You have a lot of choices when it comes to your next smartphone. iPhone, Galaxy, Pixel, G6, V20, and many more all vie for your wallet. Each of these phones are great for different purposes, but what if your main interest is mobile gaming? Which phone will give you the longest Minecraft session, or the best performance for Pixel Gun 3D?
We were wondering that, too. So we crunched the numbers and did some testing. With all the specs considered, and hours of games played, we found the best four gaming phones [update: OnePlus 5T kicked the OnePlus 5 off the best gaming phones list] on the market as of October 6, 2017 — but what you want to know is, what’s the best one of them all? The answer is the OnePlus 5.
Why the OnePlus 5 Is the Best Phone for Gaming
The OnePlus 5 is everything a mobile gamer should look for. First, let’s talk displays — it’s rocking a 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED panel. While there are sharper displays out there, games rarely render at higher resolutions than 1080p, so you don’t have to worry about the down-sampling or extra battery drain that might come with a 1440p screen. Plus, this screen is bright, detailed, and beautiful.
OnePlus built their newest device with the latest Snapdragon 835 SoC, which includes an octa-core CPU with max clock speeds of 2.45 GHz, as well as the Adreno 540 GPU.
Those two processors, combined with a whopping 8 GB of RAM, come together to create a buttery-smooth gaming experience for the player. You can throw any game at the OnePlus 5 — say Modern Combat 5 or Asphalt 8: Airborne — and it will handle things beautifully without a hint of lag.
A max internal storage of 128 GB means you’ll have trouble filling your phone to the brim with games, and a 3,300 mAh battery means you’ll be playing those games all day. Aside from just specs, real-world battery life is absolutely stellar.
OnePlus knows its phone is great for games, since it includes a game mode specifically designed to mute notifications and disable soft keys. Those soft keys can get in the way while playing — one touch can send you to the home screen, ruining your gaming flow — so we’re glad OnePlus found an elegant solution for this.
The company also leaves the OS alone — this thing’s running stock Android, baby. There’s no bloatware or OEM skins to get in the way of your gaming experience. Download all the Android games and emulators you want — OnePlus won’t be getting in the way.
Listen, this phone is the real deal. Sure, the OnePlus 5 has its critics, but when it comes to gaming, no other phone can top it (update: after this post was written, a new phone did indeed top it). If you’re looking for a phone to satisfy your mobile gaming needs, look no further than the OnePlus 5. But don’t just take our word for it — head over to the following link to see all the raw data and find out how it fared against other top competitors.
Just updated your iPhone? You’ll find new emoji, enhanced security, podcast transcripts, Apple Cash virtual numbers, and other useful features. There are even new additions hidden within Safari. Find out what’s new and changed on your iPhone with the iOS 17.4 update.
“Hey there, just a heads-up: We’re part of the Amazon affiliate program, so when you buy through links on our site, we may earn a small commission. But don’t worry, it doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps us keep the lights on. Thanks for your support!”
