Gaming Smartphone | The best of 2022
In fact, compared to traditional smartphones, gaming smartphones are much more powerful, have a fluid and responsive screen and can count on a long-lasting battery for (almost) unlimited gaming sessions.
Among the other exclusive features of these gems there are undoubtedly the back buttons (present only on some models), designed specifically to replicate those of the classic gamepad. Don't worry, though: not all gaming smartphones are so recognizable. True, the design of most is not exactly sober and could even be intimidating, but the following selection is made to meet even those who do not like the aggression of Black Sharks (for example) and go in search of something more sober (in the latter case, have you ever evaluated the purchase of a smartphone not for gaming, but with equally high performance?).
Whatever your tastes and needs, in short , in this guide you will find the solution that's right for you.
The best gaming smartphones of April 2022
Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
Asus has been the most active company in the production of gaming smartphones for years. Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro, the current flagship of the brand, is able to offer epic performance thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ 5G mobile platform combined with the Adreno 660 GPU. The substantial difference with respect to the "non Pro" version is in the RAM, of 18GB, against the "only" 12 / 16GB of the 5s; in addition, Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro has a mini rear display called "ROG Vision", a color PMOLED on which different animations are displayed according to the various usage scenarios (game start, incoming call, connected charger, etc.) .
After talking about the rear screen, we cannot fail to focus on the front one, a 6.78 ″ Samsung AMOLED with 144Hz refresh rate. The 6,000mAh battery fully complies with the standards of gaming smartphones. And, since speed is the prerogative of gamers, this Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro does not even lack support for fast charging from 65W.
Buy Asus ROG Phone 5s Pro
RedMagic 7
It's true, the body tends to heat up, but RedMagic 7 has an ace up its sleeve ... indeed , two: the nine-layer ICE 8.0 cooling system and the 20,000rpm (revolutions per minute) fan. In the case of the Supernova variant, then, the fan is clearly visible on the back of the device, being illuminated by four colored LEDs.
Speaking of design, RedMagic 7 stands out thanks to the golden writings that highlight some of the its flagship specifications. Two of these writings best summarize the potential of the screen, a 165Hz AMOLED with a sampling frequency of 720Hz. The sampling rate of the two capacitive keys on the right side is 500Hz, while the touch response is only 8ms.
The battery is 4,500mAh, a little below the average for phones in this category. On the other hand, this RedMagic also supports 65W fast charging.
Buy RedMagic 7
Black Shark 4 Pro
Black Shark 4 Pro has certainly a particular design, but not as much as that of the aforementioned devices. Overall, this smartphone still gives an idea of dynamism and speed, thanks above all to the shape of the camera module (which recalls the tips of an arrow) and to the stylized "X" on the back with the Black Shark logo in the center.
On the right side we find additional pop-up (pop-up) keys that outside of the game scenarios function as shortcut buttons for taking screenshots, turning on the flashlight, freeing up RAM and more.
Black Shark 4 Pro arrived in Italy relatively late, so it is not surprising if it is equipped with a somewhat "backward" processor (Snapdragon 888). Its display is also AMOLED and the refresh rate can be set manually, choosing between 60Hz, 90Hz and 144Hz. The sampling frequency of the touch, on the other hand, reaches 720Hz.
But the real hallmark of Black Shark 4 Pro is the Fast Charge more than "fast" than ever, from 120W, which allows you to fully recharge 4.500mAh dual cell battery in just 15 minutes.
Buy Black Shark 4 Pro
Lenovo Legion Phone 3
Let's talk again of smartphones with record autonomy, thanks to Lenovo Legion Phone 3 (or Y90). This phone has two 2,800mAh batteries that offer a combined capacity of 5,600mAh (charging, in this case, is 68W).
The Legion Phone 3 has 8 additional keys, including 4 lateral ultrasound, 2 rear capacitive and 2 pressure in the display. The screen is a bit larger than that of the other devices mentioned in this guide, being a 6.92 ″ AMOLED. Refresh rate and sampling rate are average: 144Hz and 720Hz (respectively).
The aesthetic is characterized by an elliptical camera module placed in the center to facilitate a more comfortable grip. This Legion also has a feature that makes it unique: we are talking about the stratospheric RAM of 22GB (18GB + 4GB virtual). This feature is only valid for the Pro model, available in two memory sizes of 12GB / 256GB and 18GB / 512GB (plus a second 128GB SSD memory). The Elite model, on the other hand, comes in a single configuration: 12GB / 256GB.
The processor is a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1; it is cooled by the Double Engine Air Cooling system based on double fans and double air intakes.
Buy Lenovo Legion Phone 3
iPhone 13 Pro / Max
Let's now review the characteristics of some gaming smartphones in pectore, which have not been officially presented as such, but have all the credentials to compete with the flagships mentioned above.
Of course, to play, pretty much any top of the range is fine; the reason we have selected the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max is that the gaming experience on iOS could be an added value, at least for some users.
A huge selection of games are accessible through Apple Arcade, Apple's gaming platform with hundreds of original titles, timeless classics and - of course - all the best games that can be downloaded directly from the store.
The Apple Arcade gaming service is for a fee (4.99 euros) / month after the first 30 days of free trial). In reality, the iPhone is just one of the devices you can play from: Apple Arcade offers a multi-device experience, so you can switch from iPhone to iPad, Mac to Apple TV in no time. say. In addition, for some games, there is also the possibility of using a controller (available for sale on the Apple store).
For the rest, there are different specifications that make iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max perfect smartphones for gaming. Let's start by clarifying that the only difference between the two devices lies in the size of the display, 6.1 "for the Pro and 6.7" for the Pro Max. The larger dimensions correspond to a larger battery, from 4.373mAh (against 3.125mAh of the Pro base). As for the "quality" of the screen, on both sides we find a Super Retina XR panel with ProMotion, that is a dynamic refresh rate ranging from 10Hz to 120Hz to optimize battery life.
The performances offered by both models are not in question: the new A15 Bionic chip guarantees outstanding performance in all usage scenarios, including the most demanding ones such as “extreme” gaming sessions.
Buy iPhone 13 Pro
Buy iPhone 13 Pro Max
POCO F3
There are two variants of the POCO F3, a "GT" and a "non-GT". The difference is that only one of these models - the GT version - was officially presented as a gaming smartphone.
If, however, the GT Edition can cost over 400.00 euros, the F3 "smooth ”Costs just under 200.00 and makes almost as much as his alter ego designed for gaming. This is why it is the ideal choice for those on a tight budget but still want to have access to a performing device.
What makes the POCO F3 the perfect gaming smartphone is a set of features that we briefly expose below. : 1) 6.7 "AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and 360Hz touch sampling; 2) Snapdragon 870 processor; 3) 8GB of RAM for the more expensive version. In summary, in light of these data, POCO F3 can very well compete with the other smartphones on the list.
Buy POCO F3
iPhone SE 2022
There is only one reason to choose the iPhone SE 2022 as a gaming smartphone (apart from those listed on the 13 Pro / Max with Apple Arcade): it has the exact same chip as Apple's current flagship, but it costs a lot. less. The RAM has also improved, compared to the SE that preceded it: the 2022 version buys 1GB more, for a total of 4GB (however less than that of the 13 Pro and Pro Max, both 6GB).
If the SoC is worthy of a top of the range, the same cannot be said of the battery, at only 1,821mAh, far too little to support a standard duration gaming session. In exchange for all this power, however, someone might even give in to a compromise…
Buy iPhone SE 2022
