Evolving Battlegrounds

As high-end games evolve, smartphone companies scramble to become the first to innovation.

Smartphone launches have quickened pace after the three-month lull following a global COVID-19 outbreak. The resulting economic slowdown may have impacted businesses, but it has also created an unexpected demand for high-end gaming smartphones.

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With people glued to their phones at their homes during the lockdown, gaming offers an exhilarating experience and a tempting way to escape the boredom.

Moreover, the popularity and the reach of some of the best games such as the PUBG Mobile, Call of Duty, and others, has also pushed the demand of fast and high performance phones in the market. Consequently, we have phone companies queuing up with top-notch gaming phones and the competition is only getting tougher. The list below will provide you with a glimpse through the latest offerings in the gaming smartphones launched in July 2020.

ASUS ROG Phone 3

Taiwanese company ASUS has just launched its third-generation gaming smartphone, the ROG Phone 3, in India, and is betting big on its success in the country. Launched at a starting price of ₹49,999 (8GB RAM + 128GB), the higher model (12GB RAM + 256GB) costs a little over ₹57,999. One of the main attractions of the phone is the gargantuan 6,000mAh battery, and not to forget the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ processor, which is a 5-G ready chipset.

ASUS has made a mark when it comes to creating high-end gaming phones, and ROG Phone 3 adds to the invincibility of its predecessor, ROG Phone 2, in every aspect one can think of. And if Qualcomm is to be believed, then the company has provided the fastest available chipset to ASUS for its flagship gaming phone.

If you thought gaming was the only best feature about this phone, you may want to look at the incredible 64MP Sony IMX686 lens, accompanied by 13MP wide-angle and a 5MP macro lens, which promises to give an unforgettable camera experience. With all its features, this phone will have a promising future in India.

Lenovo Legion Phone Duel

One of the most awaited gaming smartphones of 2020, Lenovo Legion Phone Duel surprises us with high-end specs we didn’t expect. This is the company’s first Legion gaming phone and packs a punch with its Snapdragon 865 Plus and 5G wireless data. With a design, layout and camera placement designed around enhancing the gaming experience, this phone goes extra mile in making the feel charismatic.

The 20MP selfie cam is strategically placed in a pop-up on the side, the arrangement that helps in avoiding notches or cutouts on the 6.6-inch screen. This layout ensures the gamer’s face is front-and-center while livestreaming games. That’s not it. The position of the main camera (64MP) has been dragged down towards the centre of the back to avoid the user covering it while in landscape view. The USB charging ports are also placed on the side to assist in comfortable experience in charging while you are playing. That’s as good as it can get for the gamers.

The phone comes in either 12GB and 16GB RAM, with both 256GB and 512GB of storage option. Plus the Dirac Audio-tuned stereo speakers and a quad-microphone system ensure a noise-free environment. The bottom-line – Legion Phone Duel plays like a mobile gaming console, designed ground up for gamers. Already launched in July in China, the phone is arriving in other markets soon, with a starting price of ₹37,320.

Nubia Red Magic 5S

Following up with the launches of the two phones - Red Magic 5G and Red Magic 5G Lite - in March and June, respectively, Red Magic 5S promises to be a cut above the rest. Nubia Red Magic 5S is the third most awaited gaming phone launch in July 2020. The company has launched the phone in China, which will be followed by launches in other nations.

As the gaming smartphone battle hots up, we are seeing Nubia throwing its ring in the hat with this new offering. We hope the performance matches up to the hype around the much talked about gaming phone. Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ 5G SoC, the phone is expected to give tough competition to both ASUS ROG Phone 3 and Lenovo Legion Phone Duel. The chipset is armed with up to 12 GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256 GB UFS 3.0 storage for a seamless gaming experience.

The Red Magic 5S comes with a 144Hz refresh rate screen, with a touch sampling rate of 240Hz. With the improvement in two shoulder buttons over the last iteration, the phone now offers a touch sampling rate of 320Hz, which offers a smooth experience with the game. The model is clearly going to win over Lenovo Legion Duel phone, though the competition with ASUS ROG Phone 3 will be difficult. But let’s wait for full specifications from the company.

iPhone 11 Pro Max

The iPhone 11 Pro Max is one of the best mobile phones for gaming in India. Powered by Apple's latest A13 Bionic chip with a four-core Apple GPU that ensures any and every game you play will run smooth. Apple even offers a whole new platform for exclusive games called Apple Arcade.

You’ll also get an excellent 6.5-inch HDR10 display that tops at 800 nits. On the back lies a 12MP triple camera setup that comes equipped with a telephoto lens as well as an ultra-wide-angle sensor. It uses data from all the three lenses while shooting a video.

iPhone 11 Pro is also one of the best when it comes to video shooting capabilities. It is certainly one of the best mobile phones in India right now, not just for gaming.

OnePlus 8 Pro

The OnePlus 8 Pro is presently one of the most hardware-rich flagship smartphone you can buy right now. The phone has 5G-capable Snapdragon 865 SoC, up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB UFS 3.0 storage.

Furthermore, the OxygenOS UI in the smartphone is specially tuned to deliver the maximum resources while gaming. The OnePlus 8 Pro also has a gorgeous display to play on. Measuring 6.78-inches, it's also bright and supports HDR gaming. It's also far more than a gaming phone.

The OnePlus 8 Pro as well offers a quad camera setup that includes two 48MP cameras, a telephoto lens and a colour filter lens and everything is powered by a large 4,500mAh battery that gets topped up by 30W wired and wireless charging. This is hands down the one of the best smartphones you can have for gaming.

Industry experts are predicting that smartphone gaming will be one of the fastest growing industries post covid. Getting the best experience out of these games require supercharged smartphones as the industry responds to the new breed of gaming smartphones.

Basically, all that you need from a regular smartphone has been beefed up in the above list. Just add an RGB strip to the body and the phones scream gaming from the get go.

From the August 2020 issue of FHM India.