As mobile gaming continues to surge in popularity, 2025 has emerged as one of the strongest years yet for gaming-centric smartphones. With powerful chipsets, high-refresh displays, advanced cooling systems, and massive batteries, the latest flagships aren’t just phones anymore; they are pocket-sized gaming rigs. Whether you’re into competitive shooters, open-world RPBs, or intense battle royales, there’s plenty of great gaming smartphones to choose from.

So here’s our list of the best gaming smartphones of 2025.

Red Magic 11 Pro+

There are only a few brands that have a pure gaming pedigree, like Red Magic. So if you want a phone built from the ground up for performance and long gaming sessions, look no further than the Red Magic 11 Pro+. Unlike modern flagships that aim to offer a balanced experience, the Chinese brand goes all in on gaming.

It features a tall 6.85-inch 1.5K AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate for an immersive gaming experience. Powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, it pairs up to 24GB LPDDR5T RAM and up to 1TB UFS 4.1 storage, more than enough for even the most demanding mobile titles. But what truly sets it apart is the dual cooling system. Not only does it have an active cooling system with a physical RGB fan, but it also features a vapor chamber liquid cooling. You can even see this system in the words as the liquid moves around in the pipes on the back.

Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max

While Apple isn’t known to brand any of its devices as a gaming phone, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is a premium phone that delivers true flagship performance. Not only can you play some of the most intense mobile game titles, but Apple has also ported actual console-level games to its iOS platform.

So you can play popular games like Resident Evil 4, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, Death Stranding, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and many more. So you have access to an impressive catalogue of games without relying on any particular streaming service.

iQOO 15

If you want flagship-class power without the premium flagship price, the iQOO 15 emerges as one of the best value flagships for gamers in 2025. It ships with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset that brings cutting-edge performance. Pair this with a tall 6.85-inch LTPO AMOLED display, and you get a smooth gameplay experience.

One of its highlighting aspects is the massive 7,000mAh battery pack that promises long, uninterrupted gaming sessions. While it may lack some of the dedicated gaming-phone trappings like active cooling or shoulder triggers, its value-for-money positioning makes it attractive for casual and competitive gamers who don’t want to overspend.

OnePlus 15

The OnePlus 15 strikes a sweet balance between raw performance, everyday usability, and gaming-ready hardware. It is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 as well, but it pairs it with an even higher 165Hz refresh rate. The smooth display kicks in while you run certain titles, which brings an advantage in various competitive games.

This model outshines the iQOO 15 with its gigantic 7,300mAh battery pack that supports 120W wired fast charging as well as 50W wireless fast charging. It even supports bypass charging, which allows the device to run on a wired connection to prevent any overheating, so the battery doesn’t get damaged, and there is no performance throttling.

Honor GT Pro

Rounding out the list is the Honor GT Pro. A device that often flies under mainstream headlines but deserves attention if you’re serious about mobile gaming. While not always hyped, the Honor GT Pro has built a reputation for balancing performance, display quality, and capable cameras.

Just like the rest of Android flagships in this list, you get the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite and a huge 7,200mAh battery pack. Honor announced this model earlier in the year, so it arrived ahead of the current flagship generation. However, the brand marketed this as a dedicated gaming smartphone since it packed the Leading Edition variant of the Snapdragon 8 Elite along with a three stage cooling system that includes a 3D vapor cooling chamber, thermal conductive adhesive, and AI powered temperature control system.

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Vivo’s OriginOS 6 update has been rolling out for various smartphone models over the last few weeks. Just recently, the Vivo X300 series started receiving the global version of this update. Now, iQOO’s last year flagship, the iQOO 13, has finally received the major software upgrade as well. So here are all the details.

iQOO 13 receives OriginOS 6: What you should know

The Chinese brand just started rolling out OriginOS 6 for the iQOO 13. This is a massive update that carries a hefty download size of 4.05GB. It brings the Android 16 OS along with various other additions and upgrades. To improve the overall user experience, OriginOS 6 packs the new Origin Smooth Engine to help boost app launch speeds, stabilize frame rates, and much more. UI has also been enhanced with smoother system animations and improved system resource management.

Apart from just visual upgrades, OriginOS 6 also made improvements to the responsiveness and added more personalization as well. The cleaner animations are coupled with new home screen and lock customization options, adaptive app folders, and even new AI features. There are a bunch of new AI powered tools like Gemini Live, Retouch Suite, and even image editing tools. Other notable features include Origin Island (inspired by Apple’s Dynamic Island), performance optimizations, and more subtle UI tweaks.

At the moment, iQOO is rolling out the iQOO 13 update in a staggered manner. So only a few units are receiving the OriginOS 6 update. This makes sense since it allows the company to catch any major software bugs, vulnerabilities, or other issues. The majority of iQOO 13 owners are expected to get the update soon after.

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I spent three to four weeks with the iQOO 15, using it as my main phone for daily communication, gaming, media and photography. The iQOO 15 arrives with an aggressive spec sheet, pairing the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with iQOO’s self-developed Q3 e-sports chip, a 7,000mAh Blue Ocean battery, and a new 2K 144Hz Samsung LEAD OLED panel. But on top of the hardware, iQOO is clearly positioning this device as a performance flagship that also aims for a well-rounded everyday experience. After extended use, here is how it held up.

Design and build

The iQOO 15’s Legend white edition has one of the cleanest finishes iQOO has released. The AG matte glass back feels smooth and resists fingerprints and sweat impressively well. The new three-colour diamond texture around the logo gives the rear a subtle but premium identity without feeling loud. The camera module continues the floating rectangular design that iQOO has used in recent generations and looks cohesive with the rest of the phone.

Below the camera sits the Halo Light, which returns with customizable lighting effects for charging cues, notifications and game-triggered animations. However, in my usage, it was less visible than the Halo Light on the iQOO 13, especially once a case is applied. In most cases, the light gets muted significantly, reducing its usefulness beyond pure aesthetics.

Despite the large battery capacity, iQOO has managed the weight distribution well. The curved edges and softened R-corners make long gaming sessions more comfortable. The metal frame adds to durability and grip. The side buttons are positioned sensibly, with the shortened volume rocker helping avoid accidental presses during landscape gameplay.

Display and audio

The 6.86-inch 2K LEAD OLED panel is one of the best additions to the iQOO 15. Samsung’s new M14 material helps reduce power usage while providing strong brightness levels. Outdoors, the screen remains legible even under direct sunlight, and the colors stay vibrant without washing out.

The polarizer-free design reduces reflections and slightly improves clarity. More importantly, it works with the high-frequency PWM dimming to reduce eye strain during late-night use. iQOO also pre-applies an AR anti-reflective screen protector, which genuinely cuts down glare and maintains colour accuracy.

The display shines during gaming. Titles that support native 144Hz run extremely smoothly, and iQOO’s frame interpolation option can push perceived fluidity even further. Even basic UI scrolling feels faster and more refined compared to standard 120Hz devices.

Audio performance is also strong. The stereo speakers deliver good volume, clarity and directional accuracy that benefits gaming scenarios, especially shooters and competitive titles. Dialogue and vocals sound crisp, though the bass response is more functional than deep. Bluetooth audio pairing is stable and high-bitrate codecs work as expected.

Performance and experience (1/2)

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 powers the core performance experience and does so confidently. Combined with LPDDR5X memory and UFS 4.1 storage, the phone feels fast in every scenario. Apps open immediately, multitasking is effortless, and the phone rarely reloads apps in the background. Thermally, iQOO’s enlarged 8K VC chamber and layered graphite system help maintain consistency during heavy use.

For gaming, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is supported by the Q3 e-sports chip, which handles rendering enhancement, ray tracing and AI tasks. This is where the iQOO 15 differentiates itself from typical flagship phones. Ray tracing support in Genshin Impact delivers better lighting depth and a more realistic atmosphere. You cannot use ray tracing and super-resolution or super-frame simultaneously, but switching between them is quick, and each mode offers clear improvements.

Honor of Kings was the most impressive showcase. With native 144fps enabled, the phone consistently stayed above 144fps during full ranked matches. Touch response remained sharp, and frame pacing was extremely stable. Power draw remained surprisingly low for this level of smoothness. Thermals were controlled, though the phone does warm up noticeably after long sessions, reaching around 40 degrees Celsius in the upper rear section. It never throttled meaningfully during my testing.

Performance and experience (2/2)

Battery life is outstanding. The massive 7,000mAh battery comfortably lasts a full day with heavy gaming or nearly two days with lighter use. On busy days with navigation, photography, streaming and a few gaming sessions, I usually ended with 25 to 35 percent left. For many users, this battery may be the strongest reason to choose the iQOO 15.

Charging is equally impressive. With the bundled 100W charger, the phone goes from nearly empty to 25 percent in around 10 minutes, passes 75 percent at roughly the half-hour mark and reaches full around 49 minutes. Wireless 40W charging is available and works consistently with standard Qi pads and iQOO’s own chargers.

It’s the first iQOO phone to come preloaded with the OriginOS 6-based Android 16. The overall user experience is fluid, and it comes with the promise of five years of Android OS upgrades and seven years of regular security patches. Day-to-day stability is excellent, and animations are smooth throughout.

Camera and other features

The camera system includes a 50MP Sony IMX921 main camera, a 50MP IMX882 periscope telephoto, and a 50MP ultra-wide camera. This triple 50MP arrangement does not aim to compete with the most advanced camera flagships, but it is far better than what a pure gaming phone typically offers.

Daylight performance from the main sensor is vibrant and leans toward high saturation, which makes photos look lively on social media. Details are good, and dynamic range is strong, especially in complex lighting. In overcast weather, the phone tones down saturation and delivers more natural colors.

The periscope lens performs well at 3x optical zoom, offering good clarity and consistent color reproduction. Even at 6x the phone manages to preserve strong detail. Ultra-wide shots are distortion-free and capture large scenes effectively.

Night photography benefited from iQOO’s tuning. Brightness is elevated without blowing out highlights. Noise is controlled well, and the phone rarely produces unwanted ghosting even at high ISO. While it does not beat premium camera-centric flagships, it is perfectly reliable for daily and social use.

Other features include a fast ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, responsive haptics tuned for different in-game actions, stable wireless performance, and a well-built frame that feels durable. iQOO’s network optimization for multiplayer games noticeably reduces input jitter on unstable connections, which gamers will appreciate.

Verdict

After three to four weeks with the iQOO 15, it is clear that iQOO has moved beyond building only performance-focused phones. The iQOO 15 is a performance flagship that also delivers in display quality, battery life, charging speed, camera consistency, and overall day-to-day usability.

Yes, it warms up under long gaming loads. Yes, the Halo Light is not as visible as on the iQOO 13, particularly with a case. But these drawbacks pale in comparison to what you gain.

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If you want a phone that excels in gaming but still behaves like a complete flagship with no glaring weaknesses, the iQOO 15 stands out as one of the most balanced and powerful choices available today in India. It is not merely a gaming beast; it is a polished, all-round flagship that handles everything with confidence.

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