Game publishers continue to offer high-quality graphics and games on the market today such as PUBG Mobile or Fortnite, which provide a truly immersive gaming experience. So, to get the best visual as well as to run the game smoothly on the phone, we need the mobile phone has good hardware as well as the highest performance.

The best gaming smartphones not only have the power of performance, but also require good graphics, vivid displays, and plenty of other factors such as chipset speed, graphics chips, RAM, and system performance.

Based on the strength of the components, the options in their app stores, the quality of the screen and battery size, their support for VR,... we give out the rankings of best gaming phones in 2018.

  1. Samsung Galaxy Note 9 - Release date: August 2018

Samsung has various models, with many segments, it is very difficult to choose a Samsung phone to play the best game. The biggest, brightest display and highest res displays will give you the edge when playing games like Fortnite, as it gives you higher frames per second which gives you a better view. There are many phones have good configurations and similar displays on the market, but the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 exceeded the aesthetic. It does not just give you great moments of playing games but also gives you the luxurious and elegant when you are working or meeting partners. This smartphone is a great combination of configuration, performance and good looking.

Advantages:

  • The screen and display are beautiful and sharp
  • It has a powerful processor

Disadvantages:

  • The price is quite expensive for people with average income, currently, Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is priced at $ 873 on Amazon.

Weight: 205g | Dimensions: 162 x 76.4 x 9mm | OS: Android 8.1 | Screen size: 6.4-inch | Resolution: 2960×1440 | CPU: Snapdragon 845 / Exynos 9810 | RAM: 6/8GB | Storage: 128/512GB (up to 1TB with card) | Battery: 4,000mAh

  1.     iPhone X - Release date: September 2017

When Macs are told not for gamers, the iPhone has some of the best games in its App Store with a variety of games. The App Store usually has some great titles, such as the famous Fortnite game, which is not yet available on Android devices and is still available exclusively for iOS. The iOS 12 brings AR multiplayer gaming, which is Apple's take on delivering meaningful AR experiences to users.

If you put the iPhone X next to the iPhone 8 Plus, you will compare, the battery of the iPhone X is larger and provide enough energy to play games for a long time. Moreover, the iPhone X has a 5.8-inch OLED screen, which will provide plenty of screen space for games with the same amazing contrast ratio. Nothing can match the OLED display for making an image stand out when a scene has a dark contrast. Therefore, if you want to experience the game or before, iPhone X is a remarkable choice.

Advantages:

  • App store has diverse applications and games
  •  Maximum OLED display gives gamers the extreme experience

Disadvantages:

  • The price is too expensive for a smartphone, the current price is $714.99 on Newegg.
  • The notch can be distracting

Weight: 202g | Dimensions: 158.4 x 78.1 x 7.5mm | OS: iOS 11 | Screen size: 5.5-inch | Resolution: 1080 x 1920 | CPU: A11 Bionic | RAM: 3GB | Storage: 64/256GB | Battery: 2691mAh | Rear camera: Dual 12MP | Front camera: 7MP

  1.     iPhone 8 Plus - Release date: September 2017

After the iPhone X is its brother - iPhone 8 Plus, it brings great specifications with the sharpness of the screen. The iPhone 8 Plus has a slightly less colorful screen than the new iPhone X, but it's great for gaming, with a 5.5-inch width. Apple provides virtual reality games with ARKIT, at the same time, graphics and Bionic A11 CPUs provide an average gaming experience. You can choose iPhone 8 Plus to reduce costs instead of buying an iPhone X and get a traditional Home button.

Advantages:

  • App Store as diverse as iPhone X
  • It has a 5.5 inch LCD better than many smartphones on the market

Disadvantages:

  • Bazel quite thinks that makes the phone bigger
  • The price is quite high compared to the average income. It is $729.9 on Amazon now

Weight: 202g | Dimensions: 158.4 x 78.1 x 7.5mm | OS: iOS 11 | Screen size: 5.5-inch | Resolution: 1080 x 1920 | CPU: A11 Bionic | RAM: 3GB | Storage: 64/256GB | Battery: 2691mAh | Rear camera: Dual 12MP | Front camera: 7MP

  1.     Galaxy S9 and S9 plus - Release date: March 2018

Although there are differences on the size of the screen but the Galaxy S9 and S9 plus for the same extreme gaming experience. Thanks to the Snapdragon 845, Adreno 639 graphics and 4GB of RAM for the S9 or 6GB for the S9 Plus, both show great performance even when playing games or doing other tasks. Especially when the Android phones on the market have not caught up with the new Snapdragon 845. Samsung has a full of pride to take a step.

Gamers might have a problem when recording the screen while gaming and often being interrupted by the announcements and notifications, Samsung's Game Tools is a feature in the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus that captures your screen, records gameplay without any annoying notifications.

The thing makes the S9 and S9 Plus become special not only the chipset but also the large screen and plenty of sharp 1440 x 2960, 5.8 inches for S9 and 6.2 inches for S9 Plus. Especially for stunning visuals from Super AMOLED and supporting HDR20. Additionally, Samsung also has the impressive Gear VR headsets that help support the virtual reality experience with extreme clarity.

Advantages:

  • Game Tools is really useful for gamers
  • It has an extremely large screen of 5.8 and 6.3 inches.

Disadvantages:

  • Battery life is pretty short

Weight: 189g | Dimensions: 158.1 x 73.8 x 8.5mm | OS: Android 8 Oreo | Screen size: 6.2-inch | Resolution: 1440 x 2960 | CPU: Snapdragon 845 / Exynos 9810 | RAM: 6GB | Storage: 64GB/128GB | Battery: 3,500mAh | Rear camera: Dual 12MP | Front camera: 8MP

  1.     Sony Xperia XZ2 - Release date: February 2018

Comes from the same home with the legendary PlayStation, the Sony Xperia XZ2 is indispensable in the list of best gaming mobile phones. Like the Galaxy, Sony has the same Snapdragon 845 chipset and 1080x2160 HDR display that makes it a stunning video game performance and outperforms from many other competitors.

Not only for the stunning gaming display dual front-facing speakers are also used in this mobile phone for a high-quality audio experience. Battery life is also good thanks to the 3,180mAh battery. In addition, a large mobile library is supported by microSD for additional capacity up to 400GB, which is a bonus perk.

Sony's "Dynamic Vibration System" is a unique feature that makes mobile gaming on the Xperia XZ2 feel more like console games. Even if it's just a minor touch to an already solid offering from Sony, this feature will give a small haptic feedback that can enhance the gaming experience.

Advantages:

  • Exclusive Dynamic Vibration System
  • It has an amazing HDR display

Disadvantages:

  • It is hard to find this smartphone in the US
  • Dynamic Vibration is a gimmick

Weight: 198g | Dimensions: 153 x 72 x 11.1mm | OS: Android 8 | Screen size: 5.7-inch | Resolution: 1080 x 2160 | CPU: Snapdragon 845 | RAM: 4GB | Battery: 3,180mAh | Rear camera: 19MP | Front camera: 5MP

  1.     Razor Phone - Release date: November 2017

Based on the specs, the Razor Phone is an Android device for mobile gaming. Though the Snapdragon is being replaced by the new Snapdragon 845, the Razor Phone running on the Snapdragon 835 still offers commendable performance.

The combination of a 5.7-inch QHD screen and a 120Hz  refresh rate gives you a clear and smooth visual. The speakers are highly rated for gaming and long battery life with a 4,000mAh a behemoth giving you a long gaming experience over many other phones. Razor also allows extended storage via microSD.

Advantages:

  • Large 4,000mAh battery
  • The Screen has a 120 Hz refresh rate

Disadvantages:

  • Old Snapdragon 835 chipset compared to the current market
  • The size is bulky and big

Weight: 197g | Dimensions: 158.5 x 77.7 x 8mm | OS: Android 8 | Screen size: 5.7-inch | Resolution: 1440 x 2560 | CPU: Snapdragon 835 | RAM: 8GB | Battery: 4,000mAh | Rear camera: 12MP | Front camera: 8MP

  1. Moto Z2 Force - Release date: August 2017

Moto Z2 Force has a disadvantage as the only 2.730mAh battery does not give long gaming time. But the 5.5-inch Quad HD screen and the powerful Snapdragon 835 gaming chipset make the Moto Z2 Force a good gaming experience.

What makes the Moto Z2 Force more special is the ability to snap onto the Moto Gamepad mod - which includes two analog stick, a D-pad, and buttons familiar to gamers. It is a double bonus that physical controls for smartphone games to avoid the thumb cover screen and the screen will be more open when playing games. In addition, the Moto Gamepad also includes a 3.5mm headphone jack. If Samsung has a VR Gear, the Daydream View of the Moto Z2 Force delivers some of the best mobile VR available.

Advantages:

  • Add – on the mod is really interesting
  • It is supported by Google Daydream – ready VR

Disadvantages:

  • The battery life is just enough, not really impressive
  • Good specifications but old compared to this year

Weight: 143g | Dimensions: 155.8 x 76 x 6.1mm | OS: Android 8 | Screen size: 5.5-inch | Resolution: 1440 x 2560 | CPU: Snapdragon 835 | RAM: 4GB or 6GB | Storage: 64/128GB | Battery: 2,730mAh | Rear camera: 12MP | Front camera: 5MP

  1.     Google Pixel 2 XL - Release date: October 2017

Thanks to the 6-inch screen, there is plenty of space for playing games without the fear of being blinded by your thumb. The visual will be crisp and sharp with a 1440 x 2880p OLED panel. Because of these, Google's biggest and smartest phone - Pixel 2 XL - is one of the great gaming smartphones.

Pixel 2 XL configuration is quite similar to the Moto Z2 Force, it runs a Snapdragon 835 chipset that allows games to run smoothly without any problems. In addition, the Pixel 2XL also offers the ability to deliver VR content with Daydream View. The difference from the Moto Z2 Force is that Pixel 2 XL has the long battery life with 3,520mAh, so you do not have to worry about gaming outdoors. Users of Pixel 2 XL can sign up for Google's Project Fi network, which offers impressive coverage that does not fear losing connectivity to online games.

Advantages:

  • The speakers are placed in the front provide louder and greater clarity
  • It has a narrow bezel

Disadvantages:

  • The screen has poor viewing angles
  • Not equipped with 3.5mm headphone port

Weight: 175g | Dimensions: 157.9 x 76.7 x 7.9mm | OS: Android 8 | Screen size: 6-inch | Resolution: 1440 x 2880 | CPU: Snapdragon 835 | RAM: 4GB | Storage: 64GB/128GB | Battery: 3,520mAh | Rear camera: 12MP | Front camera: 8MP

  1.     LG V30 - Release date: September 2017

This is the best game of LG’s mobile phone. The built-in 64GB of storage brings a huge storage capacity, but if it is not enough for you, you can add an additional microSD. A 3.300mAh battery life is higher than some battery of the same line.

It is very similar to the Pixel 2 XL's display, the screen of the LG V30 is 6 inches 1440 x 2880 OLED and it is also equipped Daydream - ready for gamers who want to dive into VR. It has sharpness, large screen and a powerful processor that provides users with the best gaming experience.

Even though this is a great and powerful smartphone for gaming but it’s likely to be replaced soon by the inbound LG G7 ThinQ or later on, by the LG V35S ThinQ.

Advantages:

  • The design is quite harmonious and reasonable
  • Great specifications compared to cost

Disadvantages:

  • Last year’s great specs, new chipsets are gradually replacing
  • New series will be released and be able to replace this position soon

Weight: 158g | Dimensions: 151.7 x 75.4 x 7.3mm | OS: Android 7 | Screen size: 6.0-inch | Resolution: 1440 x 2880 | CPU: Snapdragon 835 | RAM: 4GB | Storage: 64/128GB | Battery: 3300mAh | Rear camera: 16MP+16MP | Front camera: 5MP

  1.  Asus Zenfone 4 Pro - Release date: August 2017

If you have a modest budget, the Asus Zenfone 4 Pro is worth considering. A full HD screen, AMOLED and 5.5-inch size display give the high performer and high quality. As same as many other models on this list, the Asus Zenfone 4 Pro is equipped with a Snapdragon 835 chipset and it works incredibly on Full HD. The resolution of the machine is slightly lower but also thanks to which the focus can go to the game smoother, better graphics.

With the support of micro sd to increase storage capacity. What can be better is that the 3,600mAh battery comes with a 5.5-inch AMOLED, which makes it possible for you to use the battery for long periods of time without having to carry the charger at all times.

Later this year, the Asus Zenfone 5Z is expected to be launched with Snapdragon 845 and is likely to take over.

Advantages:

  • The price is more affordable than many gaming phones
  • The display is good with 5.5inch AMOLED

Disadvantages:

  • The upcoming product -  5Z will soon replace
  • Good specifications but of the previous year

Weight: 175g | Dimensions: 156.9 x 75.6 x 7.6mm | OS: Android 8 | Screen size: 5.5-inch | Resolution: 1080 x 1920 | CPU: Snapdragon 835 | RAM: 6GB | Storage: 64/128GB | Battery: 3,600mAh | Rear camera: 12MP+16MP | Front camera: 8MP