According to contemporary research, the average Brit spends over 40 hours per week glued to their mobile device, which has seen the media label this era as the ‘decade of the smartphone.’
We’re guilty, here at Luxury Lifestyle Magazine, of spending a fair bit of time consuming content via our phones, too. From relentlessly refreshing Twitter, to mobile gaming, and even using mobile casinos, we have a world of opportunity available at our fingertips.
While this new trend of mobile usage has led many social commentators around the world to condemn smartphone culture, we’re a little less critical here at LLM. What we would say, though, is that if you’re going to spend plenty of downtime gaming on your handheld device, why not invest in the best?
We’ve been tracking the market to bring you our top 5 mobile device contenders for handheld entertainment in 2019.
5) Samsung Galaxy Note 9
The Note 9 is a big beast, with a hefty 8 gigabytes of RAM and a beautiful big 6.4-inch screen, making it a strong device for those inclined to game on the go.
The screen, with Samsung’s signature AMOLED display, is genuinely one of the best-and-brightest available on the market right now, and it should handle even the newest and most CPU-intensive applications available on the Play Store currently.
Also sporting its quintessential stylus, the Note doubles up as a sensible business investment, too, with the device more than capable as serving as a PDA for those important days at the office.
4) OnePlus 6T
The OnePlus 6T burst onto the scene in late 2018 when it was launched in the same fortnight as the newest iPhone, which, no surprise, also features on this list. The big draw, which really helped the device’s overall popularity, is that the phone is competitive with many of the industry giants’ flagship models, but it entered the shelves at roughly half the cost.
Fortunately for OnePlus, the 6T holds up against the hype, and is also great for gaming. Coming in at a similar spec to the Note 9 (with 8/10 gigabytes of ram and a 6.4-inch screen), the 6T strikes a superb balance between affordability and performance, edging out the Samsung device in the process.
3) Apple iPhone XR
In truth, you could select any of the last two generations of iPhone to make this list, because the real value behind it is access to the App Store. From SEGA classics in the 90s to contemporary games, the library of content available on Apple tends to edge out the Android equivalent, the Play Store.
For that reason, and maybe that reason alone, it makes sense to have access to an iPhone, as they tend to get first look at fresh games. The XR, one of Apple’s current generation of iPhones, is a relatively cost-effective option, but, critically, still contains Apple’s A12 Bionic processor which handles up-to-date apps at a canter, as well as a relatively generous 6.1-inch screen.
2) Huawei Mate P20 Pro
The P20 Pro is an absolute powerhouse of a machine, and it’s not a surprise that much of the tech media colloquially referred to the phone as the ‘iPhone killer’ upon its grand unveiling last year. In truth, poor press has perhaps curtailed it’s rise to complete market dominance, but Huawei’s flagship phone is still a monster.
The device contains all the bells and whistles expected of a premium device, but also outstrips the iPhone on battery power. A full day’s play should still leave you with enough juice to check Instagram, and the 8 gigs of RAM and octa-core processor ensure that it’ll run any contemporary application with refreshing ease.
1) Razer Phone 2
While all of these devices do an admirable job when turning their hand to gaming, there’s no substitute for the real thing. Razer, an American company known for producing high-end gaming peripherals, dipped its toe into the smartphone market with the original Razer Phone in 2017, and its sophomore effort is the best-in-class for gamers on the go.
The phone’s incredibly sharp display – 513 pixels-per-inch coupled with a 120Hz screen refresh rate provides an elite gaming experience, while its 8 gigabytes of RAM take care of the rest. The phone’s major upgrade on its initial effort, though, is a state-of-the-art cooling system which ensures the CPU remains at an optimal temperature no matter what you throw in its path.
