These Gaming Phones Are Legit, Pocket-Sized Alternatives to Your Console or PC

Stefan Vazharov
·10 min read
Photo credit: Samsung
Photo credit: Samsung

From Best Products

Game time doesn't have to end when you walk away from your computer or console.

Thanks to the massive power and performance capabilities of the latest mobile chips, many smartphones can now deliver an experience that, until not long ago, was strictly reserved for gaming computers and consoles. Having so much processing power to work with has enabled mobile game developers to create titles with incredible graphics and gameplay.

With gaming capabilities being a major factor that many consider when shopping for a new phone, we thoroughly researched and tested several different options in various price points. To determine our top picks, we scrutinized specs, read reviews from consumers, and consulted other industry experts.

The Best Gaming Phones of 2021

What to Consider

The hardware specs are the most important bit to consider when shopping for a smartphone, which you'll use for doing more than just playing video games. Here are the most important features we looked for:

  • Chipset and memory — focusing on the device’s ability to run the latest games and switch between multiple open apps.

  • Display — evaluating the quality of the panel, its resolution, and refresh rate.

  • Battery — its capacity and overall ability to keep the lights on as long as possible between charges, as well as the charging tech.

  • Connectivity — ensuring that the smartphone has fast and futureproof Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

  • Built-in speakers — giving players the opportunity to experience good in-game audio without a headset.

Unless you plan to buy a mobile gaming rig as a secondary phone, it is important to consider the device's design and ergonomics, as well as other features that it has to offer. A high-quality camera and a waterproof build are especially important for a phone that you also want to use as your daily driver.

How We Chose

We focused our research on smartphones with the best specs available today. The Android devices by Samsung and OnePlus we selected debuted this year, so they have the most up-to-date hardware in their price range. This guarantees that they’ll deliver high-quality gameplay for years after you purchase them.

Some of 2020’s best high-end smartphones — like the OnePlus 8 Pro and the Google Pixel 5, to name a couple — are also great for mobile gaming. However, their Qualcomm chips are older and not as powerful as the ones found in the Samsung Galaxy S21 lineup.

After selecting the phones, we spent many hours gaming on them to evaluate the most important features. In addition to playing some of the most graphic-intensive games for iOS and Android, we also put the phones’ cloud-gaming capabilities through their paces using Google Stadia and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

We paired each smartphone with an Xbox wireless gaming controller in order to use the services mentioned above. It's important to note that original Xbox and PlayStation, as well as many third-party wireless controllers are also compatible with countless Android and iOS gaming titles.

If you’re looking for a phone that can work for portable gaming as well as all of your daily needs, these are the best gaming phones for you.

Best iPhone for Gaming

Key Hardware Specs

  • Apple A14 Bionic chip with Neural Engine

  • 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display

  • 64/128/156GB of storage

  • Dual 12MP camera, 12MP selfie camera

  • IP68 rating for water resistance

  • 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0

  • Built-in stereo speakers

The iPhone 12 has a chipset with industry-leading power, a sharp and vibrant XDR OLED display with exceptional quality, superb stereo speakers, top-notch battery life, and an agreeable price. It is an excellent option for avid mobile gamers looking for a new iPhone.

With iOS on board, the smartphone also offers a superb selection of games, neatly organized in the App Store. They range from blockbuster picks like Call of Duty: Mobil‪e and PUBG Mobile, all the way to captivating indie titles with beautiful graphics and soundtracks to match. And then there’s Apple Arcade, a subscription service with an amazing selection of gaming titles that are tailor-made for the tech giant's hardware.

Of course, the iPhone 12 is also an excellent daily driver with impressive qualities that go well beyond mobile gaming. It’s a contender for the best smartphone on the market, thanks to an elegant design that's available in a multitude of colors, a fantastic camera setup, and a tough, fully waterproof build. It comes with a superb selection of protective cases and accessories to make it your own, too.

The slightly pricier iPhone 12 Pro is an equally amazing option for mobile gaming. It has the same chip and display panel as the iPhone 12, but a nicer build, a more capable triple camera, and more storage at its entry-level price point. However, if you are looking for a new iPhone on a tighter budget, consider the iPhone 11 for $200 less. It's a generation behind, but still a stellar option for gaming.

Best Android for Gaming

Key Hardware Specs

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset

  • 8GB of RAM, 128/256GB of storage

  • 6.2-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with 120 Hz maximum refresh rate

  • Triple camera (12MP wide, 12MP ultra wide-angle, 64MP telephoto) with optical image stabilization, 10MP selfie camera

  • 4,000 mAh battery with fast wired and wireless charging, reverse wireless charging

  • IP68 rating for water and dust resistance

  • 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.0

  • Built-in stereo speakers

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 5G is among today’s best Android smartphones, and it's a fantastic mobile gaming rig. Hardware-wise, it has everything you'd expect from a great gaming phone: a powerful chipset, an outstanding AMOLED screen with a 120 Hz refresh rate, abundant RAM and internal storage, a big battery, as well as excellent stereo speakers. Starting at $800, the product is also a great value considering its design, specs, and overall performance.

I enjoyed the high refresh rate of the device’s display while perfecting my lap times in Real Racing 3, as well while trying to improve my score in Alto’s Adventure. On-the-go Gears 5 gaming sessions via Xbox Game Pass Ultimate were also insanely fun. I like that the high refresh rate is adaptive in order to save energy. Depending on the tasks, users can get a lower refresh rate without affecting the overall experience.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 is also a fantastic device for daily use. It has an elegant design, a fully waterproof build, fast wired and wireless charging, and a triple camera that's capable of capturing photos and video with exceptional quality. Futureproof wireless connectivity options are also on board.

If you are looking for a bigger phone, consider the Samsung Galaxy S21+ instead. For $200 more, it has the same design and similar specs, but a 6.7-inch screen to go with a larger battery. The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, on the other hand, is a cheaper (and still-awesome) alternative with a bigger screen and a slightly older chipset.

Just like Apple's iPhone 12 lineup, Samsung's range-topping Galaxy smartphones lack a standard audio jack and a bundled charging adapter.

Best Budget Gaming Phone

Key Hardware Specs

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 chipset

  • 6GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable storage (via microSD card slot)

  • 6.5-inch FHD+ IPS display with 90 Hz maximum refresh rate

  • Quadruple camera (64MP main, 8MP ultra wide, 2MP macro, 2MP monochrome), 16MP selfie camera

  • 4,300 mAh battery with fast wired charging

  • 5G, Bluetooth 5.1

  • Built-in stereo speakers, standard audio jack

The OnePlus Nord N10 5G is our top pick for budget-minded mobile gamers. For $300, it has a large display panel with a high refresh rate and a midrange chipset, which can run today's popular games without hiccups. Plentiful memory and top-notch connectivity features are also among the product’s noteworthy highlights.

I tip my hat to OnePlus for equipping this affordable smartphone with a 90 Hz display panel. This functionality makes the device feel like a pricier product, even when using it outside of gaming.

Rather impressively, the Nord N10 5G also packs a standard audio jack — it’s the only phone on this list that has the feature. I enjoyed being able to use a pair of wired gaming cans while playing Doom on Google Stadia. The device’s built-in stereo speakers are also solid, especially considering its price point.

The affordable smartphone is also great for mobile tasks beyond gaming. It has a cool design and a versatile camera setup that’s capable of taking good photos for a sub-$300 phone. The device’s battery life is excellent, and so is its charging speed.

Best Gaming Phone for Top-Notch Performance

Key Hardware Specs

  • Apple A14 Bionic chip with a Neural Engine

  • 6.7-inch Super Retina OLED display with HDR support

  • 128/256/512GB of storage

  • Triple 12MP camera, 12MP selfie camera

  • IP68 rating for water and dust resistance

  • 5G, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0

  • Built-in stereo speakers

The range-topping iPhone 12 Pro Max is the biggest, most powerful, most feature-packed smartphone Apple has made to date. It is capable of effortlessly powering through any task, so it's great for playing the most graphic-intensive mobile games.

The 6.7-inch Super Retina OLED display of the smartphone is the biggest in an iPhone to date and ideal for gaming. Playing Beyond a Steel Sky — a graphic-intensive Apple Arcade title — was a sight to behold on the screen.

In a manner befitting its four-digit price tag, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is also packed with top-shelf specs and cutting-edge features. They include a build that's luxurious yet insanely durable, a class-leading triple camera with a big image sensor, and a long-lasting battery with fast charging capabilities.

The high $1,099 starting price tag of the iPhone 12 Pro Max isn't within everyone's budget. However, both the gaming experience and the everyday functionality of the device are truly second to none.

Best Big-Screen Gaming Phone

Key Hardware Specs

  • Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset

  • 12/16GB of RAM, 128/512GB of storage

  • 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 120 Hz maximum refresh rate

  • Quadruple camera (108MP main, dual 10MP telephoto, 12MP ultra wide, 40MP selfie camera)

  • 5,000 mAh battery with fast charging capabilities, reverse wireless charging

  • IP68 rating for water resistance

  • 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2

  • Built-in stereo speakers

The Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G by Samsung is the Android smartphone for gamers who simply want the best — it has a really powerful chipset, a big display panel, and a high-quality battery. It is the best big-screen Android phone available today and, unsurprisingly, an amazing mobile gaming rig.

Samsung’s AMOLED displays are always a joy to use, and the 6.8-inch panel of the latest Ultra smartphone is no exception. The screen is bigger and sharper than the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21+. It has an adaptive maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz that ensures fluid interactions and gameplay, and it even delivers power efficiency when you need it.

Available in Google Stadia, the blockbuster gaming title Cyberpunk 2077 looks incredible on the AMOLED screen of the Galaxy S21 Ultra. The display’s captivating colors and infinite contrast levels showcased the game’s futuristic world and action-packed sequences superbly.

As the best Samsung Galaxy smartphone to date, the S21 Ultra is also a treat to use. It has a beautiful design, exceptional build quality, and the most versatile camera setup in the industry. The phone is also compatible with Samsung's legendary S Pen stylus, so the tools that it offers for creative types are on par with its gaming capabilities.

Read More:

The Best Gaming Laptops for Comfort and Efficiency

Play Like Never Before With Our Favorite Gaming Headsets

The Best New Video Games That Are Getting Major Buzz

Follow BestProducts.com on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest!

You Might Also Like