Smartphone games have long been a thing, and gaming companies and traditional phone makers are realizing this. Here’s what tops our list.
The best gaming phones in 2019 have become a big surprise. We now have dedicated gaming phones with souped-up specs to help improve gaming experiences, while others in this best gaming phones list are just the outright best phones.
Beyond any fancy gamer features, the best gaming phone should have a powerful processor, bright and sharp display, and a beefy battery to keep your phone alive even during long gaming sessions. To get the most out of demanding games like Fortnite and PUBG Mobile, you’ll want a phone that’s strong in all of those respects.
We’ve picked out phones that offer just what you need, with all the power to play these games lag-free even at max settings, letting you take the most advantage of their high-resolution, bright displays. And, if you opt for some of the newer phones on this list, you can count on their performance lasting for some time to come, helping you stay prepared for the next big games yet to come.
Our recommendations consider processor and GPU speeds, RAM size and other odds and ends. It also considers the app ecosystem, which is the lead reason Apple’s iPhones frequently top the list. They generally have access to more games than Android. and often get multi-platform titles them first.
But there are newer « gaming phones » that have come out in the past year which are…actually pretty good, and we’ve inserted them into our list accordingly. If you want high specs AND ‘gamer’-appealing perks like RGB lights, you no longer have to choose.
We’ve examined all the options and chosen the best phones for gaming based on the factors above. Here’s our top ten list:
Release date: September 2018| Weight: 208g| Dimensions: 157.5 x 77.4 x 7.7mm| OS: iOS 12| Screen size: 6.5-inch| Resolution: 2960×1440| CPU: A12 Bionic chip| RAM: 4GB| Storage: 64/256/512GB| Battery: 3.179mAh| Rear camera: Dual 12MP| Front camera: 7MP
The iPhone XS Max is the bigger, better brother of Apple’s new flagship smartphone in a few key ways, but if you’re picking either model for gaming, you might as well go with the best. The 6.5-inch screen on the iPhone XS Max is bigger than the one on its 5.8-inch sibling and its larger battery manages to stay working nearly a full hour longer than the standard iPhone XS.
Those perks will give you more of an edge than with the iPhone XS, but both benefit from this Apple phone generation’s true advantage: the A12 Bionic processor. We have high hopes that this chip will outperform the A11 Bionic found on last year’s iPhone X since Apple claimed it is 40% more efficient and 50% more powerful than the older processor. In our tests, it loaded up Clash Royale and PUBG even faster, and speed is crucial in online gaming. All this in a Apple’s sleek, modern look – though it’s the most expensive mainstream phone on the market, even before including all the bells and whistles.
Read the full reviews: iPhone XS Max, iPhone XS
Release date: February 2019| Weight: 175g| Dimensions: 157.6 x 74.1 x 7.8mm| OS: Android 9| Screen size: 6.4-inch| Resolution: 1440 x 3040| CPU: Snapdragon 855 / Exynos 9820| RAM: 8/12GB| Storage: 128GB/512GB/1TB (up to 1.5TB with card)| Battery: 4,100mAh| Rear camera: 12MP + 12MP + 16MP| Front camera: 10MP + 8MP
Don’t be too surprised to see Samsung so high on the list. It’s latest family of Galaxy S10 smartphones are the first to feature Qualcomm’s powerful new Snapdragon 855 chipset, which quickly boosted them to the top of the pack in terms of sheer performance.
But, it’s not just the chipset that makes these excellent gaming phones. They all have sharp Super AMOLED displays with support for high dynamic range, so you’ll get excellent visuals in movies and games alike. The screen real estate is also expanded, so you have that much more game to look at. With these phones, you’re getting both a killer phone and a powerful mobile gaming device in one.
Better still, VR fans can still make use of the new phones with existing Gear VR headsets, according to The Verge. Letting you enjoy the immersive game medium on the phones’ crisp displays.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus review
Release date: October 2018| Weight: 200g| Dimensions: 158.8 x 76.2 x 8.7mm| OS: Android 8.1 Oreo| Screen size: 6-inch| Resolution: 2160 x 1080| CPU: Snapdragon 845| RAM: 8GB| Storage: 128GB/512GB| Battery: 3,520mAh| Rear camera: 12MP f/1.8| Front camera: 8MP f/2.0
The Asus ROG Phone may « look like an irate Decepticon » as our reviewer put it, but outside its appearance, the device is a powerful phone with plenty of extras to entice gamers.
