10 Best Gaming Phones Under PHP 15,000 in the Philippines 2022 | Xiaomi, Vivo, Oppo, and More

Here are some key points to consider:

1. Get to know its speed and performance by determining its CPU and GPU.
2. Take a look at the smartphone's available storage.
3. Consider its screen size and resolution to enjoy crystal-clear graphics.
4. Aim for one with a refresh rate higher than 60Hz for better gameplay.
5. Pick a phone with a 5000mah battery for uninterrupted gaming sessions.
6. Try a smartphone with gaming mode software and other features to enhance your gaming experience.

For more detailed information, read through our buying guide below.

CPU and GPU sum up a phone's performance. Knowing about these specs will surely help you purchase a fast, smooth, and lag-free gaming phone as they indicate how a phone performs when playing games or running apps on it.

Everything you do on your phone depends on its processor or CPU. It's considered the "brain" of the phone as it receives and executes every command. However, it's often overlooked by people. On the contrary, you should the phone's CPU should always be considered as it affects a phone's speed, efficiency, and battery life.

A good processor brings a smooth and lag-free experience, whether you run multiple apps simultaneously or play games continuously. Mid-range processors like the Snapdragon 7 series, Snapdragon 888, MediaTek Dimensity 1000 series, and Kirin 9000 are suitable for an enjoyable mobile gaming experience.

A graphics processing unit or GPU renders videos, images, and animations that you see on a phone's display. It is an essential part of a phone, especially if you want to play graphically demanding games, such as PUBG, Fortnite, and Asphalt 9.

Without it, a phone cannot support high-performance games and high-quality UI. Every phone's CPU is equipped with a corresponding GPU, and the best GPUs these days are Adreno and Mali. CPU brands Kirin and MediaTek use Mali, while Snapdragon comes with Adreno.

After knowing about the core parts of a smartphone, let us now move on to two types of data storage: RAM and ROM. Just like the CPU and GPU, they also play a huge role in a phone's performance, especially for gaming.

The random access memory or RAM is where the game or other apps' temporary data are stored. Every game occupies a certain amount of RAM. Basically, the higher the RAM, the smoother the game runs. If the phone does not have enough RAM space, then the game will lag.

Let's say you've bought a phone that has 4GB RAM and want to play PUBG Mobile, which requires 2 to 3GB RAM. You'll be able to play the game, but there's a possibility that it will lag, especially if other apps are running in the background. For lag-free gaming, 6 to 12GB RAM is ideal.

Read-only memory or ROM is the phone's internal storage. It is where the apps are stored by default. Usually, mid-range phones come with 16 to 32GB of internal storage, but the most recent ones are now available with 64 to 128GB ROM. In some cases, you can expand its storage capacity even more with a microSD as long the phone supports it.

To have enough space for many games, 65GB is a decent choice. However, it might not be enough if you want to play large games that update from time to time, like Genshin Impact, Mobile Legends, and Call of Duty Mobile. So we recommend that you go for 128GB to be able to install a lot of games and store tons of photos, videos, files, and other apps.

Screen size and screen resolution are the two main elements you need to consider to enjoy a high-definition display. A large screen size lets you see the game's interface easily, while resolution lets you enjoy the game's details crystal clear. But you might be disappointed with the phone's display quality if these two do not fit or go with each other well.

A low resolution on a big screen is not as clear as a high resolution on a small screen. In this case, the display will appear blurry and pixelated. So if you're going to buy a phone with a 6 to 6.7 inches screen size, make sure that it comes with 1280 x 720, 1920 x 1080, or 2560 x 1440 screen resolution.

Refresh rate measures how quickly the phone's display or images updates. If you often watch gameplay videos and play competitive games, a high refresh rate can improve your overall experience. It makes the smartphone more responsive and makes the gameplay appear smoother.

60Hz is the default refresh rate for most smartphones. However, it may be prone to motion blurs and lags, particularly for fast-paced games where every frame counts. So it's better to go for a smartphone with a 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate for smoother and sharper animation. 

Aside from a phone's core features, you should also check its battery life. Games draw out more power than apps, videos, and music. Its brightness level, temperature, and connections also affect its battery life. Lastly, keep in mind that discharge rates vary from device to device and user to user.

A 4000mAh battery is good for casual gaming, but we recommend a 5000mAh battery if you want to play games for hours without interruptions. You may want to opt for one with a quick-charging feature as it will surely take a long time to recharge a large battery capacity.

Since some mid-range phones are not built specifically for gaming, they might not have an extra high refresh rate, cooling systems, and touch-sensitive screens. Fortunately, most smartphones these days now come with gaming mode software that boosts the phone's gaming performance.

For instance, Oppo and OnePlus have a default gaming app called Game Space. It automatically optimizes games and lets you manage all of your games in one place. Also, you can customize it according to your preference by managing notifications, incoming calls, brightness, and other settings that affect your gameplay.

Besides the important specs mentioned above, you should also consider getting a phone with other features such as an anti-glare screen, a fast-charging battery, and quality speakers to enhance your overall gaming experience. Some budget gaming phones even support 5G LTE SIM for low latency and higher data speed.

To give you a rundown, here are our top 3 picks for the best gaming phones under Php 15,000 you can buy online:

1. POCO X3 Pro
2. POCO X3 GT
3. Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro

The products we introduce below were carefully curated by the mybest team, from the best-sellers of E-commerce sites like Lazada, and using the points mentioned in our detailed and thoroughly researched buying guide.

**Prices may vary depending on the website and their campaign period**

Below are some of the most asked questions on the web answered by the mybest team.

If your phone lags, the first thing you can do is refresh your phone by restarting it. If it still runs slow after rebooting, its internal storage might be full, and you need to uninstall unused apps, close running apps, delete large files, and clear caches and excess data to free up space.

Applications and features update from time to time, so you should also check if your phone uses an outdated operating system. If so, update it to the latest version to avoid incompatibility issues. However, if the lag persists and you don't see any improvement, consider seeking a professional's assistance as the problem might be hardware-related.

Yes, you can use your phone while charging. However, its charging speed will be slower than normal. While the battery loads power as you use your phone, the current supplied to the battery will be reduced. Your phone might also heat up because running applications, especially graphics-intensive games, consume a lot of power.

To get the most out of your battery's life, below are some of the battery-saving tips you can do.

• Turn down your brightness level and turn on the auto-brightness feature so that it automatically adjusts to your environment. You can also keep it turned off when you're indoors to keep it low.
• If possible, turn off your Wi-Fi and other wireless connections, and switch your phone to airplane mode so that it won't drain itself by finding signals to receive calls and texts messages.
• Utilize your phone's power saving mode to limit background data usage, or install a battery saver app that turns off certain features to help the battery conserve power.
• Instead of just minimizing, close your running applications. To do this, hold your phone's home button and swipe up on each app you want to close. You can also tap "Clear All" to close all running apps at once.

With the best mobile gaming accessories, such as gamepads, headsets, and stands, you can save yourself from bad controls, poor audio quality, and other factors that can affect your gameplay. If you need more guides and product recommendations, check out our other articles below!

Author: Erika Nollora Ceguerra

Editor: Ayeza Mangulabnan

Our buying guide was carefully researched and crafted by the mybest team of writers and editors, in collaboration with the expert featured in this article. We used the buying guide as a basis for choosing and ranking the product recommendations, and we looked at reviews and ratings from different E-commerce sites like Lazada, Shopee, and more.