Aim for a gaming-focused phone with a large display, long battery life, and reliable performance at moderate settings. Look for a robust cooling strategy to prevent thermal throttling during lengthy play sessions.
Storage matters, too; prioritize a model with ample space to store games and updates. Check for a clean Android experience and promised software updates that improve security and app compatibility over time.
1. Samsung Galaxy A26 5G
The Samsung Galaxy A26 is the company’s latest entry into the budget smartphone market. It offers a modern, if not particularly stylish, design, a large display, and long battery life for an affordable price. It’s also backed by the brand name and years of software support that Samsung is known for.
The A26’s biggest selling point is its excellent display, which is one of the best in this price range. It has a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED panel and a high 120Hz refresh rate for smooth visuals. It’s also protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+, which should withstand everyday wear and tear.
Inside, the phone uses an Exynos 1380 processor and 6GB of RAM to handle daily tasks and light gaming fairly well. However, it’s still not a powerhouse and may suffer from occasional slowdowns when running resource-intensive apps. Thankfully, the phone supports microSD storage expansion so you can add more external memory to keep things running smoothly.
Like its predecessor, the A26 5G has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner built into the power button. It’s fast, reliable, and easy to reach. Samsung could have saved a few bucks by opting for an in-display fingerprint sensor, but that would have likely degraded the experience and made the phone less user friendly.
In terms of camera performance, the Galaxy A26 5G takes a slight step up from its predecessor. Its main 50MP sensor produces solid results in daylight, with decent sharpness and pleasing colors. It can also shoot 4K video, which is a nice feature to have at this price level. However, the selfie and ultrawide cameras aren’t great.
Other noteworthy features include a front-facing face unlock system, which is quick and accurate, as well as a fingerprint-activated power button that’s a big improvement over its predecessor’s implementation. The phone is available in black only, though, and the piano finish quickly picks up smudges and pocket lint. Samsung calls it Awesome Black, but I prefer the deeper shade of gray on the Moto G Stylus and the vegan leather of the Nothing Phone 3a.
In addition to a USB-C port, the Galaxy A26 also supports fast 25W wired charging. However, it doesn’t come with a charging brick in the box, which is a shame since most rivals at this price level do include them.
2. LG G6
The LG G6 feels like a return to form for a brand that has struggled with the Android gaming smartphone space. It’s not cheap, at roughly $650/PS649/AU$1000 SIM free (although prices are starting to drop), but it’s packed full of some of the best components around.
That starts with the 5.2-inch AMOLED display, which is bright and clear with a high refresh rate to keep games looking smooth. It also comes with a wide color gamut to support the most accurate color reproduction possible.
Under the hood, you’ll find a Snapdragon 845 processor, up to 16GB of RAM and an ample 5,500mAh battery. That gives you enough power to easily handle mobile gaming, streaming and more for days on end. You’ll also get the brand’s Air Trigger controls, a touch capacitive set of bumper buttons that make games like Call of Duty Mobile infinitely easier to command.
The design is more restrained than previous Black Shark devices, avoiding garish RGB and giant vents in favor of a sleeker look that’s in keeping with modern flagship sensibilities. The back is still stamped with a range of patterns and icons, but it’s far less outlandish than the Asus or RedMagic designs. LG has even kept the headphone jack, declining to bow to the industry trend of dropping the connector in order to pack in a slimmer juice unit.
One potential downside is the lack of a USB-C port at the bottom of the device, which will likely prevent you from using it with many Bluetooth gamepads. That said, most people who choose this phone will be using it primarily as a mobile device anyway.
The ROG Phone 9 Pro is the latest in a long line of industry-leading mobile thumb tappers from Asus. It’s loaded with super-fast processing tech and plenty of storage, backed up by a high-refresh rate display that keeps games looking slick. The phone also ships with Armory Crate software, which has sipped the same AI tea as most new flagships and offers features like noise cancellation, text translation and in-game video recording.
3. RedMagic 10 Air
RedMagic has long positioned itself as the hardcore gaming phone brand, and the 10 Air is its best handset yet. This slim powerhouse combines impressive performance with a premium look. It’s a mobile that will appeal to hardcore gamers and casual players alike.
As is the case with most phones in this price range, the RedMagic 10 Air uses a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip paired with up to 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM. It flies on practical graphical tasks, with demanding titles like Genshin Impact, COD Mobile and Zenless Zone Zero running at high settings without a hint of lag.
That performance is backed up by a 6000mAh battery that easily stretches to two days of normal usage on a single charge. The battery is complemented by the RedMagic’s Energy Cube system, which manages gaming-specific tasks to reduce the load on the main processor and improve power efficiency.
The RedMagic 10 Air’s display is another standout feature. The 6.8-inch flat AMOLED screen has a resolution of 2480 x 1116 pixels and supports full DCI-P3 colour gamut, HDR10+ and 10-bit colour. The vibrant colours and crisp image quality help to create a highly immersive gaming experience, especially when the phone is docked in its optional controller accessory. The responsive shoulder triggers – which mimic the controls found on gaming controllers – also add to the experience, as do low-latency Bluetooth and Qualcomm Sound with DTS-X Ultra certification.
While not as bright as the RedMagic 10 Pro’s boosted peak brightness, the 10 Air’s 1,600-nit display is still plenty bright enough for use in most environments. The display is also covered by a slick layer of anti-reflective coating, further helping to keep the screen clear and visible in all conditions.
The front of the RedMagic 10 Air features a 16MP fixed-focus camera that takes solid 1x photos with good detail and dynamic range. There’s no optical zoom, however. The bottom of the phone houses a USB Type-C port that can be used for charging or data transfer, as well as a headphone jack and a fingerprint scanner. The 10 Air’s design also includes a customizable Magic Button that can be programmed to perform different actions, such as opening the Game Space UI or entering the device into gaming mode.
4. Moto G Stylus 2024/2025
The Moto G Stylus series has always been our go-to recommendation if you need an Android phone with a built-in stylus. This year, Motorola made the 2024 model even better with some improvements, and it’s now a great option for anyone looking for an affordable phablet that will give you all the features you need for just $400.
The first improvement that Motorola made this year is to the 6.7-inch AMOLED Super HD display. It now has a maximum brightness of 3,000 nits, which should make it much easier to use outdoors. It’s a big improvement over the 1800 nits that the 2024 model was capable of at its best.
Another major improvement to the Moto G Stylus 2024/2025 is that it now comes with Android 15. It has some new security enhancements, a redesigned setup screen, and other improvements that should make using the phone easier. Motorola also included advanced security software in the form of Moto Secure and ThinkShield, which should keep your personal information safe.
Motorola has also improved the camera on this year’s Moto G Stylus. The primary camera is a 13MP unit with a wide angle lens that can capture more of your surroundings, and it has a macro lens for close-up shots. The front-facing 32MP camera can take amazing selfies, and both cameras are complemented by a flash.
Last but not least, the Moto G Stylus 2024/2025 has a massive 5,000mAh battery. This can be charged quickly thanks to 68W TurboPower charging and 15W wireless charging. It also has a USB-C port and supports newer wireless standards like Wi-Fi 6E. Motorola has also left the 3.5mm headphone jack and microSD card slot on this model, which is nice to see.
The Moto G Stylus 2024/2025 will be available for purchase through Motorola, Best Buy, and Amazon in two colors: PANTONE Gibraltar Sea and PANTONE Surf the Web. The price is $400, which is the same as last year’s model. It’s an excellent phablet that’s a strong competitor to phones like the Samsung Galaxy A36 for the same price.
