The best gaming phones in 2021 are astonishingly powerful things. Next-gen consoles may hog the headlines, but there are some amazing things happening with hardware in Android and Apple land. Processors are getting faster. Graphics are becoming ever more powerful. Displays are getting sharper.
All these things mean mobile gaming is getting better and better. And we should know: we spend tons of time gaming on our phones.
The very best gaming phones are technological triumphs that combine super-speedy silicon with streamlined software to deliver incredibly immersive experiences. They combine all the qualities we love here at T3, and because games are so demanding you can be sure that your new gaming phone is absolutely superb at all the everyday stuff too.
As with our best phone guide, we know that everybody's different: what's ideal for one person might not be ideal for you. That's why we've covered a wide range of phones here to ensure you can find the perfect gaming partner.
We've also put together a whole suite of our authoritative guides based around specific platforms of features. They'll help you discover the best Android phones if that's your favourite phone OS, or the best small phones if you find today's flagships are just a little too big.
This guide to the best gaming phones of 2021 is for anybody why's serious about gaming in any genre. We've carefully selected a variety of gaming phones designed specifically for power users and serious gamers. The best gaming phone you can buy is right here.
The best gaming phones 2021
These are the best gaming phones
Razer certainly knows what it's doing when it comes to gaming, and it's followed up the impressive Razer Phone with the even more impressive Razer Phone 2. The screen is brighter, the speakers are louder, and there's more power under the hood to push those frame rates on the most demanding games that the Android platform has to offer.
With a resolution of 1,440 x 2,560 pixels, the 5.7-inch display is super-sharp at 513 pixels-per-inch – and with a 120Hz refresh rate, you shouldn't miss any of the action. Plus, an improved cooling system inside the chassis means the Snapdragon 845 processor and 8GB of RAM can really get to work without overheating becoming a problem on the phone.
Maybe the improved IP67 water resistance and dual-lens 12MP+12MP rear facing camera won't be of as much concern to gamers, but they mean the Razer Phone 2 is also going to do an excellent job when it comes to being a normal smartphone too. Built for gamers, by the gaming experts, this is the best gaming phone full stop for most users out there.
There's no doubt that the Asus ROG laptops are some of the best in the business for gamers, and the similarly branded smartphones are doing the business as well. The third version of the Republic of Gamers handset brings with it a number of improvements, including 5G and a better camera, while also keeping everything we liked about the previous model.
This phone is absolutely stacked with power – not only does it come with the very best CPU for Android phones, you can also get it fitted with a whopping 16GB of RAM, which is a crazy amount. You could probably run three games side by side on this without noticing any sort of slowdown.
There's a lot more to like as well, including customisable buttons on the side of the Asus ROG Phone 3 and a dedicated gaming mode in the software to make sure you're always getting maximum performance. The 6.59-inch display is a real highlight too, running at a refresh rate of 144Hz to make sure that the action on screen always looks super-smooth.
The latest handset in Xiaomi's Black Shark gaming line is just as impressive as the first two: it's packed with power and functionality, as well as a host of features that are going to appeal to people wanting a superior portable gaming experience. It's hard to pick a fault in anything the Black Shark 3 offers from a gaming perspective (and there's the Pro version too if you need a bigger screen).
It's not a budget phone, but at a starting price of a little over £500 in the UK, this is very affordable considering what you get for your money – including a top-end Snapdragon 865 processor and an advanced cooling system. The 4720 mAh battery gives you plenty of time between charges as well, even when there are extended gaming sessions involved.
With a generous 6.67-inch display and plenty of RAM, as well as some striking ergonomics, this is undoubtedly one of the best gaming phones at the moment. We also like the official accessories on offer, including the clip-on charger that lets you keep playing while you're juicing up the handset, and the separate gamepad that makes it easier to control games without touching the screen.
The best gaming phone to buy if you want an iPhone? That would be the new iPhone 12.
With its extra versatility and more in the way of customisation options, most of the gaming phone attention tends to go to Android, but don't discount iOS completely – with blazing fast processors, powerful graphics performance and tight hardware/software integration, iPhones are also excellent choices when it comes to picking up a mobile gaming handset.
That brings us to the iPhone 12, perhaps the best gaming iPhone of the bunch right now. It has a generous 6.1-inch display, like the iPhone 12 Pro – but as the Pro upgrades are mostly in the camera department, you don't really need to pay the extra if you're focusing on gaming. Of course the super-powerful A14 Bionic processor also makes it ideal for gaming.
From battery life to build quality, there are plenty of reasons to consider the iPhone 12 if you want the best gaming phone money can buy. It's difficult to beat in terms of raw power, you've got a vast choice of games to pick from on iOS (including the Apple Arcade subscription service), and it's going to work seamlessly with any other bits of Apple kit you happen to have set up around the home.
The OnePlus 8 Pro is the best Android phone in the world and, as you would expect, it's got top gaming credentials, too.
It's not specifically marketed as a gaming phone, but let's count the ways the OnePlus 8 Pro is one of the best gaming phones of the moment anyway: that giant, 6.78-inch screen, for example, with its curved edges and very small punch hole notch. Turn it sideways and it's perfect for gaming, with virtually no bezels to distract from the gaming action.
Then there's all the power and performance that this phone is capable of, with the latest Snapdragon 865 CPU running inside and 12GB of RAM to ensure that your mobile games absolutely fly along. So fantastic visuals, fantastic performance, and fantastic audio as well, thanks to some very capable stereo speakers.
The OnePlus 8 Pro also stands out due to its 120 Hz display refresh rate (for keeping up with your favourite first-person shooters), as well as an upgraded Gaming Mode to enhance the picture quality and to improve haptic feedback. The Gaming Mode can also block calls and notifications while you're playing, and it's part of an overall OxygenOS software experience that continues to impress.
Of the three Galaxy S20 phones launched by Samsung, it may well be the S20 Plus that hits the sweet spot as far as gaming goes – though you can opt to pay less for the standard S20 or more for the S20 Ultra, and you won't be disappointed with your choice there either. If you want to know more about the three handsets and the differences between them, check out our comprehensive guide.
The Galaxy S20 Plus brings along with it a super-sharp 6.67-inch display which looks fantastic, and very little in the way of bezels (that small punch hole notch in the front display shouldn't distract too much from your games either). The screen refresh rate can ramp right up to 120Hz as well, which is a bonus for gaming.
Then there are the components under the hood, too, including an Exynos 990 or Snapdragon 865 processor (depending on where in the world you live), 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space (which can be expanded via a memory card). In terms of the best gaming phones out there, this is a very strong contender.
Want an ultra-wide display to see enemies coming better in-game? Then plump for the Sony Xperia 1 II.
If you're after the very best gaming phone of 2021 then there's a lot to like about the Sony Xperia 1 II: not least that 21:9 aspect ratio, 6.5-inch 4K resolution screen, which means games are going to look vibrant and sharp whether you love space racers or cerebral puzzlers.
Sony has packed all kinds of tech into this phone, including HDR support for the display and Dolby Atmos audio so your gaming (and movie watching) is guaranteed to be as immersive as possible. That Snapdragon 865 processor and up to 12GB of RAM keep games ticking along nicely as well, and new this year is the introduction of 5G to the phone.
Away from gaming, that triple-lens rear camera is capable of some impressive shots while you're out and about, and it comes with Android 10 on board as well – clean and largely free from bloatware so you can get on with your gaming. Definitely worth investigating for your next gaming phone.
Sony makes several Xperia models targeted at gamers. This, the Xperia 5 II, launched in late 2020 and is the official smartphone of the Call of Duty: Mobile World Championship Tournament.
The Xperia 5 II differs from the Xperia 1 II in several key respects. The two phones share the same Snapdragon 865 processor and Adreno 650 GPU but the Xperia 5 II has a slightly smaller screen: 6.1 inches compared to 6.5 inches. Both displays have a very wide 21:9 aspect ratio, but the screen in the Xperia 5 II is FHD+ rather than 4K.
It might be lower resolution than the display in the Xperia 1 II, but it’s a heck of a display. It’s a Triluminous display with Sony’s X-Reality engine, a 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz blur reduction for silky-smooth on-screen action. You can customise the screen settings for specific games, and it supports 240Hz touch scanning for very precise control.
Although these features are clearly aimed at gamers, this isn’t just a gaming phone. That superb display is brilliant for video, and the triple-camera setup delivers impressive results. 5G connectivity is a must-have in a 2021 phone, and Sony’s flavour of Android is easy on the eye. All-day battery life and fast (but not wireless) charging complete a very solid package.
Want a great gaming phone that also has digital stylus functionality? Then scope out the Samsung Galaxy Note 20.
The Galaxy Note 20 from Samsung simply isn't messing about, what with its screamingly fast internal components and that huge 6.7-inch OLED screen – any game that you load up on this phone is going to look great and run without even a hint of lag. With 256GB of storage too, you can get a lot of games installed before you're running out of room.
The integrated S Pen stylus is of course the main selling point for the Note series, and it can come in handy in a whole variety of games, as well as for all the other tasks you can use it for (as a remote control for the rear camera, for example). While this is an expensive handset, we think that it justifies the cost.
This gives you more than enough power and space to handle any game that you want to throw at the Galaxy Note 20, and thanks to the high capacity 4,300 mAh battery you should get plenty of gaming done between charges as well. Recommended if you want a top-tier gaming experience.
The Nubia Red Magic 5G from Chinese outfit ZTE ticks a lot of the boxes that you want to have ticked when you're shopping for the best gaming phones: it has a big, bright screen, it has a high capacity battery, and it has dedicated hardware buttons around the side that mean you don't have to spend so much time tapping the screen and obscuring your view of the action.
We should also talk about the looks of the phone, because this is one of the best gaming phones we've seen in terms of overall aesthetics. The styling is bold and brash, with Eclipse Black and Hot Rod Red your colour choices. People are going to notice when you pull this phone out of your pocket.
Under the hood we've got the ultra-fast Snapdragon 865 processor from Qualcomm, which means even the most demanding games are going to run smoothly – with the visuals helped by the 144Hz refresh rate display. While it falls short in some areas (like the camera), in terms of gaming this is a compelling device.
