What’s the best gaming iPhone? This might sound like a silly question, but with a bunch of different phones to choose from, there’s no one answer. Sure, the iPhone 14 Pro Max is the biggest and best iPhone, with the newest A16 processor and a big lovely high refresh rate screen to keep gaming looking smooth. But there are other options out there, with choices for a wide range of budgets.
With that in mind, Pocket Tactics is here to help make this decision a lot easier for you, with our guide to help you pick the best gaming iPhone to suit you. Whether it’s a fancy big screen you want, the best sound quality, top performance, or you’re simply working with a strict budget, we’ve got you. We also have a guide to the best phone cases to help you protect your new piece of kit, and the best Apple Arcade games to test its capabilities.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at our top picks for the best gaming iPhone.
iPhone 14 Pro Max
Only want the best of the best? The iPhone 14 Pro Max is that choice for you. It might be considerably more expensive than the competition, but you really get what you pay for here.
Setting aside the lovely textured matte glass and stainless steel design, and many other lovely features like that ridiculous three-camera setup, it really is the best iPhone for gaming.
The display is huge, at 6.7 inches, with a variable refresh rate up to 120hz, high pixel density, and the new Dynamic Island cutout at the top . It also supports a much higher contrast ratio, HDR, and a much higher maximum brightness. Couple that with enormous battery life and you’ve got a serious gaming phone.
iPhone 14
The iPhone 14 is the phone we’d recommend to most serious prospective iPhone gamers. At around two-thirds of the price of the iPhone 14 Pro Max, but packing in most of the features that count, it’s the shrewd person’s choice.
If you’ve got money to spend, and you can live without the most luxurious of features, this is, without a doubt, the gaming iPhone to buy.
iPhone SE
Bigger isn’t always better, as the iPhone SE can attest to. Not only is it the cheapest iPhone on the market, but it’s also got an upgrade A15 chip inside. That’s there to offer the same horsepower as an iPhone 13.
The trade-off? A smaller screen, no Face ID unlocking, and a home button, among a lot of other things. The screen could be the only dealbreaker though. It really is quite tiny.
It’s an impressive phone nonetheless, and if you want access to the incredible A15 at the lowest possible price, this is the iPhone for you.
Oh, and if you happen to be in the market for an Android phone instead of an iPhone, be sure to check out our list of the best android phone for games here.
