INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:

The best phone for gaming has more than one right answer in 2018, and that's good news because talented developers are bringing more 3D

games from the consoles straight to your mobile handset, including Fortnite and PUBG Mobile.The best gaming smartphones will not only let

you play today's best smartphone games, but they’ll ensure you have the best visuals and performance for years to come

They're future-proofing you for games in 2020, too.To that end, we’ve looked over the options and selected the best phones for gaming

based on the options in their app stores, the power of their components, the quality of their screens, the size of their batteries, their

support for VR, and more. You can rest assured, when it comes to smartphone gaming, every phone on this list is ready to deliver a quality

experience.1

iPhone XIt's all about the App StoreRelease date: October 2017 | Weight: 174g | Dimensions: 143.6 x 70.9 x 7.7mm | OS: iOS 11 | Screen size:

camera: 7MPGreat game app ecosystemMaximized OLED screenThe notch can be distractingA very expensive smartphoneEven if Macs aren’t the

best for gaming, Apple’s iPhones are fantastic for games

Part of this is due to the love developers show the App Store

iPhones almost always get the best games first, like Fortnite’s so-far exclusive iOS launch

And, the best way to play those games is on a brand new iPhone X.The iPhone X has a slightly bigger battery than the iPhone 8 Plus, which

should give it enough power to game for a while

Plus, the iPhone X’s 5.8-inch OLED display will offer plenty of screen space for games along with incredible contrast ratios

There’s nothing like OLED for making visuals pop when a scene has a dark and light contrast.1

iPhone 8 PlusPowerful specs and a big screenRelease date: September 2017 | Weight: 202g | Dimensions: 158.4 x 78.1 x 7.5mm | OS: iOS 11 |

| Front camera: 7MPGreat game app ecosystemLarge 5.5-inch LCD displayLots of bezel makes the phone too bigExpensiveThere’s no getting

around it: Apple has two amazing phones with big, sharp displays powered by top-of-the-line specs

The same internals and App Store that earned the iPhone X the top spot on this list earn the iPhone 8 Plus the second spot.The iPhone 8 Plus

has a less-showy Full HD display, but in our experience is still great for gaming

The 5.5-inch screen is plenty spacious

Apple’s A11 Bionic CPU and graphics make for a mean gaming experience, and ARkit offers up augmented reality games that give Apple’s

iPhones more to offer gamers.3

Galaxy S9 and S9 PlusRelease date: March 2018 | Weight: 189g | Dimensions: 158.1 x 73.8 x 8.5mm | OS: Android 8 Oreo | Screen size: 6.2-inch

| Front camera: 8MPGiant 5.8- and 6.3-inch screenGame Tools app is actually helpfulBattery not amazingWe’ve lumped the Samsung Galaxy S9

and S9 Plus into one spot, because they both offer nearly the same incredible smartphone gaming experience with only a minor difference in

screen size. The Snapdragon 845, Adreno 630 graphics, and 4GB of RAM (6GB in the S9 Plus) make both of these phones incredible performers

both in game and out

And, since the market of other Android phones boasting the new Snapdragon 845 hasn’t caught up, Samsung easily snags this seat.But, a

powerful chipset isn’t all that earns the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus its ranking

The S9 has a plenty large and plenty sharp 1440 X 2960, 5.8-inch display, and the S9 Plus has an even larger 6.2-inch display with the same

resolution

Both are Super AMOLED and support HDR10 for stunning visuals.The new Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus also feature Samsung’s Game Tools, which can

help with taking screenshots, recording gameplay, and keeping notifications out of the way

Let’s not forget that Samsung also has the impressive Gear VR headsets that offer super sharp virtual reality experiences with the Galaxy

S9’s and S9 Plus’s pixel-dense displays.4

Sony Xperia XZ2From the makers of PlayStationRelease date: February 2018 | Weight: 198g | Dimensions: 153 x 72 x 11.1mm | OS: Android 8 |

5MPBeautiful HDR displayDynamic Vibration SystemDynamic Vibration a gimmickNot easily available in the USAided by a 5.7-inch 1080 x 2160 HDR

display and the same Snapdragon 845 chipset powering the latest Galaxy smartphones, Sony’s Xperia XZ2 jumps ahead of much of the

competition

This new offering from Sony is simply a great phone, and having the latest Qualcomm system-on-a-chip gives it stunning video game

performance.The Xperia XZ2 won’t just offering great gaming visuals though

It has dual front-facing speakers, for a quality stereo experience

The 3,180mAh battery offers decent gaming battery life as well

And, for mobile gamers that have a big library, microSD support provides up to 400GB of extra storage.A unique feature that can make mobile

gaming on the Xperia XZ2 feel just a little bit more like console gaming is Sony’s “Dynamic Vibration System”

A little haptic feedback can enhance your game experience, even if it’s just a minor touch to an already solid offering from Sony.5

4,000mAh batteryLast year's Snapdragon 835 chipBig and bulkyThe Razer Phone is an Android device meant for mobile gaming, and it has the

specs to prove it

It runs on a Snapdragon 835, which still offers commendable performance, despite being superseded by the new Snapdragon 845. The Razer

Phone’s mobile gaming bona fides include a 5.7-inch QHD display with a refresh rate of 120Hz for buttery smooth visuals, a behemoth

4,000mAh battery for long playtimes, and some of the best smartphone speakers around for rocking game audio

There may not have been a smartphone so focused on gaming since the notorious Nokia N-Gage

Expandable storage via microSD is just a bonus perk.6

Moto Z2 ForceGaming with a controller modRelease date: August 2017 | Weight: 143g | Dimensions: 155.8 x 76 x 6.1mm | OS: Android 8 | Screen

| Front camera: 5MPTons of fun add-on modsGoogle Daydream-ready VRBattery life is just okayLast year's great specsThe Moto Z2 Force is a

curious case

It has the quality 5.5-inch Quad HD display and the powerful Snapdragon 835 chipset for gaming, but on its own it’s not the most amazing

gaming smartphone

A somewhat small 2,730mAh battery doesn’t give it the long life we’d like to see in a gaming phone

But, it has a trick that others don’t.The Moto Z2 Force can snap onto the Moto GamePad mod, which it two analog stick, a D-pad, and a host

of other gamer-friendly buttons

Having physical controls for smartphone games is a double bonus, since they will easier to use while making the screen easier to see (you

thumbs won’t be covering up your enemies)

The Moto GamePad even has a 3.5mm headphone jack.When it comes to virtual reality, the Moto Z2 Force is ready

It’s certified Google Daydream-ready

Next to Samsung’s Gear VR, the Daydream View delivers some of the best mobile VR available, and the Moto Z2 Force can power that

experience.7

8MPFront-facing speakersVery little screen bezelNo 3.5mm headphone port Screen has poor viewing angles Google’s biggest and best

smartphone, the Pixel 2 XL, also has what it takes to be a great gaming smartphone

It’s 6-inch display offers plenty of real estate for gaming without having your thumbs cover everything up

That display is also a 1440 x 2880 pOLED panel, so the visuals will be crisp with excellent contrast. Like many of the other phones on this

list, the Pixel 2 XL is running a Snapdragon 835 chipset, which will deliver smooth gaming performance in most mobile games

Of course, the Pixel 2 XL is also capable of delivering VR content with the Daydream View headset. An added bonus is that the large

3,520mAh battery will make it easy to game on the go, while Google’s Project Fi network (which Pixel owners can subscribe to) offers

impressive coverage that can help eliminate concerns of losing connection to online games.8

LG V30LG's best phone for gamingRelease date: September 2017 | Weight: 158g | Dimensions: 151.7 x 75.4 x 7.3mm | OS: Android 7 | Screen

Front camera: 5MPStreamlined designExcellent audio performanceLast year's great specsSoon to be replacedThe LG V30 is simply an excellent

phone

It has the sharp, large screen and the powerful processor needed to offer a great mobile gaming experience

It’s 6-inch 1440 x 2880 OLED display is much like the Pixel 2 XL’s, and it also is Daydream-ready for gamers that want to dive into

VR. A 3,300mAh battery offers a bit more game time than a typical smartphone battery

And, a microSD slot means plenty of room for games if the built-in 64GB of storage isn’t enough

Though this is a great phone, it’s likely to be replaced soon by the inbound LG G7 ThinQ or, later on, by the LG V35S ThinQ. 9

Asus Zenfone 4 Pro A performer at a better priceRelease date: August 2017 | Weight: 175g | Dimensions: 156.9 x 75.6 x 7.6mm | OS: Android 8

12MP+16MP | Front camera: 8MPCheaper than most gaming phonesA nice 5.5-inch AMOLED displaySoon to be replaced by the 5ZLast year's great

specsThe Asus Zenfone 4 Pro is a high performer with a more appealing price than a lot of the competition on this list

It only has a Full HD display, but at 5.5-inches, that’s plenty pixel dense

Plus, it’s an AMOLED display, so visuals will be top notch. The Zenfone 4 Pro is running the same Snapdragon 835 chipset as many other

phones on this list, it will perform admirably at Full HD

Since lower resolutions are easier on the hardware, focus can go into consistently smooth gameplay and better graphics.The big 3,600mAh

battery paired with a smaller 5.5-inch AMOLED display are a great formula for long battery life

And, microSD support means plenty of room for games, movies, or whatever else

The upcoming Asus Zenfone 5Z with Snapdragon 845 is expected later this year, and is likely to find its way onto this list then.10

Samsung Galaxy S8Last year's top Android performer at a discountRelease date: April 2017 | Weight: 173g | Dimensions: 159.5 x 73.4 x 8.1mm |

camera: 12MP | Front camera: 8MPCheaper after one year of availabilitySamsung's Game Tools are helpfulLast year's great specs Battery life

could be betterThe Samsung Galaxy S8 has pretty much all the same things going for it that the S9 does, except it’s a little slower and a

lot cheaper

It has the same 1440x2960 Super AMOLED display that never fails to dazzle the eyes

It has an equally sized 3,000mAh battery

It also can slot into a Gear VR headset.The big difference is that the Galaxy S8 runs on the older Snapdragon 835 chipset (or Exynos 8895

for most of the world)

Still, the older chipset is plenty capable of high quality mobile gaming

Like the S9, the Galaxy S8 can also connect to a Samsung DeX Pad for use with a full computer monitor, keyboard, and mouse

That might not be mobile gaming, but it’s certainly a way to win.skhxF9RhghquJuv7GfnCWR.jpg#

Best phone for gaming 2018: the top 10 mobile game performers