Games have never looked so good with our new smartphones, and mobile gaming is still growing. In 2021, mobile gaming in Canada saw a growth of 19.3% compared to the previous year, with USD $658 million generated. You can use your mobile devices for a thousand things nowadays, from watching films to playing at an online casino Canada.
However, when it comes to mobile gaming, not every device will be able to run the games the same, so we want to present you with a selection of the five best gaming-focused mobile devices available in Canada.
1. Asus – ROG Phone 5
Asus is already an established brand when it comes to gaming computers, and the company decided to create the ultimate mobile phone for gamers. The Asus ROG Phone 5 offers a 6.78″ AMOLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate to get the best visual experience possible. Inside this beast, Asus integrated 16GB of RAM and a powerful Snapdragon 888, which is more than enough to run any Android game smoothly. The two 3,300mAh batteries guarantee an extended playing experience.
This phone also has various accessories such as a controller or a cooling system you can clip on the phone. However, it’s not the slickest design for a smartphone, and it’s pretty bulky. It’s a big device weighing in at 238g, but it’s a necessary evil to fit all high-end components. The starting price is high, and it may deter some people, so it’s really a phone for passionate gamers.
2. Nubia – Red Magic 7
Nubia is a company that specializes in creating gaming smartphones, and the Red Magic 7 is their latest collection. The 6.8″ screen uses OLED and offers a 165Hz refresh rate, making it smoother than Asus’ AMOLED screen. To power the phone, there’s a Snapdragon 8 and depending on the model, you can have 12, 16, or 18 GB of RAM and 128 or 256 GB of storage. The phone comes with an intern cooling system to prevent it from heating up during long sessions. The Red Magic 7 is perfect for shooters and offers a 720Hz multi-finger touch sampling rate, making it one of the most responsive phones on the market. If you don’t know what this means, here’s a quick definition of screen refresh rate.
Nubia implemented several game-friendly features like triggers on the side, haptic feedback and a game space to control the performance of each game. The downside is that the 4,500mAh battery has a tendency to drain fast because of the 165Hz display. It also starts at a more reasonable price than the ROG Phone 5.
3. Xiaomi – Black Shark 4 Pro
Xiaomi’s Black Shark 4 Pro is more affordable than the previously mentioned phones, but it’s also less performant. It features a Snapdragon 888 with 8 or 12 GB of RAM a 6.67″ 144Hz AMOLED screen with a similar touch sampling rate as the Red Magic 7.
The experience is still solid, and running the games is still possible without any significant issues. One of the specificities of the phone is that in addition to an efficient cooling system, it offers physical triggers where other brands offer touch triggers, so it feels more like you’re holding a controller. The battery is similar to the Red Magic 7, so it also drains quickly; it features a 120W charging tech that can get the phone from 0 to 90% in approximately 15 minutes.
4. ZTE – Axon 30 Ultra
The Axon 30 Ultra is the go-to phone if you want a phone that offers a similar design to most non-gaming smartphones but can still run some games. It’s light at 188g and rather slim at only 8mm. Performance-wise you can find it with either 8 or 12 GB of RAM and up to 256 GB of storage. The screen is big enough to enjoy the graphics featuring the always pleasant 6.67″ AMOLED display.
5. Xiaomi – Poco X3 Pro
Poco means little in Spanish, and it’s because the goal of Xiaomi is to offer a cheap phone with the best components. It’s not a dedicated gaming phone, but it still features a Snapdragon 860, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 256 GB. Given the price, it’s impressive, just like the 6.7″ screen with a 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch response rate.
This LCD screen has a lower consumption than LED panels, and with the 5160mAh battery, you can play for a long time. If you’re on a budget, then you’ll really get a bang for your buck with this phone.
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