In our scale, the best gaming phone should be able to run the most demanding games out there at ultra settings and high framerates while still remaining cooler than Michael Jackson performing the moonwalk.
That being said, there are multiple choices out there; each one with their own pros and cons. Choosing a single phone as an all-around best option is a rather tough call to make.
So, here are some of the best gaming phones that you can grab in 2019!
1: Best Gaming Smartphone For Razer Fans: Razer Phone 2
Razer is one of the most popular brands in the gaming industry. They've made some great headsets, keyboards, mice, and now even phones.
That being said, as far as gaming smartphones are concerned, it would be impossible not to mention the Razer Phone 2.
One of the things that make it stand out as a gaming phone is its high-refresh-rate. While most phones are using a 60 Hz panel, this one sits at a refresh rate of 120 Hz!
Any experienced gamer knows that refresh rate makes a huge difference in smoothness. That is as long as your rig is powerful enough to push out all these frames.
And the Razer Phone 2 is definitely powerful enough to handle it. With a Snapdragon 845, an Adreno 630, and 8 gigs of RAM, there is no doubt that this device is on the beefier side.
Does that mean that it's the without a doubt the best phone that you can get? No. It has its downsides.
The bezels are quite thick, the camera struggles to compete with other flagships, and the relatively small screen to body ratio will definitely piss some people off.
That being said, the bezels of the Razer Phone 2 also make it feel like a very solid device. So, it's not all bad.
Pros
- Beefy specs
- Offers a display with one of the highest refresh rates on the mobile market
- Front speakers are great
- Big battery
- Wireless charging support
- IP 67 water resistance
Cons:
- Huge bezels
- The 16:9 ratio looks a bit weird on smartphones these days
- Phone struggles to compete with other flagships in terms of camera and display quality
- The fingerprint scanner is placed on a rather weird position (Right side of the phone)
- No headphone jack
2: Best Gaming Smartphone For High-End Users: Asus ROG Phone
As far as gaming brands are concerned, let us not forget about the ROG series from Asus. We've seen ROG motherboards, graphics cards, cases, and now there is the ROG phone as well.
Just like with the Razer Phone 2, the Asus ROG Phone comes with a high-refresh-rate display. However, it sits only at 90Hz. And while that may not be a massive deal-breaker, there is no doubt that the refresh rate is inferior.
Now, there is the argument that phones can't push 120 frames anyway. But, that will actually highly depend on software developers. For example, non-demanding games like Angry Birds can easily hit more than a hundred FPS.
As far as the game doesn't lock the framerate at 30 or 60 FPS, there is no doubt that the Snapdragon 845 can definitely push a lot of games to well over a hundred frames.
However, that being said, one of the reasons that the ROG Phone doesn't offer such a high refresh rate is because it's using an AMOLED display.
For those of you who don't know, AMOLED screens produce more vibrant colors with deeper blacks. So, what the ROG loses in refresh rate, it makes up in color fidelity.
Leaving that aside, one of the biggest advantages that the ROG holds over the Razer Phone is that it doesn't look nearly as much as a brick. As you can see in the picture above, the screen to body ratio is definitely much better.
Other than that, there's also the fact that ROG offers a headphone jack, whereas the Razer Phone 2 doesn't. True, you could always use a USB Type-C adaptor. But, the truth is that nobody likes carrying a dongle with them.
Pros
- Bezels are more or less normal
- You get the option of using an active cooler
- Headphone jack is present (Definitely a present nowadays)
- Beefy specs
- Big battery
- Numerous optional accessories to choose from
- More storage than the Razer Phone 2 (64 vs 128)
- Front-firing speakers are great
Cons
- Water resistance of only IPX4 (Splash resistant)
- A tiny bit bulky for 2019 standards
- Camera still struggles to compete with the competition
- Generally more expensive than its competition (And that's without counting the additional accessories)
3: Best Gaming Phone For Budget Users: Xiaomi Pocophone F1
Generally being priced at about 300 bucks, the Pocophone is definitely not a budget device. But, compared to other flagships which can easily cost you $800 and upwards, this is definitely dirt cheap.
Despite not being branded as a gaming phone, the Pocophone comes with the same Snapdragon 845 chipset that the ROG is wearing while only asking for a small fraction of the price. We can definitely see why they call it the "Flagship killer".
Now, obviously, at that price point, you can't have everything that other flagships offer. True, it has the same specs and battery. But, its display is only working at a refresh rate of 60Hz.
So, even if it's able to push the same FPS count, the games are just not going to feel as smooth due to the lower refresh rate of the display.
Still, if you can't afford to spend something close to a thousand bucks for a gaming phone, then the Pocophone is the next closest thing that you can get.
Apart from its low refresh rate display, the Pocophone F1 is all-around a very solid choice. Flagship specs, good battery, solid camera - hard to go wrong with it.
Pros
- Extremely cheap (Compared to other flagships and gaming smartphones)
- Beefy specs
- Slim and stylish
- Narrow bezels
- Big battery
- Lots of storage options
Cons
- Lower screen refresh rate
- Tends to thermal throttle more often compared to the gaming variants (Obviously while gaming)
Wrapping Up
TLDR: there is no single phone that is suitable for everyone. But, you can take a look at our picks and choose whatever fits you best.
Overall:
- For those who want the highest refresh rate: Razer Phone 2
- If you want better color fidelity and more accessories: Asus ROG Phone
- And if you want something powerful without having to pay a fortune: Xiaomi Pocophone F1
That's all for now. Feel like we forgot to mention something important? Got anything wrong? Then let us and everyone else know about it in the comments section down below!
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