Best Budget Gaming Phones: Pick by Chip, Then by Country
The best-value gaming phones are not sold in the US. What $500, £400 or Rs 48,000 buys on the makers' own stores, judged by chip, screen and cooling.
For games on a budget, the phone to buy depends on where you live. In the UK it is the POCO F8 Pro at £399. In India it is the OnePlus Nord 6 at ₹46,999 or the iQOO Neo 10 at ₹43,999. In the US it is the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro, listed at $499.
The ceiling for this page is about $500, £400 or ₹48,000. Under it, the UK and Indian picks use Qualcomm’s 8 series chips. On the US makers’ stores we went through, nothing in stock under $500 does.
Each price is the maker’s own store price for the version named, and the chips, screens, batteries and cooling figures are the makers’ own. The exception is Samsung’s Galaxy A line. Oscar Frank, who runs this site, bought and used the Galaxy A07, A17, A27, A37 and A57, and the verdicts in the comparison of this year’s Galaxy A phones are used where those phones come up.
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Budget gaming phones compared
US rows give the list price, with the selling price where the store had an offer. Touch figures marked instant are the makers’ peak figures. “Not stated” means the maker’s page gives no figure.
| Phone | Maker’s price | Chip and memory | Screen and touch sampling | Battery and charging | Cooling the maker states |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POCO F8 Pro | £399 | Snapdragon 8 Elite, 12GB | 6.59-inch AMOLED, 120Hz, 2,560Hz instant | 6,210mAh, 100W | Triple-layer IceLoop |
| POCO X8 Pro | £319 | Dimensity 8500-Ultra, 8GB | 6.59-inch AMOLED, 120Hz, 2,560Hz instant | 6,500mAh, 100W | 5,300mm² IceLoop |
| POCO M8 Pro 5G | £229 | Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, 8GB | 6.83-inch AMOLED, 120Hz, 2,560Hz instant | 6,500mAh, 100W | 5,200mm² IceLoop |
| OnePlus Nord 6 | ₹46,999 | Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, 8GB | 6.78-inch AMOLED, 165Hz, 3,200Hz instant | 9,000mAh, 80W | 33,147mm² heat dissipation area |
| iQOO Neo 10 | ₹43,999 | Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, 8GB | 6.78-inch AMOLED, 144Hz, 3,000Hz instant | 7,000mAh, 120W | 7,000mm² vapour chamber |
| REDMI Turbo 5 | ₹41,999 | Dimensity 8500 Ultra, 8GB | 6.59-inch AMOLED, 120Hz, 2,560Hz instant | 7,540mAh, 100W | 5,300mm² loop heat pipe |
| realme GT 7T | ₹39,999 | Dimensity 8400-MAX, 8GB | Up to 120Hz, 360Hz touch | 7,000mAh, 120W | 7,700mm² vapour chamber |
| realme P4 Pro 5G | ₹30,999 | Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, 8GB | 6.8-inch, 144Hz | 7,000mAh, 80W | 7,000mm² vapour chamber |
| motorola edge 70 fusion | ₹30,999 | Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, 8GB | 6.8-inch AMOLED, 144Hz, up to 1,500Hz | 7,000mAh, 68W | Not stated |
| iQOO Z11xa | ₹28,999 | Dimensity 7400-Turbo, 8GB | 6.76-inch LCD, 120Hz | 7,200mAh, 44W | Not stated |
| Nothing Phone (4a) Pro | $499, selling at $419 | Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, 8GB | 6.83-inch AMOLED, 144Hz, 2,500Hz instant | 5,080mAh, 50W | 5,300mm² vapour cooling |
| Motorola Edge 2025 | $549.99, selling at $349.99 | Dimensity 7400, 8GB | 6.7-inch pOLED, 120Hz, 300Hz in gaming mode | 5,200mAh, 68W | Not stated |
| Samsung Galaxy A37 5G | $489.99, selling at $439.99 | Exynos 1480, 6GB | 6.7-inch Super AMOLED, 120Hz | 5,000mAh, 45W | Not stated |
| Moto G Power 2025 | $299.99, selling at $199.99 | Dimensity 6300, 8GB | 6.8-inch LCD, 120Hz | 5,000mAh, 30W | Not stated |
Why the chip comes first
The chip holds the processor and the graphics unit that draws each frame of a game. The screen can only show the frames the chip delivers, so a 144Hz screen on an entry chip is a fast screen waiting for a slow game. Cooling and battery decide how long a phone can hold its speed. The chip decides what that speed is.
Chip names can be read without a benchmark chart:
- Qualcomm Snapdragon: Qualcomm files its phone chips in four series, 8, 7, 6 and 4. The first digit is the series, and 8 is the one in flagships such as Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra. “Gen 4” is the generation. An “s” marks a second chip in the same series: OnePlus calls the 8s Gen 4 an 8 series chip, and iQOO says its graphics unit is the same grade as the Snapdragon 8 Elite’s.
- MediaTek Dimensity: MediaTek calls the 9000 family flagship, the 8000 family premium and the 6000 family its 5G entry point, with the 7000 family between them. Helio chips are its 4G line.
- Samsung Exynos: the 2000s go in Galaxy S phones and the 1000s in Galaxy A phones.
The same number turns up with different endings. Motorola’s Edge 2025 has a Dimensity 7400, iQOO’s Z11xa a 7400-Turbo and realme’s P4s 5G a 7400 Ultra. Read the number first.
In the UK
Buy the POCO F8 Pro at £399, about $525, on Xiaomi’s UK store. It has the Snapdragon 8 Elite with 12GB of memory and 256GB of storage, a 6,210mAh battery and 100W charging. It is the only phone in the table with an 8 series chip that is not an s version, and the only one with more than 8GB.
For less: the POCO X8 Pro at £319. Its Dimensity 8500-Ultra is from MediaTek’s premium family, with 8GB, 256GB and a 6,500mAh battery. Xiaomi notes that no charger is in the box. Under £250, the POCO M8 Pro 5G at £229 has a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 with the same memory, storage and battery.
Poor value: the motorola edge 70 fusion, selling at £349.99. Motorola’s UK page gives it a Snapdragon 7s Gen 3, a generation behind the chip in the £229 POCO, for £30 more than the X8 Pro. Nothing’s Phone (4a), at £379, has the 7s Gen 4 for £150 more than the POCO.
In India
Buy the OnePlus Nord 6 at ₹46,999 or the iQOO Neo 10 at ₹43,999. Both pair the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 with 8GB and 256GB, and both list bypass charging, which runs the phone from the charger during a game and spares the battery the heat.
- The Nord 6 has the 9,000mAh battery, the 165Hz screen and the longer promise: four Android updates and six years of security updates.
- The Neo 10 costs ₹3,000 less, charges at 120W and states a 7,000mm² vapour chamber. iQOO promises three Android upgrades and four years of security updates.
Around ₹40,000: the REDMI Turbo 5 at ₹41,999 and the realme GT 7T at ₹39,999 both use chips from MediaTek’s premium 8000 family. The REDMI has the bigger battery and a written promise of four years of OS updates with six of security patches. The realme charges at 120W.
Around ₹30,000: the realme P4 Pro 5G at ₹30,999 has a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, 256GB and a 144Hz screen. Below that line, the iQOO Z11xa at ₹28,999 and the realme P4x 5G at ₹26,999 with 6GB both use a Dimensity 7400.
Poor value: the OnePlus Nord CE6 at ₹37,999. Its Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 is the chip in the ₹30,999 motorola edge 70 fusion, and ₹2,000 more buys the realme GT 7T, whose chip is from MediaTek’s premium family. The Samsung Galaxy A37 5G costs the Nord 6’s ₹46,999. It is the Galaxy A phone Oscar recommends to almost everybody, but that money spent on games buys an 8 series chip and a 9,000mAh battery from OnePlus.
POCO’s and Nothing’s Indian sites print no prices and send buyers to Flipkart, so their phones are left out. Our guide to the best Android phones in India covers every budget.
In the US
Buy the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro, listed at $499 and selling at $419 on Nothing’s US store. Nothing gives it a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, a 144Hz AMOLED screen and a 5,300mm² vapour cooling system, with three years of Android updates and six of security updates. Nothing’s own compatibility sheet calls Verizon support limited, so Verizon customers should pass. Nothing Phone (4a) Pro on Amazon
For less, with networks named: the Motorola Edge 2025. It gets under the ceiling on its selling price, $349.99 against a $549.99 list. Motorola lists a Dimensity 7400, 8GB with 256GB, a 120Hz pOLED screen and 68W charging, and its carrier table marks AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon compatible. Motorola’s support site ends its security updates in June 2028. Motorola Edge 2025 on Amazon
The Samsung Galaxy A37 5G, $489.99, is Oscar’s pick for almost everybody, for the screen, the water rating and six years of updates. For games, note that this version has 6GB of memory and the Exynos 1480, a chip from Samsung’s Galaxy A line. Our guide to Samsung’s Gaming Hub and Game Booster covers its game settings. Samsung Galaxy A37 5G on Amazon
Under $200: the Moto G Power 2025, selling at $199.99, has 8GB of memory beside a Dimensity 6300. MediaTek’s description of that chip family stops at “fun gaming”. It is the pick in our guide to phones under $200. Oscar’s verdict on the cheapest Samsung is blunter: do not buy the Galaxy A07 for demanding games. Moto G Power 2025 on Amazon
If you can go $50 over: the Nothing Phone (3), selling at $549 against a $699 list price, has the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 of the two Indian picks with 12GB and 256GB. It is the cheapest 8 series chip we found in stock on a US maker’s store, and Nothing promises it five years of Android updates and seven of security updates. Nothing Phone (3) on Amazon
Poor value: the Moto G Stylus 2026 at $499.99. It has a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3, a 6 series chip, at the list price of the Nothing and its 7 Gen 4.
RedMagic is the dedicated gaming brand with a store at this price. It lists the 11 Air at $499, and £439 on its UK store, with the Snapdragon 8 Elite, 12GB, a 144Hz screen, a 7,000mAh battery, 80W charging, a cooling fan and shoulder triggers. Both stores marked every RedMagic phone out of stock.
Before buying any phone here unlocked, see which US networks each maker names.
In Nigeria
No maker’s Nigerian site gave us a price for a current gaming phone. Infinix’s global site lists the GT 50 Pro, GT 30 Pro and GT 30 with no prices, and its Nigerian site lists no GT phone at all. Xiaomi’s Nigerian page shows POCO phones with no prices.
The prices we can stand behind are the ones Oscar paid or saw for the Galaxy A phones: about ₦250,000 for the A17, from ₦410,000 for the A37 and from ₦623,000 for the A57. The A37 is the one Oscar recommends, the A57 has the faster Exynos 1680, and the A07 is the one not to buy for demanding games.
Screen, memory and game modes
- Frame-rate claims have footnotes. OnePlus measured the Nord 6’s 165 frames a second in BGMI on the 12GB version with graphics set to Smooth. realme says the 144 frames on its P4s 5G come from frame interpolation by a second chip, not native rendering.
- Touch sampling: the four-figure “instant” numbers are peaks. Xiaomi’s spec sheets give 480Hz as the regular figure in Game Turbo mode, and iQOO gives up to 360Hz beside its 3,000Hz.
- Memory: every phone in the table has 8GB or more, except the 6GB Galaxy A37. Our guide to what 8GB, 12GB and 16GB get you has more.
- Game modes: Xiaomi’s is Game Turbo, OnePlus’s is Pro Gamer mode, iQOO’s is Ultra Game Mode and Samsung’s is Game Booster.
Quick answers
What is the best budget gaming phone?
The POCO F8 Pro at £399 in the UK, the OnePlus Nord 6 at ₹46,999 or the iQOO Neo 10 at ₹43,999 in India, and the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro at $499 in the US.
What is the best gaming phone under $300?
On US makers’ stores, the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro, selling at $299.99 with a Dimensity 7300 and 8GB. The better buy is $50 further on: the Motorola Edge 2025 at $349.99, with a Dimensity 7400, an OLED screen and 256GB.
What is the best gaming phone under ₹30,000?
The iQOO Z11xa at ₹28,999, with a Dimensity 7400-Turbo, 8GB and a 7,200mAh battery. For ₹999 over the line, the realme P4 Pro 5G has a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 and 256GB.
What is the best gaming phone under ₹20,000?
The phones we went through at that price use entry chips, such as the Dimensity 6300 in the ₹19,999 iQOO Z11 Lite 44W 5G. The first step up we found is the moto g57 power 5G at ₹21,999, with a Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 and 8GB.
Which processor is best for gaming in a phone?
Under this ceiling, the Snapdragon 8 Elite in the POCO F8 Pro and the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 in the Nord 6 and Neo 10. As a rule, look for a Snapdragon 8 series chip or a Dimensity from the 8000 or 9000 family.
Prices and offers move, so confirm on the maker’s store before you pay.
