Best Gaming Smartphones in India (2021)

Last Updated on April 18, 2021 by Asif Iqbal Shaik

Are you looking to buy a gaming smartphone? While there are a lot of gaming smartphones in India, finding the right one can be quite confusing. In this article, we have listed the best gaming smartphones that you can buy in India right now. We carefully created this list after taking a detailed look at the features, performance, and pricing of the smartphones. While any smartphone with a powerful processor can be a good gaming smartphone, we picked the ones that offer a good balance of performance, audio and visual quality, additional gaming features, longer battery life, and a good price. Since the primary intent is gaming, we preferred lower pricing than camera quality.

Best Gaming Smartphones in India (2021)

1. POCO X3 Pro – ₹18,999
2. Realme X3 – ₹22,999
3. Realme X7 Pro – ₹29,999
4. Xiaomi Mi 10T – ₹32,999
5. Vivo X60 – ₹37,990
6. iQOO 7 – ₹39,999 (Expected)
7. OnePlus 9R – ₹39,999
8. ASUS ROG Phone 3 – ₹41,999
9. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G – ₹47,999
10. ASUS ROG Phone 5 – ₹49,999

Note: The list of the best gaming smartphones above is arranged and sorted according to increasing prices.

For knowing the best gaming smartphones in India in the order of their gaming performance, have a look at the list of phones as mentioned below.

Why These Are The Best Gaming Smartphones In India (2021)?

A good gaming smartphone needs a fast processor with a powerful GPU and a good thermal design to stop the phone from overheating or experiencing performance throttling. But that’s not enough. To translate all that power into a smooth gaming experience, the phone needs to have a high-resolution and high-refresh-rate screen with high brightness. The presence of stereo speakers and a dedicated headphone jack elevates the whole audio-visual experience. Other features to look out for are at least 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage.

For longer gaming sessions, a high-capacity battery (4,000mAh or higher) is necessary, especially to support power-hungry processors and high-refresh-rate screens. Additional gaming-focused features include dedicated shoulder buttons, intelligent software, and fast network connectivity (Wi-Fi and LTE). You can read more about what an ideal gaming smartphone should have in our detailed gaming smartphone buying guide. All the smartphones that we have listed in this article meet all the expectations of being a good gaming smartphone.

1. ASUS ROG Phone 5 – ₹49,999

The ROG Phone 5 is the best gaming smartphone in the world and an improvement over last year’s ROG Phone 3 that was already so good. The phone has a 144Hz AMOLED display with HDR10+ and 1,200 nits peak brightness (800 nits typical). The Snapdragon 888 inside the phone offers the world’s best gaming performance, and ASUS’ smart thermal design means that there is no performance throttling at all. With the ROG Phone 5, ASUS has even brought back The company has also released a bunch of official gaming accessories that you can buy to make the gaming experience even better.

The phone has a high-quality design with a metal frame and glass at the front and the rear. It has 8GB/12GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage, a decent 64MP+13MP+5MP triple-camera setup with 4K 60fps video recording and 8K 30fps video recording, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, two USB Type-C ports, an under-display fingerprint reader, and a 6,000mAh battery with 65W fast charging. Its stereo speakers are by far the world’s best speakers on a smartphone ever. Its shoulder buttons are the most customisable in the world and its software features are the most mature in the industry. It is the best gaming smartphone in the world. Period.

Pros

• Sublime 144Hz AMOLED display with HDR10+, no notch, no punch-hole for the selfie camera
• World’s best gaming performance on a smartphone, thanks to Snapdragon 888 and no performance throttling
• World’s best stereo speakers on a smartphone
• Dedicated headphone jack
• Extremely customisable shoulder buttons
• RGB lighting for extra gamer-y bling
• Wi-Fi 6E, dual-USB Type-C ports
• Extremely long battery life with 6,000mAh battery and quick 65W fast charging\
• Useful software features for gaming
• 4K 60fps and 8K 30fps video recording

Cons

• Average camera setup, no OIS, no telephoto camera

2. ASUS ROG Phone 3 – ₹41,999

The ROG Phone 3 is last year’s best gaming smartphone, and it’s still among the best gaming smartphones of 2021. It’s that good. The phone has an excellent design, blazing fast performance with Snapdragon 865+, a great 144Hz AMOLED display without a notch of a punch hole for the camera, a whopping 6,000mAh battery, and dedicated shoulder buttons. But that’s not the most impressive thing about the ROG Phone 3. Thanks to its excellent thermal design, the phone doesn’t throttle at all, even if you play games for hours.

The phone has a decent 48MP triple-camera setup on the rear, featuring a 13MP ultrawide camera and 4K 60fps video recording abilities. The screen’s refresh rate can be set to 60Hz, 60Hz, 120Hz, and 144Hz, depending on the game you’re playing. The ROG Phone 3’s shoulder buttons can detect presses, slide gestures, and even squeezes. Plus, there are dozens of software features on the phone that can help you while gaming. It lacks a headphone jack but its stereo speakers are among the loudest and clearest in the smartphone world.

It has a second USB Type-C port on the side so that you can charge it while gaming without disturbing your fingers. The company has a bunch of official accessories that can elevate your gaming experience and even improve performance. The ROG Phone 3 is truly a great gaming smartphone for its price, even if it is a year old now.

Pros

• Class-leading 144Hz AMOLED display with HDR10+, no notch or punch hole
• Extremely loud and clear loudspeakers
• Truly great performance with Snapdragon 865+ and no throttling
• Dedicated shoulder buttons with multiple use cases and pressure sensitivity
• RGB lighting for extra bling
• Excellent software features that help while gaming
• Long battery life, thanks to 6,000mAh battery

Cons

• No dedicated headphone jack
• No dust or water resistance

3. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G – ₹47,999

The Galaxy S20 FE 5G might not be a great gaming smartphone, but it is no slouch either. In fact, it is among the most balanced phone on this list. The phone has a good-looking design, an excellent 120Hz Super AMOLED display with HDR10+, an in-display fingerprint reader, stereo speakers, good gaming performance, a microSD card slot, IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, and good battery life. If you are someone who wants a good gaming phone, but not at the expense of average cameras or water resistance, then the Galaxy S20 FE 5G is the way to go. Moreover, Samsung’s One UI software is filled with useful features and the phone will get two more Android OS updates.

The Galaxy S20 FE 5G has a Snapdragon 865+ processor for very good gaming performance. Its 12MP+12MP+8MP triple-camera setup, featuring wide-angle OIS, ultrawide, and 3x telephoto OIS cameras. The phone can record 4K 60fps videos using both front and rear cameras. The phone probably has the best camera quality among all the other phones listed in this article. The Galaxy S20 FE 5G comes with a 15W charger, but it supports up to 25W fast charging (which is fast enough to charge the battery in an hour).

Pros

• Excellent 120Hz Super AMOLED display with HDR10+
• Good gaming performance with Snapdragon 865+, 8GB RAM
• High-quality stereo speakers
• Excellent One UI 3.0 software, and promise of two more Android OS updates
• Good battery life
• IP68 rating for dust and water resistance

Cons

• No dedicated headphone jack
• No shoulder buttons for gaming

4. Vivo X60 – ₹37,990

The Vivo X60 features a sleek design, good gaming performance, and excellent cameras for the price. It has a 120Hz AMOLED display with HDR10+, a Snapdragon 870 processor for excellent gaming, and a 48MP OIS triple-camera with proper telephoto and ultrawide lenses. It has 4K 60fps video recording, too. The phone has 8GB/12GB RAM, 128GB/256GB internal storage, an in-display fingerprint reader, Wi-Fi 6, 5G, Bluetooth 5.1, USB Type-C port, and a 4,300mAh battery with 33W fast charging. The phone lacks stereo speakers, a headphone jack, and water resistance, though. Plus, it has no shoulder buttons for gaming.

Pros

• Excellent 120Hz AMOLED display with HDR10+
• Fast performance and excellent gaming
• Class-leading cameras with 48MP main camera, OIS, ultrawide and telephoto lenses
• 4K 60fps video recording
• Great design

Cons

• No dust or water resistance
• No headphone jack or stereo speakers
• No shoulder buttons for gaming

5. OnePlus 9R – ₹39,999

The OnePlus 9R is basically a rebadged OnePlus 8T. It has the same screen, extremely similar design, the same cameras, the same battery, and the same fast charging speed. Even the Snapdragon 870 processor is a rebadged Snapdragon 865 that was used in the OnePlus 8T. But, that doesn’t mean it is a bad phone. In fact, it is priced lower than the OnePlus 8T was. It offers excellent gaming performance, thanks to a 120Hz AMOLED display with HDR10+, stereo speakers, good battery life with 4,400mAh battery, and a whopping 65W fast charging.

Its 48MP OIS camera is good, too, offering 4K 60fps video recording. However, it lacks a telephoto camera, dust and water resistance, a headphone jack, and dedicated gaming buttons.

Pros

• Great AMOLED screen with 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+
• Stereo speakers
• Excellent gaming experience with Snapdragon 870
• Polished design
• Good battery life and 65W fast charging

Cons

• No headphone jack
• No dust or water resistance
• No shoulder buttons for better gaming

6. iQOO 7 – ₹39,999 (Expected)

The iQOO 7 is another great gaming smartphone for its price. It uses the latest Snapdragon 870 processor, 8GB RAM, 128GB/256GB storage, a 120Hz AMOLED display with high brightness, and a 4,400mAh battery with a whopping 66W fast charging. It lacks dedicated gaming buttons, dust and water resistance, a headphone jack, and stereo speakers. Its triple-camera setup has a better than usual 48MP main camera with OIS and a 13MP ultrawide camera.

Pros

• Sublime 120Hz AMOLED display with HDR10+ and 1,300 nits brightness
• Excellent gaming with Snapdragon 870
• 48MP OIS triple-camera
• 4,400mAh battery and extremely fast 66W charging
• Good design

Cons

• No dust or water resistance
• No headphone jack or stereo speakers
• No shoulder buttons for gaming

7. Xiaomi Mi 10T – ₹32,999

The Xiaomi Mi 10T is a well-priced smartphone with great gaming performance. The phone’s 144Hz LCD screen with HDR10+ is extremely smooth. The Snapdragon 865+ processor is faster than the processors used in the POCO X3 Pro, Realme X3, and the Realme X7 Pro. The phone has stereo speakers, a metal-and-glass body, and a 5,000mAh battery for long battery life.

Even the cameras on this phone are pretty good, thanks to a 64MP main camera and a 13MP ultrawide, and Xiaomi usually does well in the camera department, even if it doesn’t do as well as Apple or Samsung. Except for the lack of a headphone jack, we don’t think we would’ve wanted anything more from this phone.

Pros

• Extremely smooth 144Hz LCD display with HDR10+
• Great gaming performance with Snapdragon 865+
• Good 64MP quad-camera setup with 4K 60fps and 8K 30fps video recording
• Stereo speakers
• 5,000mAh battery for long battery life

Cons

• No dust or water resistance
• No gaming buttons
• No dedicated headphone jack

8. POCO X3 Pro – ₹18,999

The POCO X3 Pro is the best gaming smartphone below ₹20,000 by a long margin. In fact, if anyone comes to me for advice on buying a good gaming smartphone without spending a lot of money, I would advise them to buy the POCO X3 Pro. Yes, it’s that good for the price. It has a 120Hz IPS LCD screen, stereo speakers, and a powerful Snapdragon 860 processor. It has 6GB/8GB RAM, 128GB storage, a microSD card slot, and a dedicated headphone jack. It even features dust and water splash resistance with its IP53 rating.

Would we have preferred an OLED screen instead of an LCD? Yes. But since we are talking about gaming smartphones and more games are now supporting high refresh rates, at this price, we are okay with an LCD screen because it has a 120Hz refresh rate.

It’s the camera where the phone falters. It has a quad-camera setup in which two cameras are useless, and even the remaining cameras are average. The phone even lacks 4K 60fps video recording despite the chip and the main camera sensor supporting it. Moreover, it also lacks shoulder buttons like some other gaming phones do. Still, at this price, there’s no better gaming phone than the POCO X3 Pro.

Pros

• Excellent 120Hz LCD screen with HDR10
• Stereo speakers and headphone jack
• The best processor in its price segment: Snapdragon 860
• Long battery life and fast charging
• IP53 rating for dust and water splash resistance

Cons

• Cameras are strictly average, no 4K 60fps video recording
• No shoulder buttons for gaming

9. Realme X7 Pro – ₹29,999

The Realme X7 Pro follows a balanced approach, featuring a 120Hz AMOLED display, a fast MediaTek Dimensity 1000+ processor that’s fast enough for most high-end games, a 64MP quad-camera setup with 4K 60fps video recording, stereo speakers, and a 4,500mAh battery with a whopping 65W fast charging. The combination of a 120Hz AMOLED display, stereo speakers, and fast performance offers a great gaming experience. Its cameras are good, too, at least compared to other gaming phones.

It lacks a dedicated headphone jack, a microSD card slot, any form of dust or water resistance, and special gaming features such as shoulder buttons. For what it’s worth, the phone looks sleek and stylish.

Pros

• 120Hz Super AMOLED display
• Good gaming performance with MediaTek Dimensity 1000+
• Good cameras with 4K 60fps video recording
• Stereo speakers
• Extremely fast 65W charging
• Stylish design

Cons

• Missing HDR10
• No microSD card slot
• No dust or water resistance
• No dedicated hardware buttons for gaming

10. Realme X3 – ₹22,999

If you want a good gaming phone but with better cameras than the POCO X3 Pro, the Realme X3 is a good choice. It has a similar 120Hz LCD screen but lacks HDR10. However, it more than makes up for the lack of HDR with its quad-camera setup that includes a 64MP wide camera, a 12MP 2x zoom camera, and an 8MP ultrawide camera. The phone also features 4K 60fps video recording.

The Snapdragon 855+ processor inside the Realme X3 is as powerful as the POCO X3 Pro’s Snapdragon 860, and it is adequate for playing any high-end game. The phone has a 4,200mAh battery (enough for 4-6 hours of gaming) with 30W fast charging. The phone lacks water resistance, a headphone jack, stereo speakers, and special gaming hardware such as shoulder buttons.

Pros

• A good 120Hz LCD screen
• Fast performance with Snapdragon 855+ processor
• Good cameras for the price, featuring proper telephoto and ultrawide cameras
• 4K 60fps video recording, too

Cons

• No stereo speakers and headphone jack
• No shoulder buttons for gaming
• No water or dust resistance