The best gaming phone 2023: top mobile game champions

best gaming phone against a Purple TechRadar background
(Image credit: Future)

The best gaming phones are specifically tailored to gamers. Ideally, when buying a gaming phone, you need fast performance, a large, high-resolution screen with a high refresh rate, good battery life, and features tailor-made for gaming.

So, while some of the best smartphones, such as the iPhone 14 Pro Max and Sony Xperia 1 IV, might do a great job tackling mobile games, you're better off getting a gaming phone for a better gaming experience. That's especially if you spend more of your free time gaming and you want that distinctive gamer aesthetic. 

A dedicated device tends to boast better cooling as well as come with shoulder triggers and even detachable physical controls. Phones like the Asus ROG Phone 6D offer all these features, for example, which is why it tops our list of the best gaming phones. 

Having tested more than our share of phones, we've ranked all the best gaming phones, prioritizing those that are specifically designed with gaming in mind, followed by more general smartphones that come with enough power to give you a smooth and immersive gaming experience. Take a look at the best gaming phones below.

Once you know what phone to buy, check out our look at the best iPhone games and best Android games to find plenty of titles to play. We’re constantly updating this list as well, so check back soon if you're not set on any of the options here.

The best gaming phone 2023

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A photo of the Asus ROG Phone 6D Ultimate with MediaTek Dimensity internals

(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The ultimate gaming phone

Specifications

Release date: September 2022
Weight: 247g
Dimensions: 173 x 77 x 10.4mm
OS: Android 12
Screen size: 6.78-inch
Resolution: 1080 x 2448
CPU: MediaTek Dimension 9000+
RAM: 16GB
Storage: 512GB
Battery: 6,000mAh
Rear camera: 50MP + 13MP + 5MP
Front camera: 12MP

Reasons to buy

+
Great display
+
Loud speakers

Reasons to avoid

-
Expensive
-
Not available in the US

Asus knows how to make good gaming phones as demonstrated by the Asus Rog Phone 6D. It has a near identical design to the Asus Rog Phone 6 but with superior cooling so it's never going to overheat while you play.

MediaTek's Dimensity 9000 Plus chipset is a force to be reckoned with while it's paired up beautifully with a 6.78-inch full HD OLED display. A 165Hz refresh rate will delight gamers along with plenty of viewing modes to set. Speaker performance is excellent too while Asus's software includes extensive in-game tools. 

The only downside here is the camera which is fairly average, but if you're solely focused on gaming, the Asus Rog Phone 6D will delight. 

Read our full Asus Rog Phone 6D review

Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro

(Image credit: Future)
Gaming for happy trigger fingers

Specifications

Release date: April 2022
Weight: 220g
Dimensions: 163.9 x 76.5 x 9.5 mm
OS: Android 12
Screen size: 6.67-inch
Resolution: 1080 x 2400
CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
RAM: 8/12/16GB
Storage: 256/512GB
Battery: 4,650mAh
Rear camera: 108MP + 13MP + 5MP
Front camera: 16MP

Reasons to buy

+
Powerful performance
+
Retractable triggers

Reasons to avoid

-
Lackluster battery life
-
Gets hot

The Black Shark 5 Pro offers some fantastic performance for the price, easily ensuring it's the best gaming phone around now. It can play top-end games at their highest graphics setting without a hitch thanks to its Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor and 12GB of RAM. 

Further helping your gaming experience are a set of pop-up physical triggers that can be assigned a function for your game. It makes a big difference, effectively turning the phone into a gaming controller all-in-one.

While it gets rather hot and battery life could be a little better, the Black Shark 5 Pro is a potent gaming system that's perfectly suited for gaming on the move. 

Read our review: Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro

Asus ROG 5

(Image credit: Future)
The best gaming phone that appeals to non-gamers too

Specifications

Release date: April 2021
Weight: 238g
Dimensions: 172.8 x 77.3 x 10.3mm
OS: Android 11
Screen size: 6.78-inch
Resolution: 1080 x 2448
CPU: Snapdragon 888
RAM: 8/12/16GB
Storage: 128/256GB
Battery: 6,000mAh
Rear camera: 64MP + 13MP + 5MP
Front camera: 24MP

Reasons to buy

+
Remarkable performance
+
Great display and speakers

Reasons to avoid

-
No telephoto camera
-
Large, heavy and dense

The Asus ROG Phone 5 is a remarkable gaming phone – even though it's a generation behind our number one pick, the Asus ROG Phone 6. Its highlights include power from the pairing of a Snapdragon 888 chipset and up to 16GB of RAM, plus a screen that has a refresh rate of 144Hz and a touch sampling rate of 300Hz – both of which are higher than most phones and we found this pairing beneficial to games.

The Asus ROG Phone 5 also has a huge 6,000mAh battery, so you can game for longer, and with 65W charging you won’t be out of action for long when it runs dry. 

Add to that responsive shoulder buttons, programmable RGB lights, and compatibility with a range of gaming-focused accessories, and the Asus ROG Phone 5 really is the complete package for gamers.

Read our review: Asus ROG Phone 5

Image of the Nubia Red Magic 7 smartphone

(Image credit: Basil Kronfli)
The best value gaming phone

Specifications

Release date: February 2022
Weight: 215g
Dimensions: 170.6 x 78.3 x 9.5 mm
OS: Android 12
Screen size: 6.8-inch
Resolution: 1080 x 2400
CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
RAM: 8/12/16GB
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Battery: 4,500mAh
Rear camera: 64MP + 8MP + 2MP
Front camera: 8MP

Reasons to buy

+
Great screen
+
Powerful processing

Reasons to avoid

-
Poor battery life
-
Bulky design

The Nubia Red Magic 7 isn't shy in any way. Bold and brash and a little heavy and thick, it offers some great specs. There's a large-sized 6.8-inch AMOLED screen with a refresh rate of 165Hz which means it can handle fast-moving action at every turn. 

Under the hood, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor can play any top-end game you want with some fantastic benchmark scores. Like other gaming phones, it gets a tad hot but a fan helps cool things down fairly quickly. 

Elsewhere, its battery life might not get you through a day of gaming but fast 65W charging helps you get back up to speed faster at least. Ultimately, it's the screen that will keep you coming back to the Nubia Red Magic 7.

Read our review: Nubia Red Magic 7

Xiaomi Black Shark 4 Pro being held in a hand, showing the front

(Image credit: Future)
The best gaming phone for battery life

Specifications

Release date: March 2021
Weight: 220g
Dimensions: 163.8 x 76.4 x 9.9 mm
OS: Android 11
Screen size: 6.67-inch
Resolution: 1080 x 2400
CPU: Snapdragon 888 5G
RAM: 8/12/16GB
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Battery: 4,500mAh
Rear camera: 64MP + 8MP + 5MP
Front camera: 20MP

Reasons to buy

+
Dedicated gaming features
+
Great battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
Bulky
-
Mediocre camera

Bulky it might be but the Black Shark 4 Pro has a lot to love here. As with other Black Shark phones, it has integrated gaming triggers that pop-out and can be customized to do what you need them to do. 

Sporting a 6.67-inch Super AMOLED screen, it's a great option for those that want to see their games shine too. A 144Hz refresh rate means the action is always silky smooth here, while a Snapdragon 888 processor keeps the action sailing at all times. 

A dedicated gaming app in the form of Shark Space rounds things off nicely, allowing you to focus on your gaming time. It even manages more than a day between charges.

Read our review: Black Shark 4 Pro

The best non-gaming phones for gaming

We've suggested the best phones designed for gaming, but if you'd rather have a more mainstream device, here are all the phones we recommend that, among the rest of their strengths, are also very good phones to play games on. 

You'll find a lot of overlap with our best phones list, for good reason: these handsets have top-end specs and screens to give the best gaming experience possible outside of gaming-focused phones.

It's worth noting also that there's now native Xbox and PlayStation controller support on both iOS and Android, so although the following phones don't - for the most part - have dedicated gaming peripherals from their makers, they do support some existing peripherals.

Sony Xperia 1 IV

(Image credit: Future)
Sony's ultimate phone right now

Specifications

Release date: June 2022
Weight: 185g
Dimensions: 165 x 71 x 8.2mm
OS: Android 12
Screen size: 6.5-inch
Resolution: 1644 x 3840
CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
RAM: 12GB
Storage: 256/512GB
Battery: 5,000mAh
Rear camera: 12MP + 12MP + 12MP + 0.3MP
Front camera: 12MP

Reasons to buy

+
Continuous optical zoom
+
Can shoot 4K 120fps footage

Reasons to avoid

-
Temperamental fingerprint scanner
-
Very expensive 

The Sony Xperia 1 IV is the gaming phone that isn’t a gaming phone, by which we mean that while it isn’t marketed as a gaming phone – and is a top all-round handset – it has a snap-on cooler accessory, which is basically designed for gamers.

Plus, it also has features to help with mobile game streaming, and with its powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset and incredibly sharp 4K screen, it has all the performance and display quality that gamers need.

As such, it’s a fantastic option for mobile gamers who want something like a gaming phone, but that doesn’t, well, look like a gaming phone, and that also performs well for non-gaming things like photography – as the cameras here are excellent too.

Typically for Sony you’ll also enjoy respectable battery life from its 5,000mAh juice pack, so it can survive a sustained gaming session as well.

Read our review: Sony Xperia 1 IV

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max full home screen

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)
The best Apple iPhone

Specifications

Weight: 240g
Dimensions: 160.7 x 77.6 x 7.9mm
OS: iOS 16
Screen size: 6.7-inch
Resolution: 1290 x 2796
CPU: A16 Bionic
RAM: 6GB
Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB
Battery: 4,323mAh
Rear camera: 48MP+12MP+12MP
Front camera: 12MP

Reasons to buy

+
Bold new camera upgrades
+
Excellent battery life

Reasons to avoid

-
Longevity can vary wildly
-
3x zoom is now lagging behind the market

The iPhone 14 Pro Max is one of the very best conventional smartphones for gaming, as while it might lack gaming-specific features like physical triggers, it has something no dedicated gaming phone has access to – the A16 Bionic chipset.

Benchmarks suggest this is more powerful than anything Qualcomm, Samsung or MediaTek can muster, so for sheer power the iPhone 14 Pro Max is a top choice. That power can translate to better quality graphics and improved frame rates.

Plus, more games will be well optimized for this phone than a lot of the Android competition, since it’s such a popular handset. Add to that the wealth of games available on the App Store – not to mention the Apple Arcade subscription service – and this is a clear winner on the gaming front.

Its 6.7-inch 120Hz screen is large and high quality too, so games will look good, and its battery life exceeds that of most non-gaming phones, so you won’t need to plug it in too often.

Read our review: iPhone 14 Pro Max

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra next to iPhone 14 Pro

(Image credit: Future / Philip Berne)
Amazing cameras, also plays games

Specifications

Release date: February 2023
Weight: 234g
Dimensions: 163.4 x 78.1 x 8.9mm
OS: Android 13
Screen size: 6.8-inch
Resolution: 1440 x 3088
CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
RAM: 8GB / 12GB
Storage: 256GB/512GB/1TB
Battery: 5,000mAh
Rear camera: 200MP + 10MP + 10MP + 12MP
Front camera: 12MP

Reasons to buy

+
Powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor
+
Amazing battery 
+
Large, spacious display

Reasons to avoid

-
Very expensive
-
Slower charging than the best Android rivals

Just after the iPhone 14 Pro Max comes the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. It's Samsung's best absolute phone ever and is just about perfect for gaming. With a large 6.8-inch display, a powerful processor, and every bell and whistle you can think of, the S23 Ultra is worth strong consideration.

With the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, Samsung's S23 Ultra will fly through most games like a hot knife through butter, while remaining cool and lasting for longer off the charger than the S22 Ultra.

The only flaw of the S23 Ultra in gaming is that you can find many other Android phones that fill that niche for less. Samsung itself offers a strong second option with the S23 Plus -- but we can't really fault the company for making too many good phones, now can we?

Read our review: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

OnePlus 11

The OnePlus 11 in a hand. (Image credit: Peter Hoffmann)
A flagship-killer priced for gaming

Specifications

Release date: January 2023
Weight: 205g
Dimensions: 163.1 x 74.1 x 8.5mm
OS: Android 13
Screen size: 6.7-inch
Resolution: 1440 x 3216
CPU: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
RAM: 8/12/16GB
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Battery: 5,000mAh
Rear camera: 50MP + 32MP + 48MP
Front camera: 16MP

Reasons to buy

+
Fastest processor
+
Super-fast charging
+
Big, fast display

Reasons to avoid

-
Cameras not as versatile as Samsung
-
Outlandish camera bump

As with the Galaxy S23 Ultra, OnePlus also uses Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. It is an excellent phone with powerful internals, a speedy refresh rate, and a large roomy display. We've gone on about how the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 elevated the S23 Ultra's performance, and the same holds here too for the OnePlus 11. It's not a souped up variant as Samsung has, but it's 90% of the way there. 

In our review, we found the OnePlus 11 outperformed the iPhone 14 Pro when playing a game of Marvel Snap. It even wowed with more powerful games such as Call of Duty Mobile. 

The OnePlus 11 is a lot cheaper than the S23 Ultra as well, so you'll also also be saving some money while getting a top tier Android experience. 

Read our review: OnePlus 11