Gaming phones

An extraordinary gaming phone with top speakers, battery and performance, held back by an average camera, and good value at the base price…

Best gaming phone: matches the ROG with more RAM and storage, built-in fans and a lower price, but software lags.

Impressive effort with a genuinely working fan visible through a transparent back, but the software is a bit tacky.

Mentioned as the latest Red Magic gaming phone with a 165Hz display and heavy cooling.

Best gaming phone and battery king of 2020, with great speakers and a huge 6,000mAh battery.

A very cool but extra phone with a bundle of goodies and a rear screen, yet the camera is unchanged despite the 1299 euro price, so value d…

Mentioned as a middle model with the same cameras as the base phone.

The nicest-looking and cheapest gaming phone, a good entry point, but the camera needs work.

Closest rival to the ROG Phone 3 with faster charging, but the design is too weird.

A fun, enormous gaming phone with physical shoulder buttons that disappear when not gaming.

Stacked with the fastest hardware, huge battery and 120Hz display, but the camera is a compromise and the phone is massive.

The first true gaming phone, but Android wasn't ready and there were hardly any games for the physical controls.

A huge, pricier gaming phone with brilliant pop-out shoulder buttons and display, but not for everyone and weak on camera.

A very fast, surprisingly affordable gaming phone held back by dated software and poor camera processing.

A gaming phone with a huge accessory bundle that is clever marketing and still cheaper than a thousand-dollar flagship.

His pick for best-value gaming phone, keeping what matters at around half the price of the ROG Phone 2.

A bulky but very good value gaming phone with a big battery, fan cooling and strong benchmark scores.

A limited edition with camo finish and 12GB RAM that stands out, and is still cheaper than the Asus ROG Phone in the UK.

A bold, well-priced gaming phone with active cooling, a great display and experimental 8K video, held back by a few rough edges.

A well-priced gaming phone that gives most of the performance of pricier rivals, with compromises on camera and screen.

Used as an example of a gaming phone that cannot improve on the shared chip, though he credits its speakers.

A distinctive, powerful gaming phone with great speakers and a good screen, though the UI is a bit much and the bezels are large.

The phone from an unexpected company that makes the most sense, with a 120Hz display and great speakers, though aimed at a niche.

Gaming-focused phone with a breathing RGB light strip that he likes but that missed the list.