10 Best Gaming Phones in the Philippines | Best of Tech 2023

Smartphone gaming has become more popular than ever since gamers have always been keen on the latest technology to offer them a competitive advantage. While gaming phones cannot provide the same user experience as a PC or a console, they are more portable and adaptable, allowing you to use them wherever and whenever you wish. And beyond games, these phones are more than enough for multitasking and daily activities. With an extensive brand of gaming phones in the market, which then is the best in the Philippines? In our Best of Tech series, we introduce the 10 Best Gaming Phones in the Philippines, providing quality recommendations based on your budget and gaming needs. 

This article was last updated on 22 February 2023.

10 Best Gaming Phones in the Philippines

1. POCO F4 Gaming Phone

Powerful smartphone for a lesser price

POCO has become very popular lately, which we believe is largely due to its powerful capability while remaining reasonably priced. The F4 is one of the more expensive units of the brand right now, but it still falls short of P30,000! Regarding specs and features, there’s a 6.67-inch 120Hz AMOLED display, a 4,700mAh battery, and a triple-camera setup on the back. The best part is that it now has a powerful Qualcomm® Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with a 5G chipset, unlike the previous model, which had a MediaTek Dimensity 1200 chipset. That said, the Poco F4 offers much more than you would expect for its lowest price!

We also find the colour and design much more appealing than its predecessor. At first glance, you can’t say that this is a budget mid-range phone! So if you’re looking for a powerful, affordable, and stylish gaming phone, look no further than the POCO F4.

Why buy this:

• Great battery life and fast charging
• With magnetic pop-up triggers to activate the apex-level gaming experience
• Also features a 480Hz touch sampling rate
• Reasonably priced

2. iPhone 13 Pro Max

Best iPhone for gaming

If you’ve always used Apple devices and want to make the most of services like Apple Arcade, the iPhone 13 Pro Max is for you. This year’s iPhone lineup has four models, but we picked the iPhone 13 Pro Max for this list because of its larger screen. The 6.7-inch 120Hz OLED display is clear, bright, and has an excellent contrast ratio. There’s also the topic of battery life, as high-end gaming quickly drains your phone’s battery, but the iPhone 13 Pro Max has the best battery life of any iPhone on the market today. So, if you love playing location-based games, you no longer need to carry a battery pack everywhere with you!

Obviously, everyone is aware that the latest Apple iPhones are pricey, but we believe they are worthwhile given the outstanding performance, fantastic cameras, and access to a more extensive system. If the iPhone Pro Max display is too large (or too expensive) for you, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro are both viable options. They share the same incredible A15 Bionic CPU but feature a smaller 6.1-inch OLED screen.

Why buy this:

• Offers incredible performance
• Outstanding cameras
• Durable design features like Ceramic Shield, industry-leading IP68 water resistance, and spill resistance

3. Redmi Note 11 Pro+

The first 120W hypercharge in the Redmi Note series

Redmi Note 11 Pro+ is the first 120W Hypercharge equipped in the Redmi Note series. This smartphone is impressively capable of charging the massive 4,500 mAh battery to 100% in just 15 minutes! To improve the current flow in the battery to fast charge, Redmi Note 11 Pro+ adopts dual charge pumps making charging safer while generating less heat. If you are an avid fan of taking cinematic photos, you’ll definitely love this smartphone’s 8MP ultra-wide camera and 2MP macro camera. With this feature, you can capture different perspectives from landscapes down to the tiniest details. For imaging technology, Redmi Note 11 Pro+ features a 108MP main camera and Samsung HM2 sensor with a size of 1/1.52” and supports a 9-in-1 pixel binning with 2.1 µm pixels. These features produce better-quality photos and deliver detailed low-light images. 

Perfect for gaming

Equipped with 120Hz Amoled Display and sound by JBL, this gaming phone is perfect for gaming providing vivid picture quality and excellent colour details. To ensure your eye comfort, the device also provides adaptive brightness featuring 360˚ ambient light sensors and a light display for optimal viewing. 

Why buy this:

• Features a 120W hypercharge that is capable of charging the smartphone to 100% in just 15 minutes
• Exceptional audio-visual experience with 120Hz Amoled Display and sound by JBL
• Ultra clear 108MP main camera, 8MP ultra-wide and 2MP macro camera
• Sleek and stylish flat-edge design

4. Legion Duel 2 Gaming Phone

We love the distinctive and aggressive look of the Legion Phone Duel 2. There is a lot going on in the back, including angles that complement the Legion emblem. The name alone sounds cool and appropriate for a high-performance gaming phone. In terms of specs, this phone more than lives up to its name and visual appeal. It has an octa trigger, which is 8 virtual buttons in a “console controller type” array. There is also a Qualcomm® Snapdragon 888 5G chipset for gamers. These phone features are already outstanding, but there’s more! The 5500mAh battery with 90W dual charging, which charges this phone very quickly but drains very slowly, is our favourite feature.

Why buy this:

• Has virtual keys for a ‘console controller like array
• Great battery life and fast-charging
• With a 6.92” 144Hz AMOLED custom gaming display
• Also has an integrated, active, twin turbo-fan cooling system

5. Black Shark 5 Pro Gaming Phone

When it comes to gaming phones, Black Shark is a brand not to be overlooked. Most gamers are aware that this company focuses on gaming, so the aesthetics and specs, like the Legion phone, are most likely suitable. The Black Shark 5 Pro is the latest, with a 10-bit colour depth function and a 6.7-inch OLED display for an ultra-smooth and clear visual experience in any game. Plus, we’re amazed at how easy it is to perform complex two-finger operations in a game thanks to the dual-zone pressure-sensitive display. To top it off, this gaming phone is arguably one of the fastest charging devices we’ve ever seen, taking just 15 minutes on ultimate mode or 24 minutes on even mode!

Why buy this:

• One of the fastest charging devices in the market right now
• With a fully upgraded CPU & GPU in a 4nm process (Snapdragon 8 Gen 1)
• Features a 144Hz OLED E-sports display

6. Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G is one of the flagship models, despite not being designed specifically for gaming. This simply means that it is an excellent Android phone that can also serve as an effective mobile gaming device! It has everything a great phone should have: a powerful CPU, plenty of RAM and internal storage, a large battery capacity, and amazing stereo speakers. Moreover, the dynamic display and refresh rate could be increased to 120Hz to provide a smoother gaming experience, video streaming, and app drawer transition experience. So, if you’re looking for a premium gaming phone that can do it all, this one from Samsung might be worth a look.

Why buy this:

• Features S Pen support
• Has a stellar display and great battery life
• Sleek design

7. OnePlus 9R 5G

OnePlus’s gorgeous smartphone delights in every way. As a well-rounded product with peak performance on par with gaming-oriented devices, the design, and camera quality were not sacrificed. It has a 6.55-inch AMOLED display with a 4K resolution. What’s more, the dynamic refresh rate of 120Hz provides a very smooth experience, whether you’re viewing a video or playing a high-graphics-demanding game. We also liked the top-tier Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor is also present in the OnePlus 9R, which is paired with eight gigabytes of RAM in the 128GB variant. So, we think in many ways that this has been one of the brand’s best gaming phones.

Why buy this:

• Stunning design
• Fast wireless and wired charging
• Fantastic cameras
• Great 120Hz display

8. OPPO Reno6 Z

One of the fast-charging phones in the market

Sporting an AI-enhanced Sensing Algorithm in the 32MP front camera, OPPO Reno6 Z lets you scroll, mute and answer phone calls with Air Gesture Adaptive Sleep. It automatically keeps your smartphone’s screen awake and masks your notification with Anti-Peeping while others are around. The 63 inches Punch-Hole AMOLED FHD+ screen provides an expanded and better visual experience your eyes will thank you for. 

One of the things a gamer looks for in a gaming smartphone is its capability to charge faster and the battery to last longer. This smartphone offers a 30W VOOC fast charge with 4,300mAh placing OPPO Reno6 Z as one of the fast-charging phones in the market. To add more, Reno6 Z has a built-in Octa Core 5G SoC so you can get the perfect gaming experience you need.

Why buy this:

• Octa Core 5G SoC
• 63 inches punch-hole AMOLED FHD+ screen for an expanded and better visual gaming experience
• AI-enhanced Sensing Algorithm
• Fast charging

9. HUAWEI Nova 10 Smartphone

Slim body smartphone

Improved screen clarity and decreased power consumption are what we love about HUAWEI Nova 10 Smartphone. Equipped with a 6.67-inch curved display, this smartphone brings you closer to the world of gaming. This gaming phone has a slim body of 6.88 mm ultra-thin design making it easy to hold the phone as you play your favourite game. The 60MP front ultra-wide camera lets you capture the moments of your life vividly. Moreover, HUAWEI Nova 10 proudly features a SuperCharge where you can fully charge your phone in just 38 minutes allowing you to roam freely far from home. 

Why buy this:

• Slim body of 6.88 mm ultra-thin design
• Improved screen clarity and decreased power consumption
• Equipped with a 6.67-inch curved display perfect for gaming activities
• 108MP resolution portrait camera and 60MP front ultra-wide camera let you capture the best moments of your life
• SuperCharge feature allows you to fully charge your phone in just 38 minutes

10. ASUS ROG 5 Gaming Phone

Best overall

The Asus ROG Phone 5 is our top pick for the best gaming phone. This goes without saying given that it was built and promoted specifically for gamers. Aside from top-tier specs like a Snapdragon 888 processor, a 144Hz refresh rate screen, up to 512GB of storage, and up to 18GB of RAM, this phone sports one of the strongest batteries on the market at 6,000mAh. Its battery will keep you going for hours, and we love that its charging brick boasts a 65W fast-charging capacity! Moreover, with its gaming chic-angled plastic scaled back, the ROG 5 has struck a fantastic balance in terms of aesthetic design.

That’s a lot of stuff, but it all boils down to how fast the ROG Phone 5 is. Whatever you’re doing, the phone should be doing it as quickly as possible, and surfing through social media should be a buttery smooth experience. The best part is that the camera performs well, which is unusual for a gaming phone, and the speakers are outstanding. Overall, it should be no surprise that the Asus ROG 5’s powerful specifications, stunning display, game-enhancing hardware, and long battery life combined give a better gaming experience than any other phone on the market right now.

Why buy this:

• Fast 144Hz AMOLED display
• Lots of gaming-focused features
• Great battery life with a fast-charging capacity
• A good camera and speaker quality

We hope that our guide on the 10 Best Gaming Phones in the Philippines has helped you pick the best workout phone for your gaming needs. Please share this with your family and friends if you have found it useful!

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