Best gaming phones for 2025: iPhone, Samsung, and more

Its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset makes the REDMAGIC 11 Pro one of the most powerful mobile gaming phones, boasting an extremely high refresh rate of 144Hz and snappy performance. 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. It also charges incredibly quickly, from flat to full in under an hour, which is more than you can say about a lot of other flagships.

The only real drawback we found in testing this phone is that the selfie camera isn't the best, but it is hidden under the display. If you're not the type to take countless selfies for social media, that shouldn't be a problem. It's also a bit of a square handset, with no rounded corners like an iPhone or Google Pixel device, but it's not at all uncomfortable to hold.

Read our full REDMAGIC 11 Pro review. 

The iPhone 17 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 A19 Pro chip, which is more efficient than the previous A18 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 2TB of storage, and all iPhone 17 Pro Max devices have 12GB RAM, meaning there's sufficient storage for your games, apps, pictures, and operating systems.

While the 4,823 mAh battery (or 5,088, depending on your market version) is a slight improvement over the iPhone 16 Pro Max, it's still lacking in comparison to other flagship devices. 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 17 Pro Max review.

As is the case almost every year, Samsung's 2025 flagship is an absolute performance powerhouse. Like the ROG Phone 9 Pro, this phone has the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, giving you a top-tier gaming experience in all the best mobile games, elevated by the stunning and vibrant 6.9-inch 120Hz AMOLED display.

The most noticeable difference between the S24 Ultra and the S25 Ultra is that, in our experience, the latter doesn't suffer from the same sort of overheating issues as the 2024 model. That means you can play even the most demanding games without worrying too much about your hands getting toasty while holding the phone.

The only real downside to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is that its cameras aren't quite as impressive as what's on offer from the latest iPhone, but if you're just looking for gaming capabilities, that isn't such a big deal. It's also a bit more expensive than some of the competition, but Samsung offers some of the best software support across the industry, so it can be worth the extra money if you're looking for consistent security and Android updates.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro is the best gaming phone for Google lovers, thanks to its Google Tensor G4 chipset, which sees a small improvement in performance over its predecessor. Admittedly, it's still not quite as powerful as the Snapdragon 8 Elite, but it's still the best chip we've seen from Google so far, and it's more than good enough for a bit of mobile gaming.

The Pixel 9 Pro XL is a cheaper flagship device than the latest alternatives from Apple and Samsung, and it features a lovely 120Hz refresh rate display that brings games to life. You can play games like Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail with no problems, and it also comes with Google Gemini pre-installed, so you can take advantage of all the latest AI magic.

Unlike some of the other picks from our guide to the best gaming phones, this pick is pretty impressive in the camera department, with a trio of fantastic cameras that capture everything from stunning landscape shots to pretty portraits. Its only real drawback is that it's not the fastest to charge, but you can say the same thing of the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Read our Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review.

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 17, 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. 

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 beastly 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.

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 going to 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 17 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.

The Nothing Phone (3a) is a fantastic addition from the London tech company. With a minimalist design across white, blue, and black colorways, this budget-friendly offering is secretly a superb gaming phone in disguise.

Visuals are displayed by the gorgeous 120Hz FHD screen with the power of the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 Mobile chipset to give all your games a boost. Playing FPS games or demanding RPG titles like Zenless Zone Zero is a breeze. Thanks to the 5,000 mAh 50w battery, you can keep gaming for longer.

The larger form factor could be troublesome if you're used to smaller phones like the iPhone 15, and the lack of a charging adapter or case in the box is a little disappointing. However, if you're looking for something different from all the other competitors out there, Nothing has got you covered.