Best Android smartphones for gaming
Slowly, but surely, mobile gaming is gaining in prominence. In 2017 alone, revenues generated by mobile games crossed the $60 billion mark, making it a bigger money spinner than console and PC gaming combined. And with Netflix like streaming service for gaming primed to be announced in the coming years, mobile gaming is only going to become an even bigger phenomenon.
Seeing the opportunity, the biggest smartphone makers have already started to roll out gaming-centric smartphones that not only impress with the hardware on board but also with the game focused features that set them apart from regular phones available in the market.
Though the market currently is not flush with such devices, there exist some smartphones that come highly recommended for playing heavy duty games on them. Here's our pick of the best.
Asus ROG Phone
Unveiled at the Computex 2018, Asus ROG phone is a device that has been designed with gaming in mind, and as such, it comes with the best in class technology that makes it not just a great phone to play games on, but also makes it arguably the most powerful Android smartphone in the market.
Taking a cue from the gaming hardware Asus makes under the ROG sub-brand, the smartphone uses a specially binned variant of the Snapdragon 845 SoC running at 2.96Ghz – a higher clock rate than found on regular 845 chips. Asus has paired this SoC with 8GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage.
But what truly sets this device apart is the vapour cooling system and modular accessories that Asus has rolled out alongside the phone.
Case in point, the special attachable fan accessory that users can buy to keep the device from throttling under intense load and the Gamevice controller, which brings with it analog sticks, and some gaming keys on either side of the phone’s landscape display. There’s also the TwinView Dock accessory that allows for the phone to be turned into a two display gaming device.
The phone has also been equipped with 2160x1080 AMOLED panel with a refresh rate of 90Hz. There are also software tweaks such as the "X Mode" which at the press of a button, diverts the device's resources towards games users are playing on the phone.
Xiaomi Black Shark phone
Next up in the list is Xiaomi's Black Shark Gaming phone. The device unveiled earlier in the year in China is Xiaomi's first attempt at creating a mobile device for the burgeoning community of mobile gamers across the globe. The device comes with hardware and software tweaks to help this phone tackle any graphics intensive game you throw at it.
At the time of the launch, Xiaomi announced a special controller with the device which it calls the Black Shark gamepad – Xiaomi is bundling the gamepad with the first 50,000 devices it sells in its home country. The modular attachment connects to the phone via Bluetooth and comes with its own rechargeable 340mAh battery, and features a single joystick which can be used for movement in mobile games.
Coming to the specs, the smartphone brings with it a 5.99-inch Full HD+ panel which doesn't offer insane refresh rates, but should still be great for the current generation mobile games you throw at it. Under the display is a 2.8 GHz octa-core Snapdragon 845 paired with LPDDR4 6GB/8GB RAM versions with internal storage of either 64GB or 128GB which sadly is not expandable using a MicroSD.
There is a 4,000mAh non-removable battery to power the phone which also supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging.
With its liquid cooling, internals and the ecosystem that Xiaomi's trying to build around it, the phone promises a very comprehensive gaming experience on a mobile device.
Razer Phone
The oldest phone on the list – and arguably the most underpowered one too – the Razer Phone was launched in 2017 and as such comes sporting last generation's Snapdragon 835. Though this generation old SoC may not do the device any favours, the rest of the specs of the phone more than make up for the slight lack of raw power.
The smartphone has been conceptualised and designed by Razer – a brand known for its gaming peripherals and laptops. The device features a Nextbit Robin inspired that makes this smartphone as recommended for your average user as it is for your next door gamer.
As mentioned before, the chipset on board is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 which comes with an Adreno 540 GPU paired with 8 Gigs of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. To power all this, the phone has a 4,000mAh battery with QuickCharge 4.0+ technology that's neatly tucked inside the boxy frame of the Razer Phone.
The standout feature of the Razer Phone, one that still remains unmatched by any competing device, is the 5.72-inch Quad HD IGZO LCD display that Razer claims is the first 120Hz Ultramotion panel ever fitted on a smartphone. Optimised for gaming the panel thus promises insanely fast refresh rates and zero lag not only while playing games but in general usage too.
Samsung Galaxy S9+
Though not a smartphone that's been crafted with gaming in mind, the Galaxy S9+ with its top of the line specs and curved 2K display, is a smartphone that can handle more intense gaming sessions too.
In terms of design, the phone borrows heavily from its predecessor. However, the design scheme with its curves and the use of glass and metal feels very ergonomic in the hand and as such is great for gaming.
The Galaxy S9+ boasts of a 6.2-inch AMOLED panel capable of displaying up to a WQHD+ (2960x1440) resolution at an aspect ratio of 18:5:9. Though the US variant comes with a Snapdragon 845, the one that makes way to India is powered by Samsung Exynos 9810 SoC paired with 6GB of RAM 64/256GB storage options.
Though lacking in modular accessories and gaming-centric features, the phone with its "reimagined' dual camera module makes for a great point and shoot device too. The dual camera setup features the same 12-Megapixel adjustable aperture lens paired alongside a telephoto lens for impressive Bokeh shots.