Best android gaming phones of 2019

Mobile gaming is already overshadowing both PCs and consoles when it comes to popularity and profitability, and the reason for that is simple – pretty much everybody has a smartphone these days. Combined with the fact that a lot of mobile games are free-to-play, mobile gaming allows to pull people in much more easily than PC or console gaming can.

These iOS and Android phones made for gaming are a step up from your average regular handset and they come packing overclocked processors and high-refresh-rate screens hitting 90Hz and up. Some gaming smartphones even feature specialized cooling systems such as liquid cooling or internal fans.

There are a few must-haves for any great gaming phone: a powerful chipset capable of running the best Android games or best iPhone games smoothly and launching them quickly; a great display with enough area for the game with room for your fingers; and enough battery to keep you gaming for as long as possible. We’ve taken all these aspects into account, as well as others like RAM and storage space for games. The available app ecosystem also matters, which is one reason why Apple’s devices continue to have such a strong hand here.

If you’re looking for a gaming phone that is great at delivering the sort of performance that allows you to keep winning, then you’re in the right place. We’ve got you covered with our list of the best gaming phones you can buy in Dubai.

*Prices as of January 4th 2020

Best high-end gaming phone: Asus ROG Phone 2

Specifications:

Buy Asus ROG Phone 2 from Amazon

The Asus ROG phone 2 (which stands for Republic of Gamers) offers the most power, the best ergonomics and the most thoughtful design. Its 6.59in AMOLED display refreshes 90 times a second – a first for any OLED phone with an AMOLED screen which boasts a 2340×1080 resolution and HDR10 support. The higher refresh rate means less motion blur and faster response times.

The phone features a cutting-edge 7nm Snapdragon 855+ CPU aided by vapor cooling technology featuring several layers of cooling which offers buttery-smooth performance, all the while it boasts a ridiculous amount of storage and RAM. It starts at 128 GB of internal storage and goes as high as 1 TB, and this does make up for the lack of microSD support. Moreover, it comes in both 8 GB and 12 GB RAM variants.

The enormous 6000mAh cell inside the handset delivers around nine hours of non-stop playtime on a single charge. A built-in 3D Vapor Chamber cooling system and rear vent will also stop the phone from overheating during intense gaming sessions.

The phone’s innovative AirTriggers which are pressure-sensitive corners that double as bumper buttons for games, expanding game control beyond the screen. It’s dedicated X mode gives you an optimized gaming experience that can be made even more comfortable when using the phone’s detachable fan accessory, which is included in the box. The ROG also has the longest battery life in the group and has the most amount of gaming accessories that you can buy

For all the things going for it, the ROG Phone 2 is a bit on the heavy side, weighing in at 240g – to be expected given all the hardware. It’s missing some features that mainstream flagships in the price range do have like wireless charging, and an IP rating, but it feels like we’re asking too much already. As you can tell from the specs, the ROG Phone 2 is an absolute hardware powerhouse and its outward appearance is very characteristically ROG. It boasts an angular, aggressive design, complete with an RGB ROG logo on the back that no ROG product would be complete without.

Being designed specifically for gamers, it also has features you won’t find on most other phones, such as a clip-on fan, which is generously included in the box, and a range of other accessories (such as a gamepad), which you’ll have to buy separately. There’s also built-in software to help you tailor your gaming experience, through, for example, overclocking the already meaty CPU, and adjusting the fan speed.

There are some issues with the Asus ROG Phone 2, but most of them don’t affect gaming. It doesn’t have wireless charging or water resistance for example, and the lack of 5G support or the fact it’s easily one of the heaviest handsets on the market right now.

Best everyday gaming phone: OnePlus 7 Pro

Specifications:

Buy OnePlus 7 Pro from Amazon

The OnePlus 7 Pro might not be branded as gaming phones, but they definitely pack features that make them more suitable for video games than your average devices. The OnePlus 7 Pro is cheaper than the phones in this list, but still delivers the latest power under the hood with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 chipset and the choice of up to 12GB RAM.

The OnePlus 7 Pro is the firm’s first phone with a QHD display, giving you an excellent pixel density for crisp graphics. The OnePlus 7 Pro skips all the front camera notches and bottom button business to give you a truly edge-to-edge 6.67-inch 1,440 x 3,120 display. Further improving the gaming experience is the 90Hz refresh rate of the display, which makes gaming and everyday use that much smoother.

You can also turn on Fnatic mode to prioritize processing power and networking speeds for whichever game you’re playing. There’s also a basic gaming mode that blocks notifications, enhances haptic feedback, and activates a faux-HDR display mode that presents brighter highlights and deeper blacks on the screen.

The sizable 4,000mAh battery should keep you going during lengthy play sessions. It also supports WarpCharge, which can take the battery from zero to 50% in just 20 minutes. There’s also a triple-lens main camera and a pop-up 16-megapixel selfie camera.

The OnePlus 7 Pro has all the makings of an excellent gaming phone and still manages to come in cheaper than much of the competition. You can opt for 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, or 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. If you want a solid all-around phone that will play any game smoothly, then the OnePlus 7 Pro is a great choice and it is one of the most powerful Android handsets on the market.

Best value gaming phone: Xiaomi Black Shark 2

Specifications:

Buy Xiaomi Black Shark 2 Pro from Amazon

The Black Shark 2 is the second generation gaming phone from Chinese firm Xiaomi’s gaming arm, and it builds well with an upgrade to Snapdragon 855, more vivid 6.4in AMOLED display with a wide 19:5:9 aspect ratio, front-firing speakers, RAM capacity of 6, 8 or 12GB and up to 512 GB of storage at incredibly affordable price. The 4000mAh battery is particularly impressive, with streaming and gaming sessions using a surprisingly little amount of juice which is exactly what you want from your gaming on the go device.

The Xiaomi Black Shark 2 was built for gaming first and you can tell just by holding the phone, it was meant to be gripped in landscape mode for gaming. The Black Shark 2 also features plenty of gaming specific software with a list of Gamer Studio options to let players tweak everything from onscreen overlays, processor overclocking, and customizable RGB lighting. Like the Asus ROG Phone, Xiaomi has plenty of accessories designed for the Black Shark 2 including an attachable pair of controllers and TV connection hub

An AMOLED screen at this price point means that the refresh rate isn’t going to push past 60Hz and that it won’t be as bright as its competitors. On the other hand, it offers rich, vibrant colors. If you can get past that, the Black Shark 2 is a powerful and affordable handset that’s a must for gamers – even those that aren’t on a budget. Combining a great camera, excellent internals and improved gaming credentials over the original, the Black Shark 2 is a great phone that betters most of its gaming phone rivals.