The best budget gaming phones 2026: Samsung, iPhone, and more

The fact that the Poco X8 Pro Max is cheaper than $500 is frankly mind-blowing. It's got genuine flagship specs, including an 8,500mAh battery, a generous 12GB of RAM, and a top-tier Mediatek Dimensity 9500s chip. There are a lot of technical details there, so let me make it a bit simpler: it's a performance beast that lasts all day and has more than enough RAM to run demanding games or use AI tools.

In our Poco X8 Pro Max review, Kayleigh Partleton awarded the phone a stellar 9/10 score, describing the phone as "an Android flagship killer" with "the phone running incredibly well" throughout testing. Kayleigh was also particularly enthusiastic about the X8 Pro Max's speakers, combining with the 6.83-inch AMOLED display and MediaTek chipset to offer an immersive gaming experience.

While it shines brightest as a gaming phone, the X8 Pro Max also boasts pretty impressive cameras, and its subtle but stylish design is a lot less in your face than some of the pricier picks from our guide to the best gaming phones. The only thing we have to note is that the 512GB version is a little more expensive than $500, but only by around $50.

The Samsung Galaxy A37 5G is a more than capable mid-range phone that you can use for everything from playing demanding games like Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail to casual alternatives such as Candy Crush and Royal Match. Its biggest selling point is its 6.7-inch AMOLED display, which is a standout feature for a phone under $500, offering crystal-clear visuals for when you're gaming, streaming, or scrolling on social media.

Another highlight of this phone is that it comes with six years of Android software and security updates, beating out much of the competition outside of Apple and Google. That's ideal if you're not looking to upgrade again for a long while, as you could theoretically use the A37 through until 2032. It also boasts an IP68 rating for dust and waterproofing, so it's as reliable in terms of durability as it is on the software side.

This phone hasn't got any glaring weaknesses, with decent cameras for its price point and a 5,000mAh battery that should keep you going all day. It's not exactly an innovator, but it gets all the basics right, and for under $500, you can't ask for all that much more. Plus, it's available in a lovely Awesome Lavender design, and we love an almost-pink phone here at Pocket Tactics.

No good list of gaming phones is complete without an Apple option, and the best of the bunch at this price range is the iPhone 15. The iPhone 17e is also a great shout, but sadly, it's just outside of the budget ballpark at around $599. Still, 2024's flagship holds up just as well today as it did when it launched, offering snappy performance, great cameras, and the easy-to-use iOS software that so many know and love.

The big perk of gaming on an iPhone is access to the ever-growing library of Apple Arcade games, which includes everything from breakout indies, such as Balatro and Stardew Valley, to perplexing puzzlers, including Mini Motorways and Suika Game. The subscription service is a bit light on FPS games, but it's got nearly every other genre covered, and in all my hours playing Apple Arcade titles, I've never experienced performance issues or a poor excuse for a port.

The only issue with the iPhone 15 is that, given that we've had two generations of iPhone arrive since its launch, you're likely going to have to settle for a second-hand or refurbished unit. In saying that, Apple devices almost always get at least six years of software and security updates, so there's no reason you couldn't use this phone until 2030 and avoid having to upgrade again for a good while. We'll likely swap this pick out for the iPhone 16 in the future, but at the time of writing, it's still pretty expensive.

It's taken a while for Google Pixel phones to get competitive when it comes to mobile gaming, but with the 10a, it's finally done it. This phone's Tensor G4 chip is powerful enough to support all the best mobile games, at least at medium graphics settings, even if it's not the same G5 chip as the rest of the 10 series. Plus, the 10a packs enough battery power to keep you playing for hours before it's time to plug in and recharge.

Not only is the Pixel 10a one of the brand's better gaming phones, but it's also ideal for amateur photographers. A lot of phones at this price point only have one lens, but the 10a has two - a 48MP main lens and 13MP ultrawide - giving you more options when it comes to capturing the moment. The selfie camera is the best you'll find outside of Apple's latest iPhones, too, which is a great bonus.

The real star of the show here, though, is the Pixel 10a's display, which, given the price point, is seriously impressive. It's a bright, 120Hz, pOLED display, offering super smooth visuals with deep, inky blacks and vivid colors. It might not be as potent a performer as some of the other picks from this list, but it's certainly a looker.

The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is on the slightly pricier end of the mid-range spectrum, but it's worth it. It is easily the best-looking phone on this list, with a slick design that our own Sam Comrie compares to the late 00s MacBook Pro design in our Nothing Phone (4a) Pro review. Fortunately, though, it's an affordable phone that's just as heavy on the substance as it is the style.

With enough performance power to play most mobile games at a steady 30fps, a 144Hz display, and enough battery life to get you through a few hours of heavy use with a little left over, the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro is a great all-rounder. If all that wasn't enough, it's also a pretty rapid charger, beating out the iPhone 15 and the Samsung Galaxy A37 when it comes to charging speeds from flat to full. Combine all that, and you've got a great phone that stands out from the rest of the crowd thanks to its sleek design.

Nothing's operating system still relies on Android, but it feels a bit more futuristic than any other Android skin we've used. Fortunately, it doesn't sacrifice ease of use for style, making it one of the cleanest OS experiences outside of using an iPhone. The only thing worth noting about this pick is that it's only IP65 rated, so you need to be careful if you're using it around water, as it's not durable enough to survive submersion.

The Honor 600 is a beast of a mid-range Android phone that makes up for its lack of brand recognition, at least compared to the big names such as Samsung and Google Pixel, by way of impressive features. It's got an impressive camera setup that rivals some flagships, plenty of AI features, and, of course, the required performance power to run any of the mobile games on the Google Play Store.

In our Honor 600 review, Kayleigh Partleton awarded the phone a 9/10 score, highlighting its "great battery life" and "highly responsive" display. Those are two pretty important factors when it comes to picking a phone for all your mobile gaming needs, making the Honor 600 an even more tempting choice.

The one caveat surrounding the Honor 600 is that it can be tricky to get your hands on in the US. Much like fellow Chinese brand Xiaomi, Honor's business strategy isn't all that compatible with the emphasis on contract deals in the US. However, you can opt to import the phone from the UK or Europe, and you should still be able to use it with a SIM card from a major network provider such as Verizon or AT&T.