What to Look for in a Gaming Phone

What to Look for in a Gaming Phone

The popularity of mobile gaming has increased rapidly over the years, thanks to the improvements in chipset quality, display sizes, and the games themselves. Not to mention the portability benefits, enabling you to game wherever you are in the world.

We’ll be taking you through exactly what makes a good gaming phone, and the specifications to look out for that can improve your gameplay.

Display

The quality of your smartphone’s display is crucial for an immersive gaming experience. With that in mind, when you’re looking for a gaming phone that will suit all your gaming needs, be sure to look out for the screen-to-body ratio, as well as display resolution. Some of the best displays include Full HD+, Super Retina, and OLED – which offer a vibrancy that’s perfect for gaming, especially when paired with minimal bezels.

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Another specification keen mobile gamers should look out for is a fast refresh rate, such as 90Hz or 120Hz. The refresh rate dictates how often a frame is changed and refreshed, for example, a smartphone at 120Hz will refresh the screen 120 times per second.

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A faster refresh rate means smoother on-screen graphics, making gameplay more cinematic than ever. What’s more, the reduction in motion blur can have a positive impact on the picture too, making the action feel sharper. Another benefit of quicker refresh rates is that they enable your smartphone to handle complex scene transitions with ease, perfect for graphics-intensive games.

Processor

For mobile gamers, there’s nothing worse than glitches slowing down your game. This is all determined by the quality of your smartphone’s processor and is an important spec to consider.

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Advanced processors like Apple’s A15 Bionic chip, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888, or Samsung Exynos 2100 are powerful chipsets that can provide you with seamless, glitch-free gaming. These chipsets are the main impetus behind a smartphone’s ability to multitask too, which means you have the option to quickly check your social media, before delving back into your mobile game. On top of that, improved processors mean that your battery is distributed more efficiently, giving you more time to complete the next level, without needing to recharge.

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RAM

RAM (Random Access Memory) is built into your smartphone and is a place to hold data. Smartphones with a small amount of RAM are more prone to slow down, especially when a large number of applications are open.

As a result, smartphone memory is another factor that can have a detrimental impact on your gaming experience, if the memory is too small. Most commonly, smartphones come with between 4 and 8GB RAM as a bare minimum, but often more advanced devices can reach up to 10 or 12GB, which is ideal for mobile gaming.

RAM

Smartphones designed with more RAM provide you with more virtual memory, meaning you can enjoy faster loading speeds and minimal lagging. Another benefit of more RAM is that apps can run successfully in the background without slowing your device down.

Cooling system

Many new smartphones utilise thermal technology to cool down the device. During mobile gameplay, handsets often heat up, this is because playing on mobile games is a resource-intensive task for your smartphone.

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Some manufacturers incorporate liquid cooling to regulate the temperature of the smartphone, whilst others add an internal fan. So, it’s worth checking the cooling system of your potential handset and finding an appropriate device that can handle your gaming needs.

Battery

Although this may seem obvious, having a smartphone with an impressive battery life will give you more time to enjoy the games you love. It’s well known that mobile games can quickly drain a smartphone’s battery life. This is most common for graphics-intensive games, as well as those that require a Wi-Fi connection or use mobile data.

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Due to the increase in power consumption, mobile gamers should try and find a smartphone with at least a 4,500 mAh battery. That way, you’ll have more gaming time which is great for when you’re gaming on the go.

Another aspect to consider is that there are many smartphones on the market with fast charging capabilities, and depending on which brand you purchase, can get you back up to 50% battery in just 30 minutes with a 20W adapter (sold separately).

Looking for a smartphone with all the right specs to suit a dedicated gamer? Browse our brilliant catalogue of new and refurbished smartphones, with SIM-free and contract deals available for both new and existing customers at Mobiles.co.uk.