UPDATE: 07/20/2023 06:30 EST BY ROLAND UDVARLAKI

We added some of the best and latest high-end smartphones and dedicated gaming mobile devices, including the recently unveiled nubia REDMAGIC 8S Pro, and more.

Gaming smartphones have a lot in common with the best flagship smartphones, and they usually provide a similar experience when it comes to performance. However, they usually apply more cooling solutions, better gaming aesthetics, and specific purpose-built features. Gaming phones are excellent for mobile gamers who take gaming seriously, and they typically come with several built-in features to ensure users can improve their skills and perform better, whether that’s a racing game, a first-person shooter, or a battle arena.

We collected some of the best gaming devices and high-end flagships that provide the best gaming experience on mobile. We included the likes of the nubia REDMAGIC, ASUS ROG Phone series, and premium devices from Samsung, Google, Apple, and others.

These are the best gaming smartphones in 2023

The ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is one of the most powerful gaming devices. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, and it has 16GB of RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. It has a cooling air vent, pressure-sensitive zones, and a 2nd OLED display on the back to complement the gaming aesthetics better. Despite all of these features, the phone is IP54 rated, meaning it can withstand splashes of water and even dust.

When it comes to the display, the Phone 7 Ultimate has a 6.78-inch AMOLED display with 165Hz refresh rate and up to 1500 nits of peak brightness. It’s bright, colorful, and supports HDR10+, making it a great entertainment center for watching movies and consuming media.

The Phone has a 50MP snapper, a 13MP ultrawide, and a 5MP macro setup on the back, as well as a 32MP front-facing camera. Like most gaming phones, it’s not exactly a Pixel or a Galaxy, but it gets the job done. The phone has a large 6,000 mAh battery with support for 65W wired charging, and ASUS says it can be fully topped up in just 42 minutes.

If you’re after a beautiful display, powerful performance, and all the gaming bells and whistles, it can’t get any better than this.

The nubia REDMAGIC 8S Pro is the company’s latest gaming phone and the most powerful flagship to date. Unlike the ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, the REDMAGIC 8S Pro comes with the latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2 chipset, providing an even faster performance right out of the box. It’s more efficient and has up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of UFS 4.0 storage. There are RGB lights and even a cooling fan on the fan, as well as pressure-sensitive shoulder buttons on the side.

When it comes to the display, it features a massive 6.8-inch AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate, plenty enough for a butter smooth and enjoyable gameplay experience. It has 1300 nits of peak brightness, making it a viable gaming device even outside in direct sunlight.

On the back, the 8S Pro contains a triple camera setup, consisting of a 50MP primary, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 2MP macro sensor. It captures great photos during daylight conditions, and while it won’t win awards, it’s a decent snapper. The phone has a beefy 6,000 mAh battery, with the global variant supporting 65W wired charging. Nubia says it can go from zero to 100% in just 35 minutes.

The REDMAGIC 8S Pro is ideal for anyone looking to level up their gaming experience and save money, since it’s significantly cheaper than most flagship devices from other well-known brands such as Apple, Samsung, and Google.

The iPhone 14 Pro Max is undoubtedly the best iPhone in 2023 so far, and it’s the perfect iOS device for those wanting to game on an Apple mobile device. It’s fast, powerful, and has everything a gaming phone needs. It’s well-optimized, and it’s a beast when it comes to gaming.

Of course, you don’t necessarily need the iPhone 14 Pro Max to play demanding games, but if you’re looking for a smartphone with all the power, camera, battery, and features, it’s the best Apple offers. It has a 6.7-inch OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 2000 nits. While it lacks shoulder triggers and doesn’t have fancy RGB lights, it’s an excellent device for extended gaming periods.

The smaller iPhone 14 Pro, and the iPhone 14 and 14 Plus will also do an excellent job with similar results. However, the non-Pro variants will miss out on a few photography, hardware, and software features limited to the Pro models. That said, if you’re after an excellent gaming experience on an iPhone, the 14 Pro Max is our go-to recommendation.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is one of the best Android flagships today. It’s powerful, and comes with a gorgeous 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 120Hz refresh rate and 1750 nits peak brightness. It’s perfect for watching movies, and responsive enough to play all the demanding games you might want to play. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, and there’s up to 12GB of RAM and 1TB of storage, plenty to storage games, photos, music, and video.

Samsung has a few gaming features built-in to its smartphones, and recently, Samsung even enabled gamers to pause USB power for delivery to prevent overheating and strictly rely on the power adapter to keep the lights on.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra isn’t just an excellent gaming phone, but also the perfect smartphone. It has one of the best camera setups on a modern mobile device, and it captures beautiful images all day and night. It can last for over a day on a single charge thanks to its 5,000 mAh battery, and while it might not support rapid charging technologies like the specific gaming devices, it supports up to 45W charging speeds.

Of course, if you don’t want to spend that much, you could go with the standard Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ flagships, both of which offer the same performance, albeit, in smaller form factors. That said, if you want the best performance and experience, you can’t go wrong with the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

The Google Pixel 7 Pro comes with a 6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and 1500 nits of peak brightness. It’s powered by the Google Tensor G2 chip, coupled with up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. It’s perfect for gaming, and while it might not be as powerful as some Snapdragon-powered devices on benchmark tests, it’s an excellent gaming phone for those looking for a stock Android experience.

The Pixel 7 Pro has a superb camera setup on both the front and back, and it captures some of the best images we’ve seen yet from the company. The device comes with a large 5,000 mAh battery with support for 23W wired and wireless charging, and it’s the best Google phone for those wanting to play games.

The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are recommended users looking for an excellent bang for buck and a great smartphone experience. It’s powerful, has a beautiful display, design, a long-lasting battery, and all the essential features.

The OnePlus 11 is a great premium smartphone, and it’s often cheaper than most other competing devices in the same category, including the iPhone, Galaxy, and Pixel phones. The OnePlus 11 has a 6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, and it’s powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. It has up to 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, and a beefy 5,000 mAh battery with support for 80W fast wired charging.

The OnePlus 11 is a great recommendation for anyone looking to game under $700 in the US. It offers a great bang for the buck and an excellent smartphone with great features. It’s cheaper than other flagship devices and widely available at retailers and online storefronts such as Amazon and carriers.

The OnePlus 11 can often be found for up to $250 off at selected retailers, and we recommend it for everyone looking for a great overall smartphone and gaming experience.

The Google Pixel Fold might not be easily accessible just yet, but it’s already showing signs of it becoming our new go-to recommendation, alongside the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold devices. The Pixel Fold is fast, powered by the Tensor G2 chip, the same chip that powers the Pixel 7 flagships.

It has a user-friendly 5.8-inch OLED cover display with 120Hz refresh rate, ideal for using the phone as a – you guessed it – a standard smartphone. The inner display is a 7.6-inch OLED panel with 120Hz refresh rate and 1450 nits of peak brightness. It’s large, colorful, and bright. It’s perfect for consuming media, multitasking, and most importantly, gaming.

Many games are already optimized to provide a great experience on foldables, and if you want a pocket-sized tablet, the Pixel Fold must be on your list of devices to consider. It has a decent battery life, an excellent camera setup, and stock Android to please those interested in the true Google experience.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is another excellent foldable smartphone, and Samsung is a pioneer in making foldable devices. If you’re looking for the absolute best experience, and you’re a fan of One UI, then the Galaxy Z Fold 4 is one of the best devices available today.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is equipped with the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, and while it might not be as powerful as most devices mentioned on this list, it’s still more than capable of playing all graphics-intensive games, multitasking, and so much more. It has a great camera setup, and the battery can easily last you a full day on a single charge with mixed usage between the cover and the main display.

It has all the gaming features built-in from the standard Galaxy flagships, and it’s one of the best and most widely available devices on the market. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is right around the corner (and might even be available by the time you’re reading this), so it’s best to shop around for a good deal, as you’ll likely be able to buy the Fold 4 for half price, or even less than that in the coming weeks and months as companies will try to get rid of their stock.

The Poco X5 Pro is a great budget device, equipped with the Snapdragon 778G 5G at its helm. It has up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. It’s not the fastest device around, but given the low price and the great set of features, it offers a great bang for your buck.

If you’re on a budget and want to play games, the Poco X5 Pro will do a great job. It’s powerful, and has a triple camera setup consisting of a 108MP primary, an 8MP ultrawide, and a 2MP macro. There’s a 5,000 mAh battery with support for 67W fast wired charging, and the phone can generally last a full day on a single charge without any issues.

Which should you buy?

Your options are fairly limited if we’re strictly talking about gaming smartphones. Your best bet are either the ASUS ROG Phone 7 Ultimate, or the nubia REDMAGIC 8S Pro. Both gaming devices offer great built-in gaming-focused features that let you become a better player, and the inclusion of the cooling vents, RGB lights, and shoulder triggers will offer an improved experience that cannot be found in other traditional high-end smartphones.

However, suppose you’d rather take a more conservative approach and look for a traditional device without all the fancy lights, cooling fans, and RGB lights. In that case, you might want to look at the latest flagship phones from Samsung, Google, and OnePlus.

Suppose you want an even greater smartphone with even more capability and have the budget. In that case, we’d strongly recommend the foldable smartphones as they offer larger displays that can further enhance the gaming experience.