Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Reviewing the best gaming phones in 2026, including both flagship smartphones and budget mobiles with the greatest performance and battery life, plus dedicated gamer tools. I've tested dozens of powerful Androids with Wuthering Waves, Call of Duty, PubG and more. Here's my favourite phones for gaming right now and let us know your pick of the best below!
First up, for dedicated gamer devices, you're rather limited in choice. The ROG Phone 9 Pro is well over a year old, with no sign of a successor in sight, so it's RedMagic or nothing basically. Thankfully, the Red Magic 11s Pro is an absolute banger, boasting the best performance thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Leading Edition chipset. That liquid cooling setup helps to maintain a smooth, consistent frame rate on Wuthering Waves, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. This gaming phone is PACKED with great features too, including haptic triggers and other tools.
On a tighter budget? The older RedMagic 11 Pro is still a beefcake, while the Air is also a top pick for mobile gaming fans looking to spend less cash on their mobile.
As far as flagship phones go, my top choices for gamers also includes the OnePlus 15. Like the RedMagic phones, this is packed with dedicated features for playing on the move, plus a fast screen and plenty of power.
For a smaller budget there's always the 15R model instead. And if you're really looking to trim some cash off, check out the Poco X8 Pro Max from Xiaomi. This is another powerful smartphone for the price, with great features to get the best performance from your games like Wuthering Waves and PubG.
Best Gaming Phones 2026 Reviewed Chapters:
0:00 - The GOAT
0:40 - RedMagic 11s Pro
2:29 - RedMagic 11 Pro
3:00 - RedMagic 11 Air
3:47 - Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro
4:29 - OnePlus 15
5:45 - OnePlus 15R
6:47 - Sony Xperia 1 VIII
8:09 - Poco X8 Pro Max
Reviewing the best gaming phones in 2026, including both flagship smartphones and budget mobiles with the greatest performance and battery life, plus dedicated gamer tools. I've tested dozens of powerful Androids with Wuthering Waves, Call of Duty, PubG and more. Here's my favourite phones for gaming right now and let us know your pick of the best below!
First up, for dedicated gamer devices, you're rather limited in choice. The ROG Phone 9 Pro is well over a year old, with no sign of a successor in sight, so it's RedMagic or nothing basically. Thankfully, the Red Magic 11s Pro is an absolute banger, boasting the best performance thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Leading Edition chipset. That liquid cooling setup helps to maintain a smooth, consistent frame rate on Wuthering Waves, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. This gaming phone is PACKED with great features too, including haptic triggers and other tools.
On a tighter budget? The older RedMagic 11 Pro is still a beefcake, while the Air is also a top pick for mobile gaming fans looking to spend less cash on their mobile.
As far as flagship phones go, my top choices for gamers also includes the OnePlus 15. Like the RedMagic phones, this is packed with dedicated features for playing on the move, plus a fast screen and plenty of power.
For a smaller budget there's always the 15R model instead. And if you're really looking to trim some cash off, check out the Poco X8 Pro Max from Xiaomi. This is another powerful smartphone for the price, with great features to get the best performance from your games like Wuthering Waves and PubG.
Best Gaming Phones 2026 Reviewed Chapters:
0:00 - The GOAT
0:40 - RedMagic 11s Pro
2:29 - RedMagic 11 Pro
3:00 - RedMagic 11 Air
3:47 - Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro
4:29 - OnePlus 15
5:45 - OnePlus 15R
6:47 - Sony Xperia 1 VIII
8:09 - Poco X8 Pro Max
