If you’re a self-proclaimed gamer, and fancy gaming on the go wherever you’re on the commute to work or sitting on the toilet, then it may well be worth having a look at the best gaming phone options on the market.
Gaming phones prioritise important areas for portable gaming, which includes performance, battery life and a screen’s refresh rate. That does mean non-gaming features, such as the camera, aren’t given as much attention. But if you do want a more rounded phone, there are also more versatile options such as the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and iPhone 14 Pro that aren’t labelled as gaming phones, but still excel at gaming.
So what are the best gaming phones you can buy right now? Our team of experts have tested countless phones that excel at gaming, and so we’ve whipped up this comprehensive list of the cream of the crop.
Every phone included has been put through a thorough testing process, which includes performance benchmarks, real-time gaming, battery drains and measuring how long it takes for a full recharge. Combined with our day-to-day use of the phone, we then award each phone a rating out of 5. Those that achieve at least a 4-star rating, and excel at gaming, are considered for this very best list.
If you’re after the best all-round phones that are excellent at a range of other skills besides just gaming, then you should check out our best phones guide. If you’re on a tighter budget, then take a glance at our best mid-range phones and best cheap phones articles for a selection of more affordable handsets.
Gaming on phones has been popular since the days of Snake, long before the likes of Candy Crush Saga took over our commutes. But these days smartphones are becoming viable gaming devices for more than simple distractions on the go, and mobile gaming is a giant industry in its own right.
Eventually cloud streaming will level the performance playing field, but until then committed mobile gamers need to pick up smartphones designed for the purpose. The best gaming phones deliver maxed out performance, great displays and audio, and often designs that incorporate extra trigger buttons or other gaming-specific features.
The big brands here aren’t the same ones you’ll see elsewhere. Asus ROG undoubtedly leads the pack – so long as you’re happy to pay a premium for the brand – while Xiaomi’s Black Shark line and ZTE’s Red Magic series provide serious competition.
You may instead find that you prefer a ‘regular’ phone, albeit one with top performance, so we’ve included a few of those in this ranking too. That includes the iPhones we think are best suited to gaming, along with a few Android options that prioritise performance without going all-in on the gamer aesthetic.
Best gaming phone 2023
Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate – Best gaming phone
Pros
Top-tier performance
Excellent battery life
Stunning display
Impressive cooling system
Cons
Very expensive
Big and bulky
The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is pretty much what it sounds like: the ultimate gaming phone.
The latest generation of Asus gaming phone is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, with 16GB of RAM and 512GB storage as standard. The 6.78in AMOLED display packs a market-leading 165Hz refresh rate, and built-in vapour cooling is supplemented by an optional clip-on cooler with its own built-in subwoofer to amplify audio too.
What makes the Ultimate stand out from the regular ROG Phone 7 is the return of the small ‘ROG Vision’ display on the back for notifications and custom animations, plus the ‘AeroActive Portal’ cooling flap, which activates to improve airflow even further when the cooler is clipped on.
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