Best Budget Gaming Phones Depend on Where You Live
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.
A gaming phone on a budget means the POCO F8 Pro at £399 in the UK and the OnePlus Nord 6 at ₹46,999 or the iQOO Neo 10 at ₹43,999 in India. In the US it means the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro, listed at $499.
The ceiling here is about $500, £400 or ₹48,000. Under it, the UK and Indian picks use Qualcomm’s 8 series chips. On US makers’ stores, nothing in stock under $500 does.
Prices are each maker’s own store price for the version named. 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 in the UK
| 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 |
The POCO F8 Pro is about $525 at £399 on Xiaomi’s UK store, with 256GB of storage. Of all the phones in this post’s tables, it is the only one with an 8 series chip that is not an s version, and the only one with more than 8GB.
The X8 Pro’s Dimensity 8500-Ultra is from MediaTek’s premium family, and it also has 256GB. Xiaomi notes that no charger is in the box. Under £250, the M8 Pro 5G has the same memory, storage and battery as the X8 Pro.
The motorola edge 70 fusion, selling at £349.99, is poor value. 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.
Budget gaming phones in India
| Phone | Maker’s price | Chip and memory | Screen and touch sampling | Battery and charging | Cooling the maker states |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
The OnePlus Nord 6 and the iQOO Neo 10 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 has the bigger battery, the faster screen and the longer promise: four Android updates and six years of security updates. The Neo costs ₹3,000 less and charges faster, and iQOO promises it three Android upgrades and four years of security updates.
Around ₹40,000, the REDMI Turbo 5 and the realme GT 7T 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 has a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4, 256GB and a 144Hz screen, for ₹999 over that line. Under it, the iQOO Z11xa has a Dimensity 7400-Turbo and the realme P4x 5G at ₹26,999 with 6GB has a Dimensity 7400.
Under ₹20,000, phones 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.
The OnePlus Nord CE6 at ₹37,999 is poor value. 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.
Budget gaming phones in the US
| Phone | Maker’s price | Chip and memory | Screen and touch sampling | Battery and charging | Cooling the maker states |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Nothing promises the Phone (4a) Pro three years of Android updates and six of security updates. Its own compatibility sheet calls Verizon support limited, so Verizon customers should pass. Nothing Phone (4a) Pro on Amazon
The Motorola Edge 2025 costs less and names its networks. It gets under the ceiling on its selling price, with 256GB, and Motorola’s 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 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. For its game settings, read Samsung’s Gaming Hub and Game Booster. Samsung Galaxy A37 5G on Amazon
Under $300, the TCL NXTPAPER 70 Pro sells at $299.99 with a Dimensity 7300 and 8GB, though the better buy is $50 further on: the Motorola Edge 2025. At the bottom, the Moto G Power 2025 has 8GB of memory beside a Dimensity 6300, and MediaTek’s description of that chip family stops at “fun gaming”. It is also our pick among 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
Going $50 over the ceiling reaches the Nothing Phone (3), selling at $549 against a $699 list price. It 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
The Moto G Stylus 2026 at $499.99 is poor value for games. 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.
Gaming phones 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. Oscar recommends the A37, the A57 has the faster Exynos 1680, and the A07 is best skipped for demanding games.
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.
As a rule, look for a Snapdragon 8 series chip or a Dimensity from the 8000 or 9000 family. Under this post’s ceiling, that means the Snapdragon 8 Elite in the POCO F8 Pro and the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 in the Nord 6 and Neo 10.
Chip names can be read without a benchmark chart. Qualcomm files its Snapdragon 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 calls its Dimensity 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’s Exynos 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.
Frame-rate and touch 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.
The four-figure “instant” touch numbers in the tables are the makers’ 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.
Every phone in the tables has 8GB or more of memory, except the 6GB Galaxy A37. The page on what 8GB, 12GB and 16GB get you has more. The game modes go by different names: Xiaomi’s is Game Turbo, OnePlus’s is Pro Gamer mode, iQOO’s is Ultra Game Mode and Samsung’s is Game Booster.
