However, as impressive as they are for their ridiculously high-end specs, you should probably not buy a gaming phone even if you manage to find a great deal on one. Here are seven reasons you should avoid gaming phones and buy a regular Android phone instead.
1. Gaming Phones Are Expensive
By default, gaming phones focus on having the best performance possible; after all, that’s what they are designed for. But getting to this performance instantly bumps up the cost of manufacturing since the device needs to have the latest chipset, the very best cooling system, and premium materials for better heat dissipation.
This is bad because a slightly older flagship chip is usually almost as fast as the latest one, but available for cheaper. If companies use the former, they can pass on those savings to the consumer and make their gaming phones more affordable.
The reason this doesn’t work in practice is that gamers tend to obsess over having the best specs. So, they may perceive a gaming phone with an older chip as significantly weaker and decide not to buy it. In reality, there may not be any real-world difference.
2. Poor Camera Quality
Perhaps the biggest problem with gaming phones is their poor camera quality. Put any gaming phone next to a regular Android phone of the same price and you’ll find that the former almost always takes worse shots, no matter what time of the day it is. If you’re curious, you can see camera samples in our Red Magic 7 Pro gaming phone review.
But why does this happen? Simply put, gaming phones have poor camera quality because most of the money spent on their manufacturing is directed towards enhancing performance and building special gaming features.
Anything that’s important to improve your gaming experience is prioritized, but since the camera is one of the few things you don’t use as much when gaming, it’s overlooked to save costs. Because of this limitation, gaming phones are not reliable as daily drivers.
3. They’re Uncomfortable to Hold
Gaming phones are usually taller, wider, thicker, and heavier than regular phones. This is because of all the extra internal components they have such as an internal cooling system, RGB lights, a bigger battery, better materials, and more.
Some gaming phones take this a step further. Among the Red Magic 7’s best features are a built-in turbofan and air ducts in the phone body. All of this extra stuff combined makes the device bulky. This may not be a big deal for you, but people with smaller hands will definitely find gaming phones uncomfortable to hold for long periods.
4. They Have Unnecessary Specs and Features
Gaming phones top the charts when it comes to specs, but some of these specs are unnecessary. For instance, the ROG Phone 6 Pro has a screen refresh rate of 165Hz. This is a wasteful expense because of three reasons.
One, most people struggle to notice any improvements beyond 90Hz, let alone 165Hz. Two, only a select number of games can support higher refresh rates, making them largely redundant in many cases. And three, 120Hz displays are standard now, making them cheaper to produce. Putting a faster display on the phone will incur unnecessary costs.
Similarly, adding an excessive amount of RAM is also pretty wasteful. Even the most graphically demanding titles out there can run smoothly with 8GB to 12GB of RAM. Beyond that point, adding more RAM doesn’t make a difference in gameplay and only increases costs.
5. Poor Water and Dust Resistance
If you’ve noticed, gaming phones also tend to not have an official IP rating for dust and water resistance. On the rare occasions they do, they settle for a semi-mediocre one such as the IPX4 rating found on the ROG Phone 6 Pro. One reason for this is that getting an official IP rating costs money, so OEMs avoid it to save costs.
But more importantly, gaming phones can’t have flagship IP ratings because their design simply doesn’t allow it. On the Red Magic 7, for example, the turbofan and the air ducts help blow out hot air to keep your phone cool, but they also make it possible for dust and water to slip in.
This means although a few accidental splashes here and there won’t wreck your gaming phone, you should definitely not use it near a pool or take it to the beach.
6. The Design Is Polarizing
The decals, LEDs, and design tweaks on gaming phones give them their unique identity and are undoubtedly cool to look at, but they’re not always appropriate for every situation.
Don’t be surprised if your gaming phone invites some strange looks from the people on the street or makes your coworkers perceive you as tacky. That said, you could just slap on a back cover or a custom skin on your phone to cover up its design.
7. Even if You Do Still Want One, They’re Hard to Get Hold Of
Although any modern smartphone can be used as a gaming device, there are only a handful of companies that make dedicated gaming phones, including Asus, ZTE, Lenovo, and Black Shark. Because of this, it’s not that easy to get your hands on a gaming phone.
And given their limited availability and supply chain issues, many local retailers don’t bother selling them. So, you might have to ship your gaming phone internationally which means having to bother with shipping charges and a potential delay in delivery.
Gaming Phones Aren’t the Best for Daily Use
Gaming phones are good at a lot of things, but they are still niche products and you should only buy them if you know what you’re doing. Seeing impressive benchmark scores might be tempting, but on paper, performance is not as important as real-world functionality.
Things like poor camera quality, the lack of an official IP rating, bulky design, and the hefty price tag make gaming phones a bad purchase for many people. In most cases, you’re better off getting a regular phone of the same price with fewer compromises and more reliability.
