Best Gaming Smartphones
Gaming smartphones used to be an extremely niche product, and while they technically still are, there are a lot more phones out there these days that can be considered suitable gaming smartphones. Even if they aren’t marketed as such. With that in mind, consumers have more choices for a gaming smartphone than ever before. With more options comes more of a challenge in finding the best gaming smartphones available, because you have a higher chance of picking something that isn’t a good phone for gaming.
That being said, we’ve set out to find all the best gaming smartphones for you to make this process easier. There will be some obvious choices and some maybe not so obvious, but all of them will be viable for playing mobile games if that’s the kind of device you’re looking for.
Here are the best gaming smartphones you can buy in 2025.
Best Gaming Smartphone
If you want the best gaming smartphone available, then there are a couple that would easily fit into this category; however, we’re recommending the REDMAGIC 10S Pro as the phone to beat. Not only is it extremely capable because of its specifications, but it was purpose-built for mobile gaming and offers some specialized gaming features. It’s also available at a very reasonable and affordable base price compared to another high-end option we had in mind. At the end of the day, the REDMAGIC 10S Pro provides a basically pound-for-pound experience and has a lower price. So, this is the best for anyone who wants a dedicated gaming smartphone. At least for now. We’re a few months out from the end of the year, and eventually, new gaming smartphone models will arise.
REDMAGIC’s 10S Pro is an excellent example of what a gaming phone should be – affordable, powerful, and full of features that cater to the gamer. After years of development and several iterations, the REDMAGIC 10S Pro is the product of a lot of hard work to create something that mobile gamers will be proud to have.
It offers several advantages, and while it comes in at a lower price point than direct competitors, it doesn’t skimp on performance. It doesn’t give an inch. That’s an impressive feat and it’s one of the reasons why it’s the best gaming phone available for most people in 2025.
Pros
- Great battery life
- Charges up super fast
- Exceptional performance
- Good camera
- Affordable price point
- Display provides an awesome visual experience
Cons
- Fingerprint magnet
- Can get extremely warm during high-intensity tasks
- No wireless charging
The REDMAGIC 10S Pro has a lot of unique features that other high-end phones won’t have, and that’s one of the reasons why it’s a special phone for mobile gaming enthusiasts. The key feature, at least in our eyes, is the ultrasonic triggers that sit on top of the phone when you’re holding the phone in landscape mode for playing games. These act just like the triggers on a controller. These are perfect for shooter games, but you can map these triggers to any in-game control so you could use them for any game you want, as long as that games plays in landscape mode.
This phone also has a pretty large battery capacity and a really good cooling system. The latter helps ensure the phone stays capable of operating at optimal temperatures to sustain that high performance for longer periods of time. Then of course, you can pick this phone up with large amounts of RAM and storage, and it’s powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, which is extremely powerful for mobile games.
Display: 6.85-inch AMOLED
Brightness: 2,000 nits
Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
RAM and Storage: 12GB, 16GB, or 24GB RAM / 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB storage
Cameras: 50MP+50MP+2MP
Battery: 7050mAh Dual Cell Battery
Charging: 80W wired
Colors: Nightfall, Dusk, Moonlight
- Android Version: Android 15
- Software Support: 2 years of major OS updates and 3 years of security updates
- AI Software: AI Trigger, Circle to Search, AI Photo Search AI image editing, real-time translations, call subtitles
- Camera Score: Not tested by DXOMark
- Camera Features: AI-powered image editing, Portrait Mode, Milky Way Night, Pro, Camera-Family
- Battery Life Score: 25 hours and 42 minutes (Ranked 4th among phones Android Headlines has reviewed)
- Charging Time: 44 minutes
Best Premium Gaming Smartphone
When it comes to premium gaming phones, there’s really only one choice, and this year it’s the ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro. At a retail price of $1,299, it is most certainly not cheap but you get a top-of-the-line gaming smartphone with an exceptional experience for mobile gaming. While some of us here at Android Headlines personally like it more than the REDMAGIC 10S Pro, the 10S Pro is still the best offering because of its price and similar performance. However, if money is no object and you’re not concerned about the price, then this is the gaming phone you go with. ASUS spared no expense, and you might not want to either.
The ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro released early in the year, making it one of the first phones to launch with the Snapdragon 8 Elite. It was officially launched in November of 2024, but it didn’t reach the US until January of 2025. It has an admittedly pretty good camera for a gaming phone. We say this because gaming phones typically have not had very good cameras. ASUS and REDMAGIC have started to change this and the ROG Phone 9 Pro has what is likely the best camera of any “gaming phone” that’s currently available.
Of course, the real magic lies in the special software features in the Armoury Crate app, as well as the popular AirTriggers. ASUS pioneered this feature and it has since spread to other gaming phone devices in similar forms. Still, they feel the best on the ROG devices.
Pros
- AirTriggers are incredibly responsive
- Best-in-class cooling system
- Top-notch performance
- Best camera of any ROG Phone to date
- Advanced gaming software features enhance the user experience
Cons
- Expensive
- Not widely available
- Short lifespan on major OS updates
The AirTriggers are one of the best things about this device. They give your phone trigger-like ultrasonic buttons that act like the triggers on a controller. ASUS is no longer the only brand to offer a feature like this, but it is the brand that offers the best-feeling triggers on a gaming phone. Plus, it has some excellent gaming software, with the most advanced features we’ve seen yet thanks to ASUS”s infusion of AI-powered functions.
It also has the best cooling of any gaming phone we’ve ever used, which allows it to keep sustained performance at a high level beyond other devices. You could play the most demanding games on this phone for a couple of hours and barely notice any change in surface temperature. At least, it wouldn’t get to the point where things are uncomfortable. This wasn’t the case with some of the older ROG Phone models, so ASUS came a long way with this one. There is, of course, the addition of large amounts of RAM and storage capacity, though, this isn’t specific to the ROG Phone 9 Pro. It’s just one of the really great things about it.
Display: 6.78 inch FHD+ 2400 x1080
Brightness: 2,500 nits peak, 1,600 nits HBM
Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite
RAM and Storage: 16GB or 24GB RAM / 512GB or 1TB storage
Cameras: 50 MP, f/1.9, 24mm (wide), 32 MP, f/2.4, (telephoto), 13 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120˚ (ultrawide)
Battery: 5,800mAh
Charging: 65W wired, 15W wireless
Colors: Phantom Black
- Android Version: Android 15
- Software Support: 2 years of major OS updates and 3 years of security updates
- AI Software: X Sense, X Capture, X Grabber
- Camera Score: Not tested by DXOMark
- Camera Features: AI Object Sense, AI HyperClarity, AI Portrait Video, 4K video, 8K video
Best Non-Gaming Smartphone For Gaming
Gaming phones aren’t for everybody, and that’s understandable. They focus mostly on gaming as the key features, so naturally, a few other things may take a backseat. That being said, there are still consumers out there who like mobile gaming but want something that does other things really, really well. Thankfully, some brands, like Samsung, have put an emphasis on mobile gaming in recent years while still managing to deliver a phone that’s excellent for mobile gaming, but it’s not an actual gaming phone. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is the best phone to go for if you want something that can perform well with mobile games, that isn’t actually a gaming phone. That means you won’t get any special gaming-centric hardware features here, but it’ll run games effortlessly thanks to its powerful hardware.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is not a gaming phone but it is a good phone for games, because it’s good at pretty much everything it can do. It has great cameras, it has lots of storage, and it has a powerful chipset for high performance. Plus, it has a big screen with great resolution and vibrant colors. In other words, you’ll get a good screen size for games and the colors in those games will look amazing. Of course, it can’t be forgotten that this device has plenty of AI-powered software features to make everyday use outside of games more convenient.
Samsung has also taken great pains to increase mobile gaming performance and improve the user experience while playing games. This includes the use of a vapor chamber for better cooling, and even some gaming software features. It’s an all-around great device for more than just gaming. But, when it comes time to game, this phone won’t let you down.
Pros
- Good Cameras
- LOG Video recording for aspiring YouTubers
- Class-leading battery life
- Improved charging
- Useful AI Features
- 7 years of Updates!
Cons
- No Dolby Vision support
- S Pen losses Bluetooth support
- Still Expensive
What makes this phone special is that it’s a high-performance phone that can be used for mobile gaming, but it’s not really a gaming phone. So, as a user, you just end up with a really, really nice premium phone that can just happens to be able to play games well. Not just well, but at top-tier levels, given its RAM, storage, and Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset.
It’s a device that is just as suitable for everything else people love to do with mobile phones as it is for mobile gaming. It doesn’t look like a gaming phone either. That is most certainly going to appeal to some people who like games but don’t like the over-used gamer aesthetic. Even better is that you can use this phone for years to come. Samsung has promised 7 years of major OS updates, security updates, and feature updates. Which means, you’ll still be getting new versions of Android in 5 years. This isn’t something that was typical until Google’s Pixel 8 series. Samsung followed and promised 7 years of updates with last year’s Galaxy S24 series, and it’s continuing to do so here. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is an expensive phone as well, but it does a lot and it does it all pretty well.
Display: 6.9″ Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X 120Hz.
Brightness: 2,600 nits peak
Protection: Corning Gorilla Armor 2
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy
RAM and Storage: 12GB RAM, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB Storage
Cameras: 200MP primary camera at f/1.7, 10MP 3x telephoto at f/2.4, 50MP 5x telephoto at f/3.4, and 50MP ultrawide at f/1.9.
Battery: 5,000mAh
Charging: 45W wired and 15W wireless. 4.5W reverse wireless also available
Colors: Titanium Silver Blue, Titanium Black, Titanium White Silver, Titanium Gray, Titanium Jade Green, Titanium Jet Black, Titanium Pink Gold
- Android Version: Android 16 (One UI 8)
- Software Support: 7 years of updates (through January 2032)
- AI Software: Galaxy AI, Gemini, and Circle to Search
- Camera Score: 151 via DXOMark (Ranked 26th globally)
- Camera features: Up to 100x zoom, 10-bit HDR recording, 8K video recording, LOG video mode, ProVisual Engine + Next-Gen Camera AI.
- Battery life Score: 22 hours and 3 minutes (Ranked 22nd among phones Android Headlines has reviewed)
- Charging time: 1 hour and 14 seconds.
Best Mid-Range Gaming Smartphone
The OnePlus 13R is perhaps the best option for a phone that excels at mobile gaming in the budget category. It doesn’t cost a whole lot these days, and it’s still using some pretty powerful specs for a phone. Even if the chipset is from last year, it’s still last year’s flagship chipset from Qualcomm. Which is only a little less powerful than the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
OnePlus has also done some work to make its phones good for mobile gaming. The company included vapor chambers, added some gaming-centric software features, and, of course, the phones use good specs that allow the phone to run games well with high settings. This is another device that isn’t really a gaming phone, but it does play mobile games really well, all at a fraction of the cost of premium devices and actual gaming phones.
Much like the OnePlus 12R, the OnePlus 13R prides itself on being capable in many different areas and that includes gaming. The approach is similar to Samsung with a focus on using high-quality components to ensure that gaming performance is smooth, but without alienating the crowd of consumers who doesn’t like the style of gaming phones or the fact that they can drop the ball in a few areas, most notably the camera, although not always. The OnePlus 13R shines in most areas including with battery life (so you can play games for longer), and it does these things while managing to keep the price tag a reasonable amount. How does OnePlus keep the price lower? Mainly by using last year’s chipset. This is the gaming phone for anyone who wants something mainstream, with excellent performance, great features, and a stylish design.
Pros
- Great, smooth display
- Outstanding performance
- Solid main camera performance
- Battery life is its strong suit
- Very fast (wired) charging
- Plenty fast fingerprint scanner
Cons
- Poor ultrawide camera performance
- No wireless charging
The thing that makes this phone special the most is that it has top-tier gaming performance at a price of $599. Thanks to the use of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 as opposed to the Snapdragon 8 Elite, OnePlus was able to keep the price lower than its flagship OnePlus 13. There are other differences, of course, but this one factor helped a lot. Yet, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is still a flagship chipset, just from one year prior, and that makes it a very good chip for games. OnePlus has also kept the vapor chamber and even improved on it from the previous year. Not to mention, it has put some focus toward enhancing mobile gaming through a few software features. There was a time that only brands who made official gaming phones would pay attention to this detail. More and more brands who make devices for the masses are catering to gamers too. And OnePlus is one of them.
It charges up extremely fast as well, when you use the wired charger, and that bodes well for the gamer who plays for long periods of time and needs to charge up the device as much as possible before having to rush out the door. By all accounts this is a great phone for gaming if you’re on a smaller budget and don’t want to compromise too much on performance.
Display: 6.78 LTPO AMOLED 120Hz
Brightness: 4,500 nits peak
Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 7i
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
RAM and Storage: 12GB/16GB RAM ; 256GB/512GB Storage
Cameras: 50MP primary camera at f/1.8, 8MP ultrawide at f/2.2, 50MP telephoto at f/2.0
Battery: 6,000mAh
Charging: 80W wired
Colors: Astral Trail, Nebula Noir
- Android Version: Android 15 (OxygenOS 15)
- Software Support: 4 years of major Android updates
- AI Software: Gemini, Circle to Search, OnePlus AI
- Camera Score: N/A
- Camera features: Color spectrum sensor, HDR, 4K video recording at 60 fps, gyro-EIS
- Battery life Score: 18 hours and 55 minutes (ranked 43rd among phones Android Headlines has reviewed)
- Charging time: 44 minutes and 30 seconds
Best Budget Gaming Smartphone
If you’re looking to go even less expensive than the OnePlus 13R, then the Poco X7 Pro 5G is the phone for you. It’s the best bang for your buck if mobile gaming is a huge focal point in choosing a new phone to upgrade to. While it won’t have the best performance of any phone on the market, it has considerably good performance, and it costs under $400. That’s a price-to-performance value you can’t really argue against. Plus, the phone doesn’t look too bad in terms of design.
The Poco X7 Pro 5G is the kind of phone you consider when you want something that was built with mobile gaming in mind, but for the crowd of consumer who doesn’t want to spend more than a few hundred dollars.
At an average price of around $360, the Poco X7 Pro 5G from Xiaomi is a testament to what you can produce for less money when you put some effort into the development process. While it won’t beat out the top-tier devices, the Poco X7 Pro will have no problem delivering a quality gaming experience to the user. If you don’t care so much about having the absolute best, this is the device we’re recommending because it’s affordable, and it performs well. Not to mention it has a huge battery, so it’ll last a while between charges, too.
Pros
- Pretty powerful chipset for a budget device
- Massive 6,000mAh battery
- Affordable price point
- 90W charging support
- Slim bezels
- 120Hz display with decent resolution
Cons
- underwhelming camera
- Performance won’t quite match top-tier phones
What makes this phone truly special is that it can play mobile games with pretty good performance that most mobile gamers are likely to find acceptable, all without charging the consumer more than a few hundred dollars. This is the biggest draw of the Poco X7 Pro 5G. You’ll pay under $400 for it, and you’ll end up with a device that pumps out decent performance and has a long-lasting battery.
With a 120Hz display and ultra-slim bezels, gaming visuals will be presented in a delightful way so you can enjoy more of your game time without distractions. Plus, the slimmer bezels just look nicer overall. It also comes with an IP68 rating for dust resistance and water resistance. An IP68 rating on phones this inexpensive isn’t as common, so this is definitely a standout feature of the design.
Display: 6.67-inch CrystalRes AMOLED display
Brightness: 3,200 nits peak
Protection: Corning Gorilla Glass 7i
Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 8400-Ultra
RAM and Storage: 8GB RAM, 256GB storage/12GB RAM, 256GB storage/12GB RAM, 512GB storage
Camera: 50MP Main camera at f/1.5 with OIS, 8MP Ultrawide
Battery: 6,000mAh
Charging: 90W wired
Colors: Black, Green, Yellow
Android Version: Android 15 via HyperOS 2
Software Support: 4 years of major Android updates
AI Software: Google Gemini, Circle to Search, AI Cinematic Lockscreen, AI Dynamic Wallpapers, AI Writing, DeepThink Mode
Camera Score: Not tested by DXOMark
Camera Features: AI Image Expansion, AI Film, AI Erase Pro, 4K Video Recording at 60fps, Director Mode, Burst Shot Mode, Night Scene Capture
The post Best Gaming Smartphones appeared first on Android Headlines.