I've always liked the idea of a dedicated gaming phone, but at the same time, I am constantly cautious of them. It seems that I'm not the only one, as while the devices tend to sell well in a niche market, they struggle to appeal to a wider audience.
On paper, the best gaming phones have a lot to offer users. For one thing, phones like the RedMagic 11 Pro and the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro come with an astounding amount of RAM and storage. It is entirely possible to get devices with as much as 24GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. That is an amount that rivals even some of the best laptops, and far exceeds most phones' capabilities.
On top of that, the phones tend to offer interesting new hardware designs that offer enhanced cooling. For instance, the RedMagic 11 Pro is the first phone to feature AI-server levels of cooling hardware with a new liquid cooling system. Finally, you’re usually getting a pretty outstanding battery life, with the Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro sitting as the longest-lasting phone we've seen.
These upsides do come with some noticeable downsides
While there is a lot to like about dedicated gaming phones, there's no doubt that there are more than a few issues that turn people off.
For instance, while the RedMagic phones do have a great cooling system, the fans are loud. Sure, this isn't the biggest issue if you wear headphones, but that's not something people want to be forced into having to do.
The bigger problem is that the fan requires larger ports, which means the phone cannot offer an IP dust rating. That's a noticeable durability problem, especially when compared to other phones.
Speaking of other phones, there's also a problem nowadays that being able to play the majority of games on a phone isn't really unique. Sure, the phones come with a lot of RAM, but there's an argument that 24GB is pretty excessive.
The reality is that most of the phones on our best phones list, like the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S25 Ultra, can play the same games as dedicated devices.
This simple fact becomes a bigger issue when you take into consideration what dedicated gaming phones sacrifice for what they offer. For instance, while the cameras usually aren't terrible, they're often nothing to write home about either.
We have also seen that the phone makers often offer limited software support, with Asus only offering two years of support for the ROG Phone 9 Pro. For reference, Apple usually offers five to six years, while Samsung can go as high as seven years of support.
What would I like to see?
With all this in mind, it can be hard to figure out precisely what dedicated gaming phones can really do to stand out. There are a couple of possibilities that could help.
One such change could be incorporating actual, tactile controls into the phone. For instance, replacing the touch shoulder buttons on a RedMagic with actual, clickable buttons. This could be a good move, considering touch controls aren’t always the most reliable.
However, including moving parts always invites the chance for failure, and there is an argument that most people would simply buy a controller anyway. Not to mention, doing so would likely involve changing the overall profile of the phone, which could make it uncomfortable to keep in the pocket.
One possiblity is to take some ideas from some of the best gaming handhelds on the market. For instance, the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Switch 2 offer a dock that connects to the TV and a controller. That could be an avenue for companies to look at for dedicated gaming phones.
However, these are only some ideas of my own; we want to hear what you, the Tom's Guide reader, think. So let us know, what would you like to see from a dedicated gaming phone?
Would you rather see more power from the hardware, or would you rather see innovation in other ways? If you have any ideas, or even if you dislike the concept of a dedicated gaming phone, leave a comment below.
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