Gone are the days when gaming phones were exclusive to a privileged few, boasting eccentric designs and cumbersome software. Nowadays, you can easily find a phone that excels in gaming without compromising on style or performance. These devices are equipped with great hardware: bright displays featuring high refresh rates, and impressive speakers that are literally music for your ears.
Even if you're not a dedicated gamer, these phones offer a plethora of features. Moreover, as standard high-end phones continue to increase in power, they also deliver exceptional gaming experience.
Whether you're a hardcore gamer looking to elevate your multiplayer shooter skills or simply seeking a top-notch gaming phone, you've come to the right place! Here's the list of the best gaming phones you can get in 2024, including dedicated gaming models, as well as more popular and mainstream flagship phones.
These devices are the bread and butter of every mobile gamer. Not only do they offer the latest and in some cases overclocked hardware with insane amounts of RAM, but they also come with a physical advantage for all gamers - additional hardware buttons (capacitive or mechanical) to elevate your gaming experience and minimize screen tapping. The downside is that these devices often feature not-so-good camera systems (at least compared to modern non-gaming flagships), and they often have a distinct look.
Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro
Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro
What we like
Stellar performance
Fantastic battery endurance and good charging speed
Design mixes fun with classy
What we don't like
A bit heavy
Camera is OK, but not on par with $1k competitors
Speakers still a downgrade from ROG 7, not as good as iPhone 16 Pro Max
7.5
PhoneArena Rating
7.5
Price Class Average
Battery Life
8.6
7.8
Photo Quality
6.3
7.2
Video Quality
6.2
6.5
Charging
7.9
5.9
Performance Peak
9.1
7.1
Performance Daily
8.9
8
Display Quality
7
7.8
Design
8
7.8
Wireless Charging
8.5
7.3
Biometrics
7
7.6
Audio
8
7.8
Software
4
8.4
Why the score?
This device scores average for this price class, which includes devices like the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
The next chapter in Asus' gaming story has been written and its name is the ROG Phone 9 Pro. The long-awaited successor is finally here, and it's the first phone with the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. Boy oh boy, does it deliver. The phone obliterated the competition in the Geekbench 6 multi-core test, stood neck-and-neck with the A18 Pro in single-core, and ate everyone else for breakfast in 3DMark without ever throttling. Seriously, the results stayed almost identical throughout the stress test.
The design of the phone is rather similar to what we had last year, and the camera system is not that different either. But you don't buy a gaming phone for those features. What the ROG Phone 9 Pro has up its sleeve is a bright AMOLED that can go up to 185Hz, a great battery and fast charging support (with a charger in the box), huge amounts of RAM on tap, and a very hip LED dot design on the back.
The ultrasonic shoulder triggers are also present, so you can game with minimum display touching and maximum headshots. Overall this is the best gaming phone at the moment, and the only downside is that you have to pay a hefty sum for it.
Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro key specs: Ultrasonic shoulder buttons Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset 24GB RAM
185Hz AMOLED screen Better physical gimbal stabilization on the camera Charger and case in the box
Speakers are loud and meaty (but not as good as before)
Fast and buttery performance
What we don't like
Speakers are no longer front-firing
Gripping the device for gaming is a bit less comfy (lack of bezels)
The camera is OK, but not as great as the big bump suggests
7.1
PhoneArena Rating
7.4
Price Class Average
Battery Life
8.6
7.7
Photo Quality
5.6
7
Video Quality
5.1
6.3
Charging
8.2
7.1
Performance Peak
8.2
7.1
Performance Daily
8
7.5
Display Quality
8
8.1
Design
8
7.6
Wireless Charging
3.7
7.1
Biometrics
7
7.5
Audio
8
7.9
Software
4
7.5
Why the score?
This device scores 4.1% worse than the average for this price class, which includes devices like the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro, Honor Magic 6 Pro and OPPO Find X7 Ultra
The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro is the latest and greatest in the dedicated gaming phone category. The Taiwanese company kind of departed from the normal flashy LED models, and adopted a more understated approach, aiming to attract a broader audience.
The phone features a discreet design for a gaming device, showcasing a stealthy LED matrix on the back, rounded corners, and a contemporary-looking camera bump. Underneath the surface, it maintains high-quality specs, including a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, up to 24GB of RAM, a huge 6,000mAh battery, and a very bright 165Hz display in line with current trends.
However, the only trade-off to consider is a financial one. With a starting price of $1,200, the phone falls on the higher end of the price spectrum. Opting for the top-tier 24/1TB model will require a more substantial investment of $1,500.
Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro key specs:
New design with slimmer bezels, thinner body
Ultrasonic shoulder buttons
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset
24GB RAM
New camera system with physical gimbal stabilization
We were genuinely impressed by the Nubia RedMagic series ever since we tried the RedMagic 7 with the active cooler inside. Well, the 9 series improves upon that to offer one of the fastest phones on the market. The phone topped the AnTuTu charts for August, 2024 and by the looks of it, it will stay there until the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 hit the shelves.
The RedMagic 9S Pro comes with a lot of goodies onboard. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 inside is actually an overclocked version called "Leading Version" boosting CPU to 3.4GHz and GPU to 1GHz. The design is also unique with the main camera module absolutely flushed with the body and under the back glass of the phone.
There are 520Hz super-responsive capacitive triggers onboard, a sweat resistant glass, a new big vibration motor for haptic feedback, and a redesigned audio system, all resulting in a great gaming experience. The front camera is under the main display, so you can game uninterrupted. The battery is a huge 6,500mAh cell, and the phone supports up to 80W wired fast charging speeds. Last but not least, the price of €649 for the base 12/256GB model is quite impressive.
You don't need to buy a dedicated gaming phone in order to get a good gaming experience. Regular flagships nowadays have more than enough oomph to run any game at any graphics settings and these phones share the same DNA as their gaming counterparts, including the chipset, screen, and memory. The only downside is the lack of gaming features such as capacitive shoulder buttons, cooling accessories, LED lights and so on. But it's not a big price to be paid, if you want a more standard-looking device.
Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra
Asus Zenfone 11 Ultra
What we like
Fast and snappy
Super-bright display
Great stereo speakers
What we don't like
Camera system not great
Design might not be everyone's cup of tea
Only two years of major OS updates
6.9
PhoneArena Rating
7.1
Price Class Average
Battery Life
8.3
7
Photo Quality
6.1
7
Video Quality
5.6
6.2
Charging
8.2
6.3
Performance Peak
7.6
6.2
Performance Daily
7.7
7.1
Display Quality
8
7.9
Design
7
7.4
Wireless Charging
6.4
6.7
Biometrics
6
7.5
Audio
6
7.4
Software
4
8.2
Why the score?
This device scores 2.8% worse than the average for this price class, which includes devices like the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, Motorola razr Plus (2024) and Google Pixel 9 Pro
Asus decided to join the "Ultra" race and launched the Zenfone 11 Ultra. This kind of controversial device shares a lot of its DNA with the ROG Phone 8, barring the gaming bells and whistles, but for the purposes of this article, it's a solid choice for a gaming phone.
First of all, it comes with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor. It also sports a very bright (currently sitting at the top of our brightness chart) display, supporting a 120Hz refresh rate (and 144Hz while gaming).
The phone also comes with a big 5,500mAh battery, some AI magic onboard, and a solid camera system. You can think of the Zenfone 11 Ultra as an understated ROG Phone 8 Pro, you're getting most of the features but without waving your gaming preferences in the face of everyone around you.
Screen has great brightness range, reduced reflections
What we don't like
No improvement in charging speeds
Pricey, if you don't catch a deal
7.7
PhoneArena Rating
7.4
Price Class Average
Battery Life
7.6
7.5
Photo Quality
7.8
6.9
Video Quality
6.9
6.3
Charging
6.8
6.4
Performance Peak
7.2
7.1
Performance Daily
7.5
7.8
Display Quality
9
8
Design
8
8.2
Wireless Charging
6.4
6.9
Biometrics
8
7.7
Audio
8
8
Software
8
7.3
Why the score?
This device scores 3.9% better than the average for this price class, which includes devices like the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro, Honor Magic6 RSR Porsche Design and Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is Samsung's newest flagship smartphone and as such, it sports some of the best specs you can get on an Android phone right now. It's not about the S Pen this time, although it's a nice bonus. This phone is a powerhouse!
It features a flat screen now, which is a needed improvement and one that will please gamers, as there's no image distortion toward the edges. The new anti-glare coating is also top-notch, we tested it in real-life scenarios, and indeed, there's less glare under direct sunlight and other direct sources of light.
Other than that, it's the usual high-end stuff. You're getting a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, up to 16GB of RAM, and a 2,600-nit 120Hz LTPO display. There is nothing to complain about. The battery is a hefty 5,000 mAh cell, so you won't run out of juice during prolonged gaming sessions. And you can use this flagship phone as a normal phone, snap amazing photos, and use it for productivity with the S Pen.
Improved Photographic Styles and video features are welcome
Slightly larger display is a noticeable upgrade
What we don't like
Grounded, maybe a bit boring color options
Camera button is good, but its positioning is a bit iffy
USB 3 on the phone, no USB 3 cable in the box
8
PhoneArena Rating
7.5
Price Class Average
Battery Life
8.5
7.8
Photo Quality
7.7
7.2
Video Quality
7.1
6.5
Charging
5.1
5.9
Performance Peak
7.1
7.1
Performance Daily
8.3
8
Display Quality
8
7.8
Design
8
7.8
Wireless Charging
7.9
7.3
Biometrics
8
7.6
Audio
8
7.8
Software
10
8.4
Why the score?
This device scores 6.3% better than the average for this price class, which includes devices like the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro, Google Pixel 9 Pro XL and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6
If you're leaning towards iOS gaming and the Apple Arcade subscription service, the most powerful phone for gaming from Apple you can get right now is the iPhone 16 Pro Max. The recently launched flagship has it all - new hardware gimmicks, a fast refresh rate display, the Dynamic Isle feature to enhance your gaming experience, and a titanium frame that makes it lighter and more comfortable during prolonged gaming sessions, and the new Camera Control button, which might at some point be assigned some gaming functions.
Its high performance, thanks to the latest and greatest A18 Pro chipset, will crush any games at their highest settings without breaking a sweat, while its solid battery life will ensure that you'll be comfortable playing for hours on end without needing to recharge. It also sports the largest display ever put on an iPhone, and if you enjoy other activities beyond gaming, the state-of-the-art tetraprism zoom lens will allow you to snap 5X optical zoom pictures with great quality.
This device scores 2.9% better than the average for this price class, which includes devices like the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, vivo X Fold 3 Pro and Google Pixel Fold
If you're ready to go to the next level with your smartphone gaming, there is nothing like playing mobile games on the Galaxy Z Fold 6. It's a candy bar-shaped phone when you need it to fit in your pocket, but it can unfold into an extremely powerful tablet when it's time to play.
Games like PUBG play fantastic on it, plus its stereo speakers are superb in volume and richness. The phone feels great in the hands and is easy to game on; it is not as large or unwieldy as a tablet might be. Any game looks gorgeous on the Z Fold 6's large, foldable, smooth 120 Hz AMOLED display.
The battery life is really solid on this last generation, and there's also stylus support for any strategy games that require precision.
We have a brand-new phone rating in place and it takes into account 12 different aspects of the smartphone experience, such as Battery Life, Photo Quality, Design, Performance, etc. We tried to make it as objective as possible, so the weight of each category is different, for example, battery life is more important than design, and so on. When we talk about gaming phones, however, there are other considerations in play.
You will find dedicated gaming models occupying the first few spots on this list, even though their rating may be lower than the other "normal" flagship phones included. That's because when gaming on a phone, there are other things that matter, such as touch sampling rate and latency, capacitive trigger buttons, screen refresh rate, and so on. Of course, you can game on almost any flagship phone in 2024, but the experience will be different.
Dedicated gaming phones also come with neat hardware accessories such as joypads, cooling fans, as well as features build in the software to allow competitive gaming. With this in mind, we've split the article into two parts.
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Mariyan, a tech enthusiast with a background in Nuclear Physics and Journalism, brings a unique perspective to PhoneArena. His childhood curiosity for gadgets evolved into a professional passion for technology, leading him to the role of Editor-in-Chief at PCWorld Bulgaria before joining PhoneArena. Mariyan's interests range from mainstream Android and iPhone debates to fringe technologies like graphene batteries and nanotechnology. Off-duty, he enjoys playing his electric guitar, practicing Japanese, and revisiting his love for video games and Haruki Murakami's works.
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