The Best Gaming Cell Phones List





Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro



Nubia RedMagic 8 Pro

1st place 

    Technical details   

  • CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 - 1 x 3.2GHz + 4 x 2.8GHz + 3 x 2.0GHz
  • RAM: 12 GB RAM or 16 GB RAM
  • Display: 2480 x 1116, 6.8-inch 120Hz (AMOLED)
  • Operating system: Android 13
  • Battery: 6000 mAh
  • Camera: 50 MP + 8MP (dual) + 2MP (triple)
  • Front camera: 16 MP
  • LTE: Yes - 4G: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 66, 38, 39, 40, 41 - 5G: 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: 228 g
  • Dimensions: 164 x 77 x 9.5 mm
  • Antutu: 1297476
      Advantages

  • Strong price/performance ratio for 12/256 GB
  • Precise and practical shoulder buttons
  • Bright and fast 120 Hz full-screen display
  • Impeccable performance (SD 8 Gen 2)
  • Suitable for everyday use
  • 65-Watt Fast Chargers
  • Strong battery life
  • No thermal throttling
  • USB 3.1 and Stereo Speaker
      Disadvantages
  • Macro and UWW cameras are hardly usable
  • Software is immature in some places
  • The main camera is not at the flagship level
  • No wireless charging
  • No IP certification
  • Always-on display doesn't work


ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate

ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate

2nd place 

    Technical details   

  • CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 - 1 x 3.2GHz + 4 x 2.8GHz + 3 x 2.0GHz
  • RAM: 16 GB RAM
  • Display: 2448 x 1080, 6.8-inch 60Hz (AMOLED)
  • Operating system: Android 13
  • Battery: 6000 mAh
  • Camera: 50 MP + 13MP (dual) + 5MP (triple)
  • Front camera: 32 MP
  • LTE: Yes - 4G: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 32, 34, 66, 38, 39, 40, 41 - 5G: 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: 1323000
      Advantages

  • Strong performance
  • Great (gaming) features of the software
  • Fast 165 Hertz AMOLED
  • Very long-lasting battery
  • Great speaker
  • Lots of little details and extra equipment
      Disadvantages
  • Large, heavy and unwieldy
  • Cooling without external fan
  • Camera not at flagship level
  • ROG Ultimate: Vision display offers little


Black Shark 5 Pro

Black Shark 5 Pro

3rd 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:
  • Battery: 4650 mAh
  • Camera: 108 MP + 13MP (dual) + 5MP (triple)
  • Front camera: 16 MP
  • LTE: Yes - 4G: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 40, 41 - 5G: 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: 1024046
      Advantages

  • Precise and practical shoulder buttons
  • Excellent 144 Hz AMOLED display
  • Superior performance (SD 8 Gen 1)
  • Powerful stereo sound
  • Design suitable for everyday use
  • Good cameras
      Disadvantages
  • 120 watts charging speed
  • More expensive than the predecessor
  • Overall only a small upgrade
  • Mediocre battery life


Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro

Nubia RedMagic 7 Pro

4th place 

    Technical details   

  • CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 - 1 x 3.0GHz + 3 x 2.5GHz + 4 x 1.8GHz
  • RAM: 16 GB RAM
  • Display: 2400 x 1080, 6.8-inch 120Hz (AMOLED)
  • Operating system: Android 12
  • Battery: 5000 mAh
  • Camera: 64 MP + 8MP (dual) + 2MP (triple)
  • Front camera: 16 MP
  • LTE: Yes - 4G: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 66, 38, 40, 41 - 5G: 3, 5, 7, 8, 20, 28, 38, 41, 77, 78
  • SIM: Dual - nano
  • Storage: 256 GB
  • Memory expandable: No
  • Weight: 235 g
  • Dimensions: 166.5 x 71 x 9.5 mm
  • Antutu: 1031613
      Advantages

  • Good display with 120 Hz
  • Best-in-class performance with SD 8 Gen 1
  • Under-display camera
  • The main camera is usable day and night
  • Blazing fast fingerprint sensor
  • No thermal throttling on the SD 8 Gen1 with fan
  • USB 3.0 and Stereo Speaker
      Disadvantages
  • Macro and UWW cameras are insufficient
  • Proud price
  • Software is immature in many places
  • Mediocre battery life
  • There is no video function for the UWW camera


Poco F4 GT

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 or 8 GB RAM
  • Display: 2400 x 1080, 6.7-inch 120Hz (AMOLED)
  • Operating system: Android 12
  • Battery: 4700 mAh
  • Camera: 64 MP + 8MP (dual) + 2MP (triple)
  • Front camera: 20 MP
  • LTE: Yes - 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 workmanship
  • Very good stereo sound
  • Good battery life + 120W charging
  • Strong Reception (Net, WiFi, GPS)
  • Impeccable performance
  • High-quality pop-up shoulder buttons
  • Reliable finer imprint sensor
      Disadvantages
  • SD 8 Gen 1 overheats
  • Unspectacular UWW and macro camera


Nubia RedMagic 6R

Nubia RedMagic 6R

6th place 

    Technical details   

  • CPU: Snapdragon 888 - 1 x 2.84GHz + 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: 4200 mAh
  • Camera: 64 MP + 8MP (dual) + 2MP (triple)
  • Front camera: 16 MP
  • LTE: Yes - 4G: 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 - 5G: 1, 28, 41, 78
  • SIM: Dual - nano
  • Storage: 128 GB or 256 GB
  • Memory expandable: No
  • Weight: 194 g
  • Dimensions: 163 x 75 x 8.5 mm
  • Antutu: 821500
      Advantages

  • Excellent AMOLED display
  • Brute force
  • Shoulder buttons work well
  • Unagitated design
  • Thin and light for a gaming phone
  • Excellent main camera
      Disadvantages
  • Average battery life
  • Weak additional cameras
  • Video stabilization has issues (Update?)
  • Scratch-sensitive back


Black Shark 4 Pro

Black Shark 4 Pro

7th place 

    Technical details   

  • CPU: Snapdragon 888 - 1 x 2.84GHz + 3 x 2.42GHz + 4 x 1.8GHz
  • RAM: 8 GB RAM
  • Display: 2400 x 1080, 6.7-inch 144Hz (AMOLED)
  • Operating system: Android 11
  • Battery: 4500 mAh
  • Camera: 64 MP + 8MP (dual) + 5MP (triple)
  • Front camera: 20 MP
  • LTE: Yes - 4G: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28, 34, 38, 39, 40, 41 - 5G: 1, 3, 8, 28, 41, 77, 78
  • SIM: Dual-nano
  • Storage: 128 GB
  • Memory expandable: No
  • Weight: 220 g
  • Dimensions: 164 x 76 x 10 mm
  • Antutu: 818301
      Advantages

  • Precise and practical shoulder buttons
  • Excellent 144Hz AMOLED display
  • Strong performance (SD888 + UFS 3.1)
  • Powerful stereo sound
  • Additional Accessories
  • Design suitable for everyday use
  • Solid cameras
  • 120 watts charging speed!
  • Good value for money
      Disadvantages
  • Below-average battery life
  • No memory expansion


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




What do we consider the best gaming cell phones?

The topic of gaming / playing with a smartphone 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 smartphones 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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