Best Smartphones for Movies and Gaming
There have been healthy developments in the gaming industry, and keeping pace is the smartphone makers from different countries. There are dedicated smartphones for playing games with special provisions for better screen refresh rates and additional cooling facilities. Some of the mainstream smartphone models like iPhones and the Samsung Galaxy S series devices also possess the power. Users can watch movies or play casino games on them and have an immersive experience.
There are certain basic requirements for smartphones to even qualify for consideration in our top list. The phones must have a reasonably large display with higher refresh rates than normal. The battery has to be powerful enough to last your gaming session or a full movie. The CPU and GPU have to possess the power to accommodate the high-intensity casino games. The list of the best smartphones for movies and gaming could be very long, but 5 of the best smartphone models have been chosen here. Read on for details of their specifications and features and how they score over the other similar devices.
- Asus ROG Phone 3: Asus is one brand you will have to consider when discussing gaming smartphones. The Taiwanese company has cornered this niche, and its ROG (Republic of Gamers) title runs through all the components it makes for gaming purposes. These include gaming laptops, mice, monitors and so on. The Asus ROG Phone 3 is the latest smartphone the company has released in July 2020.
In terms of the specifications, the Asus ROG Phone 3 has everything going for it to play games. The phone comes with a 6.59-inch AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 2,340×1,080 pixels and has very thin bezels. The screen refresh rate is as high as 144Hz. It has a couple of front-facing speakers, and you can hear the sounds clearly. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 Plus SoC is the processor driving this device, and the X55 modem enables 5G connectivity.
The gaming-specific features include physical buttons called Air Triggers. These can be used while playing rapid shooting games. There’s the AeroActive 3 cooling arrangement as well. The 6,000 mAh battery and 30W Quick charging mean you have sufficient battery life. The phone comes in 3 variants of RAM namely 8GB, 12GB and 16GB. The Zenfone 6 UI, along with the X Mode, provides the ideal platform for gaming.
With all these specifications and features, the Asus ROG Phone 3 is ideal for gaming and for watching movies as well. The 12GB RAM variant with 512GB of internal storage retails for around $1,150.
- Samsung Galaxy S20: Though Samsung has released the Galaxy Note 20 in August 2020, the Galaxy S series flagships generally command a premium among the buyers. Though the trend is to focus more on the Samsung Galaxy S20+ and the Ultra variants, you will find that the plain Galaxy S20 offers you almost everything that you get on the other two.
From the limited perspective of gaming and watching movies, the Samsung Galaxy S20 is a good option. It has a 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED display, and the screen resolution is 1,440×3,200 pixels. Good enough for playing graphics-intensive games and for watching movies, you’d say. Keep in view that the other two models, the Galaxy S20+ and S20 Ultra, have the same screen resolution on larger screen sizes. As a result, the Galaxy S20 enjoys the best pixel density of 563ppi among the three. This is an aspect that goes directly in favour of this phone for gaming and watching movies. Along with these, the screen refresh rate is 120Hz, strengthening its case as the best smartphone for movies and gaming. The 4,000mAh battery also gives the Samsung Galaxy S20 the required juice to stay awake as long as you are playing a game or enjoying a movie or show.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 can be purchased for less than $700. The higher versions cost more. Pick your choice.
- OnePlus 8 Pro: You may be surprised to learn that the OnePlus 8 Pro packs almost all the specifications of the top-rated brands like Samsung and iPhone and is priced less than them. This year, the Chinese company has increased its prices, citing the addition of 5G capability as the reason.
The OnePlus 8 Pro has a large 6.78-inch AMOLED display, 120Hz screen refresh rate and 12GB RAM. The screen resolution of 3,168 x1,440 pixels and a pixel density of 531ppi match the best in the business. The battery size is 4,510mAh and has fast charging support. This is a 5G phone with Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor which provides the necessary power, and the X55 modem takes care of 5G.
One of the reasons for including this smartphone in this list of the best smartphones for movies and gaming is that it has not one but two gaming modes. ‘Game Space’ is the mode that helps enhance the performance of the processor, GPU, and memory. You can make adjustments to the graphics features as well. The other one called ‘Fnatic Mode’ is again meant to make your gaming experience immersive and it removes the unwanted notifications while you are playing the game. This would prove to be a very useful feature when you are gambling on an online casino.
The OnePlus 8 Pro is priced at around $1,000, and if you are happy with slightly lower specs, the OnePlus 8 can be purchased at around $700.
- Apple iPhone 11: The iPhone 11 is being included here though some may argue that the higher Pro models must be the right candidates. The reason for this is the A-13 Bionic chipset. The iOS versions are common across the models, and the 6.1-inch display gives it the push. Apple’s iPhones are usually rated very high on technical performance among smartphones, and they command a premium as well. If you cut through the design and appearance part and focus on their actual performance, you will understand why the iPhone 11 could be an ideal smartphone for movies and gaming purposes.
Apple has bumped the battery in the iPhone 11 and combined with the unique power management features of the processor, and you need not worry about the power of the battery. Apple’s display, though this model does not have an OLED panel, is still superior. There is no problem with the speed or the sound either. iPhones invariably score better in all these areas. This means you have a smartphone that is good for watching movies and playing games without any lag. This makes it one of the best choices for playing casino games.
The iPhone 11 can be picked for just $699. The upcoming iPhone 12 series phones could also prove to be good choices for gaming and watching movies.
- Xiaomi Black Shark 3 Pro: The first thing that strikes you about the Xiaomi Black Shark 3 Pro is its display size, 7.1-inch. That is almost the size of a tablet! The Chinese manufacturer has positioned this device as a gaming phone. The specifications, per se, may look identical to most of the Android phones already on this list. These include the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor; an OLED display and 90Hz screen refresh rate are all included. The screen resolution and pixel density are 3,120×1,440pixels and 484ppi respectively. The RAM is 12GB—a large 5,000mAh battery powers the Xiaomi Black Shark 3 Pro.
These specifications mean that you can play games as long as you want and watch movies and shows without worrying about performance or battery life. The battery supports 65W fast charging which means even if you run out of charge, it’s not going to take much time to recharge it.
Xiaomi appears to have deliberately pitted its Black Shark 3 Pro against the Samsung Galaxy S20+. The company would say its product has better credentials to be treated as a gaming smartphone when compared to Samsung phones. The South Korean company does not label its devices with such end uses. Their flagship phones are targeted at a larger base universally.
As far as the pricing goes, the unlocked Xiaomi Black Shark 3 Pro can be picked up for under $800.
Bottomline
The way the gaming industry has progressed is that game developers have made suitable modifications to enable normal games, as well as online casino games to be played on mobile devices, see examples. It may be a big difference from the large screens they are used to on desktops and laptops. However, the interest level is still maintained. That is where the phones listed above have managed to score higher.
Read about casino movies
The screen sizes and graphic power in combination with the processor power enable the games to be played at the same speed on the mobile phones as you play on the larger screens. Better screen resolution and screen refresh rates make sure the images and videos are delivered without any distortion. The batteries are also equally large and can last a whole day with optimum use. They all come with support for quickly recharging the batteries.
For the avid movie watcher on smartphones, many of the same attributes come handy. The large screens and better resolution and long-lasting battery – all apply to movie-watching equally as they do for gaming. Besides, the sound system in all these phones is superior to their peers. The audio is critical for gamers too.
