Best gaming phones 2026 - buyer’s guide

If you are in the market for a gaming Android phone with the latest possible hardware and the best battery life, the RedMagic 11 Pro is a great choice. It has a nice display with very slim bezels; it's got the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset with an advanced cooling system; a handful of neat gaming features, including the physical shoulder triggers; and also a massive battery with quick charging.

Sadly, the awkward translations, the unpolished state of the software at times, and the absence of properly good cameras keep us from giving the phone an excellent score. Even for a gaming phone, the camera experience is subpar.

On the other hand, RedMagic is asking less than €700 at launch for the entry-level version, and that's a price no one can match right now, especially with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 on board.

The Poco F8 Pro is an excellent all-rounder with just one misstep - the overall camera experience. We are glad its retail price has gone down in the past few weeks, making its flagship-grade body, screen and performance accessible to the masses.

The overall greatness of the F8 Pro is quite enticing, making the camera trade-off easily justifiable. The handset has dependable battery life, excellent screen, snappy charging, and there aren't many phones in this price range offering a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset with good sustained performance at that.

Now priced at about €500 or less, the Poco F8 Pro can easily be considered as a flagship killer if you are not that picky about camera quality. While not our top pick in this category, it sure is the most powerful phone in its price range.

We're never really sure what to make of the nubia Ultras. They make bold claims for camera greatness, but deliver only partially, and we wouldn't say we've been seeing a whole lot of groundbreaking improvements in that area.

That said, this time we're getting nicer-than-usual video and the tri-set of rear cameras has no major flaws (well, other than the regular nubia camera UI oddities), now that the ultrawide is back on the right track. We know not to expect a lot from the underdisplay selfie camera, sure, but that doesn't negate the fact that the Z80 Ultra is no good for selfies - do keep that in mind.

On the other hand the Z80 Ultra does bring some tangible non-camera-related improvements, like the brighter (if not quite HDR-friendly) display, excellent battery life, and the expected performance bump. Staples of the lineup include a lot of physical controls and gaming-oriented capabilities, making the Ultra an uncommon blend for a somewhat specific type of user.

Overall, the nubia Z80 Ultra is a capable package that brings plenty of value - just don't approach it expecting it to rival the true photo-enthusiast Ultras out there.

The OnePlus 15 runs on the latest and greatest from Qualcomm, handling high loads very well. It has an excellent display, fast charging, chart-topping battery life, and a robust design that's easy to like. Don't forget the smooth and convenient software experience. It's an excellent all-rounder with some camera missteps.

With the new 15, OnePlus is seemingly changing its strategy. By removing the Hasselblad branding and downgrading the cameras from the OnePlus 13, the newer OnePlus is focusing more on the other aspects, leaving the Oppo Find X9 Pro as the absolute best cameraphone in the family. This way, the company is avoiding direct, homegrown competition with Oppo.

But even with the downgraded camera hardware, the OnePlus 15 offers more than a decent camera experience overall. It's not entirely flagship cameraphone-worthy and the ultrawide and selfie cameras leave more to be desired, but the phone easily compensates in other aspects.

The OnePlus 15 is a solid all-round flagship, the with top-of-the-line gaming-friendly chip, which is exactly the point of this category and it deserves a spot.

Who would have thought that iPhones will become a regular recommendation in our gaming section of the buyer’s guide. And with the release of the iPhone 17 series, it’s time to replace the older iPhone 16 Pro Max with the latest 17 Pro Max.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max makes a controversial switch to aluminum, which helped keep the weight in check and perhaps maintains adequate sustained performance, but it also hurt the durability by making the iPhone more prone to scratches. Then there is the mix of glass and metal on the back, which combined with the new color options, make this iPhone one of the less likable in recent memory.

The new A19 Pro chip ensures exceptional gaming performance. The display of the 17 Pro Max gained cool new anti-glare finish, but its cutout is still the same unsightly mess. It is a great screen, yes, but we have seen it a couple of times already.

We do appreciate the improved battery life and charging speeds, even if it requires the new charger with absurd name and its AVS charging protocol.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max brought some improvements for selfie and zoom photography and those will be universally appreciated. But the upgrade isn't as huge as the keynote had us believe and it's behind the curve in 2025. Yes, the images are very good to great, but the phone has the hardware, the processing power and the entire Apple hivemind, and it still lags behind the Chinese Ultra phones.

What the iPhone 17 Pro Max does amazing is videos - no matter the camera, the conditions, the chosen format - the iPhone 17 Pro Max will ace the scene. Once again Apple deserves praise for making a camera app that's suitable both for mainstream and pro users, something no one else in the industry can quite pull off.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max may be the most capable iPhone ever, but it's not looking like it will go down in history as the best loved one. Its mixed bag design, the lack of obvious improvements, and the unpolished state of iOS 26 right now, make up for a phone that millions will buy, but far fewer will be truly excited about. Yet, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has been sold out everywhere and potential buyers will have to wait a few weeks in order to get one. And the reason is quite simple – it’s the best iPhone ever and it has many improvements over bestsellers such as the iPhone 15 Pro Max or older.

The Xiaomi 15T Pro is a solid all-rounder that's easy to recommend. It is an excellent phone that can deliver impressive value for your money. It offers superb performance, great display, stellar battery life and an excellent camera - meaning top marks in each of the big 4.

The Leica cooperation is paying off, as all rear cameras (50MP main, 50MP 3x tele/macro, 12MP UW) deliver outstanding photo and video quality day and night.

Admittedly, if selfies are of utmost importance, one of the niche areas becomes more of a pressing issue.

Long story short - the Xiaomi 15T Pro is a very competent offering with a compelling set of flagship-grade capabilities and it’s one of the, if not the best phone you can get for about €640. A flagship killer, if you will.