Top 5 smartphones for playing the latest games at max settings

Powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8400 Ultra chipset, the Poco X7 Pro has a 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED screen that offers excellent colour reproduction and is easy to look at even under direct sunlight.

Since this is a performance-oriented device, the phone packs an average dual camera setup that consists of a 50MP primary camera and an 8MP ultrawide sensor. You also get a huge 6,550mAh battery that charges at 90W, making this the best gaming phone in its price segment. The Poco X7 Pro starts from Rs 27,999.

This mid-ranger is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. (Express Photo)

OnePlus 13R

If you are willing to spend a bit more, the OnePlus 13R is another premium mid-range device that ticks almost all boxes. Featuring the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, the phone also boasts a really bright 6.78-inch 120Hz LTPO AMOLED screen, which is a delight to watch content and play games on.

You also get a much more capable triple camera setup that consists of a 50MP primary sensor alongside another 50MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom and an 8MP ultrawide shooter.

All of this is backed by a 6,000mAh battery that supports 80W fast charging. If you are looking for a mid-range gaming phone and often click photos, the OnePlus 13R (review) is an easy recommendation. You can buy it from Amazon for Rs 42,999.

The Redmagic 10 Pro has no camera bump. (Image Source: Redmagic)

Redmagic 10 Pro

The newly launched Redmagic 10 Pro is one of the best gaming phones money can buy right now. Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, the phone has a boxy look and feel with no camera bump on the back. This not only offers a more comfortable grip but also makes the phone perfect for gaming.

It has a huge 6.85-inch 144Hz AMOLED panel and comes with Redmagic OS 10 based onAndroid 15 out of the box. However, the downside is that you will only get one Android update, which might be disappointing for users who want to try the latest Android features.

The Redmagic 10 Pro has a 50MP primary camera, a 50MP ultrawide shooter and a 2MP macro sensor, which is average at best. You also get the option to get up to 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. The phone also packs a 7,050mAh battery that charges at 100W.

Redmagic does not sell smartphones in India, but you easily import one from another country. It starts from $649, which roughly translates to Rs 56,200.

The Galaxy S25 Plus is available in various colourways. (Image Source: Samsung)

Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus

While all flagship phones can easily run most games at the highest available settings, the recently launched Galaxy S25 Plus stands out because of its excellent camera capabilities, premium build quality and years of updates. Featuring Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy, the Galaxy S25 has a large boxy design that houses a 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED screen with impressive brightness and true-to-life colours.

You also get a flagship-grade triple camera setup with a 50MP primary shooter, a 12MP ultrawide camera and a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom. In addition to raw performance, the Galaxy S25 also has one of the best Android update policies with Samsung promising seven years of OS updates.

It packs a 4,900mAh battery that supports 45W charging, but the battery capacity may not be enough for gamers who are looking for a phone to play for hours on end. It starts from Rs 99,999.

The iPhone 16 Pro can run some PC games as well. (Express Photo)

iPhone 16 Pro

There are plenty of Android gaming phones available, but if you want a lag-free experience and want to play some PC games on your mobile, the iPhone 16 Pro may be the one for you.

Apart from the vast collection of games available on the Apple App Store, the iPhone 16 Pro can also run select PC games like Resident Evil Village, Death Stranding and Assassin’s Creed Mirage.

Featuring the A18 Pro Bionic chipset, the iPhone 15 Pro packs in a smooth and bright OLED screen, one of the best camera setups on an Apple phone and support for hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing.

The base model of the iPhone 16 Pro, which comes with 128GB storage is currently selling for as low as Rs 1,12,900, but if you can wait a bit, we recommend purchasing the device during festive sales.