Reviewing the best gaming phones as we hit 2026, including flagship smartphones and budget blowers with top performance and battery life. I’ve tested dozens of powerful mobiles with Wuthering Waves, Call of Duty, PubG and more. Here’s my favourite phones with slick gaming features, let us know your own picks below!
First up, for dedicated gamer devices, you’re kind of limited right now. The ROG Phone 9 Pro is over a year old, with no sign of a successor in sight. However, the Red Magic 11 Pro is an absolute banger, boasting the best performance thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 power. 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.
As far as flagship phones go, my top choices for gamers include the OnePlus 15 and Sony’s Xperia 1 VII. Again, these offer stunning performance – and in the case of the OnePlus, incredible battery life. Dedicated tools and features help to bolster that gaming experience.
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 X7 Pro 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 Reviewed Chapters:
0:00 – The GOAT
0:56 – Red Magic 11 Pro
2:33 – Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro
3:25 – OnePlus 15
4:41 – OnePlus 15R
5:43 – Sony Xperia 1 VII
7:06 – Poco X7 Pro
8:27 – A NEW Sony Xperia Play??
