What To Look For In A Gaming Phone

Choosing the best gaming phone can be a complex task. However, this short guide will help you understand what specs and features to look for to give you the most immersive, super-speedy mobile gaming experience.

How do I choose a gaming phone?

Which display is best for mobile gaming?

Resolution is easy - the higher the better. Written as length x height, display resolution refers to the total number of pixels on your phone screen. For the best gaming experience, you’ll want a phone that has a minimum resolution of 1280 x 720. And with Samsung there’s no need to compromise. You’ll find an epic 3,120 x 1,440 with the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

The best gaming phones will also have good screen size and high PPI or pixel density to give you infinitely better detail for anything displayed on your screen. A higher PPI is really important for gaming if you're looking for exceptional clarity and vibrancy in images and fonts. The size of your phone display, resolution and PPI are all closely linked and should be considered together when deciding on your gaming phone. If the size of the screen increases the PPI and resolution should too. The bigger the screen the better when it comes to mobile gaming.

Not sure how to build the right gaming setup? See what monitors and accessories work best for different play styles and room setups.

Having a large screen phone means that your thumbs end up covering less of the screen, which is super useful when you can move the virtual joysticks and buttons to the very edges of the device. For the most immersive gaming experience opt for a display which is 6.2-inches or larger. But if you’re looking for a non-foldable smartphone, the incredible Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 6.9” screen is more than enough to give you a competitive edge while gaming.

Finally, the display technology is important for mobile gaming because for the best experience you need to interact with a lot of fast, action-packed content without worrying about washed out or grainy images. You’ll want the most up to date display technology if you’re an avid gamer and choosing a smartphone with an AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light-emitting Diode) display will ensure you experience the most remarkable colours, deepest blacks and amazing contrast ratios. Flagship Samsung Galaxy smartphones take display technology to the next level with the Dynamic AMOLED 2X display. The Dynamic AMOLED 2X display delivers vibrant colours and epic levels of brightness day and night - perfect for your gaming phone needs!

Processing power

For mobile gaming, you should also make sure that the main processing unit of the phone is up to scratch. The processors found in most Samsung Galaxy smartphones run on either Octa-core (2.3GHz Quad + 1.6GHz Quad) or Quad-core (2.15GHz + 1.6GHz) chipsets. However, the Samsung Galaxy S26 series boasts the fastest and most advanced processor yet; the Qualcomm Snapdragon® 8 Gen 5 for Galaxy.

But what is a processor and why does it matter for a gaming phone? Processors found inside phones are responsible for carrying out advanced tasks such as handling graphic intensive games and creating high resolution videos. Outdated processors make devices slow, inefficient and are unable to run advanced games.

RAM

If you want the best gaming phone, you need to consider its RAM (Random Access Memory). RAM is essentially the amount of data your phone can have active and ready to go at any one time. The more RAM you have, the less your phone has to load from flash memory, and the more intensive your graphics can be. This makes RAM important for gaming because if your phone doesn’t have enough, you’ll experience glitchy, slow running games. If you love data intensive games, you’ll need more RAM (8GB or 12GB) to enjoy your games at their best. The processing unit also shares the same RAM pool as the rest of your phone so opting for more RAM is better for both data storage and the processing power of your phone.

Refresh Rate

Finally, when searching for the best gaming phone you also need to look out for smartphones with a high refresh rate. A refresh rate is measured in Hz (Hertz) and calculates the number of times a display updates the image you see every second. A standard refresh rate is around 60Hz - the screen refreshes 60 times every second. For a gaming phone opting for 120Hz will take your gaming to the next level.

What is a good refresh rate for gaming?

With a higher refresh rate, you’ll enjoy even more realistic animations, smoother scrolling and crystal-clear displays. This makes having a speedy refresh rate essential in mobile gaming to make movement between frames super smooth. Your phone will seem infinitely more responsive and reactive with 120Hz and it is what we recommend for elite gamers seeking super smooth graphics.

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What does 120Hz mean?

A refresh rate of 120Hz means that the screen is updated an epic 120 times a second. Previously only available on top end gaming monitors, Samsung has brought this innovative technology to flagship Galaxy devices including the sensational Galaxy Z Flip7, Galaxy Z Fold7 and the Galaxy S26 series. So, you can now enjoy silky smooth scrolling and dynamic gaming in the palm of your hand.

Is 5G good for gaming?

5G connectivity is also an extra bonus for many new phones especially when it comes to mobile gaming. 5G offers much lower latency and faster downloads than 4G, meaning you can game just about anywhere without sacrificing on speed. Read more about the advantages of 5G in our article What Is 5G and Do I Need It?

Which Samsung phone is best for gamers?

There are a number of Samsung phones that are designed with gaming in mind. We’ve included some of the best Galaxy gaming phones below:

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is a brilliant contender as Samsung’s best-performing gaming phone. Boasting a stunning 6.9-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, the Samsung S26 Ultra offers the perfect large screen experience to make the most of any game. Combined with Adaptive Vision Booster technology, a super-smooth 120Hz refresh rate and a whopping 2600 nits of brightness – that’s the brightest in any Galaxy series - you’ll find yourself lost in eye-widening, super sharp, colour-popping gaming content.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra features the fastest chipset ever on a Galaxy S series smartphone; the Qualcomm Snapdragon® 8 Gen 5 for Galaxy. The latest iteration promises dynamic gaming so even the most demanding online multiplayer marathons will feel like a breeze. And with a huge 5,000mAh (typical)¹ battery and super-fast charging², you don’t need to worry about running out of power at the crucial moment.

You get 12GB of RAM as standard, with the option of 256GB, 512GB or even 1TB of storage, so it can easily handle any game. Plus, with an incredible quad-lens camera setup and cinematic 8K video capabilities it’s hard not to love the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

When it's time to turn the games off and get back to work the Galaxy S26 Ultra also comes with an embedded S Pen, so you can take advantage of a real pen-like writing experience on the highly responsive screen, perfect for both work and play.

¹Typical value tested under third-party laboratory conditions. Rated minimum capacity is 4,855mAh.
²45W Travel Adaptor sold separately.

¹Typical value tested under third-party laboratory conditions. Rated minimum capacity is 4,855mAh.
²45W Travel Adaptor sold separately.

And that's not all…

If you are looking for an amazing gaming phone but want a phone that’s slightly more affordable, the highly popular Galaxy A series has some fantastic options. You can’t go wrong with the awesome Galaxy A57 5G, brimming with incredible features at a price you’ll love. You’ll find an advanced Octa-core processor, 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of internal storage with the option to add more with a 1TB microSD card. There’s no need to worry about running out of power, the massive 5,000mAh (typical) battery gives you more time to game, stream and share.