A budget gaming phone might seem like an oxymoron, but we assure you it is possible. It requires some searching and a bit of compromise, depending on your budget. You want something that you’ll be able and happy to use for the next few years, but you similarly want to make sure that you have money left over to live your life.
The good news is that as smartphones have improved over the years, more phones are designed for gaming, and general phones that still have great gaming chops available for sale. What was once the cutting edge of gaming is now standard fare, and you can have a great time with a budget gaming phone. You just need to know what to look for.
Here is what you need to know about great budget gaming phones, as well as some of our top recommendations:
Not everything is essential to a gaming phone, but much of what is important to a standard smartphone is good for gaming purposes. And since you’ll be using it daily, you want a phone that can do it all. Here are the things we looked at when deciding which budget gaming phones were best:
Screen Size and Resolution: When playing a game on your phone, you want the game to look good. Part of that is what the processor is capable is putting out, but the display is the other half of the equation. You want at least a 1080p resolution even on a budget phone, and ideally, something better than that. There are also 4K resolution phones on the cutting edge, but you, unfortunately, aren’t going to find a budget phone that offers it.
The screen’s refresh rate also matters, as do metrics such as brightness range. Don’t underestimate the importance of the screen when buying a budget gaming phone.
Processing and Graphics Power: What makes the games run and run well? Generally, it’s the hardware under the phone's hood, so to speak, and the processor is the most important thing here. New chipsets are released regularly, though you’ll want to compare them when comparing phones. And some games require more power than others. How much this matters and what your cutoff point depends on the games you like to play.
Note that while we would also talk about RAM and storage space more often, phones have different versions with different storage space sizes and amounts of RAM. More is better in both cases, but it’s all relatively straightforward.
Battery Life: Gaming uses up a lot of power on any device, and that means that if you want to play for more than an hour without plugging your phone in, then you want a phone that has a decent battery. It also helps if the battery itself will last a long time. And finally, a battery that can charge quickly makes for a better gaming phone, even if it isn’t the most important thing.
Build and Design: There are better and cheaper hand warmers than your phone, so we want you to be comfortable playing your games. Overheating is often an issue; some people might find themselves uncomfortable with a phone that isn’t designed well for their hands. In some cases, there is little avoiding it.
Extra Features, Ports, and More: The little things and additional features often result in the best gaming experience. You might find that something as simple as a headphone jack can make or break a phone. Some phones have buttons that might make gaming easier. Be on the lookout for features you might use daily and in gaming sessions.
Price: Naturally, we also need to discuss price when discussing budget phones. In fact, for many people, it might be the first and (hopefully not) only thing looked at. Your budget will be different from other readers’, so judge according to your own situation, but do keep it in mind. For our part, we sought out phones that provided great value.
It should also be noted that while we are reviewing and recommending these devices as budget gaming phones, they are also regular smartphones, and we anticipate using them as such. If a device won’t work well as a phone, it’s out of the running in our view. The good news is that a lot of what makes a phone great for gaming makes it great in general.
Here are our top seven picks for budget gaming phones in 2022. Some might be older models that still have great usage today, while others might be built for budgeters while having the things gamers still need.
Our first choice and perhaps the all-around budget gaming phone we’d recommend to anyone who doesn’t want to read; further, the Xiaomi Poco X4 Pro stands out through its balance of all of our concerns. Performance-wise, it has a Snapdragon 695 5G chipset and 8GB of RAM, allowing you to do a bit more than some other budget phones regarding gaming. And it will look decent enough to your eyes with the 120Hz 6.67 IPS display, providing a resolution of 2400 x 1080p. HD gaming can fit right in your hand.
It's a good phone overall, but do note that it had a few issues with bugs at launch, and you might not see as much support for it over the years as other phones. The camera isn’t the best in the industry, but most budget phones will not provide that unless you selectively seek out a phone with a fantastic camera (and not much else).
You can find it on sale most of the time, and if that is the case for you, then it only stands higher in our eyes, and you should seriously consider it for your immediate budget gaming needs.
Price: About $300, or less if you find a good deal.
Recommended if: You want an all-around good gaming phone that avoids breaking the bank and you don’t need too many extra features.
Let’s just a bit more into premium territory for a moment here. The first thing you’ll see that captures and keeps your attention without going over $500 is the Red Magic 6R, which is the entry model for the company but is more than enough for many users.
It packs quite a bit of power, usually having a Snapdragon 888 5G processor and 12GB of RAM. You can get up to 256GB of storage, and connectivity will not be an issue with its Wi-Fi 6E compatibility. It’s very impressive, and you’ll be able to game like you weren’t on a budget when you bought the phone.
The display is also a major selling point for the Red Magic 6R, being a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen that can provide a 144Hz refresh rate for those who love high FPS mobile gaming.
There are also a few features gamers will love, such as touch triggers on the top of the phone when in landscape mode, which is great for shooters. You can make your gaming settings game-specific, making controlling games in general with this phone much nicer than with a non-gaming model.
It has some interesting touches and quirks, and you might need to experiment and explore the settings of the phone to work well for you, but we promise that the time to get used to it will be well worth it.
Price: About $500 as of this writing, though it can be expected to get cheaper soon.
Recommended if: You want a dedicated gaming smartphone with fantastic features that is a bit pricier but by no means breaks the bank.
The Infinix Zero 5G is something of a workhorse for a budget phone in that it does great by the numbers, but you notice there might be a few teeth missing, and you’ll want to check out that leg after a bit. It’s not exactly something to show off unless you dress it up. Yet if you’re interested in a budget gaming phone, then looks aren’t most important to you.
It is from a relatively new company, and as such, some of the refinements aren’t there. Yet look beyond that, and you will find a solid budget gaming phone that should last you for a while. The screen is a full HD+ 120Hz display, though it is an LCD panel instead of an AMOLED one. The colors won’t be as great, but the frame rate for your games will be. It has 8GB of RAM and runs a MediaTek Dimensity 900 system on a chip. In short, this means that this phone will outperform most competitors for the same price, and you can run games at higher settings than you otherwise would.
It has a larger battery than many phones and should last a while except for under conditions of intense usage. And the camera is mediocre at best, easily outclassed by nearly any smartphone made today. Yet overall, the phone's strength lies in its processing power, and if that’s what matters most, go for it.
Price: About $250, depending on the retailer.
Recommended if: You want more power for your dollar and don’t mind the little things so much.
You might know the Samsung Galaxy line as being filled with very powerful and expensive phones, often being the flagship phone to get when it comes out. Yet not all of them are like that, and you will find that the Samsung Galaxy A51 is a good choice for budget gaming, especially if you want a phone from a trusted brand such as Samsung.
The A51 might not be as powerful or competitive as when it first came out, but it can still serve as an excellent example of a budget phone that can be used for some nice gaming on the commute or in the evenings. Yet note it was not designed as a gaming phone, and performance can be lacking with some programs or if you have too much going on at once. The 4GB of RAM holds it back. If you like to constantly play modern games at high settings, this might not be your phone.
Yet the A51 does have a lot going for it. You will get 128GB of storage with the option to expand that with a microSD card. The phone has a decent 4500mAh battery and charges quickly. It can utilize 5G connections. And it has a nice 6.5” AMOLED display that will make games look great.
Recommended if: You are looking for a brand-name phone that won’t break the bank and was designed for people on a budget.
We would be somewhat remiss if we did not include an iPhone in our list here, given how many mobile gamers wouldn’t use anything else. Yet getting the latest model would not be a budget purchase, however, as it would likely set you back more than a grand. However, there are still older models for sale, and they can be perfectly competent for gaming. A variation of the iPhone 12 might be good for a moderate price point (and a good option if you can afford it). However, we think the iPhone 11 is the way for the budget gamer.
And with an iPhone comes the UI and effectively exclusive apps Apple is known for. You will enjoy Apple Arcade, a worthwhile subscription service for mobile apps. Many mobile games are not available on Android but are available on iOS. Your mind might already be made up based on what you want to playp.
The iPhone 11 comes with a wide and ultrawide camera lens, an A13 Bionic chip with a 6-core CPU, up to 128GB of storage, and 1792 by 828p resolution. Max brightness is 625 nits, and it has a haptic touch, which can be nice for gaming. You cannot expect the world from this phone, but it worked wonderfully for the gamers of just a couple of years ago. Gaming has not advanced that much just yet.
Price: Starting at $500.
Recommended if: You absolutely want to have an iPhone for gaming and will not accept anything else.
The ASUS ROG Phone series has ever been at the forefront of smartphones built for gamers if a little flashy at times. At this price point, you’d be hard-pressed to call the ASUS ROG Phone 5 a budget phone, with ASUS selling it for $999.99 when it’s available (if ever). You can enjoy the ASUS ROG Phone 5 at a huge discount from other retailers, however, and at a much lower price than the new ASUS ROG Phone 6. Most premium gamers won’t give the 5 a thought now that the 6 is out. You don’t have to be one of them.
Why? Because the ASUS ROG Phone 5 still has most of what gamers need today. You can expect a 144Hz/1ms display for the screen, complete with highly responsive touch controls. You won’t be able to blame the phone for a bad play genuinely (though you can still blame the equipment, it is tradition, after all).
You can have up to 16GB of RAM on the phone, it uses a Snapdragon 888, and you can get up to 256GB of UFS 3.1 ROM. This phone is still a powerhouse, and enhancements beyond it get into the realm of diminishing returns. You might need to search a little to find it, but serious gamers who have a little more budget may want to consider the ASUS ROG 5
Price: $600-$1000, depending on timing and the retailer.
Recommended if: You want a great phone built for gaming from the outset and don’t mind working with the previous premium model.
Last but not least, though perhaps least in price, is the One Plus Nord N200. It was designed as a budget phone and continues to be a popular budget phone, though it is better for gaming than some of its ultra-budget competitors. It has simple looks, a simple design, and nothing special to write home about in terms of extra buttons or features. It does have everything you need, though.
The display might be the first thing to note with the One Plus Nord N200. The 6.49-inch screen looks nice indoors or outdoors and provides 495 ppi for a great gaming experience. The 2400 x 1080 resolution is more than enough for most games, and you can run the screen at up to 90Hz to show off a nice frame rate. Not all games will go that high with this phone, though. It has 4GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 480 processor. Regarding storage, you’re starting with 64GB, but you can add a microSD card.
This might not be impressive, but keep in mind that you can get this phone for at most $240 and less than $200 if you search online and don’t care too much about the color. And you shouldn’t, given that a case solves whatever issues you might have with it. If price is your key consideration, start with the One Plus Nord N200.
Price: $240, though you may find it cheaper.
Recommended if: You want a phone on the much cheaper side that still can do most of the gaming you might get into daily.
Gaming is more than about the hardware. There are other factors involved. You might want to read additional sources if you want to get the absolute best from your gaming smartphone, but here are some key things to know:
Since you’re reading an article on budget phones, you might be interested in some other ways to save money where your smartphone is concerned:
What is the best gaming phone for one person might not be the best for another. And when you have to factor budget heavily into that equation, that means it isn’t going to get any easier to decide what is right for you. We hope that from the above options, you can pick out a gaming phone that will last you for at least the next few years and will be able to bring you much enjoyment, whatever your game of choice. Keep on the lookout, come back to this page as you feel the need, and we wish you the best in your search and with your new phone.
