What to look for
The best phones for gaming and watching films have large screens for optimal viewing, huge amounts of storage space for your games and videos, hefty batteries to survive longer journeys without needing to be plugged in, and speedy processors to keep up with the action.
Our top picks
- Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G
- iPhone 12 Pro Max
- OnePlus 8T
- LG V60 ThinQ 5G
- Xiaomi Mi Max 3
- ROG Phone 3
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G
✔Large screen
✔Long battery life
✔Big storage options
The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G is one of the best Android phones for gaming and watching films on. It has a large 6.9 inch Infinity-O Display, which is an edge-to-edge screen, providing a fully immersive viewing experience. Additionally, it features 3200 x 1440 pixel resolution for colourful, vivid, and clear imagery on the screen, perfect for capturing every detail.
The S20 Ultra also boasts a 5,000mAh battery, keeping you charged up for more than a day, which is perfect for long journeys or outings where you can’t access a plug socket.
You can also opt for up to 512GB of in-built storage on this smartphone, which offers plenty of space for downloading all of your gaming apps and videos to play offline.
This Samsung model has a fast Octa-Core Exynos 990 processor for a smooth gaming experience. It also works with 5G technology, so you can expect lightning quick downloads and definitely no buffering issues.
Purchase for £1,019.
iPhone 12 Pro Max
✔Large screen
✔Next-generation processor speed
✔Big storage options
The iPhone 12 Pro Max was released as part of the iPhone 12 series in Autumn 2020. It has a 6.7 inch all-screen OLED display with 2778 x 1284 resolution. The removal of the physical home button gives the iPhone 12s an edge-to-edge screen, offering you precious extra viewing space compared to past models. The Super Retina XDR display presents the user with clear and colourful visuals.
The iPhone 12s all come with Apple’s newest and fastest processor: the next-generation A14 Bionic chip, which makes these new iPhones very nippy and responsive.
Further, the Pro Max has a 3,687mAh battery, which allows for 20 hours of video playback and 80 hours audio playback before needing to be recharged. You can opt for 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB of storage to store all of your videos and apps.
Buy for £1,097.99 - £1,396.99
OnePlus 8T
✔More affordable compared to similar handsets from Apple and Samsung
✔Good size screen
✔Long battery life
The 8T is OnePlus’ latest flagship handset, retailing at half the price of the Apple and Samsung devices above at £549. With a 6.55 inch edge-to-edge screen, it’s not too far off in size either, and the 2400 x 1080 pixel resolution means you won’t have to sacrifice on clarity.
The 4,500mAh battery will last you all day without having to worry about finding a charger. You also won’t need to fuss about your storage, with 128GB and 256GB on offer.
The OnePlus 8T, which runs on Android 11, features a speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor. This easily handles the speeds required for processor-intensive games. This handset is also 5G ready, so if you’re on a 5G data plan you can enjoy lightning quick streaming, with no buffering in sight.
Finally, the Dolby Atmos speakers are clear and crisp, giving you the ultimate immersive experience.
LG V60 ThinQ 5G
✔Detachable two screens
✔Powerful battery
✔ Expandable storage
The LG V60 ThinQ is a perfect example of the increasing popularity of foldable phones, where the user has one or dual screens that can bend. In this case, the LG V60 ThinQ is a dual screen that can be folded into different shapes, as well as completely detached. Together, it gives you 6.8 inches of viewing with Cinematic FullVision Display.
It has a powerful 5,000mAh battery to carry you through the day, as well as up to 128GB of in-built storage, expandable to 2TB if needed. As with many of the other new phones, it can be used with 5G, assuming it’s available in your area.
This LG model sports a 32-Bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC converter for deep, tonal, and clear sound - perfect for amplifying the tension and excitement in games and films.
Purchase for £600-£700.
Xiaomi Mi Max 3
✔Large screen
✔Budget-friendly
✔Huge battery capacity
The Mi Max 3 is a 2018 tablet-size smartphone from manufacturer Xiaomi. Xiaomi don’t currently sell this model, but you can still buy it refurbished from a third-party for between £100 - £300.
It has a 6.9 inch Full Screen Display with 2160 x 1080 pixel resolution for a fully immersive visual design. It also contains a 5,500mAh battery, which is one of the largest capacities available on modern smartphones.
Whilst it lacks some features, like 5G and only 64GB built-in storage (though you can expand it to 256GB with a microSD card), the Mi Max 3 supports both wireless listening with Bluetooth 5.0 and has a 3.5mm headphone jack for headphones - a port missing from some newer smartphones.
Asus ROG Phone 3
✔Large screen
✔Huge storage capacity
✔Massive battery
The ROG Phone 3 has been specifically designed with gaming in mind by computer hardware giant Asus. Launched in 2020, the ROG phone 3 has a 6.56 inch AMOLED display packed with light technology to automatically reduce brightness for eye protection.
Its Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor is powerful and can handle whatever action you throw at it. If you play games online, the device is 5G ready, which will help eliminate any rage-inducing lag. It also features a 512GB hard drive, and an extremely impressive 6,000mAh battery.
As it was initially designed with gamers in mind, the ROG Phone 3 has an impressive audio setup with dual front-facing Dirac HD speakers and a 7-magnet stereo speaker, which provides louder, deeper, and clearer audio. The device also features Game Mode for in-game sound amplification, and claims to have Hi-Res Audio 4x better than CD quality.
Finally, it has quad microphones installed with noise reduction technology to capture every sound. Purchase this gaming phone for £400 - £600.
And that’s our round-up of the best phones for gaming and watching films. Which one is your favourite? Let us know on Twitter.
