There’s a lot of great mobile games these days, and unlike before the quality of the graphics and gameplay of these games have leveled up. Unfortunately, that also means that the hardware requirements for these games have also been cranked up, and there’s nothing more heartbreaking to see that your newly bought phone can’t handle the graphics of the game you’ve been looking forward to playing.

Worry not fam – we’ve partnered up with our sister website VRSUS to give you a list of the best gaming phones for every budget in 2024 because if there’s anyone who knows about what gamers need in a phone, it’s those guys. With their help we’ve put together phones that addresses all the woes that mobile gamers have, including processing power, battery life, charging speeds, and more importantly – gamer aesthetic.

Without further ado, check out our picks for best gaming phones for 2024 below:

Entry Level Gaming (Php 15k and below)

Top pick: Nubia Neo 2 

The nubia Neo 2 offers a unique feature that is rarely seen in budget gaming phones. It comes with shoulder trigger buttons that are perfect for FPS games like CoDM–and that’s paired with a 6.8-inch 120hz display. It uses a Unisoc T820 processor, which offers better performance than the usual Helio G99 that we see in this price range, and is paired with 8GB RAM and fast 256GB UFS 3.1 storage.

This phone also sports a design that’s fit for gamers, with its overall aesthetic being more on the loud side. That’s fine for most, but keep that in mind before you jump in. Rounding off the spec sheet is a large 6000mAh battery with support for 33w charging. This means you can game longer and won’t have to endure long waits for the phone to charge back up once you’re done taking that L from your ranked matches. Oof. 

The nubia Neo 2 5G is priced at Php 9,999. 

Alternative pick: TECNO POVA 6 Pro

If you still want to fly your gaming flag but don’t like the design of our previous entry, you might want to take a look at the TECNO POVA 6 Pro. This phone sports a cyberpunk-inspired back and mecha lighting, as well as a Dimensity 6080 processor inside. It doesn’t have shoulder buttons like the previous phone in this list, but it has a bigger battery at 6000mAh and faster 70W wired charging. Other specs include a 6.78-inch 120hz AMOLED display, 12GB RAM, and 256GB storage.

This phone is a little more expensive though, priced at Php 11,999.

Mid Range Gaming (Php 45k and below)

Top Pick: Xiaomi 14T Pro

Outside of having stellar Leica-branded cameras, the Xiaomi 14T Pro utilizes a Dimensity 9300+ processor, which is a powerful chip that can give the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 a run for its money. You can opt for up to a whopping 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage with it to store all the games you want, and its 5000mAh battery supports 120w wired and 50w wired charging so you spend less time charging and more time playing. The Xiaomi 14T Pro starts at Php 37,999 for the 12GB/256GB model.

Alternative Pick: Poco F6

This is a more budget-friendly option that packs an almost flagship-level performance for its price point. It is powered by a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC paired with up to 12GB LPDDR5X RAM and up to 512GB UFS 4.0 storage, which should suffice for most gamers out there. Its 120hz AMOLED display has a 1.5k resolution, and its 5000mAh battery supports 90w charging for fast top-up times. The POCO F6 starts at Php 21,999 for the 8GB/256GB model. 

High-end Gaming (Php 45k and up)

Top Pick: ROG Phone 8 Pro

The ROG Phone 8 Pro is still the king when it comes to gaming phones. You are getting the best possible configuration with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor that can be paired with as much as 24GB LPDDR5X RAM and up to 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage. Paired with ASUS’ suite of thermal management features, the ROG Phone 8 Pro can handle the latest AAA mobile games, maintaining a solid 60FPS in long gaming sessions. The ROG Phone 8 Pro starts at Php 60,995 for the 16GB/512GB variant.

Alternative pick: Redmagic 9 Pro

Another top-tier gaming phone worth considering is the Redmagic 9 Pro, which is a unique one for having a built-in fan to manage thermals efficiently. It also boasts a bleeding-edge display that is devoid of notches and cutouts, along with a completely flat back panel for comfortable long gaming sessions. Speaking of long gaming sessions, it packs a 6500mAh battery and supports 80w charging. The Redmagic 9 Pro starts at Php 46,999 for the 12GB/256GB variant.

Now if you want to learn about great mobile games to put in these phones or just want to be kept in the loop about games, cosplay, pop culture, and general geekery, head on over to VRSUS.IO. These guys are passionate about the geek lifestyle, and literally live and breath all things nerd. They just dropped a tasteful cosplay collab with MISTRESS JOYEN with her phenomenal Morrigan cosplay.