Every year, the market for mobile games expands. Popular games are frequently converted to smartphones, and game companies are eager to take a cut of the revenue from those who choose to play games on their phones while lounging on the couch or traveling to and from work or school. Top 15 Best Gaming Smartphones in 2024
However, as the market expands, so do the hardware specifications. Sure, simple “3 in a row” puzzles can be solved virtually with a calculator, but more complex games like Call of Duty: Mobile, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, or the same Genshin Impact require a smartphone that is at least in the middle of the price range to play comfortably and without lag.
In this article, we have collected 15 gaming smartphones for different budgets that will perform better in mobile games than others. So if you’re thinking about buying a phone for gaming, check out this list first.
How to choose a good smartphone
The screen and CPU are the first things mentioned in lists such as “the best gaming phones.” While these two elements are undoubtedly crucial for comfortable gameplay, other factors must also be considered. Unlike a PC or laptop, a smartphone is a whole device, thus you cannot just swap out pieces for better ones. For that reason, you should consider every feature while selecting a phone.
For example, the performance of a smartphone depends not only on how cool its processor is but also on how much internal RAM is installed in it, as well as what graphics technologies it supports. And in a screen, not only the diagonal and type of screen are important, but also its “Hertz”, brightness level, color contrast, and oleophobic coating, because you will have to constantly poke your fingers at the display.
Battery is also important for a good gaming device. Not only its capacity but also the charging speed and the time that the smartphone can be used in active mode. This also depends on the selection of components as a whole. Well, we can’t forget about the sound. Clear sound from the speakers without wheezing or clicking is also important for immersion in the game.
The last point to pay attention to is support for additional accessories. Good headphones or a mobile gamepad can greatly improve your gaming experience.
The best gaming smartphones
Thus, we have chosen the parameters for the device. It’s time to move on to our list of the top gaming phones available in shops and online retailers. We made an effort to include cellphones in this pick that fit a variety of budgets and have the greatest features available in this price range. To help you understand where the performance is better, we also compared the results to benchmarks.
realme 10
Price : 182.69–236.42 $
Processor : MediaTek Helio G99
Display : Super AMOLED FHD+, 6.43 inches, 2400×1080, 90 Hz
Memory capacity : 4/128, 8/128, 8/256 GB
Battery : 5000 mAh
AnTuTu : 401.886
Where to buy : DNS , Yandex.Market , OZON
The selection opens with the budget favorite of many mobile gamers – realme 10. We added it to the top primarily for its user rating: more than 1,500 positive reviews in DNS and 7,000 in Yandex.Market speak for themselves. Buyers praise the performance, screen and battery.
The Realme 10 processor, although not the most efficient in terms of performance, performs well in games. Even on high settings in PUBG, it produces 30 FPS, and in other projects like Genshin Impact and Fortnite, you can easily achieve a stable frame rate from it. In its price segment, realme 10 easily beats all competitors in terms of speed and ergonomics.
But there are a couple of disadvantages: users complain about the quality of the camera and sound. It’s suitable for everyday use, but you definitely shouldn’t count on it for professional photography and video shooting.
TECNO Camon 20 Pro
- Price : 182.69–236.42 $
- Processor : MediaTek Helio G99
- Display : AMOLED FHD+, 6.43 inches, 2400×1080, 120 Hz
- Memory capacity : 8/256 GB
- Battery : 5000 mAh
- AnTuTu : 416.544
- Where to buy : DNS , Yandex.Market , OZON
TECNO Camon 20 Pro features dynamic beveled lines in the design of the cover and camera panel. And the filling is quite decent. MediaTek Helio G99 with a Mali-G57 MP2 graphics accelerator, like the previous model, and a set of 8/256 GB memory. Enough for comfortable gameplay in most games.
The screen is also not far behind, with AMOLED FHD+ with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. This will provide a smooth feel not only for racing through the night streets but also for shootouts in shooters or battles in RPGs. The smartphone’s gaming test results are also excellent for its price segment: stable 30 FPS in PUBG on high settings, 60 in Call of Duty and WoT Blitz.
You can choose a smartphone if your budget is limited, and you don’t plan to play too heavy projects like Fortnite and Genshin Impact, although even they will work, albeit at low settings. For its price, this is an excellent device that is worth paying attention to.
OPPO Reno8 T
- Price : 290.15–322.39 $
- Processor : MediaTek Helio G99
- Display : AMOLED FHD+, 6.43 inches, 2400×1080, 90 Hz
- Memory capacity : 8/256 GB
- Battery : 5000 mAh
- AnTuTu : 405.000
- Where to buy : DNS , Yandex.Market , OZON
Yes, the OPPO Reno 8T also has a MediaTek Helio G99 processor, but there is one caveat – this representative of our selection has faster RAM. Videos play smoother on it, and everything feels very nice in games. This smartphone also has an excellent 100 MP camera.
It’s worth understanding that the OPPO Reno8 T is still a budget smartphone, which means you shouldn’t expect miracles from it. Yes, it will run all the games you want and you will feel comfortable at medium settings even in demanding titles, but at ultra settings, there will be FPS drops and load times. So if you want to play PUBG with your friends while lying on the couch, don’t set the settings too high.
The smartphone looks stylish – in orange the back cover is made to look like leather with embossing, and in black it shimmers. In the box you get fast charging and several built-in apps that cannot be removed.
Infinix GT 10 Pro
- Price : 247.17–343.88 $
- Processor : MediaTek Dimensity 8050
- Display : AMOLED FHD+, 6.67 inches, 2400×1080, 120 Hz
- Memory capacity : 8/256 GB
- Battery : 5000 mAh
- AnTuTu : 725.393
- Where to buy : Megamarket , Yandex.Market , OZON
Here we are already entering the gaming segment. The prefix GT in the name indicates that the smartphone belongs to the gaming version. And the appearance of the device screams that it was created for games. Multi-layered pattern, two interesting colors, dynamic lines… You don’t even want to hide this behind a case.
The smartphone’s hardware matches its appearance – modern games will run without problems. Under the body is an eight-core MediaTek Dimensity 8050, which can deliver a stable 60 FPS in almost every game even on high settings. The same PUBG will easily produce 80–90 FPS, like other shooters, but with heavy projects like CarX Street and Genshin Impact, it will be a little worse, around 30–40 FPS.
The smartphone has 8 GB of RAM, but it can be artificially expanded up to 16 GB using internal storage. And 256 GB of internal memory is enough for all the necessary games, and there will also be room for photos. A large display and a 5000 mAh battery will ensure comfortable gameplay.
OnePlus 10T
- Price : 376.12–537.32 $
- Processor : Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
- Display : AMOLED FHD+, 6.7 inches, 2412×1080, 120 Hz
- Memory capacity : 8/128 GB
- Battery : 4800 mAh
- AnTuTu : 1.165.433
- Where to buy : Yandex.Market , OZON
OnePlus smartphones are loved by many. Bright design, powerful filling, and not too high a price – that’s why users choose this brand. And although the OnePlus 10T is not the brand’s top model, the phone feels great in games.
All thanks to the eight-core Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. Together with the Adreno 730 graphics accelerator and a set of 16/256 memory, we get a powerful build that will give heat to many pure gaming devices. See for yourself: 60 FPS in Fortnite on high settings, 60 FPS in PUBG on ultra settings, and even the notorious Genshin Impact at the highest settings produces 50 frames with rare drops to 45.
The screen is also pleasing; FHD+ SuperAMOLED with 120 Hz is an excellent solution to make the gaming experience even more enjoyable. The smartphone also has a 4800 mAh battery, which supports fast charging and charges to 100% in 20 minutes. And to keep the phone cool, it has a vapor compression cooling system.
POCO F4 GT
- Price : 247.17–376.12 $
- Processor : Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
- Display : AMOLED FHD+, 6.67 inches, 2400×1080, 120 Hz
- Memory capacity : 8/128, 12/256 GB
- Battery : 4700 mAh
- AnTuTu : 1.178.365
- Where to buy : OZON
Another smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor is the POCO F4 GT. Again, the GT tag, the specifications, and even the design hint that this is a smartphone from the gaming line with increased performance and lower power consumption.
In games, the smartphone behaves decently and often produces 90 and 120 FPS without much effort. An ambush awaits only in difficult projects. Again, we measure against Fortine, which averages 40 FPS on high settings, and Genshin Impact, which keeps the bar at 35–40 FPS with rare dips.
The smartphone display is not inferior even to some flagships: 6.67 inches, SuperAMOLED with excellent contrast and brightness. And the POCO F4 FT has excellent sound. Those who like to play at home without headphones will like it. In addition, the smartphone has a special side microphone for games with voice chat.
POCO F5 Pro
- Price : 451.35–644.78 $
- Processor : Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2
- Display : AMOLED, 6.67 inches, 3200×1440, 120 Hz
- Memory capacity : 12/256, 12/512 GB
- Battery : 5160 mAh
- AnTuTu : 1.317.798
- Where to buy : DNS , Yandex.Market , OZON
Another representative from the POCO brand in our selection is a smartphone from the Pro line – POCO F5 Pro. 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of internal memory are enough not only for everyday life but also for comfortable gaming. It is also possible to expand the RAM by hardware up to 19 GB.
The secret to performance is simple: the smartphone has an eight-core Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2, which means that almost all modern games in it will run at 60–120 FPS. And yes, that’s how it is. The only problem for the smartphone was Fortnite, but even at high settings you can squeeze out 45 frames and play comfortably.
To prevent the smartphone from overheating, it has built-in chip cooling and fast heat dissipation technology. Of course, there will be slight heating in demanding games and while charging, but otherwise nothing serious. The icing on the cake is a large 5000 mAh battery that supports fast charging and can offer up to 30 hours of talk time.
Black Shark 5 Pro
- Price: 934.93 $
- Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
- Display: AMOLED FHD+, 6.67 inches, 2400×1080, 144 Hz
- Memory capacity: 8/128, 12/128 GB
- Battery: 4650 mAh
- AnTuTu: 1,057,100
- Where to buy: Apple Store
Black Shark 5 Pro is a smartphone from Xiaomi that comes under their separate gaming brand. In addition to smartphones, you can find gaming headsets and in-ear headphones in a remarkable design. And the phone itself also stands out: on the back cover there are patterns reminiscent of modifications from Cyberpunk 2077.
Under the cover, there is an eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with an Adreno 730 graphics accelerator. Together with a 144 Hz AMOLED display, we get an excellent gaming solution. The smartphone produces 90 FPS in PUBG, 60 in APEX: Legends, and a decent 50 in Fortnite at the highest settings.
For a better gaming experience, the creators have worked on the sound and installed support for high-resolution audio. So gunshots and other sound effects will sound as delicious as possible. And if on-screen buttons aren’t enough for you, then use the two magnetic triggers on the side of the case to turn your smartphone into a pocket gamepad.
Nubia Red Magic 8S Pro
- Price : 816.72–870.45 $
- Processor : Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- Display : AMOLED FHD+, 6.67 inches, 2480×1116, 120 Hz
- Memory capacity : 16/512 GB
- Battery : 6000 mAh
- AnTuTu : 1.633.002
- Where to buy : Cifrus
And now you’re entering the territory of really expensive gaming, where gaming smartphones cost as much as decent laptops and PCs. It opens with Nubia Red Magic 8S Pro from ZTE. And so that everyone understands that the smartphone is definitely a gaming one, it has a small cooler with RGB lighting built right into the body, which can be connected during particularly sweaty skating rinks.
The basis of the filling is the overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 (Leading Version) and the Adreno 740 graphics accelerator. It is for this couple that a powerful cooling system is needed, because with such a machine in your hands you won’t want to turn on settings below “ultra”. PUBG – stable 90 FPS, Fortnite – 55 FPS on epic graphics settings, Genshin Impact – 60 FPS on maximum graphics. And easier games run at a stable 120 frames.
The smartphone has additional triggers on the side of the case, a bright 6.8-inch AMOLED display and a powerful 6000 mAh battery with charging from 0% to 100% in 35 minutes. Even with the cooler turned on to maximum, the smartphone will provide several hours of continuous comfortable gaming.
It is noteworthy that you will not find either a camera or a fingerprint scanner on this smartphone. They are there – just hidden under the display and not visible during games. The smartphone also has its own virtual assistant in a separate section – an anime girl named Mora.
Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro
- Price : 730.75–1010.16 $
- Processor : Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
- Display : OLED, 6.8 inches, 2480×1116, 120 Hz
- Memory capacity : 12/256, 16/512 GB
- Battery : 6500 mAh
- AnTuTu : 2.020.000
- Where to buy : Tsifrus , Technodeus
It would seem, where is it even cooler? And there is room for improvement, because just recently the new Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro was released, which has become even more powerful, faster and more technologically advanced. But the price of the smartphone is appropriate. It’s still hard to find it on sale, but it’s still possible. And they ask for it on average 90 thousand rubles.
Under the cover of the smartphone there is a real beast – Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. And to cool it, a special vapor chamber and a cooler are installed, disguised as a third camera on the back cover. The screen in this version is OLED, 6.8 inches with a resolution of 2480×1116 and a frequency of 120 Hz. In short, the games will run quickly, brightly and clearly.
The hardware doesn’t let you down; even in hardware-hungry Fortnite and Genshin Impact, it’s easy to achieve a stable 60 FPS at maximum speed. And there’s no need to talk about PUBG, Call of Duty and other games, because the smartphone runs 90–120 FPS in them with ease. Unlike the previous version of the ZTE gaming device, this model has an even more powerful battery – 6500 mAh. It can even work as a power bank.
ASUS Rog Phone 7 Ultimate
- Price : 2127.77 $
- Processor : Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- Display : AMOLED FHD+, 6.78 inches, 2448×1080, 165 Hz
- Memory capacity : 16/512 GB
- AnTuTu : 1.603.292
- Where to buy : Yandex.Market
Well, what kind of selection about gaming devices without the ASUS brand? Their ROG line has long been replenished with powerful gaming phones. But we will look at their last two models, because the characteristics of both of them will give a head start to many competitors.
The Asus Rog Phone 7 Ultimate has an eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 with an Adreno 740 graphics accelerator. This combo can easily handle any games and can withstand intense hours of gameplay. And if it gets too hot, the smartphone comes with a special overhead cooler that will prevent it from heating up too much. And when you first start it, you will also be asked to play a mini-game to familiarize yourself with the gyroscope and triggers of the device.
Games run without problems: stable 60 FPS in Genshin Impact, 90 in Call of Duty and PUBG, even in heavy Black Desert FPS does not fall below 45. And if the processor is responsible for the smoothness of games, then the 6.78-inch AMOLED display with high pixel density.
In short, a gaming device both inside and out. The case has built-in RGB lighting, and the back cover has a multi-layer pattern. Even the box and package are in style.
ASUS Rog Phone 8 Pro
- Price : 1117.62–1482.99 $
- Processor : Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
- Display : AMOLED FHD+, 6.78 inches, 2448×1080, 165 Hz
- Memory capacity : 16/125, 24/1024 GB
- Battery : 5500 mAh
- AnTuTu : 2.359.969
- Where to buy : Yandex.Market , OZON
Unlike its younger version, Rog Phone 8 Pro is much more restrained in design. The backlit logo on the back cover is now hidden and only becomes visible when you turn it on, and the futuristic elements on the cover have been replaced by a single slanting stroke.
The device justifies its inclusion in the list of the best gaming smartphones by its filling: it has a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with an Adreno 750 graphics accelerator. Cooler combinations for mobile gaming have not yet been invented. The smartphone even supports ray tracing! And it copes with games one or two times: War Thunder Mobile with ray tracing runs at 55–60 FPS, Fortnite at high settings – 60–85 FPS, and the same Genshin Impact – at 60 FPS without drops.
The screen here matches the filling: 6.78-inch FHD+ AMOLED with a refresh rate of 165 Hz. And the internal storage of a smartphone can reach up to 1 terabyte of memory. This way you will definitely fit all the games, photos, videos and generally everything you need.The kit also includes an overhead cooler to cool the smartphone during long gaming sessions, but the internal heat dissipation will be sufficient for short runs with friends.
OnePlus 12
- Price : 859.71–1182.10 $
- Processor : Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
- Display : AMOLED, 6.82 inches, 3168×1440, 120 Hz
- Memory capacity : 12/256, 16/512, 16/1024, 24/1024 GB
- Battery : 5400 mAh
- AnTuTu : 2.110.808
- Where to buy : Oneplus.com
Finally, we will look at several powerful smartphones that are not positioned as gaming ones, but nevertheless cope well with games. And we’ll start with OnePlus 12, new items from the OnePlus brand. In terms of filling, it can outdo half of the list we gave above.
Under the hood is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with an Adreno 750 GPU, just like the ASUS Rog Phone 8 Pro and Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro. As a result, we get a stable 60 FPS in Fortnite and Genshin Impact, and 90-120 in less demanding games. A large 6.82-inch AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of 120 Hz will show a beautiful and smooth picture.
The internal memory of the smartphone can now be configured with up to 1 terabyte, and the RAM – up to 24 GB. Essentially, you will have a small PC in your pocket that can not only run heavy games, but also cope with everyday tasks and take photos and videos at the level of professional cameras. But you will have to pay quite a lot.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Price : 1128.36–2041.80 $
Processor : Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Display : Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 6.8 inches, 3120×1440,120 Hz
Memory capacity : 12/256, 12/512, 12/1024 GB
Battery : 5000 mAh
AnTuTu : 1.814.869
Where to buy : DNS , Yandex.Market
The latest flagship from Samsung can also compete for the title of best phone for gaming and life. Despite the fact that it is not positioned as a gaming device, it has powerful components.
Under the hood of the device there is an eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and an Adreno 750 graphics accelerator. We have already written about what this combo is capable of, but we will repeat it again: 60–90 FPS in Fortnite, 60 FPS in Genshin Impact and 90–120 in almost all others titlelah.
Samsung is known for its screens, and in its latest product in the mobile market they have supplied Dynamic AMOLED 2X at 6.8 inches with a resolution of 3120×1440 and a frequency of 120 Hz. On such a screen it is pleasant to both play and watch different films.
iPhone 15 Pro
- Price : 1289.56–2095.53 $
- Processor : Apple A17 Bionic Pro
- Display : OLED, 6.1 inches, 2556×1179, 120 Hz
- Memory capacity : 128, 256, 512, 1024 GB
- Battery : 3274 mAh
- AnTuTu : 1.641.883
- Where to buy : DNS , Yandex.Market
Well, you can’t live without the latest iPhone either. Fans of Apple products often praise the brand’s smartphones for the fact that they are suitable not only for photos on social networks, but also cope with games quite well.
The iPhone 15 Pro is powered by Apple’s A17 Bionic Pro processor. And it copes well in games: in Call of Duty it produces a stable 60 FPS, and Genshin Impact runs at the same 60 FPS without jerks or drops. Of course, not all games are ported to the iPhone, but from what is available in the App Store, everything will launch without problems or lags.
There are still a couple of disadvantages: many users note that the smartphone quickly discharges during heavy games and gets very hot. So if you plan to play Genshin Impact on the go, take a power bank with you and remember to take breaks to prevent your phone from overheating.
We have collected devices for different budgets, looked at their hardware, advantages and how they cope with the most famous games on mobile devices. So this rating of gaming smartphones will help you make your choice.
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