Should you get a gaming phone?

Think of your smartphone as a Swiss Army knife. It slices through emails, dices up social media, and opens the door to streaming shows. 

But some of today's phones have a new trick up their sleeves: They are becoming full-fledged gaming consoles. 

You might think gaming phones are only for gamepad-toting, eSports aficionados, but in 2025, almost anyone can daily-drive a gaming phone. Still, there are some trade-offs that come with these beasts — and you should consider those as well.

How much power do you need?

Let us start with the obvious: gaming phones are powerful beasts. They come with top-tier processors, often outperforming some PCs (looking at you, Intel). Take, for instance, the Snapdragon 8 Elite or MediaTek's Dimensity 9400 chip — these chips handle graphics-heavy games like Genshin Impact and PUBG Mobile with ease.

Want to switch between a dozen apps without a stutter? The Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro, equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor, offers exceptional multitasking capabilities, allowing seamless switching between multiple apps without lag.

But the ROG 9 Pro comes with the Snapdragon 8 Elite? So does Xiaomi 15 Pro, and Oneplus 13. Having the same processor behind the brains of all these phones, they should perform equally well, right? But where the ROG phone shines is its advanced thermal management system — it comes with sophisticated cooling systems — like vapour chambers, graphite layers, and even miniature fans.

Be it a prolonged period of heavy multitasking, or a gaming session on a Thursday night — ROG's implication of Snapdragon 8 Elite will give you a stellar performance.

Displays

If you have ever squinted at your phone under the sun or struggled to see details in photos, you will appreciate a gaming phone's display. 

Gaming phones typically have larger, brighter, and higher-refresh-rate screens. Most of them boast 120Hz or even 144Hz refresh rates, making every swipe and scroll buttery smooth.

Even for non-gamers, this means a more enjoyable experience when watching TikTok, scrolling through Instagram, or reading articles (like this one, if you are reading this on mobile!). 

For example, the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro offers a 6.78-inch 1080p AMOLED display with a 165Hz refresh rate, providing a crisp and fluid visual experience for all your media consumption.

On the flip side, the regular smartphones are not much behind either — take the flagship Galaxy S24 Ultra's display for example — it has a 6.8-inch 1440p Dynamic LTPO AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. 

To most users, the ROG's refresh rate superiority is not as prominent as the Galaxy's superiority in resolution.

Battery life

Tired of carrying a portable charger? Gaming phones pack massive batteries. Gaming  devices come with a minimum of 5000mAh more, giving you all-day performance. Plus, fast-charging tech ensures that you will not be tethered to a wall socket for long.

The RedMagic 9S Pro is equipped with a 6500mAh battery that supports extended usage, ensuring you can go through your day without constantly worrying about recharging.

However, new silicon-carbon battery technology has opened the door for the good old brick phones to have massive batteries as well. Take OnePlus 13 for example — it comes with a whopping 6,000mAh battery. 

Many other brands are also set to release phones with massive batteries.

Customisable controls

Gaming phones often come with customisable buttons and controls that are not just for games. These physical shoulder buttons and touch-sensitive areas can be mapped to different functions. 

For example, you can set one button to instantly launch your camera or take a screenshot and another to start voice recording.

The Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro includes touch-sensitive shoulder triggers that can be customised for various functions, enhancing productivity by providing quick access to your most-used apps.

Imagine quick-access shortcuts for all your most-used apps. Gaming phones make multitasking a breeze and let you personalise your phone experience in ways most regular smartphones do not.

What about cameras?

Cameras are where the gaming phones fall short — cannot deny, gaming phones come with underwhelming cameras. The ROG 9 Pro comes with a triple rear camera setup, so does the Galaxy S24+. 

But the difference in the image quality is mind-boggling — the Galaxy's outputs are miles ahead of the ROG's.

Take another example: The RedMagic 10 Pro has taken a different route with the selfie camera. To give an uninterrupted screen experience, it hides its front camera under the display, resulting in the selfie shots coming out pale and soft.

So, should you get one?

A gaming phone gives you a marginally better performance, better battery life, and a stellar audio experience, often with a 3.5mm headphone jack as the cherry on top.

In contrast, a regular non-gaming phone offers you better camera experience, sleeker design, a reliable user experience at a lower cost — and not to mention the software support for four to seven years, which no gaming phone does.

Now, it is the time to set your priorities — what do you seek in a phone?