Best Smartphone for Gaming 2019

Gaming on a smartphone is very much a thing. Here are the best gaming phones and where to buy them.

Gaming on phones has been a thing ever since we all first booted up our Nokia 3310s for hours on Snake, before our iPhones became clogged with hours of Candy Crush Saga.

But increasingly smartphones are becoming viable gaming devices alongside home consoles.

Below are our recommend best phones for gaming. Take some time to consider which has the best features at the best price for you, for the games you want to be able to run.

The best gaming phones in 2019

1. Red Magic 3

Reviewed on: 18 July 2019

RRP: $479 (8GB+128GB) | $599 (12GB+256GB)

The Red Magic 3 somehow manages to offer high-end gaming features including the latest Snapdragon 855 processor, a huge 6.55in 90Hz display and touch-sensitive trigger buttons for less than £500/$500. The gaming experience is superb, with smooth gameplay and no hint of lag, even during intense PUBG Mobile sessions. 

It does lack a little in the camera department, sporting a single 48Mp sensor, but it's an improvement on what's on offer from the Red Magic Mars, also featured in our chart. The design is a little 'in your face' and while some gamers love it, some will hate it - it's down to your personal choice.

The only real downside is the lack of polish in terms of software, with key Android Pie features like gesture navigation missing, along with instances of broken English and even Mandarin displaying within some OS menus. Still, for the price, you'll struggle to find anything better. 

2. Black Shark 2

Reviewed on: 12 August 2019

RRP: Not available in the US

We’re impressed by what the Black Shark 2 offers gamers, with impressive specs, innovative gaming-focused tech and a very affordable price tag, but there are a few niggles that stop it from being the best.

The gaming experience is premium,  sporting powerful internals, industry-leading cooling tech and a range of accessories to enhance performance, but unlike most other gaming phones, the Black Shark 2 is capped at 60Hz, half that of the Razer Phone 2.  It’s also worth noting that the gaming accessories are sold separately, and they’re not the cheapest accessories we’ve seen either. 

However, it’s little issues with the Black Shark 2 that bring the overall experience down, including a rather dim display, hit-and-miss controller design and a camera setup that has admittedly been improved, but is still not quite up to the standards set by other 2019 flagships, or even other mid-range phones.

3. Asus ROG Phone

Reviewed on: 25 July 2019

RRP: $899

Asus really has pulled it off with the ROG Phone, by absolutely going to town with the design and features with gamers in mind.

It might not have a 120Hz screen like the Razer Phone 2, but 90Hz still means silky smooth performance and many will prefer the AMOLED tech anyway. You also get an overclocked Snapdragon and plenty of other gaming extras like the AeroActive fan and AirTriggers.

Those, along with the software, give it the edge over its rivals. However, this is a sort of joint first position as the ROG Phone is so lairy - ostentatious even - that we would totally understand if the Razer Phone 2 is more your style.

4. Razer Phone 2

Reviewed on: 22 October 2018

RRP: $799

The Razer Phone 2 looks an awful lot like its predecessor, but an LED logo, wireless charging, and revamped camera setup show off a company willing to both learn from its mistakes and chase after proper flagship features.

All that comes at a high price - quite literally, this thing is expensive - and there might not be enough here to justify the upgrade, but it’s encouraging to see Razer sticking to its guns.

It's really up there with the Asus ROG Phone, depending on which design and features you prefer.

5. OnePlus 7 Pro

Reviewed on: 8 July 2019

RRP: From $669

There's really very little to fault in the OnePlus 7 Pro. The display, camera, and core specs are essentially all best-in-class - or close enough to count - while the few shortcuts (wireless charging, an IP rating) are easily explained away by a price point - starting from £649/$669 - that still undercuts the closest comparable rivals by some way.

Yes, this costs a bit more than you're probably used to from OnePlus, but it delivers on enough of its promises to justify that price hike - and if you're not convinced, the regular OnePlus 7 is always there (outside the US at least), at the same ol' £499 price OnePlus has been hitting for the last year or two.

In a year that's already seen both Samsung and Huawei drop pretty phenomenal flagships, OnePlus has still managed to drop a device that might just be the phone to beat in 2019.

6. Honor Play

Reviewed on: 15 November 2018

RRP: Approx $300

At £279, it's very easy to recommend the Honor Play. The display is no match for rival gaming phones like the Razer Phone or Asus ROG, but the Play offers top notch performance at a far lower price than either of those, which might make it the ideal phone for gamers on a budget.

The specs are almost identical to the pricier Honor 10 and even the much pricier Huawei P20, though it's worth noting that it's got a metal chassis rather than a glass back, and the camera isn't a patch on the ones in those phones.

Still, even if you're not a gamer, this is one of the best value phones on the market, offering flagship performance at a fraction of the price, so long as you don't mind missing out on the best photography features.

7. Red Magic Mars

Reviewed on: 18 March 2019

RRP: $399 (6GB/64GB) | $449 (8GB/128GB) | $549 (10GB/256GB)

It might not have the latest specs, but the Red Magic Mars provides a great mobile gaming experience – especially for the price. The display is bright and crisp, it’s powerful enough to run the likes of PUBG Mobile on Ultra settings with no lag or screen tearing, and the built-in customisable trigger buttons really do give the edge when gaming on the small screen. The RGB strip is a plus too, if you're into that kind of thing. 

Don't get us wrong, it's not perfect; the cameras are underwhelming and the software needs tweaking, but it’s still a tempting option at half the price of leading gaming-focused smartphones.

8. Razer Phone

Reviewed on: 5 January 2018

RRP: $699

The Razer Phone, if you’re a gamer, is an ideal smartphone. It may not compete with sleek, thin smartphones but it does have a stunning 120Hz display. It makes a huge difference to gaming on the phone, especially when combined with stereo front-facing Dolby ATMOS-certified speakers and an app that lets you tweak the performance of games on a per-app basis.

But while the display is perfect, we can’t really say the same about the camera setup. The rear-facing dual-camera setup isn’t bad, but the quality of images captured isn’t enough to compete with other current flagships.

But hey, if you’re a gamer on the market for a new smartphone the Razer Phone is the ideal candidate even with the Razer Phone 2 now out.

9. Apple iPhone XS Max

Reviewed on: 15 July 2019

RRP: From $1,099

The XS Max is everything a flagship phone should be: beautifully made, high performance for everything including gaming and - ultimately - desirable.

The screen is an all-new size, and it bears some thought when choosing between the XS and XS Max, but it's great you don't have to compromise on features if you don't want the bigger, heavier phone.

Feature upgrades compared to the iPhone X aren't huge, but if you need dual-SIM then you will want an XS or XS Max. It's really just the price that will be a barrier for some people.

source : techadvisor

10. Honor View 20

Reviewed on: 23 January 2019

RRP: Unavailable

The Honor View 20 is stunning to look at - from just about any angle, thanks to the one-two punch of the pinhole camera on the front and the genuinely unique holographic V effect on the glass rear. The photos look great, but don't really do this thing justice - it's properly gorgeous.

With a Kirin 980 and 6/8GB RAM the specs are plenty powerful to match, and comfortably rival much more expensive flagship phones (including Huawei's own Mate 20 Pro). And perhaps for the first time, Honor deserves to be in the same conversation as the big names when it comes to camera quality. Touting a 48MP lens is meaningless, but it's hard to argue with the results, especially from the AI Ultra Clarity mode.

At just £499 for the base model, and £579 for one with extra RAM and storage, this is genuinely affordable too. Honor's flagships have always offered serious specs and slick design while undercutting rivals on price, but it usually feels like there are a couple of compromises along the way.

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