The mobile gaming landscape has significantly evolved, especially with the rise of popular battle royale titles like Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) and Call of Duty Mobile in recent years. With older smartphones limited by the technology of their time, the latest generation of devices now serves as powerful, portable gaming platforms rivaling dedicated consoles, minus the complications of traditional gaming setups. Furthermore, the top-tier gaming smartphones are not just optimized for mobile-exclusive titles but also offer impressive console-quality gaming experiences, exemplified by the recent launches of acclaimed games such as Death Stranding, Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and Resident Evil Village on the newly released iPhone 16 Pro Max.
With the vast array of smartphones available today, selecting the right one tailored to your gaming needs can be a daunting task. The leading gaming smartphones go beyond impressive specifications, incorporating features designed to enhance user experience, including superior haptics, dedicated gaming modes, and innovative thermal management designs.
To assist in your decision-making process, we have compiled a list of the premier gaming smartphones in India. This selection features devices such as the iPhone 16 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and Realme GT 7 Pro, each catering to a wide range of gaming preferences.
Top Gaming Phones in India
iPhone 16 Pro Max – Price: Rs. 1,44,900
Apple’s flagship, the iPhone 16 Pro Max, is a superb device, even though it isn’t explicitly marketed as a gaming phone. It features a stunning 6.9-inch Super Retina XDR display with a responsive 120Hz refresh rate and is powered by the cutting-edge A18 Pro chipset, recognized as one of the fastest to date.
The device features a dedicated Game mode that optimizes its performance for gaming activities. It includes support for hardware-accelerated ray tracing, enhancing the realism of lighting and reflections in games, and offers a plethora of console-quality titles available on its App Store such as Assassin’s Creed Mirage and Resident Evil Village.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra – Price: Rs. 1,29,999
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra stands out not only as a top smartphone but also as a formidable contender for gaming excellence. It harnesses the power of a custom Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset, boasting a peak clock speed of 4.47GHz coupled with 12GB of RAM, supporting hardware-accelerated ray tracing for visually realistic graphics.
This device dons a 6.9-inch Super AMOLED 2X display with a high refresh rate of 120Hz. It offers a Game Booster mode along with a high-performance mode that allows users to tailor optimization settings for individual preferences, adjusting parameters like frames per second (fps), screen resolution, and frame booster settings.
iQOO 13 – Price: Rs. 54,999
iQOO 13 is a notable flagship designed specifically with gamers in mind. It features a vibrant 6.82-inch 8T LTPO AMOLED display with a remarkable 144Hz refresh rate and 2K resolution, paired with a 300Hz touch sampling rate. Its performance capabilities are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM, and an Adreno 830 GPU, ensuring it can handle the most demanding graphic settings.
The device is enhanced with a proprietary Q2 supercomputing chip aimed at boosting gaming performance efficiently, along with a unique 7,000 mm square Vapor Chamber to manage heat effectively.
OnePlus 13 – Price: Rs. 69,999
The OnePlus 13 stands proudly with Qualcomm’s leading Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, although it is not specifically a gaming-centric model. This smartphone includes LPDDR5x RAM, UFS 4.0 storage, and an Adreno 830 GPU, focusing on handling graphic-intensive applications. The display is a 6.82-inch Quad HD+ LTPO AMOLED panel with a variable refresh rate of 120Hz.
Additionally, the device is equipped with a second-generation Cryo-Velocity Cooling System and a dual-layer Super Graphite vapor chamber to ensure efficient heat management. For those concerned about overheating during extended gaming sessions, OnePlus offers a Freezing Point Phone Cooler as a supplementary accessory that attaches directly to the phone.
Realme GT 7 Pro – Price: Rs. 59,999
The Realme GT 7 Pro is a flagship offering from the Chinese manufacturer, featuring a 6.78-inch 8T LTPO AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and 16GB of LPDDR5x RAM, this device holds its own alongside other premium gaming smartphones, with Realme claiming enhanced gaming performance through AI advancements.
The device features AI Gaming Super Resolution technology that can elevate game resolution from the standard 720p to 1.5K for select titles such as Free Fire and Honor of Kings. Another unique feature, AI Gaming Super Frame, enhances the frames per second count, further amplifying the gaming experience.
