The best gaming smartphones for 2024 | Digital Trends

Once mocked as the home of “filthy casuals,” mobile gaming has advanced over the last few years, with games like Genshin Impact, PUBG: Mobile, and Call of Duty showing that the humble smartphone can provide just as much enjoyment as the console parked in front of the TV.

While almost all of the best smartphones can play mobile games, some are better at it than others. If you’re really serious about games, perhaps even at a competitive level, there are phones built expressly for the purpose. Our top choice is the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro because it’s made specifically for gamers.

To experience the latest games at their full potential, you’ll need a suitable smartphone with an impressive screen and a powerful processor that can handle whatever you want to play. Once you’ve found the right phone, you’re ready to start playing some of the best Android games and best iPhone games out there.

Now we’ll detail why we picked the following phones.

Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro

The best gaming phone

Why you should buy this: It’s the best gaming smartphone you can buy right now.

Who it’s for: It’s made by gamers for gamers.

Why we picked the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro:

Over the last several years, Asus has dished out dependable gaming phones that get better with each passing generation. The ROG Phone 8 Pro, as Asus claims, feels closer to an “all-round premium phone” rather than one specifically aimed at gaming. With this transformation, it sheds some of the bulk that the older generations used to appear more burly. Instead, the ROG Phone 8 Pro feels like and weighs as much as a big flagship phone such as the Galaxy S24 Ultra or the iPhone 16 Pro Max.

The ROG Phone 8 Pro packs a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 that is paired to an outrageous 24GB of RAM. Asus is prepared for the extensive heat that is generated in the form of a diverse vapor cooling mechanism, which is further reinforced by the AeroCooler fan that attaches onto the phone (but must be bought separately). Meanwhile, the capacitive AirTriggers let you ax your opponents into shreds.

The display adds to your gaming adventures with its variable refresh rate that ranges from 1Hz and 120Hz. For certain games capable of higher frame rates, the display rushes up to 165Hz for smoother gameplay.

The ROG Phone 8 Pro is powered by a 5,500mAh battery that delivers several hours of unceasing gameplay. If you’re not gaming, the efficiency is incredible, with the phone surviving several days on a single charge. That’s beyond anything most other flagships can claim, and it means it has plenty of juice for gaming marathons.

The ROG Phone 8 Pro is probably the only widely available flagship Android phone to come with a 3.5mm headphone jack, which can be useful if you want low-latency audio to be relayed through a headset that you specifically bought for gaming.

On top of these gaming-oriented features, the ROG Phone 8 Pro gets a clean interface, and a camera that you can rely on mostly, so long as you don’t set your expectations too high.

If you are looking for a phone that excels at gaming, the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro is difficult to beat. However, if you want a device that’s more versatile and has a broader utility, there are some other options on this list down below.

iPhone 16 Pro Max

The best gaming phone from Apple

Why you should buy this: The iPhone 16 Pro has the most powerful chipset of any mobile device, which empowers it to run selective ports of popular titles originally made for PC and gaming consoles.

Who it’s for: Serious gamers who are also looking for the best smartphone for everyday use.

Why we picked the iPhone 16 Pro Max:

The iPhone 16 Pro Max is one of the top contenders for the title of the best phone overall. It’s a powerhouse with some of the best phone cameras, it features an exceptionally color-accurate display, and it offers the dependability that comes with Apple’s long support for all iPhone devices.

What makes the iPhone 16 Pro Max best suited for gaming is the chipset it houses. The A18 Pro is the first commercially available 3-nanometer mobile chip and shares a bloodline with Apple’s M4 chip. Despite a slight performance cutback compared to the iPad Pro, the chip is incredibly powerful and makes the iPhone 16 Pro and the 16 Pro Max ideal for gaming.

While sharing its internal hardware with the iPhone 16 Pro, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a better choice, thanks to its larger battery, which is complemented by 45-watt fast wired charging. The expansive 6.9-inch 120Hz display with minimal bezels also gives your fingers plenty of room to swipe across while gaming.

Apple has also been promising availability of console-bound games ported to the iPhone and iPad. Titles such as Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Resident Evil Village already offer performance comparable to their console versions ,while hardware-accelerated ray tracing amps up graphics for supported games.

With iOS 18, Apple is also adding a dedicated gaming mode that prioritizes gaming performance while limiting background tasks. All of these software features combine to make the iPhone 16 Pro Max a great deal for gamers. Finally, Apple is expected release the iOS 18.1 update around the end of October 2024, marking the U.S.-only release of Apple Intelligence.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

The best mainstream Android gaming phone

Why you should buy this: Not only is it excellent for gaming, but it’s great for everyday use, too, and it’s the best S-series phone on the market.

Who it’s for: Avid mobile gamers who don’t want a gaming-specific phone, just an excellent Android phone.

Why we picked the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra:

Like the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is among our top recommendations for the best phones to buy. It’s packed with spectacular qualities, from a super bright and crisp display to some of the best cameras on any mobile phone. The S Pen endows the Galaxy S24 Ultra with a unique power and also enables unique (so far) features such as Circle to Search that rely on Google’s Gemini AI to search items or scan text from a portion of the display.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra derives its power from the mighty Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which is well-equipped to run any Android game at the highest settings without any major performance drops. When the heat turns up, the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s larger-than-ever heat sink comes to the rescue. Samsung claims the vapor cooling chamber on the Galaxy S24 Ultra is about twice as big as that of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which should help it stay on track without any qualitative losses as you push your hot streak forward.

The new flat display on the Galaxy S24 Ultra makes it much easier to reach the controls along the far edges, while ray tracing support (when it arrives fully on Android games) should allow for extremely satisfying visuals on the gorgeous display. Meanwhile, the metal frame helps evacuate the internal heat faster, and the large 5,000mAh battery ensures you have enough juice to last through several hours of first-person crusades.

If you want to have a more enriched gaming experience, some fiddling will allow you to play PC games on an external monitor using Samsung’s DeX mode. That’s a feature barely any phone can match up to.

OnePlus 12

The best value gaming phone

Why you should buy this: It’s a plentiful Android phone with good gaming performance at an attractive price.

Who it’s for: Those who want a dependable flagship phone without breaking the bank.

Why we picked the OnePlus 12:

After a few years off-track, OnePlus returned to form with the OnePlus 12, a phone that offers outstanding value for the features it packs. The OnePlus 12 strikes the right notes in almost every aspect, whether we look at the super bright display with a 4,500 nits of brightness, 80-watt fast wired and 50W fast wireless charging to top up the large 5,400mAh battery, or the impressive set of rear cameras that use Hasselblad’s color science.

The flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset inside is paired to either 12GB or 16GB of RAM, which combine to offer a phenomenal performance (just make sure to turn on the High Performance Mode). What makes the OnePlus 12 truly special as a gaming phone is its rich suite of software features, including frame interpolation to artificially boost frame rates to 120 frames per second (fps), over-the-top HDR, and vibrations that sync up with in game actions.

The OnePlus 12 delivers top-notch, yet breezy performance irrespective of the length of gameplay and is backed by a fairly reliable passive cooling mechanism. OnePlus also has a cool tech responsible for keeping the display responsive even when it’s wet. Although the intended use case is to be able to use the phone in light rain, you can be assured that sweat from intense gaming sessions will not hamper your winning streak.

Another major reason we recommend the OnePlus 12 is for its exquisite and mesmerizing color options that look unlike any other phone. Besides the gray, you can buy the phone in a captivating green color or a classy white, which will grab a lot of attention when you game.

Right now — i.e., before Black Friday — would be a great time to buy the OnePlus 12 as the starting price is down to just $650, and you probably won’t get a better deal on a feature-rich phone such as this one.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6

The best folding gaming phone

Why you should buy this: This phone has is a powerhouse, with a tablet-like footprint that gives you a solid advantage.

Who it’s for: Power users who want an incredible phone for multitasking and relentless power for gaming.

Why we picked the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6:

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is the most convincing foldable smartphone out there right now. With the latest generation, Samsung has reworked the design to make the Fold look more modern and less bulky. It is the thinnest and lightest Galaxy Fold so far, and weighs only slightly more than the iPhone 16 Pro or the Galaxy S24 Ultra. While it’s thin profile and the favorable weight are among reasons that make it exciting while gaming, they aren’t the only ones.

The Galaxy Z Fold 6 rocks a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, but its flexibility to use folded or unfolded is what makes it so appealing as a gaming phone. The large 7.6-inch inner display not only gives you more room and better vertical span of view while gaming, but it also opens up the possibility for running emulation gaming with onscreen controller buttons without hindering visibility; just imagine running a Nintendo DS emulator!

Both the inner and outer screens offer great sharpness, exceptional colors, and high brightness. These attributes combine to make the Galaxy Z Fold 6 an excellent phone for a variety of games, but you’ll especially enjoy ones with long cinematic cut scenes.

Like the Galaxy S24 Ultra, the Z Fold 6 can also be hooked to an external monitor and used for playing games, including some retro PC titles. It’s also compatible with a keyboard and mouse. We also appreciate Samsung ensuring that the Fold 6 checks all boxes for power users, especially with its S Pen support. The convenience of carrying a tablet in your pocket and Samsung’s commitment to keeping the phone up and running for the next seven years makes the deal even more enticing.

OnePlus 12R

The best midrange gaming phone

Why you should buy this: It comes with the trust of a reliable brand and offers incredibly high value for the money.

Who it’s for: Those who want high-end specs on a strict budget.

Why we picked the OnePlus 12R:

The OnePlus 12R is unlike any other $500 phone from a mainstream brand. The OnePlus 12R is a reminder of OnePlus’ underdog era; it offers incredibly powerful specifications at a highly compelling price, making it a throwback to the flagship killer of yore.

The OnePlus 12R shares a blend of features borrowed from this year’s OnePlus 12 and last year’s OnePlus 11. Of the things the OnePlus 12R nails is its performance, thanks to a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside it. While the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 offers an initial boost — thanks to stronger single-core performance — the gap between the two eventually reduces as you continue to game. That makes the OnePlus 12R almost as good as a flagship Android phone.

The OnePlus 12R also borrows elements of its stunning glass and metal design from the OnePlus 12. The battery inside is slightly larger than the OnePlus 12’s, and wired charging is equally fast. OnePlus has stripped down the 12R to essential features, so you will find the same primary camera as the OnePlus 11, but without the Hasselblad badging. There’s no wireless charging either, but that shouldn’t matter at this price.

What remains is the extensive suite of features OnePlus layers on top of games through its gaming mode. That means you can artificially apply HDR or increase the resolution of games even when higher resolutions are not natively supported.

The OnePlus 12R doesn’t feel like a cheap phone in any sense, and its bloat-free software with three guaranteed Android updates attests to that persona. Since it launched with Android 14, those three years are still ahead of us, making it a solid buy.

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