memory Expandable: No
  • Weight: 229 g
  • Dimensions: 164 x 76.3 x 8.9 mm
  • Antutu Score: 2,162,096
      Advantages

  • Strong performance for the price
  • Great flat design
  • Stylish AMOLED full-screen
  • Long battery life, fast charging
  • Many software features
  • Gaming hardware: fans & buttons
      Disadvantages
  • Thermal throttling in benchmarks 
  • No update promise


ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate

Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro

4th place 

    Technical details   

  • CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 - 1 x 3.2 GHz + 4 x 2.8 GHz + 3 x 2.0 GHz
  • RAM: 16 GB RAM
  • Display: 2448 x 1080, 6.8 inch 60Hz (AMOLED)
  • Operating system: Android 13
  • Battery: 6000 mAh
  • Camera: 50MP + 13MP (dual) + 5MP (triple)
  • Front camera: 32 MP
  • 4G bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 34, 66, 38, 39, 40, 41
  • 5G bands: 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 41, 66, 77, 78
  • SIM: Dual - nano
  • Storage: 512 GB
  • Memory expandable: No
  • Weight: 239 g
  • Dimensions: 173 x 77 x 10.3 mm
  • Antutu score: 1,323,000
      Advantages

  • Strong performance
  • Great (gaming) features of the software
  • Fast 165Hz AMOLED display
  • Very long-lasting battery
  • Great speakers
  • Many small details & extra features
      Disadvantages
  • Large, heavy, and unwieldy
  • Cooling without an external fan


Black Shark 5 Pro

Poco F4 GT

5th place 

    Technical details   

  • CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 - 1 x 3.0GHz + 3 x 2.5GHz + 4 x 1.8GHz
  • RAM: 12 GB RAM
  • Display: 2400 x 1080, 6.7 inch 144Hz (AMOLED)
  • Operating System: (unspecified)
  • Battery: 4650 mAh
  • Camera: 108MP + 13MP (dual) + 5MP (triple)
  • Front Camera: 16 MP
  • 4G Bands: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 40, 41
  • 5G Bands: 1, 3, 5, 8, 28, 41, 77, 78
  • SIM: Dual - nano
  • Storage: 256 GB
  • Memory Expandable: No
  • Weight: 220 g
  • Dimensions: 163 x 76 x 9.5 mm
  • Antutu: 1,024,046
      Advantages

  • Precise and practical shoulder buttons
  • Excellent 144Hz AMOLED display
  • Outstanding performance (Snapdragon 8 Gen 1)
  • Strong stereo sound
  • Everyday design
  • Good cameras
  • 120W charging speed
      Disadvantages
  • A small upgrade only
  • Mediocre battery life


Poco F4 GT

Nubia RedMagic 6R

6th place 

    Technical details   

  • CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 - 1 x 3.0GHz + 3 x 2.5GHz + 4 x 1.8GHz
  • RAM: 12 GB RAM or 8 GB RAM
  • Display: 2400 x 1080, 6.7 inch 120Hz (AMOLED)
  • Operating system: Android 12
  • Battery: 4700 mAh
  • Camera: 64MP + 8MP (dual) + 2MP (triple)
  • Front camera: 20 MP
  • 4G: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40
  • 5G: 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 41, 77, 78
  • SIM: Dual - nano
  • Storage: 128 GB or 256 GB
  • Memory expandable: No
  • Weight: 210 g
  • Dimensions: 162.5 x 76.7 x 8.5 mm
  • Antutu: 977600
      Advantages

  • Cool design
  • Excellent craftsmanship
  • Very good stereo sound
  • Good battery life with 120W charging
  • Strong reception (network, Wi-Fi, GPS)
  • Flawless performance
  • High-quality pop-up shoulder buttons
  • Reliable fingerprint sensor
      Disadvantages
  • SD 8 Gen 1 processor only
  • Unimpressive ultra-wide and macro camera


Poco X6 Pro

Black Shark 4 Pro

7th place 

    Technical details   

  • CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Ultra - 1 x 3.35GHz + 3 x 3.2GHz + 4 x 2.2GHz
  • RAM: 12 GB or 8 GB
  • Display: 2712 x 1220, 6.7 inch 120Hz (AMOLED)
  • Operating System: Android 14
  • Battery: 5000 mAh
  • Camera: 64MP + 8MP (dual) + 2MP (triple)
  • Front Camera: 16 MP
  • 4G Connectivity: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 28, 66, 38, 40, 41
  • 5G Connectivity: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 40, 41, 77, 78
  • SIM: Dual nano SIM
  • Storage: 256 GB or 512 GB
  • Expandable Memory: No
  • Weight: 198 g
  • Dimensions: 160.5 x 74.3 x 8 mm
  • AnTuTu Score: 1,302,453
      Advantages

  • Magnificent 120Hz AMOLED display
  • Exceptional performance
  • Very good battery life
  • Good in-display fingerprint scanner
  • Good stereo speakers
      Disadvantages
  • No memory expansion (Micro-SD)
  • No 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Plastic housing


Black Shark 4

Black Shark 4 Pro

8th place 

    Technical details   

  • CPU: Snapdragon 870 - 1 x 3.2GHz + 3 x 2.42GHz + 4 x 1.8GHz
  • RAM: 12 GB RAM or 8 GB RAM
  • Display: 2400 x 1080, 6.7-inch 144Hz (AMOLED)
  • Operating system: Android 11
  • Battery: 4500 mAh
  • Camera: 48 MP + 8MP (dual) + 5MP (triple)
  • Front camera: 20 MP
  • LTE: Yes - 4G: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28 - 5G: 1, 3, 8, 28, 41, 77, 78
  • SIM: Dual-nano
  • Storage: 128 GB or 256 GB
  • Memory expandable: No
  • Weight: 210 g
  • Dimensions: 164 x 76 x 10.4 mm
  • Antutu: 672000
      Advantages

  • Precise and practical shoulder buttons
  • Excellent 144Hz AMOLED display
  • Very good performance (SD870 + UFS 3.1)
  • Powerful stereo sound
  • Additional Accessories
  • Design suitable for everyday use
  • Solid cameras
  • Good value for money for a gaming smartphone
      Disadvantages
  • full-HD 30FPS video recording only
  • no changes to the predecessor


Price Comparison

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Phone Accessories


What do we consider the best gaming cell phones?

The topic of gaming / playing with a mobile phone has been present from the beginning, but is now being taken up by manufacturers and implemented as a niche. Gaming smartphones are primarily characterized by their ability to play even the most complex and graphically appealing games. They also offer good battery life, software specifically for games and features for the experience. Basically, any smartphone is suitable for gaming as long as it has a reasonably powerful processor installed - which also explains the increasing popularity of “smartphone gaming” . The 3D Mark benchmark, which measures the performance of the integrated graphics chip, is crucial for this.

The cornerstone for the sector is the smartphone from the peripheral manufacturer Razer. In addition to lightning-fast hardware, the Razer Phone is characterized by a 120 Hz display. In comparison to the normal 60 Hz displays on smartphones, tests describe them as smooth and buttery-soft.

The success proves the industry right, because the ASUS ROG 2 has now been released. The features that can be mentioned here are the 6.6-inch 120 Hz display, stereo speakers, RGB lighting, a Snapdragon 855+ with special cooling and the gaming software. At €850, it's not cheap, especially since mobile phones from China offer similar features at a cheaper price - the Xiaomi Black Shark 2, Vivo IQOO Pro and Nubia Red Magic 3S are the direct competition.


Chinese manufacturers are also incorporating more and more gaming features, including: dedicated gaming buttons, atmospheric LED lighting, software features such as a game space or displays with a higher refresh rate.


New trend 'gaming cell phone'?

The market for games on smartphones is booming: since everyone now has a cell phone, the target group is even larger and an app doesn't require a lot of financial effort for both the manufacturer and the customer. The sales figures are now also attracting large companies such as Nintendo to smartphone gaming.

The topic is just as interesting for the consumer because the hardware (smartphone) is available and the new game/app can be quickly downloaded from the App Store. Further reasons can be seen with regard to the current platforms:

Other mobile gaming is dying out: the Nintendo 3DS is cool but too childlike - the Nintendo Switch is expensive and the number of good games is rare & unpacking the gaming laptop to play for 30-60 minutes is too time-consuming

The purchase price of the competition is high: not everyone wants to pay €300 for a console (PlayStation / XBOX) and another €40-60 per game on top of that & gaming on the PC requires expensive hardware, as most laptops are for this too weak.

The smartphone is appropriately equipped for the games in the App Store - to play the latest 3D games, such as Asphalt or PubG, you don't even need a flagship with the latest processor. A mid-range smartphone is usually enough and many users can use the apps. In addition, the games in the store are getting better and better and at affordable prices. PUPG Mobile no longer has anything in common with the Doodle Jump or Angry Birds of the past - many companies are also jumping on the bandwagon and are now bringing traditional games to smartphones.




The best gaming cell phones Q & A

Is gaming better on iPhone or Samsung?

For casual players who are interested in the most well-liked cross-platform games, the iPhone offers an excellent gaming experience. But there are more choices for emulation, cloud gaming, customisation, and modding with Android and the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Among Android smartphones, there is also greater variety at more reasonable pricing points.

Is higher RAM better for gaming on Android?

If you enjoy playing more recent games, 16GB will undoubtedly enhance your gaming experience, even though some people might be able to play a few older games with just 8GB. But what about using programs like Chrome or Discord that operate in the background? That might require 32GB.

Why gamers prefer Android?

Because Android works on a wide range of hardware, consumers may benefit from games that can run at better graphics and frames per second. However, this might quickly turn into a drawback because a game with special effects could perform horribly on one device while looking fantastic on another.

How do I know if my phone is for gaming?

RAM on a gaming phone should ideally be 8GB or more, but it should be at least 6GB. Display: Choosing the greatest gaming phone likely comes down to two things: first, making sure that games run smoothly and look amazing, and second, minimizing lag.

How to choose mobile processor for gaming?

With so many fantastic alternatives available today, choosing the best mobile processor will rely on your demands and budget. For the fastest flagship performance, consider the Apple A16 or Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. They provide top-notch speeds for multitasking and intense gaming.

Is RAM or processor better for gaming in mobile?

They are both crucial. A strong CPU enables you to process information more quickly. This translates to quicker online page loads, quicker app launches, quicker gaming, etc. Conversely, a phone with greater RAM can handle multiple tasks at once.

How can I make my Android phone better for gaming?

Try these suggestions to enhance your Android smartphone's gaming experience.

  • Turn on 'do not disturb' while in game mode.
  • Make the switch to a Wi-Fi network.
  • Perform profile and battery saver tweaks.
  • Turn on Dolby Atmos when you're gaming.
  • Make use of gaming peripherals.

Extra advice.

  • On Android phones, turn on Developer Options.

Is mobile gaming better than PC?

PC gaming would be perfect for longer gaming sessions with more complex gameplay. Mobile gaming would be ideal for quick, informal gameplay sessions with simple access to a large selection of games built to be played on the go. In relation to casual gaming, here you can play your preferred mobile games without having to download any.

Are all the best gaming cell phones on the list above Chinese brands?

Yes.

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