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Best Smartphones for Gaming in 2023: Top Picks for Exceptional Gaming Experience

Gaming on smartphones has become increasingly popular over the years, thanks to the advancements in mobile technology that make gaming on-the-go more immersive and enjoyable. However, not all smartphones are created equal when it comes to gaming. To help you find the best smartphone for your gaming needs, we’ve compiled a list of the top picks that offer an exceptional gaming phones experience.

 

ASUS ROG Phone 5

The ASUS ROG Phone 5 is a powerhouse of a smartphone designed specifically for gaming. It boasts a massive 6.78-inch AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate, making it one of the most responsive and fluid displays in the market. It also has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, Adreno 660 GPU, and up to 18GB of RAM, which make it one of the most powerful smartphones for gaming.

Asus ROG Phone 5
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NETWORK Technology GSM / HSPA / LTE / 5G
LAUNCH Announced 2021, March 10
Status Available. Released 2021, April 26
BODY Dimensions 172.8 x 77.3 x 10.3 mm (6.80 x 3.04 x 0.41 in)
Weight 238 g (8.40 oz)
Build Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 3), aluminum frame
SIM Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
  RGB light panel (on the back)
Pressure sensitive zones (Gaming triggers)
DISPLAY Type AMOLED, 1B colors, 144Hz, HDR10+, 800 nits (typ), 1200 nits (peak)
Size 6.78 inches, 109.5 cm2 (~82.0% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1080 x 2448 pixels (~395 ppi density)
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
PLATFORM OS Android 11, upgradable to Android 12, ROG UI
Chipset Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm)
CPU Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Cortex-X1 & 3x2.42 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A55)
GPU Adreno 660
MEMORY Card slot No
Internal 128GB 8GB RAM, 128GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 12GB RAM, 256GB 16GB RAM
  UFS 3.1
MAIN CAMERA Triple 64 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/1.73", 0.8µm, PDAF
13 MP, f/2.4, 11mm, 125˚ (ultrawide)
5 MP, f/2.0, (macro)
Features LED flash, HDR, panorama
Video 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 720p@480fps; gyro-EIS
SELFIE CAMERA Single 24 MP, f/2.5, 27mm (wide), 0.9µm
Features Panorama, HDR
Video 1080p@30fps
SOUND Loudspeaker Yes, with DTS:X stereo speakers (2 dedicated amplifiers)
3.5mm jack Yes
  24-bit/192kHz audio
COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive
Positioning GPS (L1+L5), GLONASS (L1), BDS (B1I+B1c+B2a), GALILEO (E1+E5a), QZSS (L1+L5), NavIC (L5)
NFC Yes
Radio No
USB USB Type-C 3.1 (side), USB Type-C 2.0 (bottom), OTG, accessory connector
FEATURES Sensors Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
BATTERY Type Li-Po 6000 mAh, non-removable
Charging 65W wired, PD3.0, QC5, 70% in 30 min, 100% in 52 min (advertised)
10W reverse wired
MISC Colors Phantom Black, Storm White
Models ZS673KS, ZS673KS-1B048IN, ASUS_I005DB, ASUS_I005DA, I005DA, I005DB
Price $ 698.00 / £ 999.99
TESTS Performance AnTuTu: 718864 (v8)
GeekBench: 14536 (v4.4), 3745 (v5.1)
GFXBench: 72fps (ES 3.1 onscreen)
Display Contrast ratio: Infinite (nominal)
Camera Photo / Video
Loudspeaker -24.0 LUFS (Very good)
Battery life

 

ASUS ROG Phone 6

ASUS ROG Phone 6 is a powerful gaming smartphone that comes with a wide range of features. It offers support for multiple network technologies including GSM, CDMA, HSPA, LTE, and 5G. The phone is equipped with a large 6.78-inch AMOLED display with 165Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support, which makes it a great choice for gaming. The phone is powered by the Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm) chipset and Adreno 730 GPU, which provide a smooth gaming experience.

Check it out here

NETWORK Technology GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE / 5G
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2
  CDMA 800
3G bands HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100
4G bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 48, 66, 71
5G bands 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 18, 20, 25, 26, 28, 38, 40, 41, 48, 66, 71, 77, 78, 79 SA/NSA/Sub6
Speed HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (6CA) Cat20 2024/210 Mbps, 5G
LAUNCH Announced 2022, July 05
Status Available. Released 2022, July 13
BODY Dimensions 173 x 77 x 10.3 mm (6.81 x 3.03 x 0.41 in)
Weight 239 g (8.43 oz)
Build Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus), glass back (Gorilla Glass 3), aluminum frame
SIM Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by)
  IPX4 water resistant
Illuminated RGB logo (on the back)
Pressure sensitive zones (Gaming triggers)
DISPLAY Type AMOLED, 1B colors, 165Hz, HDR10+, 800 nits (typ), 1200 nits (peak)
Size 6.78 inches, 109.5 cm2 (~82.2% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1080 x 2448 pixels (~395 ppi density)
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass Victus
PLATFORM OS Android 12
Chipset Qualcomm SM8475 Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm)
CPU Octa-core (1x3.19 GHz Cortex-X2 & 3x2.75 GHz Cortex-A710 & 4x1.80 GHz Cortex-A510)
GPU Adreno 730
MEMORY Card slot No
Internal 512GB 16GB RAM
  UFS 3.1
NTFS support for external storage
MAIN CAMERA Triple 50 MP, f/1.9, (wide), 1/1.56, 1.0µm, PDAF
13 MP, f/2.2, (ultrawide)
5 MP, (macro)
Features LED flash, HDR, panorama
Video 8K@24fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 720p@480fps; gyro-EIS
SELFIE CAMERA Single 12 MP, 28mm (wide)
Features Panorama, HDR
Video 1080p@30fps
SOUND Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers (2 amplifiers)
3.5mm jack Yes
  32-bit/384kHz audio
COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive
GPS Yes, with A-GPS. Up to dual-band: GLONASS (1), BDS (2), GALILEO (2), QZSS (2), NavIC
NFC Yes
Radio No
USB USB Type-C 3.1 (side), USB Type-C 2.0 (bottom), accessory connector, USB On-The-Go
FEATURES Sensors Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass
BATTERY Type Li-Po 6000 mAh, non-removable
Charging Fast charging 65W, 100% in 42 min (advertised)
Power Delivery 3.0
Quick Charge 5
MISC Colors

Phantom Black, Storm White

Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max

The iPhone 13 Pro Max is one of the best gaming smartphones for iOS users. It has a stunning 6.7-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, which offers smooth and seamless gameplay. It also has the new A15 Bionic chip and up to 1TB of storage, which means it can handle even the most demanding games with ease.

Check it out here

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is a high-end Android smartphone that excels in gaming. It has a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, which offers stunning visuals and responsive touch controls. It also has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor and up to 16GB of RAM, which means it can handle even the most graphics-intensive games.

Check out the latest model here

OnePlus 9 Pro

The OnePlus 9 Pro is another Android smartphone that is great for gaming. It has a 6.7-inch Fluid AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, which offers a smooth and seamless gaming experience. It also has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, Adreno 660 GPU, and up to 12GB of RAM, which means it can handle even the most demanding games with ease.

Check it out here

NETWORK Technology GSM / CDMA / HSPA / LTE / 5G
2G bands GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
CDMA 800 / 1900
3G bands HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1800 / 1900 / 2100
4G bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 28, 30, 32, 38, 39, 40, 41, 46, 48, 66, 71
5G bands 1, 2, 3, 7, 25, 28, 41, 66, 71, 78, 258, 260, 261 SA/NSA/mmWave
*Please check with your carriers 5G coverage to ensure capabilities*
Speed HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps, LTE-A (CA) Cat20 2000/200 Mbps, 5G
LAUNCH Announced 2021, March 23
Status Available. Released 2021, March 30
BODY Dimensions 163.2 x 73.6 x 8.7 mm (6.43 x 2.90 x 0.34 in)
Weight 197 g (6.95 oz)
Build Glass front (Gorilla Glass 5), glass back (Gorilla Glass 5), aluminum frame
SIM Single SIM (Nano-SIM)
IP68 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 mins)
DISPLAY Type LTPO Fluid2 AMOLED, 1B colors, 120Hz, HDR10+, 1300 nits (peak)
Size 6.7 inches, 108.4 cm(~90.3% screen-to-body ratio)
Resolution 1440 x 3216 pixels, 20:9 ratio (~525 ppi density)
Protection Corning Gorilla Glass 5
Always-on display
PLATFORM OS Android 11, OxygenOS 11.3.3
Chipset Qualcomm SM8350 Snapdragon 888 5G (5 nm)
CPU Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 680 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 680 & 4x1.80 GHz Kryo 680
GPU Adreno 660
MEMORY Card slot No
Internal 256GB 12GB RAM
UFS 3.1
MAIN CAMERA Quad 48 MP, f/1.8, 23mm (wide), 1/1.43", 1.12 m, omnidirectional PDAF, Laser AF, OIS
8 MP, f/2.4, 77mm (telephoto), 1.0 m, PDAF, OIS, 3.3x optical zoom
50 MP, f/2.2, 14mm (ultrawide), 1/1.56", 1.0 m
2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)
Features Hasselblad Color Calibration, dual-LED flash, HDR, panorama
Video 8K@30fps, 4K@30/60/120fps, 1080p@30/60/240fps, Auto HDR, gyro-EIS
SELFIE CAMERA Single 16 MP, f/2.4, (wide), 1/3.06", 1.0 m
Features Auto-HDR
Video 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS
SOUND Loudspeaker Yes, with stereo speakers
3.5mm jack No
24-bit/192kHz audio
COMMS WLAN Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot
Bluetooth 5.2, A2DP, LE, aptX HD
GPS Yes, with dual-band A-GPS, GLONASS, BDS, GALILEO, SBAS
NFC Yes
Radio No
USB USB Type-C 3.1, USB On-The-Go
FEATURES Sensors Fingerprint (under display, optical), accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, color spectrum
BATTERY Type Li-Po 4500 mAh, non-removable
Charging Fast charging 65W, 1-100% in 29 min (advertised)
Fast wireless charging 50W, 1-100% in 43 min (advertised)
USB Power Delivery
MISC Colors Morning Mist
Model LE2127
TESTS Camera Photo/Video
Loudspeaker -24.1 LUFS (Very good)
Battery life
Endurance rating 86h

Sony Xperia 1 III

The Sony Xperia 1 III is a great smartphone for gamers who value high-quality visuals. It has a 6.5-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 21:9 aspect ratio, which offers stunning visuals and cinematic gameplay. It also has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, Adreno 660 GPU, and up to 12GB of RAM, which means it can handle even the most graphics-intensive games.

Conclusion

Gaming on smartphones has come a long way over the years, and there are now plenty of smartphones that offer an exceptional gaming experience. Whether you’re an iOS or Android user, there are plenty of options to choose from. From the ASUS ROG Phone 5 to the Sony Xperia 1 III, these smartphones offer large screens, high refresh rates, and powerful processors that can handle even the most demanding games.

For more information on the latest smartphones and mobile technology, check out The Verge or Android Authority

 

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