The Top 10 Best Gaming Phones
Why are these the best gaming phones?
The best gaming phones have the same sort of components as any high end smartphone, if not more. The Snapdragon 845 processor powers nearly all phones on the market, but the PlayStation 4 Pro is also powerful enough to run certain games, and the Xbox One X offers similar juice. One or two games will only run on the top end CPU, but a powerful enough GPU will certainly handle most of the best Android games out there.
A graphics card – though the GPU and CPU often work together – are necessary to make a 3D game world look realistic and to perform its sorts of tasks. The same can be said of VR, for which headsets require both a relatively fast CPU and graphics card.
The current top 10 best gaming phones
Unfortunately, the top 10 is going to vary quite wildly, based on developer’s demands and the games that exist that need the most support and processing power. Don't see a specific game that might need a phone? Then consider looking in our best gaming headsets, best gaming mice or best accessories.
1. HTC U12 Plus
Could it be the HTC U12 Plus that takes the lead for 2017's smartphone competition? A powerhouse of a phone that supports the best of Android, as well as providing the best of what HTC has to offer in the form of BoomSound HiFi. With Android Oreo, a crazy 6GB RAM, 128GB storage and a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, the U12 Plus has plenty of power.
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What are the best features of these phones?
Screens – This may be a small detail but at times, the graphics make the experience so realistic, that a display can just be the icing on the cake.
Graphics – Technically, the Switch Pro 6 is ahead of the pack. It has a massive 6.2″ display, and can easily handle a game.
Connectivity – 4G LTE and dual-SIM capabilities are available.
Connectivity – Dual-band WiFi, Wi-Fi Direct, USB Type C, and even a microSD card slot (for super fast flash storage).
Specs – Powering the Switch Pro 6 are either 6 or 8GB RAM, along with an octa-core processor, plus 128GB and 256GB built-in flash storage.
Battery – the device has a 3000mAh battery and only two hours of gaming or streaming Netflix before you're exhausted.
Is there anything wrong with these phones?
There are some amazing phones which can be pretty janky in terms of gameplay. For instance, a racing game like Real Racing 3 uses sensors on the back of the phone in the controller to see where you're turning. If you're gaming on the go, your hand might be distracted by it and you'll be less likely to apply the brakes, causing you to careen off the road, often into oncoming traffic.
Maybe you don't want to be on the road and yet, for most players, it's a feature. And since you'll rarely play in a car or truck, you won't be penalised by your car insurance companies for accidents caused by this kind of thing. A running joke about gaming phones has always been that, in order to play at a good level, you'll need to carry a wireless router, battery pack, charger and a set of headphones.
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Why should you buy these gaming phones?
In the past, when you did want to spend more on your phone, you were limited to what the manufacturer thought you'd pay. If they were paying attention at all, they might've added memory, a battery or the latest chipset, but there was nothing you could do about it other than hope and pray that you can find a pretty penny for a memory card before your handset got old.
Now, however, manufacturers of any price range have put a big focus on making their phones great for gaming. This isn't any sort of PR spin on their part, either, as the designs, software and design choices indicate to you that this is the focus.
Here are the top 10 gaming phones in the short and medium term, making this the most exciting part of the technology cycle.
10. Mifune
5.
iPhone
Ever since Apple launched its own cellular iPhone a few years ago, there's been a drastic change in terms of user experience. Using a Moto X as an example, an easy way to use the phone has never been easier.
Many of the other smartphones on this list are deeply linked to Google and services, so many of them have to be heavily tweaked to ensure they don't work with Android 6 Marshmallow. That means better batteries, which in turn means a longer lifespan, more capacity and better performance. The list below aims to make it easy for those still in the dark regarding the details to check and make informed purchasing decisions.
Conclusion
I still firmly believe that gaming is a peripheral activity, but the advances in mobile technology since 2013 have produced some truly remarkable devices. The gaming smartphone revolution is starting to look real, with a steady stream of impressive smartphones continuing to hit the market.
As yet, the only real technology difference between smartphones and consoles is the CPU, but I'm sure that will come as tablets and PC/monitor based games are slowly but surely replaced by smartphones.
But with that in mind, I can't wait to see the gaming smartphones of the future.
By reader Mike Richardson (gamertag/PSN ID/NN ID)
The reader's feature does not necessary represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
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