Smartphone prices have risen across the board in 2026 due to the global memory shortage. But here is the thing: the gaming experience on smartphones has never been better. Phones across every segment are running smoother and cooler than before, and this edition of our best gaming phones roundup reflects both of those realities.
We have updated our price brackets to match where devices actually sit in today’s market, and we have tested the latest launches across all of them to find the best performer at every price point.
Selection criteria
At 91mobiles, we test every phone we review with a mix of benchmarks and real-world usage. One of those is our suite of gaming tests, where we run CoD: Mobile and BGMI, both demanding titles, and closely track performance. For this list, we focus on gaming FPS and measure the average temperature increase over a 30-minute session to see how well each phone handles heat under sustained load.
Table of Contents
Best gaming phones under Rs 15,000
Game settings:
- Call of Duty Mobile: Medium Graphics + High FPS
- BGMI: HD Graphics + High FPS
Winner: POCO M7 Plus
The POCO M7 Plus takes the top spot here because it delivers the best balance of frame rates and thermals across both titles in a 30-minute session. It leads in CoD: Mobile performance while also recording the lowest temperature rise, and it stays competitive in BGMI as well. That consistent combination of performance and cool operation is what puts it ahead of the competition here.
Runners-up: The Lava Play Ultra (review) takes the second spot and is the coolest running phone of the three in BGMI, but its frame rates are the lowest across both games. The iQOO Z10x (review) comes in third and posts the highest frame rates of the three in BGMI, and it is very close in CoD as well, but it runs hotter than both rivals in extended sessions.
Best gaming phones around Rs 30,000
Game settings:
- Call of Duty Mobile: High Graphics + Max FPS
- BGMI: HDR Graphics + Ultra FPS
Winner: Vivo T4 Pro
The Vivo T4 Pro (review) holds on to the top spot in this segment. While its CoD: Mobile frame rates are slightly behind the other two, it is decisively ahead in BGMI with the highest FPS of the three by a good margin. It also records the lowest temperature rise across both titles.
Runners-up: The OPPO K13 Turbo (review) comes in second. It actually leads in CoD: Mobile FPS and stays cool in both titles, but its BGMI performance drops off significantly compared to the Vivo T4 Pro, which costs it the top spot.
The OnePlus Nord 5 (review) is the new entrant in this segment and puts up competitive CoD numbers, sitting close to both rivals. However, it runs the hottest of the three in CoD and records the highest temperature rise in BGMI as well, which brings its overall rating down despite decent frame rate performance.
Best gaming phones Rs 40,000 – Rs 60,000
Game settings:
- Call of Duty Mobile: Very High Graphics + Max FPS
- BGMI: Ultra HDR Graphics + Ultra FPS
Winner: OnePlus 15R
The OnePlus 15R (review) retains the top spot in this segment. It leads in CoD: Mobile FPS and records the second-lowest temperature rise across both titles. In BGMI, it stays neck and neck with the Vivo V70 on frame rates while keeping temperatures well in check. That consistent performance across both games with solid heat management is what keeps it ahead of the competition here.
Runners-up: The Vivo V70 (review) at the second spot runs the coolest of the three in BGMI and stays competitive on frame rates across both titles. It falls just short of the OnePlus 15R overall, but it is a very close call and a great option in this price range.
The Motorola Signature (review) is the new entrant here and puts up the highest BGMI frame rates of the three by a clear margin. However, it runs hotter than both rivals in both titles, which brings its overall rating down and keeps it in third place despite the raw performance numbers.
Best gaming phones Rs 60,000 – Rs 80,000
Game settings:
- Call of Duty Mobile: Very High Graphics + Max FPS
- BGMI: Ultra HDR Graphics + Ultra FPS
Winner: OnePlus 15
The OnePlus 15 (review) holds on to the top spot in this segment. It leads the category by a clear margin in BGMI frame rates and pairs that with the second-lowest temperature rise in both titles. In CoD: Mobile, it stays competitive while keeping thermals well managed. That dominant BGMI performance, combined with consistent heat control across both games, is what keeps it ahead here.
Runners-up: The Realme GT 8 Pro (review) comes in at second place. It stays very close to the OnePlus 15 in CoD: Mobile in both frame rates and thermals, making it a strong option for CoD-focused players. It falls behind in BGMI performance, though, which is where the gap between it and the OnePlus 15 opens up.
The OPPO Find X9 (review) leads the entire segment in CoD: Mobile FPS and records the lowest temperature rise in CoD as well, making it the most efficient phone for that title. However, its BGMI frame rates are the lowest of the three, which brings its overall rating down.
Best flagship gaming phones
Game settings:
- Call of Duty Mobile: Very High Graphics + Max FPS
- BGMI: Ultra HDR Graphics + Ultra FPS
Winner: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra takes the top spot in the flagship segment. All three phones are very close on frame rates across both titles, but what separates the S26 Ultra is its thermals. It records the lowest temperature rise of the three in both CoD: Mobile and BGMI by a clear margin, making it the most comfortable flagship to game on over extended sessions. When performance is this close across the board, heat management becomes the deciding factor, and the S26 Ultra wins that convincingly.
Runners-up: The OPPO Find X9 Pro (review) at second place leads the segment in CoD: Mobile FPS and stays very competitive in BGMI as well. However, it runs warmer than the S26 Ultra in both titles, which keeps it just behind in the overall ranking.
The Vivo X300 Pro (review) delivers competitive frame rates across both games, but it records the highest temperature rise of the three, which is what separates it from the top two here.
Key Trends
Thermals are a lot better across all price segments this year, and the widespread adoption of vapour chambers is the reason for that. It is a feature that used to be exclusive to flagships, but it has made its way much further down the price ladder now, and our testing reflects that. Budget and mid-range phones are actually running cooler in longer gaming sessions than they used to just a year ago.
Game-specific optimisations have also improved immensely. Manufacturers are putting more work into tuning their software for popular titles like BGMI and CoD: Mobile, and the result is more stable frame delivery even on devices that do not have the most powerful chipsets.
The global memory shortage has pushed prices up and shifted several devices into higher price brackets than before. In general, smartphones now cost roughly 20 per cent higher than they used to. Mid-range segments in particular are yet to stabilise, as some OEMs are also hiking the prices of their current portfolios of products. The phones in this list represent the best options available in the market right now.
