5 things to keep in mind while buying gaming phones in 2024

Buying gaming phones can be a bit of a headache, especially in 2024. There are a multitude of options out there in the market and you need to choose the right one. So, things like chipset and how much RAM the phone has will play a significant role in how smoothly a particular game performs on it. Then, there must be some sort of cooling mechanism to ensure it continues to perform well.

There are a lot of factors to check to ensure you make the right choice. Hence, this article presents the five things to keep in mind while buying gaming phones in 2024.

Note: This list is subjective and reflects the writer's opinions.

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5 things to keep in mind while buying gaming phones in 2024

1) Chipset

Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset with RAM and Storage (Image via Snapdragon)

The chipset plays the biggest role in gaming performance. Both CPU and GPU must have the power to deliver the graphical fidelity and FPS required by modern gamers. Chipsets from the Snapdragon 8 series are the best; the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is at the top for the Android gaming side of things.

For iOS, the Apple A17 Pro chip is the best there is. With this, you can even play console-quality games like Resident Evil 4 Remake, Assassin's Creed Mirage, and more.

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2) RAM & storage

Micron LPDD5 RAM (Image via Micron)

The amount of RAM in a smartphone determines how much data and assets a particular game can unload. The higher the capacity, the more assets that can be handled. It can theoretically decrease the amount of loading when traversing through a map. Also, the speed of RAM is important here.

Storage plays a crucial role in how fast these assets can be loaded onto the RAM. The higher the storage speed, the more bandwidth there is for the data to be streamed to the RAM.

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3) Cooling

ROG Phone 8 with external fan (Image via The Tech Chap/YouTube)

Cooling is another critical objective if you want sustained performance. Without proper temperature control, even the fastest chipset will crumble due to throttling as a result of heat. A cooling mechanism like a vapor chamber, internal fan, or external fan will keep the processor's temperatures under control.

This allows the chip to ramp up the clock speeds and maintain the performance for longer periods.

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4) Display

A game running on ROG Phone 8 with AMOLED display (Image via The Tech Chap/YouTube)

You can crank up the graphics settings all you want, but if the display colors are not well caliberated, you won't see the game's graphics in all its glory. IPS panels usually require higher color calibration and the brightness needs to be fine-tuned. In contrast, AMOLED/OLED panels generally feature better colors and require less tweaking.

Then there's resolution and refresh rate. Most phones have 1080P resolution and 120Hz these days, which is more than good. It's the colors and the panel type that need your attention the most when you are buying gaming phones in 2024.

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5) Battery & charging

Xiaomi's 120W Charging Adapter (Image via Xiaomi)

How large the battery capacity is determines how long your gaming sessions will be between each charge. If you are a hardcore or competitive player, chances are that you will be playing for multiple hours. So, keep an eye on the battery and charging capacity.

With faster charging capacity, you can quickly recharge between gaming sessions. But ultra-fast charging also means more heat generation, so you won't be gaming and charging at the same time. This is an important point to keep in mind when buying gaming phones in 2024.

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These are five things you need to keep in mind when buying gaming phones. Also keep a look out for some other miscellaneous features that may impress you when you are in the market. For example, shoulder trigger buttons are available exclusively on Android phones, while iPhones don't have these or some other gaming features that Androids do.