What smartphone has the best gaming capability?

[Moe Zart]

I'm looking for a phone with strong gaming capability but also a fair price.

That and I need a list of serious games for the phone that you can immerse yourself in. It doesn't have to be Skyrim, but it sure as hell shouldn't be one of those scrolling or puzzle games. I've looked all places, no such list exists.

 

[maevinj]

Nokia Icon. Halo: Spartan Assault

 

[Puppies04]

The best smartphone for gaming is one of the phablets due to the vastly increased screen real estate. On the flip side any phone that won't fit in your pocket unless you are a clown is a bit of a crappy phone.

 

[WiseUp216]

http://forums.anandtech.com/forumdisplay.php?f=37

 

[s44]

iOS probably has a better top-end game selection, but larger-screen Android devices do give the best play experience. You also get emulators for all those console/handheld games that haven't been officially ported yet.

 

[Zodiark1593]

iOS probably has a better top-end game selection, but larger-screen Android devices do give the best play experience. You also get emulators for all those console/handheld games that haven't been officially ported yet.

Older console rpgs work great on Android via the emulators. Doing a playthroigh of Paper Mario on the N64 emulator actually.

 

[ibex333]

Really it's mostly Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 and Note 3. Definitely best gaming capability on Android due to power and screen size.

With Apple it's the iPhone 5s off course, due to the sheer amount of games Android wishes it had.

 

[Zodiark1593]

For in depth games though, as much as it sucks to carry a second device, the 3DS and Vita libraries destroys both iOS and Android. Nothing quite on the scale of Skyrim of course, but there's more than a few rpgs that will make the hours melt rapidly.

 

[shortylickens]

Android is better for emulating. But theres a better selection of quality games on iOS.

What do you want to play? Cuz I found lots of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games on the google play store. Not sure what Apple has as far as that goes.

 

[Commodus]

Android is better for emulating. But theres a better selection of quality games on iOS.

What do you want to play? Cuz I found lots of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games on the google play store. Not sure what Apple has as far as that goes.

Those RPGs (and a lot of games, for that matter) usually show up on iOS first. I think that's the deciding factor here -- if you're getting a phone for gaming, you want the platform that gets the best games, and gets them soonest.

If you can hold off until September or so, you'll probably get a bigger-screened iPhone. That'd theoretically make for the best combo: a big screen with enough room for all your content, and an app store that gets the high-profile games either months earlier or exclusively.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Strong gaming capability at a first price...

One Plus One. This is a 5.5 inch phone with 1080p display and Snapdragon 801 SoC, for $300-350. It's got the size, the performance, and the price. Unfortunately it's a pain in the ass to buy, you still need to get invites for the privilege to give them your money.

Nexus 5. A 5 inch phone with 1080p display and Snapdragon 800 SoC for $350-400. Still fairly large, easier to put in the pocket, still great performance from the processor, and still pretty cheap compared to other phones with these specs. It's easy to buy. Also a Nexus device that is pure Android and will stay up to date longer and easy to unlock and root.

 

[Raduque]

Strong gaming capability at a first price...

One Plus One. This is a 5.5 inch phone with 1080p display and Snapdragon 801 SoC, for $300-350. It's got the size, the performance, and the price. Unfortunately it's a pain in the ass to buy, you still need to get invites for the privilege to give them your money.

Nexus 5. A 5 inch phone with 1080p display and Snapdragon 800 SoC for $350-400. Still fairly large, easier to put in the pocket, still great performance from the processor, and still pretty cheap compared to other phones with these specs. It's easy to buy. Also a Nexus device that is pure Android and will stay up to date longer and easy to unlock and root.

The Nexus 5's biggest downfall is no uSD card slot (and ofc, google-stock Android, but I won't get into that). So, if you want games, you have to cut back on other things like music or picture. I have 8 large (2gb+) games and numerous smaller ones, plus another 12ish gb of music and untold thousands of pictures on my phone.

The One Plus One pretty much has no reason to exist, as far as I can tell, and might as well NOT exist, for the impossibility to actually attain one.

 

[Ravynmagi]

The Nexus 5's biggest downfall is no uSD card slot (and ofc, google-stock Android, but I won't get into that). So, if you want games, you have to cut back on other things like music or picture. I have 8 large (2gb+) games and numerous smaller ones, plus another 12ish gb of music and untold thousands of pictures on my phone.

The One Plus One pretty much has no reason to exist, as far as I can tell, and might as well NOT exist, for the impossibility to actually attain one.

Most people should manage just fine with the 32GB model. But yes some people are packrats and may need more space.

Not sure what you mean about the One Plus One has no reason to exist? Unfortunately it sucks that it's still not readily available to the public yet. But it's an incredible phone for the price. So not sure what you meant.

 

[Rashdezine]

Get a Xiaomi Mi3. Very powerful and pocket friendly.

 

[npaladin-2000]

HTC One M8. Seriously. Main reason is the front mounted speakers. Anything else, you'll want to play with headphones probably. Performance-wise the One M8, Galaxy S5, and LG G3 will be comparable, though differing screen sizes will mean slightly different placement of on-screen controls, some of which might be less comfortable for some hand sizes. Either way, you should also invest in a Moga Power series controller as well.

Personally I find phablets to be too big to game on comfortably, and they won't all fit in a Moga Hero Power anyway.

 

[Rashdezine]

HTC One M8. Seriously. Main reason is the front mounted speakers. Anything else, you'll want to play with headphones probably. Performance-wise the One M8, Galaxy S5, and LG G3 will be comparable, though differing screen sizes will mean slightly different placement of on-screen controls, some of which might be less comfortable for some hand sizes. Either way, you should also invest in a Moga Power series controller as well.

Personally I find phablets to be too big to game on comfortably, and they won't all fit in a Moga Hero Power anyway.

I prefer S5 over M8 because of the Amoled screen. HTC one M8 has a dull screen with lots of grey instead of deep blacks. That part ruined a quality product from the taiwanese manufacturer.

 

[Rashdezine]

Wait for MI Pad with Tegra K1 chipset. This guy has great capabilities. Would love to see how mobile devices are advancing in gaming. If you have some serious cash, then go for Razer Edge Tab. Think about a professional gamer who loves to travel a lot. ;-)

 

[Raduque]

Most people should manage just fine with the 32GB model. But yes some people are packrats and may need more space.

32gb should be the absolute bare-bones minimum any phone ships with today. 16gb phones shouldn't even be made.

I think pretty much every user would appreciate more space. I don't understand why you would cal somebody a packrat because they don't want to have to worry about being forced to choose between keeping pictures\music and deleting them?

Don't forget the biggest benefit of a micro SD card: Being able to simply take it from one device to another, having your music and pictures available without using a single byte of bandwith.

Not sure what you mean about the One Plus One has no reason to exist? Unfortunately it sucks that it's still not readily available to the public yet. But it's an incredible phone for the price. So not sure what you meant.

It's a phone that does nothing special, and has nothing new to offer. It doesn't matter how incredible a value it is, even if you could buy it for a dollar, since you basically can't buy it at all.

 

[TrulyUncouth]

Wait for MI Pad with Tegra K1 chipset. This guy has great capabilities. Would love to see how mobile devices are advancing in gaming. If you have some serious cash, then go for Razer Edge Tab. Think about a professional gamer who loves to travel a lot. ;-)

Guy asks for a gaming phone and you suggest an 8 inch tablet...

I think the oneplus sounds good but until it has real availability its kind of a non-starter. I will be up for an upgrade in 2 months and I am personally planning on going for the assumed Note 4. I have the note 2 right now and it was perfectly fine for games and had the best battery life at the time. As for the Mi3 I haven't seen perf/batt benchmarks on it but I assume it comes in behind something with the 800/801.

Tough call to get a gaming phone. Honestly, a small part of me is considering going back to apple for my next phone and giving them another shot if they release a ~5" phone. They always have great gpus and interesting games that don't make it to android.

 

[Commodus]

Tough call to get a gaming phone. Honestly, a small part of me is considering going back to apple for my next phone and giving them another shot if they release a ~5" phone. They always have great gpus and interesting games that don't make it to android.

Looks like the company is on track to make a 4.7-inch phone, which is in the ballpark (there's not much of a practical difference between that and 5 inches, in my experience). Combine that with the presumed speed boost from the A8 chip and it could be pretty nice. There should be a 5.5-inch model, too, although just when it ships is up for debate. It might arrive after the smaller version, depending on whether or not production is up to snuff.

 

[Crono]

Nokia Icon. Halo: Spartan Assault

Icon and 1520 are good for gaming. iOS and Android have more games, but I like the curation of Xbox Live games on Windows Phone. There are a ton of free-to-play or otherwise annoying games that appear in all mobile app stores, which can make it tough to find the best games. Android is better for emulation, though, and iOS still has a bit of a first-platform advantage.

 

[Lyfer]

iPhone 5S easily hands down.

 

[Red Storm]

Unless you have tiny girl hands, gaming on an iPhone is annoying thanks to the tiny screen. Maybe the larger iPhone 6 will finally take care of that, but for now I'd much rather game on something like the Nexus 5 or Note 3.

 

[TrulyUncouth]

Unless you have tiny girl hands, gaming on an iPhone is annoying thanks to the tiny screen. Maybe the larger iPhone 6 will finally take care of that, but for now I'd much rather game on something like the Nexus 5 or Note 3.

I think you are exaggerating a bit- I had an iphone 3gs and while I found browsing/video MUCH nicer on my progressively larger phones I think gaming can be pretty much equally enjoyable on both and this is coming from a guy with fat sausage fingers.

 

[Red Storm]

I think you are exaggerating a bit- I had an iphone 3gs and while I found browsing/video MUCH nicer on my progressively larger phones I think gaming can be pretty much equally enjoyable on both and this is coming from a guy with fat sausage fingers.

Sorry but there is literally a huge difference.

Screen size does matter when it comes to gaming. Thankfully the iPhone 5 isn't as bad as the 3GS was, but it's still too small and always feels cramped to me whenever I play a mobile game.