Almost everyone owns a smartphone now and there are numerous models to choose from. Most people use their phones for a lot more than calling and texting. Some use it to watch videos, read articles, do research, and even play games. Because there are numerous models to choose from, what should you look for when buying a gaming phone?
Performance
The first thing you should look for is how the phone performs, specifically the CPU and GPU. There are new ships that can play any game you want them to. These are in the Snapdragon class, although there are amazing MediaTek CPUs that can play games at acceptable frame rates.
For the RAM, you want a phone with at least 4GB of RAM. Many new titles use a lot of memory, and it’s better to have too much than not enough. In addition to playing the latest games without stutters, more RAM means you can multitask by having other apps running in the background.
Display
The display is what you will spend most of your time looking at and so you need a phone with a great screen. There are three things to consider here: the resolution, type, and refresh rate. The bare minimum for the resolution should be 1080P. You can get away with 720P but going lower than this will give you a disadvantage. Going higher than 1080P is not advisable because the pixel density on a phone is already high enough, and you will not see much difference by doing so.
The two main types of screens in modern phones are LED and LCD screens. If you play games with bright colours, such as casino games, it is better to go with an LED screen. You can find the best online casinos with the best games by reading reviews on reputable review websites. LED screens are also more efficient than their LCD counterparts, so you get better battery life for longer gaming sessions.
For smooth gameplay, you want a phone with a high refresh rate. You can choose a phone with 60Hz if you do not play too many games. However, the acceptable minimum for the best experience is 90Hz which is becoming very common in phones. You can always go for a phone with a 120Hz screen for the best experience.
Storage
Another important consideration is the phone’s storage. Here, we are looking at the size as well as the type. Modern games are becoming bigger. If you want to download and play more than a few games, you will need at least 64GB of storage. 128GB is the recommended size, but you can always go higher if you also want to store large files such as movies.
The other consideration is the storage speed. If you can, go with a phone with at least UFS 3.0 storage. This is very fast storage that consumes less power than previous generations. There are phones with UFS 3.1 storage, but this is not an absolute requirement as 3.0 is still fast enough for modern gaming.
Battery and Charging
You do not want to be worrying about your battery running out when you are in the middle of an intense gaming session. Because of this, you should pick a phone with a large battery. The minimum here is 4500mAH, but you want to go with 5000mAH just to be safe. There are phones with bigger batteries, but they take longer to charge because of these larger capacities.
This is the reason why many gaming phones now come with fast charging. Manufacturers want you to game for longer because of the large battery but not have to wait too long for your phone to charge. A phone with at least 30W of charging should be sufficient.
Cooling
Gaming is very intense and causes the phone to heat up, especially if you charge the phone while you play. Electronics can be destroyed or have a diminished lifespan if they are constantly exposed to high temperatures. Additionally, you do not want to hold a hot phone for hours.
Manufacturers have considered this and many gaming phones now come with adequate cooling. Some of them even come with fans to stop the phone from heating too much. There are also cooling accessories you can buy for models like the ASUS ROG gaming phones.
Size and Weight
The other consideration is the phone’s weight. You want a phone that is light enough so you can carry it while you game on the go. You will also be holding the phone for a long time if you game often and you do not want your arms to tire while you game.
The phone should also not be bulky. Some gaming phones are too thick to fit into a pocket, and you do not want this.
Buying a gaming phone is different from buying a regular phone as any phone will do for the latter. You want a phone that performs well and is easy to hold for long periods. Keep the features and factors discussed above in mind when shopping for your next gaming phone and you will find a great one.
