Gaming phones

Gaming phones are smartphones specifically designed to deliver top-tier performance at all times. To achieve this, they feature additional cooling systems, sometimes even in the form of a separately sold fan. Stereo sound and the smoothest display are also standard features.

For the occasional game like Subway Surfers or FarmVille, virtually any smartphone will suffice.

Gaming Phone Brands

There are a few brands that market phones specifically for gamers. One example is Asus with its ROG Phone series. Or what about Redmagic? Still others release gaming smartphones alongside their regular models, such as Honor, Nubia, and Xiaomi with its Black Shark.

• Asus ROG gaming phones
• Redmagic gaming phones

Hardcore gamers have a love-hate relationship with mobile gaming. They prefer consoles or PCs. Specialized gaming smartphones therefore remain a niche market. That’s why we’re seeing many companies drop out of the market. Take Razer, for example.

History of mobile gaming

Phone manufacturers realized early on that you could also play games on a cell phone. The first example came in 1997 when the Nokia 6110 hit the market featuring the game Snake. It turned out to be a huge hit, albeit due to its extreme simplicity.

2003: Nokia N-Gage

In 2003, Nokia took on the Nintendo Game Boy Advance by releasing the Nokia N-Gage and N-Gage QD. These uniquely shaped phones didn’t enjoy much success, after which Nokia halted development.

2008: Apple App Store

After Apple released the first iPhone in 2007, it wouldn’t be until 2008 that an official App Store was launched. Developers quickly began creating games that could sometimes be played for free, or for a one-time fee. This sparked a veritable wave of popular titles such as Angry Birds and Candy Crush.

2011: Sony Ericsson Xperia Play

Sony Ericsson surprised everyone in 2011 with the Xperia Play. This was an Android smartphone with a slide-out gamepad. Sony had already gained experience with mobile gaming through the PSP since 2004, so it was somewhat unclear what this Xperia was meant to achieve. As a result, it remained a one-time venture; the device did not receive a successor.

2017: Motorola Moto Gamepad

Now that most smartphones are powerful enough for (simple) games, the need for specially designed gaming phones with dedicated gaming buttons has disappeared. Instead, we saw accessories designed to make gaming easier. For example, in 2017, Motorola launched the Moto Gamepad for its Moto Z series. This separately available accessory clips onto the back of the device and features physical gaming buttons.

2018: Asus ROG

In 2018, Asus released its very first ROG Phone—a standard Android phone with the ability to attach accessories, such as the AeroActive Cooler and the ROG Tessen controller. The ROG phones are optimized to deliver high-quality performance over the long term and are therefore considered high-end flagships.