The best gaming phones 2023

There are hundreds upon hundreds of fantastic mobile games out there from a variety of genres and, of course, we love mobile gaming at PT, and want everybody to experience it at its best. So, we’ve put together this best gaming phone guide in which we break down some of the best smartphones you can get for mobile games.

Admittedly, there’s little reason to own a monstrous smartphone if you don’t intend to work it at full capacity and run some games, so make sure you check out our picks for the best iPhone games, Android games, fantasy games, games like Dark Souls, games like The Witcher, and best mobile RPGs to fill up that storage space.

Anyway, here’s what we consider to be the best gaming phones on the market right now:

1. Best gaming phone

The best gaming phone is the Asus ROG 6, and it costs around $1,099 / £999.

Pros

• A 6000 mAh battery for long gaming sessions
• A gamecool 6 thermal system to prevent overheating

Cons

• Isn’t available on a contract, so you need to buy the $1,099 device outright

If you want the best there is when it comes to a gaming phone, we strongly suggest you take a look at the Asus ROG range, the most recent of which is the Asus ROG 6, a powerhouse of a smartphone that’s more than capable of running any mobile game that you can get your hands on.

The innovative device features the airtrigger 6 system, as well as a 6000 mAh battery, which ensures you can spend hours upon hours playing games on your phone. No more do you have to rely on your portable consoles, which are likely to die after a mere few hours. Not only that, but the built in gamecool 6 thermal system ensures overheating is unlikely to occur.

If you want to learn more about this line of phones, check out our Asus ROG 5 review.

2. Best gaming iPhone

The best gaming iPhone is the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max, starting at $1,099 / £1,199 and scaling all the way up to $1,599 / £1,749 if you want more storage.

Pros

• A 6.7” super retina XDR display
• Is the only phone on the market that has the A16 bionic chip

Cons

• At $1,199, it costs the same as the Asus ROG
• Doesn’t have a sufficient cooling system for marathon gaming

The iPhone 14 Pro is the most powerful iPhone on the market, and is the only smartphone to feature the A16 bionic chip, which is more efficient than the previous A15 bionic chip found in iOS devices.

The chip is 40% faster than those that you find in competitive devices, which helps to ensure a smooth gaming experience. Of course, there’s also no denying that the super retina XDR display is sublime, bringing any mobile title to new heights.

The fact it has a decent battery life also helps, as it has up to 29 hours of playback before it runs out of juice. Finally, the size of the device ensures you have plenty of room to manoeuvre when you use touch controls.

3. Best Samsung gaming phone

The best Samsung gaming phone is the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. In the UK, it starts at £1,149 and scales up to £1,499 for more storage. In the US, you can get up to 512GB for $1,199.

Pros

• Features a large 6.8” display
• Takes fantastic pictures

Cons

• Lacks the A16 bionic chip that makes the iPhone 14 Pro so powerful
• Less battery life than its competitors

Yes, of course, there’s a Samsung device that’s capable of providing you with the ultimate mobile gaming experience. The Samsung Galaxy S22 features some impressive processing speeds with 2.8GHz, 2.5GHz, and 1.8GHz.

We all know how important this is – nobody wants to be stuck with a laggy phone. Better still, the 6.8” display ensures you have plenty of space to utilise touch controls.

However, while 22 hours playback isn’t bad, it’s not quite as good as the previous two phones, which can impact your gaming experience should you be after a device that can cater to a marathon session.

4. Great value gaming phone

A great value gaming phone is the RedMagic 7S Pro, and it retails at $809 / £779.

Pros

• Features a personalised gaming mode
• Is one of the cheaper powerful gaming phones at $809
• Outperforms the iPhone 14 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S22

Cons

• The battery isn’t as powerful as what you get in the Asus ROG 6
• The cooling system isn’t quite on par with the Asus ROG 6

Here we have another device designed specifically for mobile gaming. The RedMagic 7S Pro is one of the best on the market, and at $809, it’s one of the cheaper options too, within this spec range, at least.

It features a 5000 mAh battery to ensure you can have longer gaming sessions, though it also has 65W fast charging to ensure you can dive back in quickly after you run out of juice. Oh, and what sort of gaming phone would the RedMagic 7S Pro be if it didn’t have a cooling system?

Luckily it does, though the IVE 10.0 multidimensional cooling system isn’t quite as efficient as gamecool 6 thermal, but that doesn’t mean it can’t perform its job well. However, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that it has a personalised gaming mode, a saving grace for those in this for the long haul.

5. Great value high-refresh-rate gaming phone

A great value high-refresh-rate gaming phone is the OnePlus 10 Pro, starting around $699 / £699 depending on the deals you can find.

Pros

• A great retail price
• Fantastic battery life
• A great 120Hz refresh rate

Cons

• Lacks the same cool-down qualities as specifically designed gaming phones
• Isn’t compatible with 5G

Here we have what we consider to be the king of Android gaming phones. Honestly, there’s a lot to love about the OnePlus 10 Pro, from its lovely 6.7” display to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip it utilises.

Oh, and then there’s the 120Hz refresh rate it possesses, which just happens to go nicely with the near 13 hours of battery life it has. All of those qualities help to push this gaming phone to the front of the pack, and the fact it costs $699 also helps.

Yes, you read that right, it’s a good $200 cheaper than a lot of its competitors, yet it still has many qualities that help to ensure that you can enjoy long marathon gaming sessions on a responsive screen.

There you have it, what we consider to be the best gaming phones on the market right now. If it’s a standard smartphone that you’re after, our best iPhone and best Android phone guides can help you.