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Best gaming phones for 2025: Asus, RedMagic, Samsung, and more

We’ve tested the best gaming phones from Asus, Samsung, Motorola, Google, and Apple to find the best cell phone for your favorite games.

best gaming phones - an iphone 15, samsung galaxy s24 ultra, and asus rog phone 8 pro in front of a light blue PT background

What is the best gaming phone? Choosing the best device for your gaming needs can require different factors. Something as simple as your price range can make a difference. It’s also worth thinking about what else you need your phone for, is it just for messages and phone calls or do you like to take pictures with a nice camera? Knowing which games you want to play can also help, as games such as Genshin Impact and PUBG Mobile may require more power to run properly.

Our overall pick is currently the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro, though it faces stiff competition from the likes of the RedMagic 10 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Fortunately, there are more than a few Android and older iPhone alternatives across a range of budgets that are ideal for a bit of mobile gaming, and we’ve listed our favorites below.

Why you can trust our advice ✔ At Pocket Tactics, our experts spend days testing games, phones, tech, and services. We always share honest opinions to help you buy the best. Find out how we test.

Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro

Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro

The best gaming phone overall.

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Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro specifications:
Chipset Snapdragon 8 Elite
Display 6.8-inch 185Hz AMOLED (2,400 x 1,080 pixels)
Storage 512GB / 1TB
RAM 16GB / 24GB
Battery 5,800 mAh
Reasons to buy
  • Brilliant gaming performance
  • Smooth display
  • Massive internal storage
Reasons to avoid
  • Mediocre cameras
  • Expensive

Its Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset makes the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro one of the most powerful mobile gaming phones, with an extremely high frame rate that has a mind-boggling 185Hz refresh rate to go with it. Titles like Genshin Impact are no problem for this phone: we guarantee a buttery smooth experience whether you’re gaming, scrolling through social media, or checking out our guide to the best Android games for something new to play.

Then there’s the RAM and storage potential, with up to 24GB and 1TB, respectively. This means you don’t have to worry about running out of space, no matter how many games you store on your phone, and all those titles should load relatively quickly. While we can’t fault the performance of the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro, we do have to point out that its 5,800 mAh battery is a downgrade from the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate’s 6,000 mAh battery. Still, it’s a rapid charger for when you need to juice back up, going from 0-100% in under an hour.

So, the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro is a beast of a gaming phone, but don’t expect its cameras to compete with the likes of the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. The cameras are decent, but decent is about as far as it goes, even if the specs sheet might make it look a little more impressive in that department. It’s also worth dialing home the point that this is one of the most expensive options on this list, but if you want the best of the best, it’s really the only option.

Read our full Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro review.

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

The best iPhone for gaming.

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Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max specifications:
Chipset Apple A18 Pro
Display 6.9-inch 120Hz Super Retina XDR OLED (2868 x 1320 pixels)
Storage 256GB / 512GB / 1TB
RAM 8GB
Battery 4,685 mAh
Reasons to buy
  • Gorgeous display
  • Top-tier performance
  • AI capable
Reasons to avoid
  • Expensive
  • Not worth it for iPhone 15 Pro Max users

The iPhone 16 Pro Max is the most powerful iPhone on the market right now, allowing you to play console titles such as Resident Evil Village and the Resident Evil 4 remake and giving you access to the massive library of Apple Arcade games. It features Apple’s A18 Pro chip, which is more efficient than the previous A17 Pro processor, while also boosting gaming performance by up to 30% compared to the 15 Pro Max.

This elite processor does wonders to ensure a smooth experience while playing the best iPhone games, but so does the display, with the 120Hz refresh rate OLED screen offering stunning and super smooth visuals. To match the flagship performance, you can get up to 1TB of storage, and all iPhone 16 Pro Max devices have 8GB RAM, meaning there’s sufficient storage for your games, apps, pictures, and operating systems.

While the 4,685 mAh battery is a slight improvement over the iPhone 15 Pro Max, it’s still lacking in comparison to other flagship devices, and it doesn’t charge anywhere as quickly as the likes of the Honor Magic7 Pro or RedMagic 10 Pro either. In general, it’s probably not worth upgrading to if you’ve already got the 15 Pro Max flagship. Still, if you’ve got an iPhone 14 Pro Max or older, it’s worth making the plunge for the performance upgrades alone.

Read our iPhone 16 Pro Max review.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

The best Samsung gaming phone.

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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra specifications:
Chipset Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Display 6.8-inch 120Hz AMOLED (1440 x 3120)
Storage 256GB-1TB
RAM 12GB
Battery Li-Ion 5000 mAh
Reasons to buy
  • Excellent display
  • Impressive cameras
  • powerful performance
  • Useful AI tools
Reasons to avoid
  • Heats while gaming
  • Expensive

With processing speeds of 3.1GHz, 2.9GHz, and 2.2GHz, we can see why the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is such a powerful gaming device. Like the ROG Phone 8 Pro, this phone has the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, giving you a lovely gaming experience in all the best mobile games, elevated by the stunning and vibrant 6.8-inch 120Hz AOLED display.

Better still, during testing, we found the battery to be “nothing short of impressive,” with the phone easily seeing you through two days of use before it needs some juice. However, that’s not the case if you’re gaming, but we still had about 20% battery left at the end of the day, even with extensive use.

Though expensive, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the perfect example of a flagship device that nearly has it all. Its 200MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto 1, and 50MP telephoto 2 cameras are its main selling points to those who are looking for more than games.

As we state in our review, the downside is that the device tends to get “toasty while gaming,” which is hardly ideal if you’re in a session for the long haul. Furthermore, while the device’s AI features are innovative and useful, it seems Samsung is planning on charging for access to these tools in the future, which means spending more money.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review.

Google Pixel 8 Pro

Google Pixel 8 Pro

The best Google Pixel gaming phone.

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Google Pixel 8 Pro specifications:
Chipset Google Tensor G3
Display 6.7-inch 120Hz LTPO OLED (1344 x 2992)
Storage 128GB-1TB
RAM 12GB
Battery Li-Ion 5,050 mAh
Reasons to buy
  • Seven years service
  • Great cameras
  • Bright display
Reasons to avoid
  • Chipset behind competition
  • Slower charging

The Google Pixel 8 Pro is the best gaming phone for Google lovers thanks to its Google Tensor G3 chipset, which sees a small improvement in performance over its predecessor. However, it does still fall short of competitors such as Apple and Qualcomm, whose chipsets are the most powerful on the market.

With that said, it’s a cheaper flagship device than Apple and Samsung, and it does feature a lovely 120Hz refresh rate that we found makes for a “buttery smooth experience” in our review. You can play games like Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail with no problems, but you shouldn’t expect to see the likes of Resident Evil Village here – Google has some catching up to do to make that a reality.

The Google Pixel 8 Pro’s battery is slightly better than the 7 Pro at 5,050 mAh, which nets you about six to eight hours of screen time. With 30W charging, you can get a full battery in 90 minutes, which is admittedly longer than other entries on this list.

However, if you’re after a smartphone with stunning cameras but don’t want to pay the price of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, this is a winner. Boasting 50MP main, 48MP ultra-wide, and 48MP telephoto cameras that can capture crisp photos.

Read our Google Pixel 8 Pro review.

Poco X7 Pro

Poco X7 Pro

The best budget gaming phone.

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Poco X7 Pro specifications:
Chipset Mediatek Dimensity 8400 Ultra
Display 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED (1220 x 2712 pixels)
Storage 256GB / 512GB
RAM 8GB / 12GB / 16GB
Battery 6,000 mAh
Reasons to buy
  • Fantastic value
  • Stellar performance
  • Vivid display
Reasons to avoid
  • No wireless charging
  • Lots of bloatware

Arriving right at the start of 2025, the Poco X7 Pro is one of the most underrated phones on the market in general, but when it comes to gaming, it really has the chops. For a fraction of the price of the likes of the iPhone 16, this cell phone has a higher 120Hz refresh rate, which makes for smoother on-screen visuals and scrolling, and charges from full to flat in half the time. At around the $300 mark, you’re not going to find anything better.

When it comes time to test phones for their performance capabilities, I often turn to demanding games such as Honkai Star Rail and PUBG Mobile with the settings dialed up as high as they’ll go. Unlike a lot of phones in the same price range, the Poco X7 Pro has no problem handling them at all, offering a gameplay experience that rivals almost all the other options on this list. Plus, its design is simple but comfortable to hold, so there’s nothing but eye strain to stop you from using this thing for some mammoth mobile gaming sessions.

In terms of drawbacks, there isn’t much the X7 Pro doesn’t have going for it. Admittedly, like a lot of the best Xiaomi phones, there is a bit of a bloatware problem, so prepare yourself to delete a bunch of apps when you first set up the phone. It also doesn’t offer wireless charging, but a lot of much more expensive phones don’t either, so it doesn’t massively take away from the incredible value on offer from this pick. You can check out even more of the best budget gaming phones in our guide.

Read our Poco X7 Pro review

RedMagic 9S Pro

RedMagic 9S Pro

The best value in a gaming phone.

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RedMagic 9S Pro specifications:
Chipset Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Display 6.8-inch 120Hz BOE (2480 x 1116)
Storage 256GB-512GB
RAM 12GB-16GB
Battery 6,500 mAh
Reasons to buy
  • Impressive gaming performance
  • Fast charge
  • Stunning display
Reasons to avoid
  • Lacks non-gaming features
  • Passable camera
  • Gets warm

The RedMagic 9S is, first and foremost, a gaming phone, and it features the Snapdragon Gen 3 chipset, which is an improvement from the Gen 2 version of the RedMagic 8S Pro. As is the norm with this line of phones, the RedMagic 9S Pro features Game Space mode, which shoots your RAM straight into your gaming experience for peak performance. You can also mess with general performance GPU settings to optimize them.

To match the impressive chipset, gaming features, and RAM, there’s the stunning display setup featuring a 120Hz refresh rate and a 6.8-inch screen that uses BOE’s Q9+ luminescent technology to fantastic results, offering a crisp and clear display that shows what mobile gaming can look like.

In our testing, we found that the device can “run games like Zenless Zone Zero and Diablo Immortal with ease, even at the highest settings.” The RedMagic 9S Pro can handle anything you throw at it. However, there’s a slight caveat in that the phone can get a little toasty from time to time, though the ICE13.5 cooling system does keep things from getting out of hand.

Using a phone for gaming can drain the battery, but the RedMagic 9S Pro packs a beasty 6,500 mAh battery, which can keep you going for two days with sporadic use. For those who intend to push it to the max with gaming, you can take the phone from no charge to 100% charge in just over 30 minutes thanks to its 80W super fast charging capabilities.

Read our full RedMagic 9S Pro review.

OnePlus 12R

OnePlus 12R

The best mid-range gaming phone.

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OnePlus 12R specifications:
Chipset Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
Display 6.78-inch 120Hz LTPO AMOLED (2780 x 1264)
Storage 128GB-256GB
RAM 8GB/16GB
Battery Li-Po 5,500 mAh
Reasons to buy
  • Vibrant display
  • Fantastic battery
  • Great performance
Reasons to avoid
  • Mediocre cameras
  • No wireless charging

As you know by now, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset is a powerhouse, only falling short of the most recent one by a fine margin. The OnePlus 12R also boasts 16GB RAM. Not only does that ensure an incredibly smooth gameplay experience, but it also means that your phone runs seamlessly – switching between apps is a breeze, and with up to 256GB storage, you can store plenty of them.

During our testing, we found that high-demanding games such as Call of Duty: Mobile ran without issues, with no framerate drops in sight. Then there’s the main selling point of the OnePlus 12R: your games look stunning due to the 6.78-inch LTPO AMOLED display with the LTPO tech allowing an adjustable 1Hz to 120Hz refresh rate. This optimizes your battery, giving you even more use.

Speaking of which, you can expect your phone to last the day with the 5,500 mAh battery, though a long gaming session will drain the juice. Luckily, the OnePlus 12R features 80W SuperVOOC charging, which can take you from zero to 100% percent battery in just 30 minutes, making it one of the best gaming phones in this regard. Outside of the US, those charging speeds can rise to 100W.

Read our OnePlus 12R review.

Xiaomi 14T Pro

Xiaomi 14T Pro

The best display on a gaming phone.

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Xiaomi 14T Pro specifications:
Chipset Mediatek Dimensity 9300+
Display 6.67-inch 144Hz AMOLED (1220 x 2712 pixels)
Storage 256GB / 512GB / 1TB
RAM 12GB
Battery 5,000mAh
Reasons to buy
  • Stunning display
  • Smooth 144Hz visuals
  • Rapid charging
  • Stellar performance
Reasons to avoid
  • Peculiar haptics
  • No charger included
  • Limited availability

The Xiaomi 14T Pro is an impressive little powerhouse from the growing Chinese tech giant that truly impressed us. Thanks to its Mediatek Dimensity 9300+ chipset it has fantastic performance, and is capable of dealing with all day-to-day tasks with ease.

But we’re here for gaming, right? Well, you’re in for a treat there, too. In fact, in our Xiaomi 14T Pro review, I state “I don’t say this lightly, but it might be the best candybar phone I’ve used this year for gaming, and I’ve had my share of gaming-specific devices in 2024.”

Diving into Honkai Star Rail with the visual settings on high, I was incredibly impressed with how smooth the in-game graphics and animations look, handling transitions that even expensive flagship phones have struggled with in the past.

The real shining star here is the Xiaomi 14T Pro’s stunning 6.67-inch AMOLED display. It might just be the best display we’ve seen on a mid-range phone, making streaming, gaming, and even doomscrolling a joy. It’s incredibly bright and comes equipped with 144Hz refresh rates, which is the highest you can find on a smartphone, making everything feel wonderfully smooth.

While the battery didn’t blow us away, the Xiaomi 14T Pro is more than capable of lasting a full day on one charge, or even longer if you’re using it sporadically. Plus the 120W wired charging and 50W wireless charging capabilities are as good as you’re gonna get from current-gen phones. In fact, with a wired charger you can get it from 0 to 100% in as little as 20 minutes, meaning it’s quicker than both the iPhone 16 Pro Max and Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S24.

Overall, the Xiaomi 14T Pro is a solid all-rounder phone with a top-notch display and competitive performance, earning it a solid spot on this list. Alternatively, you can check out our list of the best Xiaomi phones to see what other devices are on the market.

How we choose the best gaming phone

There are a lot of phones out there, they come from different brands, all of which boast several models, generations, and more, such as Pro and Ultimate variations. While the vast majority of phones can double as a gaming device, especially if you’re just after hypercasual experiences, a few have gaming at the forefront of their design.

To determine the best gaming phone for you, we take a look at budget to ensure there’s something worthwhile for all price ranges, we consider the RAM, storage, and chipset to see how well games run, and we look at other mobile phone features. If gaming and photography are two of your passions, then you need a device like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, as not only is it a powerful gaming device, it’s the best phone out there for cameras right now. If you want a full rundown of how we test the phones that make it into guides such as this, read our article.

What’s the best gaming phone brand?

Some brands focus their efforts on camera technology or content creation features, while brands like Asus, Xiaomi, and even Sony now make devices tailored specifically for gaming. So you need to consider what it is that you want.

First up, do you want to access the library of Apple Arcade games? That will help you to choose between an Android or an Apple device. Next, ask yourself whether you’re a gaming generalist – someone who only really plays while traveling or during downtime – or a hardcore player who wants to run the latest and best games.

Aside from gaming specs and brand affinity, consider any other devices you already own. If you have a Mac computer or Apple Watch or love the best iOS games, an iPhone is the better choice.

Is gaming better on Samsung or iPhone?

Both Samsung and iPhone offer flagship devices that are great for gaming, such as the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 16 Pro Max. In all honesty, there’s little to separate the gaming experience of the two, outside of the fact that the S24 has a stylus, if you long for the days of the Nintendo DS, and the iPhone has access to countless Apple Arcade games.

Ultimately, you should go with whichever you prefer, but we recommend not limiting yourself to a Samsung or Apple device. When it comes to gaming-specific devices, brands like Asus and RedMagic lead the way, and they both offer phones that are just as impressive on paper as the market leaders. It’s worth doing your research and opting for whatever best suits your needs and budget.

We’ve also got a list of the best gaming tablets if you need something a bit bigger. For those of you who want a specific brand, we can help you find the best Samsung phone and the best Google Pixel phone.