The mobility that smartphones bring to the table whenever you’re gaming simply makes them adorable. Gone are the days when you must own a gaming console before you can get immersed in extreme gaming action. For this reason, the smartphones manufactured of late are usually top level. Even up to the point that there are smartphones specially crafted for gaming.

The sophistication of their chipsets and displays are significant contributors to this cause. What’s more, their exclusive designs can blow your minds! In that light, we’ll be taking a look at five of the top gaming smartphones to grace the globe this year.

1. Razer Phone 2

Topping the list, we have the Razer Phone 2. With an impressive cooling system in place, heavy games are played on the device with little worries about overheating. Even so, the smartphone is dolled up in an aluminium body. There’s the Razer Chroma logo at the phone’s aluminium back that’s RGB-illuminated. In the display arena, a stunning 120Hz refresh rate and 580 nits of brightness are crisp features of Razer Phone 2’s touchscreen.

Added to these, Corning Gorilla Glass 5 is aboard to serve protection to the display. A resounding 8GB RAM prevents lagging when playing games on the phone. In case the phone accidentally falls into the water while gaming, the IP67 rating on the phone has got you covered. Well, that’s what you get when waterproof and dust resistance are properties of your device.

Key Specifications:

  • 5.72-inch IGZO IPS LCD, 1440 x 2560 pixels
  • 2.8GHz Snapdragon 845 Octa-core processor
  • 8GB RAM
  • 64GB storage, expandable – 512GB
  • Android 8.1 Oreo OS (Planned upgrade to Android 9.0 Pie)
  • Adreno 630 GPU
  • 12MP + 12MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash
  • 8MP selfie camera
  • Fingerprint sensor (side-mounted)
  • 4G VoLTE
  • 4,000mAh battery (non-removable)
  • Quick Charge 4+

2. ASUS ROG Phone

Asus ROG Phone defines gaming in a whole different level. The ROG Gaming UI grants the device a completely different interface compared to other Asus smartphones. Even more, there’s the ROG Gaming X Mode UI that adjusts the CPU clock, display and all to suit different gaming profiles.

Like the Razer Phone 2, ASUS ROG Phone features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC. The top-of-the-line chipset from US-based Qualcomm is the best fit for this smartphone. This system-on-chip implements the 10nm process technology for its operations.

  • 6.0 inches AMOLED display, 1080 x 2160 pixels
  • 90Hz refresh rate, ROG Gaming X Mode UI, ROG Gaming UI
  • 2.8GHz Snapdragon 845 Octa-core processor
  • 8GB RAM
  • 128/512GB storage
  • Android 8.1 Oreo OS
  • Adreno 630 GPU
  • 12MP + 8MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash
  • 8MP selfie camera
  • Fingerprint sensor (rear-mounted)
  • 4G VoLTE
  • 4,000mAh battery (non-removable)
  • Quick Charge 4+

3. Xiaomi Black Shark Helo

Xiaomi Black Shark Helo is the second smartphone from Xiaomi focused on gaming. The Chinese brand’s first gaming smartphone is the Xiaomi Black Shark. On the sides of the smartphone, there is the RGB illumination to announce its gaming status. Also, Xiaomi Black Shark Helo is the first smartphone with 10GB RAM. This enormous RAM nature implies that your gaming actions are entirely smooth and lag-free.

  • 6.01 inches AMOLED display, 1080 x 2160 pixels
  • 2.8GHz Snapdragon 845 Octa-core processor
  • 6GB/8GB/10GB RAM
  • 128/256GB storage
  • Android 8.0 Oreo OS
  • Adreno 630 GPU
  • 12MP + 20MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash
  • 20MP selfie camera
  • Fingerprint sensor (rear-mounted)
  • 4G VoLTE
  • 4,000mAh battery (non-removable)
  • Quick Charge 3.0

4. ZTE Nubia Red Magic

ZTE Nubia Red Magic is the first ZTE game-centric smartphone. It was launched in April this year. Same as the other smartphones discussed so far, it presents the RGB lighting. The RGB illumination can be seen at the centre of the phone’s rear. The then Qualcomm flagship SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 got utilised on this phone.

  • 6.0 inches LTPS IPS LCD display, 1080 x 2160 pixels
  • 2.6GHz Snapdragon 835 Octa-core processor
  • 6GB/8GB RAM
  • 64/128GB storage
  • Android 8.0 Oreo OS (nubia Red Magic OS)
  • Adreno 540 GPU
  • 24MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash
  • 8MP selfie camera
  • Fingerprint sensor (rear-mounted)
  • 4G VoLTE
  • 3,800mAh battery (non-removable)
  • Quick Charge 3.0

5. Xiaomi Black Shark

The result of Xiaomi teaming up with Black Shark technology is the Xiaomi Black Shark. This smartphone happens to be the first Xiaomi smartphone solely targeted at the gaming section. Its announcement was made in April this year.

Gaming for as much as 12 hours can be done on this smartphone. This is all thanks to the powerful 4,000mAh battery as well as Snapdragon 845’s optimization skills.

  • 5.99 inches IPS LCD, 1080 x 2160 pixels
  • 2.8GHz Snapdragon 845 Octa-core processor
  • 6GB/8GB RAM
  • 64/128GBGB storage
  • Android 8.0 Oreo OS
  • Adreno 630 GPU
  • 12MP + 20MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash
  • 20MP selfie camera
  • Fingerprint sensor (front-mounted)
  • 4G VoLTE
  • 4,000mAh battery (non-removable)
  • Quick Charge 3.0