Pros and Cons of Gaming Smartphones

Dedicated gaming smartphones are designed with one thing in mind. The clue, of course, is in the name. So, beyond a few must-haves and truly essential features like calling, texting, and emailing, the phone places gaming front and center. However, it's important to remember that this dedicated focus on gaming comes with both pros and cons.

The best gaming smartphones take inspiration from similarly great gaming laptops. With that, they typically boast various features or pieces of functionality that set them apart from the usual smartphone crowd. Such additions focus on granting the best possible experiences, gaming-wise.

When it comes to gaming smartphones and their displays, bigger is almost always better. It's why gaming-focused laptops and desktop monitors are usually on the larger size, too. Bigger screens generally have two advantages. These are a superior user experience and an edge over competitors playing on smaller displays.

Most gaming smartphones have huge screens of around 6.7 inches. Further boasting ultra-high-definition panels, fast refresh rates, and enormous touch sampling speeds, they're set up with intense gameplay made the priority. That said, they also tend to be great for watching videos, editing content, and more.

Any device designed for gaming needs to be fast, and smartphones are no exception. Accordingly, the latest gaming-focused models enjoy blistering performance. With the likes of the Red Magic 7 Pro packing a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor and 16GB of RAM, they're at the absolute apex of today's mobile technology.

While faster and faster chips are becoming the norm in many smartphones, it's massive RAM that really sets gaming-focused models apart from the competition. To demonstrate, Apple's flagship iPhone 13 Pro Max has 6GB of RAM. While impressive, that's less than half of what many of the best dedicated gaming smartphones are packing.

Hardcore gaming is resource-intensive. That's true on any device and something that can quickly become especially apparent on a smartphone. Huge displays and masses of RAM call for a considerable amount of power. To cope, dedicated gaming smartphones pack among the biggest batteries on the market.

As a result, battery life is rarely a worry, even while gaming for extended periods. This also means that when not gaming, there's a vast amount of battery power in reserve for other tasks. Few smartphones, therefore, will last longer between charges than those designed with gaming in mind.

So, from huge displays and blistering performance to enormous, long-lasting batteries, there's plenty to love about gaming smartphones. Unfortunately, all of this has to come at a cost, starting with size and weight.

Simply by virtue of their huge displays and massive batteries, there's no escaping the overall size and weight of most gaming smartphones. Those used to average-sized smartphones are likely to find them ungainly, at least to begin with.

The majority are roughly the same size as various manufacturers' largest flagships—occasionally called phablets—like Samsung's Ultra-spec Galaxy S22. So, while not necessarily abnormally large, they're much less pocket-friendly than a typical iPhone or Google Pixel, for example.

Right now, gaming smartphones are notorious for having subpar cameras. It's largely the result of manufacturers sinking their efforts almost exclusively into achieving performance where it matters most: exhilarating gaming. The effect is that other less gaming-focused features tend to suffer.

It's something that's usually the most noticeable when it comes to camera setups. While gaming smartphones' main cameras may suffice, don't expect much from their secondary picture-taking provisions. That includes the likes of wide-angle lenses and front-facing selfie cameras.

Most of today's top-selling smartphones are now waterproof and resistant to dust. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many gaming-focused examples. Additional requirements for extra cooling like vents and even built-in fans are the main reason. The same need for cooling means that it's not possible to simply remedy the issue with a waterproof case either.

Instead, it's advisable to protect a gaming smartphone with an extended warranty that includes coverage in the event of accidental liquid spills or submersion.

Dedicated gaming smartphones still represent a very niche market. While they come with various pros, these are offset by a similar number of cons. While these cons may be of little consequence to hardcore gamers, they're likely to be a deal-breaker for anyone else, including those who play more casually.

Ultimately, for the most serious players, gaming-focused handsets can be literally game-changing. Yet, generally speaking, and strictly in terms of day-to-day use and more casual gameplay, the cons are likely to outweigh the pros. Either way, customers must be sure to protect their handset of choice with an extended smartphone warranty.

Upsie's Smartphone Subscription Warranties are designed with gaming-focused handsets like the Red Magic 7 Pro, Lenovo Legion Phone Duel, Razer Phone 2, and Asus ROG Phone 5 in mind. Upsie offers comprehensive coverage in the event of manufacturing defects, mechanical faults, and other failures. As a result, customers have complete peace of mind.

In addition, Upsie includes accidental damage protection for all smartphone warranties. This added protection safeguards against liquid spills and submersion — something that's particularly valuable when it comes to non-waterproof smartphones.

Best of all, Upsie's warranties cost just $9.99 per month, and customers can make two claims every 12 months. Upsie achieves its low prices by cutting out intermediaries and working directly with the customer. Because of Upsie's unique business practices, customers get the best protection at the best price. Find out more exclusively at Upsie.com.