The best gaming phones - John Jason Fallows

We have swiped and tapped our way to countless victories, and even more losses, on several smartphones to find the best gaming phones currently available.

There can be only one champion, and the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus is our pick for the best gaming phone you can buy in 2020.

Mobile gaming has a long history that dates back almost 30 years to classic games like “Tetris” and “Snake”, but recent advances in processing power and screen technology have elevated it to new heights. With the best gaming phones today, you can play graphically demanding, in-depth games, like “Call of Duty” or “Total War.”

A whole new category of smartphone has emerged. Dedicated gaming phones have brought higher refresh rates for screens, touch-sensitive buttons, and optimized performance into the mainstream. From casual puzzles to first-person firefights, the best gaming phones will keep the action flowing for as long as you want, all in glorious graphical detail.

As the head of an avid gaming family, who is all too frequently pushed off the big TV, I have hours of experience playing games on smartphones. I’ve had some hands-on time with a few of the phones on our list, and I’ll be testing the others in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I’ve spoken to other tech journalists and dipped into authoritative reviews to fill in the gaps.

Whether you want a great all-around smartphone that also nails gaming, or a specialist device with thoughtful extras for gamers, there’s something for you here. You’ll also find a solid pick to suit your budget, whatever it may be, as the best gaming phones vary widely on price.

If you want more information before we dive into the options, click here for a breakdown of the features that you’ll want to look out for in a gaming phone.

Here are our top picks for the best gaming phones:

Best gaming phone overall: Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus
Best gaming phone design: Asus ROG Phone 2
Best software for gaming: Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max
Best value gaming phone: Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro
Best refresh rate gaming phone: Nubia Red Magic 5G

The best gaming phone overall

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus has got it all, and that includes a stunning screen and plenty of processing power.

While it’s not a dedicated gaming phone, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus has some compelling features that will delight gamers. Top billing goes to the 6.7-inch AMOLED screen, which boasts a 120Hz refresh rate and a 240Hz touch response rate. With inky blacks and vibrant colors, this is a display that’s easy to stare at for long periods. It’s also razor sharp at 3,200 x 1,440 pixels. It might be the best display in a 2020 smartphone so far.

Stereo speakers deliver decent sound, but there’s no 3.5mm audio port, so you’ll have to use Bluetooth headphones or an adapter for the USB-C port.

There’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor inside, which will feature in many 2020 flagships, and a generous 12GB of RAM. That’s going to be overkill for most people, but hardcore gamers will appreciate the raw power. Up to five games can be locked into that RAM, so they don’t need to load up from scratch, and you can jump back into the action where you left off — an attractive feature that’s tailor-made for gamers.

The S20 Plus comes with 128GB of storage, but Samsung still includes a microSD card slot, making it relatively cheap to add up to 1TB more. The battery is rated at 4,500mAh, and can be fast-charged via cable at up to 25 watts (W), or wirelessly at up to 15W. One thing to be aware of is that outside the U.S., the S20 Plus may have Samsung’s inferior Exynos 990 chipset inside, which suffers from poor battery performance. The Snapdragon 865 model will see you through a busy day — the Exynos 990 model may not.

With the latest Android 10 and Samsung’s One user interface (UI) on top, the S20 Plus is positively slick in the software department. There’s also a special Game Booster mode that can be configured to filter out distractions while you game. It employs machine learning smarts to optimize the battery, memory, and temperature of your phone for the games you play most frequently. There are also controls to help you record gameplay with your own audio commentary on top.

Beyond the gaming chops, you get a versatile camera suite, IP68 water resistance, an in-display fingerprint sensor, and support for 5G connectivity. The only real downside here, as we highlighted in our Galaxy S20 Plus review, is the sky-high $1,199.99 price. Because this isn’t billed specifically as a gaming phone, it also lacks certain gaming accessories, and has a mainstream, elegant style that’s designed to appeal to everyone.

If you’re looking for a high-quality phone that offers great gaming features, but doesn’t compromise on other fronts — and you don’t mind paying top dollar — the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus is the one. The 5G connectivity also provides some future-proofing, which is important when you’re spending this much money.

Pros: Beautiful display, 120Hz refresh rate, stunning design, 5G support

Cons: Very expensive, no gaming accessories

The best gaming phone design

A stylish and thoughtful gamer-centric design, and a host of useful accessories, ensure the Asus ROG Phone 2 will impress any mobile gamer.

There’s no mistaking the Asus ROG Phone 2’s gaming credentials. Part of the Republic of Gamers series by Asus, this angular slab of glass and metal looks like the kind of phone Master Chief might pull from his pocket — and if you don’t know who that is, this probably isn’t the phone for you.

A 6.59-inch screen is flanked by stereo speakers, which makes this a tall phone. It’s an AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 240Hz touch response rate, so if you run into any lag, your internet connection is probably to blame. While this is a fast and colorful display, the resolution is 2,340 x 1,080 pixels, which is not as sharp as the display in the S20 Plus.

Moving inside, there’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor, which is fast and capable. The 865 only offers around a 15% performance bump on the 855+. The Asus ROG Phone 2 packs 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage in the base model, but you can jump up to 256GB, 512GB, or even 1TB of storage, which all come with 12GB of RAM. There’s no microSD card slot here, so choose your storage size carefully.

The Asus ROG Phone 2 does also have a 3.5mm audio port, which is excellent news if you have a favorite set of headphones you like to use for gaming.

The enormous 6,000mAh battery is a definite highlight here. The Asus ROG Phone 2 will last up to two days between charges, and it’s quick to juice up. Thanks to the 30W charger, you can get 40% battery in just half an hour.

Out of the box, you’ll find Android 9.0 Pie running on the Asus ROG Phone 2 with a custom UI on top. Asus adds some value with its gamer-focused software. The game center includes a lobby and a console section, so you can browse your game library and tweak the phone’s performance specifically for each individual game. You can overclock the processor and set the fan speed, but you can also change the colors and pattern of the RGB logo on the back of the phone.

The Asus ROG Phone 2 also features Air Triggers, which are essentially touch-sensitive patches on the top right and left when you hold the phone in landscape, like the shoulder buttons on a gamepad. Naturally, you can configure what they should do. You also get the AeroActive Cooler II fan with the phone, which clips on easily and keeps it cool, even during long gaming sessions.

If you want more, and you’re willing to pay extra, Asus offers a world of accessories, including a special dock with a secondary display, a cooling fan, and its own 5,000mAh battery. There’s also a fully programmable gamepad accessory, which adds controller sections with buttons to the left and right of the phone. Finally, there are a couple of dock options, which enable you to plug the phone into a monitor and game on it using a mouse and keyboard.

Surprisingly, the dual-lens, 48-megapixel and 13-megapixel main camera is quite effective, though it does not cope well with low-light situations, and can’t compete with phones like the Galaxy S20 Plus or iPhone 11 Pro Max. There is an in-display fingerprint sensor and a face unlock option, but you won’t find any waterproofing, support for wireless charging, or 5G connectivity here.

The Asus ROG Phone 2 starts from around $600, but the 512GB of storage and 12GB of RAM model will set you back about $900. The accessories are not cheap either; the gamepad costs $150, the TwinView Dock II with the second screen is a whopping $330, and even the more basic Mobile Desktop Dock is $230.

It’s obviously not for everyone, but some gamers will love this aesthetic, appreciate the thoughtfully designed accessories, and crave the granular customizability on offer here. The Asus ROG Phone 2 may be the best specialist gaming phone you can buy right now.

Pros: 120Hz refresh rate, long battery life, fully customizable, loads of gaming accessories

Cons: No waterproofing, no wireless charging

The best software for gaming

The iPhone 11 Pro Max is the biggest phone Apple offers, and it’s ideal for diving into the high-quality game library in Apple’s App Store.

If you’re an Apple fan, then the iPhone 11 Pro Max is the best gaming phone for you. A major reason to go with the iPhone is the collection of excellent games in Apple’s App Store. There are more high-quality games on iOS than there are on Android. There are also some wonderful exclusives in Apple Arcade, the subscription game service that costs $4.99 per month. The other thing I love about Apple Arcade is that there are no ads or in-app purchases, just mobile gaming at its finest.

The iPhone 11 Pro Max has a vibrant, 6.5-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 2,688 x 1,242 pixels. The display is bright, sharp, and features great color accuracy, but it only has a refresh rate of 60Hz and a touch response rate of 120Hz. Sadly, the action won’t feel quite as smooth on the iPhone 11 Pro Max, compared to the other entries on our list.

With perfectly-tuned stereo speakers, the iPhone 11 Pro Max delivers immersive in-game sound. In fact, it’s probably the best sounding gaming phone on our list. However, there’s no 3.5mm audio port for headphones, so you’ll need to use Bluetooth or an adapter for the Lightning port.

There’s no compromise in the performance department, as Apple’s A13 Bionic chip is quite powerful. In fact, the iPhone 11 Pro Max is the fastest phone on our list. It only has 4GB of RAM, but that’s not as bad as it sounds, because Apple’s iOS handles memory management differently than Android. It comes with 64GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage, and you must choose carefully because there’s no option to extend that.

While the 3,969mAh battery doesn’t look that good on paper, it delivers excellent battery life. You can potentially go two days between charges with the iPhone 11 Pro Max, and you should make it through a busy day, even with plenty of gaming, before it runs out on you. Wired charging is relatively slow, maxing out at 18W, but there is also support for wireless charging.

Beyond the expansive game library and Apple Arcade, you’ll also find support for Bluetooth controllers, and a pretty decent selection of third-party gaming accessories for the iPhone 11 Pro Max. What you won’t find is a dedicated gaming mode, which is a shame. However, iOS 13 is a slick, feature-packed operating system, and Apple’s updates to new versions are swift, unlike Android, which can take a long time to get updated on some phones.

As a smartphone, the iPhone 11 Pro Max is fantastic. The truly top-notch triple lens main camera could be the best available right now. There’s also a 12-megapixel front-facing camera that supports secure face unlock, an IP68 rating for water resistance, and it has a strong, stainless-steel frame. But, prices are steep, starting from $1,099.00, and gamers will likely want to jump up to at least the 256GB model, which costs $1,249.00. That’s a lot to spend, especially since there’s no support for 5G connectivity.

If you’re set on an iPhone, but the Pro Max is too pricey, then you might consider the smaller, but otherwise identical, iPhone 11 Pro. You’ll also find the same great processor in the much cheaper iPhone 11, which is currently topping our best smartphones guide as the best choice for most people.

Pros: Loads of quality games, impressive display, long battery life

Cons: Very expensive, 60Hz refresh rate, no gaming mode

The best value gaming phone

The Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro is a powerful gaming phone with lots of customization options and accessories, and it’s also very affordable.

At just $599.00, the Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro is half the price of our top pick, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus. Naturally, you’ll expect some compromises to account for that lower price, but there are fewer than you might think. It’s a big phone, and unmistakably aimed at gamers with RGB lighting on the sides and the back, offering all kinds of color effects.

The Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro has a 6.39-inch AMOLED screen sporting a resolution of 2,340 x 1,080 pixels. It’s an impressive display at this price, with deep blacks and vibrant colors, though it doesn’t go as bright as I’d like, which can be a problem outdoors in direct light. There’s also a 240Hz touch response rate to help it feel snappy, but the screen refresh rate is a standard 60Hz.

You’ll find stereo speakers in the Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro, but there’s no 3.5 mm audio port.

Moving inside, there’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor, which provides plenty of grunt for demanding games. There’s also a liquid cooling system to prevent the phone from getting too hot. The basic model has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, but you can opt for 12GB of RAM with 256GB of storage if you’re willing to pay a bit more. There’s no room for a microSD card here.

With a 4,000mAh battery, the Xiaomi Black Sharp 2 Pro has plenty of stamina for long gaming sessions. The fast charging, with the cable and charger included in the box, maxes out at 27W, and there’s no wireless charging support.

The Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro runs Android 9.0 Pie with Xiaomi’s Joy UI over the top, which is close to stock Android. Notable extras include the customizable controls for the RGB lighting strips on the back of the phone. There’s also Shark Space, which enables you to browse all your games and shut out distractions, like incoming calls and notifications.

A dedicated Game Dock enables you to customize performance for different games, lock brightness, set up custom vibrations based on the force of your touches, and a whole lot more. The granular control will delight gamers, but the translations in the UI are shoddy, so it can take some experimentation to get things set up the way you want.

The Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro comes with a gamepad attachment in the box, and you can buy a right-hand gamepad with a touchpad for around $40. There’s also a special cooling case for about $60.

The rest of the spec sheet is solid, including a dual lens 48-megapixel and 12-megapixel main camera that performs well in decent lighting, but struggles a little when it’s dark. Disappointingly, the Black Shark 2 Pro lacks NFC support, which means it’s the only phone on our list that can’t handle contactless mobile payments. There’s also no IP rating for water resistance, and no 5G connectivity.

Despite the downsides, the Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro is worth considering, because it starts from around $600, which is a very good price for this hardware. If you want to upgrade to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, it will cost you an extra $100. If mobile gaming is your top priority, and your budget is limited, the Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro is for you.

Pros: Affordable, decent display, fully customizable, loads of gaming accessories

Cons: No waterproofing, no wireless charging, 60Hz refresh rate, no NFC

The best refresh rate gaming phone

With an astounding 144Hz screen refresh rate, lots of gaming goodies on the feature list, and 5G connectivity, the ZTE Nubia Red Magic 5G looks impressive.

The Red Magic 5G is the first gaming phone to offer a screen refresh rate of 144Hz, and that means silky smooth gaming action. It’s a very large and heavy phone, with an angular design on the back featuring RGB lighting. There are also touch sensitive trigger patches, that work like shoulder buttons when you hold the phone in landscape, and a connector on the side for the dock accessory.

The rest of the spec sheet is impressive, and the price is reasonable, so this is a gaming phone that demands to be considered. I haven’t received my review unit yet (I’ll update this as soon as I do), but I did test out its predecessor, the Red Magic 3S, and it was well worth the price with some compelling features — especially for gamers.

With a 6.65-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2,340 x 1,080 pixels, the Red Magic 5G starts out strong. The refresh rate of 144Hz is the highest I’ve seen in a phone, so far, and it’s backed by a touch response rate of 240Hz. Also, those touch sensitive triggers have a 300Hz touch response rate. These impressive stats should be telling when you’re engaged in fast, frenetic gaming action.

There are also stereo speakers and a 3.5mm audio jack for those who prefer to plug in headphones.

That high refresh rate is no use without a fast processor, so it’s pleasing to find the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 in the Red Magic 5G. That’s the same speedy chip that’s in our top pick, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus. It’s backed by 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage in the base model, but you can upgrade to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and there’s even a model with 16GB of RAM. The Red Magic 5G also has liquid cooling and a built-in fan to keep things cool.

It has an ample 4,500mAh battery and can charge at 55W, which gives you more than 50% battery back within 15 minutes of charging, and fully charges in under an hour. There’s no wireless charging support.

The Red Magic 5G runs Android 10 with Red Magic’s UI over the top. As a dedicated gaming phone, it also has a game mode, activated by a physical switch on the side of the phone, which takes you to your game library, turns off notifications, and starts the internal fan.

Everything is fully configurable, and you can check on the temperature, tweak the fan settings, set up custom vibrations, and more. Based on my experience with the Red Magic 3S, however, the software may be a little rough around the edges, with translation errors and confusing settings.

The previous version had a range of gaming accessories, including a Bluetooth controller, Pro Handle that could slot onto the case right and left, and a special Magic Adapter dock with an Ethernet port. I expect the Red Magic 5G will have a similar lineup, and the pogo pins on the edge confirm it will work with a dock.

You’ll find a triple lens main camera in the Red Magic 5G, combining a 64-megapixel lens, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2-megapixel macro lens. There’s an 8-megapixel lens for selfies up front. I’ll have to test it to be sure, but this is likely to be enough to satisfy most people.

Another compelling feature in the Red Magic 5Gis the 5G support. Now, it’s wise to check into the specific bands and underlying technologies here if you have a 5G network where you are, because this area is a bit confusing right now, and US carriers are employing different technologies.

The international version of the Red Magic 5G is available for pre-order from April 14. Based on the Chinese release, it’s likely to cost somewhere around $600, which would make it a phenomenal deal.

Pros: 144Hz refresh rate, 5G connectivity, fully customizable, loads of gaming accessories, affordable price

Cons: No waterproofing, no wireless charging

What else we considered

There are lots of alternative gaming phones to think about, and I’ve tested many of them. Here are a few options that didn’t quite make the cut, with an explanation of where they fell short.

Razer Phone 2 ($799.99): Featuring a 120Hz screen refresh rate, dual front-facing speakers, and a light up logo on the back, the Razer Phone 2 is a gaming phone through and through. It improves on the original in every way, but the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor is aging, and the camera is distinctly average.
Google Pixel 4 ($799.99): Silky smooth performance, a 90Hz screen refresh rate, and some clever Google features make this an effective phone, but battery life is just not good enough. Having played a lot of games on the Pixel 4, the rapid battery drain makes it impossible to recommend as a gaming phone. The Pixel 4 XL has slightly better battery life, a bigger screen, and is a better deal at around $900, but it’s still not good enough to make the list. https://ift.tt/2s1BWV3
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra ($1,399.99): Everything that’s great about the S20 Plus applies to the S20 Ultra, but it’s simply too big and too expensive for most people. Apart from the extra screen real estate, which makes it unwieldy, the S20 Ultra has an incredibly powerful zoom and a 108-megapixel lens in the main camera, but I think it’s overkill. https://ift.tt/37k4DvB
OnePlus 7T ($499.00): This is a solid all-around phone, with a 6.55-inch AMOLED screen that boasts a 90Hz refresh rate, and an impressive camera suite. But, inside there’s a Snapdragon 855 processor and 8GB of RAM, which places this a beat behind our recommendations. The McLaren Edition has a faster processor and 12GB of RAM, but it costs a few hundred dollars more. https://ift.tt/33VnL1z

What you should look for in a gaming phone

Screen refresh rate: The refresh rate is simply how often the action on your screen updates. Up until now, most phones have had screen refresh rates of 60Hz, which means the display can show up to 60 frames per second. Many gaming phones have much higher refresh rates (120Hz is quite common), but it’s important to remember that the game and processor must be able to support the higher frame rate for a higher refresh rate to show an improvement. Another thing that’s often stated with gaming phones is the touch response rate. You may have a refresh rate of 120Hz, but a touch response rate of 240Hz, for example. This relates to how quickly the touchscreen updates with your fingers’ position on the screen.

Processing power: Two things are essential in this category: the chipset and the memory (RAM). Now, for the most part, smartphones have an abundance of processing power nowadays. Even most mid-range phones can run demanding games, but if you want to run them at the highest graphical settings, without dropped frames, then you need a high-end processor. The RAM determines how many apps you can have open in memory, so gaming phones want a lot of RAM. With enough RAM, you can dip in and out of games and pick up exactly where you left off without having to wait for things to reload.

Battery life: Gaming is one of the most demanding things you can do with your phone, and it will rapidly deplete your battery. The size of the battery will be stated in milliampere hours (mAh). High refresh rates, lots of RAM, and fast processors are very power hungry, so the bigger, the better when it comes to battery capacity.