The gaming industry has come a long way since the nostalgic Nintendo era. DSI’s, WII’s and PSP’s – the pinnacle of retro gaming, and for some of you reading this article, it may even be the Gameboy era. Nevertheless, the difference between gaming technology from then to now is incredible and, moreover, the performance that you can get from compact pocket-size devices in 2022. Mobile gaming tech has come a long way since its early Nokia snake days in the late 1990s, and the gaming flagships of 2022 offer the best handheld performance ever, with some devices being capable of outputting console-level performance all in a sub-seven-inch form factor. Whilst the mobile gaming industry has seen a huge growth in the last decade, it’s discernible that cloud gaming will level out the playing field in years to come – especially with the huge 5G rollout currently underway.
Before we get into our shortlist, many people are unaware of what a gaming phone is or may have some confusion, so we’ll clear it up for you. In the Gaming mobile segment, there are fewer of the big brands you’re used to, such as Apple or Samsung and more gaming-specific mobile brands, such as Asus and Nubia. You may be wondering, what exactly makes a mobile a gaming mobile? Well, a gaming mobile is unlike a ‘regular’ phone as they deliver maxed performance, features larger speakers than typical flagships, 144Hz or higher in screen refresh rates and often has designs that incorporate extra trigger buttons or other gaming-specific features like vapour liquid cooling.
Nubia Redmagic 7 Pro
Now, with all the questions out of the way, let’s get into the first device on this list. The Nubia Redmagic smartphones are renowned for having some of the best gaming displays on the scene, and the Nubia Redmagic 7 Pro is an exceptional example of this. The Nubia Redmagic 7 Pro houses its components inside a behemoth 6.8-inch 165Hz OLED form factor. If this wasn’t impressive enough, the device also has a 720Hz touch sample rate, which is essentially how many user input actions the device can compute in one second. Whilst these specs won’t be very apparent in standard day-to-day smartphone activities, these speeds top a lot of other devices on the market by a long shot, and a high touch sample rate is huge in giving you a competitive advantage over other mobile gamers. Considering the Nubia Redmagic includes a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and up to 18GB of RAM is prime, considering my gaming PC only has 16GB… maybe I should upgrade to mobile instead. Of course, as with all gaming mobiles, the Nubia Redmagic 7 Pro comes with a plethora of game modes and settings on its Nubia-skinned Android overlay. One certainly worth mentioning is the ability to adjust the haptic feedback on the side-mounted touch-based shoulder triggers.
Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
The Asus ROG 6 Pro is the best probably the best gaming mobile you can buy. The priority for the Asus ROG 6 Pro is performance, as the device is powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, which, at the time of writing this blog, is the most powerful around. Rather than an always-on display, the Asus ROG 6 Pro features a secondary 2-inch rear display for a notifications hub while the device is on standby; however, the primary display is where it gets interesting. The Asus ROG 6 Pro is equipped with a supreme 165Hz AMOLED screen which, to put that into perspective, is the same refresh rate as my £300 MSI gaming monitor at home. Like the Nubia Redmagic 7 Pro, the Asus ROG 6 Pro comes with 18GB of RAM as well as 512GB of onboard storage, so balancing game installs will never be an issue. Specs elsewhere are impressive, too, with a 6000mAh battery which supports both fast charging and reverse charging over power delivery 3.0, which essentially prolongs the battery’s lifespan through more efficient power transfer. When you combine this with Asus’ incredibly detailed gaming modes and styles, you quickly see why the Asus ROG 6 Pro is the best gaming mobile money can buy.
Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro
Released earlier this year, the Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro is a phone of the future with a huge amount of customisation options and features many gaming handsets just don’t include. The Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro comes with a 6.67-inch OLED display which comes fitted with a 144Hz refresh rate. What makes this device exciting, and one for you aspiring Apex mobile predators, is the physical pop-up magnetic gaming triggers. Mobile gamers know how much hardware attachments make all the difference in gaming scenarios, so having them built into the device offers the best edge over your components. The Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro is powered by both a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor and a respectable 4650mAh battery. What’s less respectable and more aweing is the 120W fast charging that charges this battery from 0-100% in 15 minutes. I’ll repeat that one in case you thought I made a typo because I couldn’t believe those notes either: 0-100% in 15 minutes. Needless to say, the Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro is a sensational handset that will bring a whole load of positivity to your K/D.
Sony Xperia 1 IV
The Sony Xperia 1 IV is a top-tier smartphone that says yes to customisation, yes, to changing the aspect ratio norm and most importantly, yes to a 3.5mm headphone jack. Gimmicks aside, the Sony Xperia 1 IV is an incredibly impressive device. Moreover, the Sony Xperia 1 IV has been used this year by PUBG Mobile as the official smartphone for their invitational tournament – so it’s safe to say that the Sony Xperia 1 IV is no slouch. The Sony Xperia 1 IV comes fitted with a crisp 4K OLED display for deeper blacks and crisper whites, as well as a wider contrast ratio, so it’s safe to say you’ll want to have game settings turned up to the max with this device. As well as this, of course, it has a 21:9 aspect ratio which many PC gamers especially prefer due to it giving gamers the extra horizontal field of view, which essentially lets you see enemies before they can see you. Call it as you may, but for us, this is legal cheats, and we love it. When you couple this with a 120Hz display, 1TB of expandable storage and a 5000mAh battery and you have a device that, whilst not a dedicated gaming phone, can more than compete with the rest on this list.
iPhone 14 Pro Max
Now, whilst not technically a gaming phone, the iPhone 14 Pro series feature not only the most powerful iPhone ever released but also arguably the best consumer flagship of 2022. The iPhone 14 Pro, like the Sony Xperia 1 IV, also features an OLED display – LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED, to be more exact. The display comes with a 120Hz refresh rate which is what we’d expect from a non-gaming device. Where the iPhone 14 really exceeds is in the Apple A16 Bionic 4nm chip, which is the brain for this powerhouse. What’s more, Apple’s A16 Bionic chip is 17% faster than last year’s A15 APU, which means the iPhone 14 Pro Max can handle any game thrown at it with ease, all whilst maintaining crisp visuals. Battery limitations shouldn’t be too much of an issue with the iPhone 14 Pro Max, either, with its 4352mAh battery, which, when coupled with Apple’s fast charger, takes the device from 0-50% in just 30 minutes – not too shabby.
If you enjoyed reading this blog, then don’t forget to let us know what you think in the discussion box below, moreover, if you have any picks you think should be on this list that I’ve missed out, don’t hesitate to let us know and we may just add it in.
