10 Best Phones For Gaming In 2018: Here Are Top Android & iOS Performers

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The best gaming phones is a phrase often used loosely. But the smartphone makers are now warming up to the concept of hardcore gaming phones that are optimized for uncompromised performance. These new generation gaming smartphones are powerful enough to deliver best visuals and flawlessly render heaviest of games like PUBG Mobile, Fortune, or Marvel’s Future Fight at highest graphics quality available.

In fact, it will take some time for the software to catch up. This new generation of gaming mobile phones is certainly future proof, at least for next couple of years. If you are looking for the best of the best, here’s a list of best gaming phones that money can buy today.

1. Razor Phone

The Razor Phone is the first phone from the popular gaming brand that is known for manufacturing gaming laptops. The Razer Phone was the first of its kind Android phone targeted towards mobile gamers.

It comes with a 5.7-inch QHD display with a 120Hz refresh rate for stunning high quality visual.

To meet the high-performance requirements the Razor Phone is powered by Snapdragon 835 CPU coupled with 8gig of RAM. A gaming enthusiast can enjoy extended session as the phone packs a 4,000mAh inside. The Razor Phone also comes with a good set of speakers and was the first phone to include QuickCharge 4.0 support.

Screen size: 5.7-inch LCD| Resolution: 1440 x 2560 | Screen Refresh Rate: 120Hz | CPU: 2.35GHz Snapdragon 835 | RAM: 8GB | Battery: 4,000mAh | Rear camera: 12MP | Front camera: 8MP | Weight: 197g | Dimensions: 158.5 x 77.7 x 8mm | OS: Android 8.0 |

2. Asus ROG Phone

Inspired by its own Republic of Gamers laptops, Asus’ new ROG Phone is the real deal. At Computex 2018, the ROG Phone was the star attraction and rightly so. It comes with insanely powerful specs that include an AMOLED screen with 90hz refresh rate, Vapor Cooling system, up to 512GB internal storage and is supported with a number of exciting gaming accessories.

Apart from packing top of the line specs that includes an overclocked version of Snapdragon 845, 8GB RAM, 4000mAh battery and Asus’ new 20W “HyperCharge” charger, the phone also features a headphone jack, a USB-C 2.0 (bottom) and an unusual USB-C 3.1 port on the side.

Screen size: 6-inch, AMOLED | Resolution: 1440 x 2560 | Screen Refresh Rate: 90Hz | CPU: 2.96GHz Snapdragon 845  | RAM: 8GB | Battery: 4,000mAh | Rear camera: 12MP+8MP | Front camera: 8MP | Weight: 200g | Dimensions: 158.5 x 76.2 x 8.6 mm  | OS: Android 8.0 |

3. Xiaomi Black Shark

Xiaomi too is marking its presence in the hardcore gaming smartphone segment with Black Shark phone. The phone comes with is liquid cooling system and a gaming pad which converts it to a gaming console. 

Apart from this, the Xiaomi-backed Black Shark phone pack specs similar to any other flagship devices in the market. It houses a 5.99-inch full HD+ display with regular 60Hz refresh rate. The smartphone is driven by a Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor with Adreno 630 GPU for graphics. The base variant of the phone comes with 6GB RAM with 64GB storage, whereas there is another variant that comes with 8GB RAM plus 128GB storage.

Screen size: 5.99-inch, IPS| Resolution: 1080 x 2160 | Screen Refresh Rate: 60Hz | CPU:  2.7GHz Snapdragon 845 | RAM: 6GB/8GB | Battery: 4,000mAh | Rear camera: 12MP+20MP | Front camera: 20MP | Weight: 190g | Dimensions: 161.6 x 75.4 x 9.3 mm  | OS: Android 8.0 |

4. Nubia Red Magic

Another smartphone that is looking to revive the trend set by yesteryear Nokia E-gage is Nubia Red Magic. Unlike Asus ROG phone it is not really an out-and-out war machine and neither does it have a Razor phone like ultra-motion display.

 However, like Razor phone, the Nubia Red Magic also went ahead with Snapdragon 835 chipset which company claim to offer a more reliable performance without throttling. It packs a 6-inch full HD+ 18:9 screen, 3800mAh battery, 6GB /8GB of RAM and 64GB /128GB of UFS 2.1 storage.

Screen size: 6-inch, IPS| Resolution: 1080 x 2160 | Screen Refresh Rate: 60Hz | CPU: 235GHz Snapdragon 835 | RAM: 6GB/8GB | Battery: 3,800mAh | Rear camera: 24MP| Front camera: 8MP | Weight: 185g | Dimensions: 158.1 x 74.9 x 9.5 mm  | OS: Android 8.1 |

Also Read: Vivo X21 Review- First of Its Kind in India

Other Phones That Are Good Enough For Gaming

These phones not specifically designed for gaming but are competent enough to handle most games with ease. 

5. Apple iPhone X

People might still be getting confused about whether to call it iPhone TEN or iPhone X but there is no confusion about its performance capabilities. 

The Apple iPhone X packs one of the most gorgeous OLED panels today offering excellent great ratio contrast and true colors. Apple’s Bionic A11 Chip along with Metal APIs and ARKit ensures iOS ecosystem alsos iPhone gamers get best gaming experience. The recently launched iOS 12 also added support for multiplayer AR games.

Screen size: 5.5-inch | Resolution: 1080 x 1920 | CPU: A11 Bionic | RAM: 3GB | Storage: 64/256GB | Battery: 2691mAh | Rear camera: Dual 12MP | Front camera: 7MP | Weight: 202g | Dimensions: 158.4 x 78.1 x 7.5mm | OS: iOS 12|

6. OnePlus 6

The latest phone from the brand with ‘Never Settle’ tagline is another phone worth considering. The phone comes with a 6.1-inch 18:9 optic AMOLED screen which delivers good visuals with accurate colors and good contrast ratio. 

Under the hood, the OnePlus 6 (review) boast of the same powerhouse as the Asus ROG phone. It is equipped with Snapdragon 845 chipset 6GB or 8GB RAM. OnePlus offers it in 64GB/128GB/256GB UFS 2.1 storage which is fastest available for smartphones.

Screen size: 6.1-inch | Resolution: 1080 x 2160 | CPU: Snapdragon 845 | RAM: 6GB or 8GB | Storage: 64/128/256GB | Battery: 3300mAh | Rear camera: 16MP+ 20MP | Front camera: 16MP | Dimensions: 155.7 x 75.4 x 7.8 mm |Weight: 177g | OS: Android 8.1|

7. Samsung Galaxy S9+

Samsung’s 2018 flagship won’t fall behind when it comes to gaming. The Galaxy S9+(review) features one of the best screens in 2018. The phone is driven by Samsung’s own Exynos 9810 in India while the US version gets a Snapdragon 845 inside.

The 6GB RAM and fast UFS 2.1 storage (64/128/256 GB). Like most phones in this list, the Galaxy S9+ also comes with a gaming mode, that cut down background processes to draw extra juice to further boost up the performance of the device.

Display: 6.2-inch (18:9) Quad HD+ S-AMOLED | Processor:Snapdragon 845 octa-core SoC | RAM: 6GB LPDDR4X | Storage: 64GB/256GB | Software: Android 8.0 | Rear Camera: 12MP+12MP | Front Camera: 8MP | Weight:189g | Dimensions: 158.1 x 73.8 x 8.5 mm | Battery: 3500mAh.

8. Asus Zenfone 5Z

Earlier this year, Asus announced the Zenfone 5Z which is packed in with some of the top of the line hardware making it one of the most exciting phones of 2018. The Zenfone 5Z also enthrals on Snapdragon 845 SoC and Adreno 630 GPU making it a high performing device which is what every gamer wants.

Other than capable CPU and GPU, the Zenfone 5Z also boasts of a good 19:9 full HD+ IPS display, up to 8GB RAM and up to 128GB storage. The Zenfone 5Z also comes with a dual speakers setup complimented by dual smart amplifiers which ensure immersive gaming experience.

Display: 6.2-inch (19:9) Full HD+ IPS | Processor: Snapdragon 845 octa-core SoC | RAM: 4GB/6GB LPDDR4x | Storage: 64GB /128GB | Software: Android 8.0 | Rear Camera: 12MP+8MP | Front Camera: 8MP | Weight: 155g | Dimensions:153×75.65×7.85mm | Battery: 3300mAh.

9. LG V35 ThinQ

The LG V35 ThinQ also belongs to the same league as other in this list. It too also features powerful innards and a good 2K+ display which is certainly an important requirement for an enjoyable gaming experience.

The LG V35 ThinQ packs SD 845 octa-core mobile platform accompanied by 6GB RAM and up to 128GB storage. Gamers will also appreciate its Hi-Fi Quad DAC which ensure it produces excellent audio.

Display: 6.1-inch (18:9) 2K+ POLED| Processor: Snapdragon 845 octa-core SoC | RAM: 4GB/6GB LPDDR4x | Storage: 64GB /128GB | Software: Android 8.0 | Rear Camera: 16MP+16MP | Front Camera: 8MP | Weight: 157g | Dimensions:151.7 x 75.4 x 7.3 mm| Battery: 3300mAh.

Also Read: Best Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 Phones That You Can Buy

10. Vivo Nex

After making headlines the Vivo Nex is now officially launched in India. The phone is in the buzz as it is expected to offer about 95% screen to body ratio which makes it one of its kind and most gamers will appreciate its almost bezel-less and notch less display.

The Vivo Nex is also reportedly will feature a Snapdragon 845 chipset which will be coupled with Adreno 630 GPU and 6GB RAM. The phone also comes with almost half screen under-display fingerprint sensor.

Here’s is the sum-up list of Best Gaming Phones In India September 2018

Product Name Price starting from Available at
Razor Phone 54,990*
Asus ROG Phone 64,999*
Xiaomi Black Shark 35,999*
Nubia Red Magic 36,900*
Apple iPhone X 84,999 Flipkart
OnePlus 6 34,999 Amazon
Samsung Galaxy S9+ 59,999 Paytm Mall
Asus Zenfone 5Z 32,990* Flipkart (expected)
LG V35 ThinQ 42,999 (expected)
Vivo Nex 49,999*

 

Deepak RajawatDeepak Rajawat
Experienced technology journalist with over 7-years of experience. Before embracing online journalism, he has worked with several legacy publications including print editions at Hindustan Times and The Statesman. He also has a keen interest in Sports, which he used to cover with equal enthusiasm in his early career.

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1 Comment
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Saurabh
Anonymous
5 years ago

great list for gaming phones for playing pubg mobile.

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