Some readers might disagree that the word ‘best’ doesn’t exist with budget gaming phones. But I have dug deeper enough to find the best gaming phones that won’t burn a hole in your pocket.
If you are reading this in the US, you may not be able to find all of them, but you can choose any of them without going wrong. Additionally, since they are gaming phones, you have to compromise on certain aspects of a phone, such as the camera, software experience, or design. Rest assured, the gaming performance of these budget phones would be top-notch.
Now, let us dive into the details of these budget gaming phones.
Xiaomi Redmi K50 Gaming
The first up in my list is the Xiaomi Redmi K50 Gaming – a budget-friendly gaming phone with enough power to keep you going.
Let’s start with the design first: either you will love it or you will love it. Now, read that again. Whoever got an eye on the back of this phone was impressed by its design. I am in love with the designs of gaming phones, and this Xiaomi Redmi K50 Gaming is no exception.
But you know everything isn’t about the design, especially for a gaming phone. How is it when it comes to gaming performance?
This phone is powered by one of the best processors in the current market – Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. Now, when it is coupled with 12 gigs of RAM, this phone becomes a powerhouse.
I am not just saying this, but I have tested it as well. To give it a fair front, the K50 was connected to my high-speed Cox Internet – one of the best internet providers in the US with affordable internet plans, and above all, bilingual Cox servicio al cliente. The result? It held up pretty fine, and there was almost no throttling or frame rate dropping in the game.
One of the best things I like about the gaming experience on the K50 is the Xiaomi game launcher. It can prioritize specific games for performance, change the voice, display frame rates, and overall improve the gaming experience.
Now let’s have a quick look at the other aspects of this phone. Beginning with the camera, it has a triple camera setup, but it doesn’t matter because the camera experience is compromised. So, if you take a lot of photos on your phone, then don’t buy this phone, or maybe don’t buy a gaming phone in the first place.
All in all, it’s a great budget-friendly option for a gaming phone.
ZTE Nubia RedMagic 9 Pro
If you want a proper gaming phone, then this one from ZTE is your best bet.
Before we start, don’t be fooled by its pricing. It was around 1000 USD when it launched.
After having every top-notch feature, how does it perform in real life? Again, boring but phenomenal.
Let’s start with the cameras first: it has a triple-camera system at the back, one of them is a 50MP ultrawide lens, one is the main 50MP shooter, and the last one is an unimpressive macro camera.
As for the real-life performance of this camera system, what can you expect from a gaming phone? It takes good photos when it’s in a proper lighting condition. By proper, I mean soft light that doesn’t shatter the camera lens with brightness. Portraits, on the other hand, have impressed me. They are really good.
As for the videos, the RedMagic 9 Pro can record videos up to 8k at 30fps which is cool. The videos are great and I like them. The ultrawide lens is nice too. Although most of the ultrawide lenses in gaming smartphones struggle, this one is fine.
As for the overall performance, I can safely call it a beast. I have thrown heavy video edits at it, multiplayer games, and multitasking, and it didn’t even miss a beat. Thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor coupled with the 12 GB of LPDDR4 RAM, it is a super performer.
Last but not least, let’s talk about the batteries: this phone rocks a solid 6500mAh battery that you won’t be able to kill in a day with regular usage. I had four-hour gaming sessions on this phone, and when I checked the battery, it was at 51%. In simple words, if you need a phone with a champ battery, go with the ZTE Nubia RedMagic 9 Pro.
Read Also: How to Use Aromatherapy with Massage for Relaxation: 5 Powerful Techniques for Stress Relief
Xiaomi Poco X5 Pro
Let’s start with the display because it’s an important feature in a gaming phone: it’s an AMOLED display, which gets plenty bright outdoors. Speaking of the size, it is 6.67 inches diagonally for your ultimate gaming and content consumption needs. It’s a smooth 120Hz display, which makes the gaming experience smoother.
As for its brightness, it can be bright enough, peaking up to 900 nits, to be precise.
Let’s talk about the most important aspect of a gaming phone – the performance: for the price, it is a fine performer. It is powered by the Snapdragon 778G 5G chipset. How does it perform in real life? It’s good for its price. It isn’t as great as the other gaming phones on my list, but it certainly does the job for a relatively cheaper price.
Lastly, the battery life on this phone is phenomenal. It’s a 5000mAh battery that comes with a 67W charger out of the box and charges it from 0 to 65% in under half an hour. Isn’t that great?!
All in all, this is one of the better gaming phones that Xiaomi has offered for under 400 bucks.
That’s been it. These are the best gaming phones that you can get if you’re on a tight budget. You can choose any of them and you won’t go wrong.
