 "Mobile gaming has become incredibly popular in India from casual games to highly competitive and graphics intensive ones.")
Mobile gaming has become incredibly popular in India from casual games to highly competitive and graphics intensive ones. While the former work on pretty much any smartphone, the latter require more powerful hardware and features that can give you an edge over your opponents. Most of the flagship phones automatically qualify as gaming phones but they are obviously quite expensive. Today we look at the top 5 midrange phones priced between Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 that provide a smooth gaming experience and ample battery backup.
Best gaming phone in India under Rs 50,000
The new OnePlus 15 is the latest and easily the most powerful of the lot. It is powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip with 12 GB LPDDR5X Ultra RAM and 256 GB fast UFS 4.1 storage. It also hosts a huge 7400 mAh Silicon Carbon battery to facilitate longer gaming sessions and supports 80W SuperVOOC charging for a brisk topup. It also supports bypass charging, if you do not want to stress your battery during the extra-long gaming sessions.
The OnePlus 15R has a large 6.83-inch 10-bit AMOLED display with a resolution of 2800 x 1272 pixels and 1800 nit brightness (HBM). The HDR10+ compliant screen is protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 7i. Just like the company’s flagship OnePlus 15, the 15R too flaunts 165 Hz refresh rate, which is meant to come in handy in certain games. A dedicated Touch Response Chip claims to deliver a superfast touch sampling rate of 3200 Hz. A 360-degree Cryo Velocity Cooling System promises effective thermal protection.
This phone is meant for gamers rather than photography enthusiasts, and has a rather scant camera department. You get a 50MP primary camera with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and a Sony IMX906 sensor that does most of the heavy lifting. It is supported by an 8MP ultra-wide shooter and a 32MP selfie camera, both without auto-focus. The OnePlus 15R runs the latest OxygenOS 16 based on Android 16 with the company promising four major Android updates and six years of security updates going ahead.
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View AllOnePlus 15R price in India: Rs 47,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage
Best gaming phones in India under Rs 40,000
OnePlus 13R
If you are fine with a little less processing muscle but prefer a better camera setup even on a gaming phone, the OnePlus 13R should suit you better and save a few bucks too. It is powered by Qualcomm’s former flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, which is amply powerful for gaming even today. You can get its 12 GB RAM and 256 GB UFS 4.0 storage variant under 40K. The phone now runs OxygenOS 16 based on Android 16, and one can expect at least another three major OS updates going ahead.
The OnePlus 13R has a sharp 6.78-inch 1.5K LTPO4 AMOLED display with Corning Gorilla Glass 7i protection. The HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliant screen supports 10-bit colour depth, 120 Hz refresh rate and 4500 nits peak brightness. Battery capacity stands at 6000 mAh, which is more than respectable to accommodate long hours of gaming. It keeps the phone powered for almost two days of moderate use. The bundled 100W charger juices it up fully in under an hour.
The photography department on the OnePlus 13R is better than all the phones in this list and flaunts a 50MP telephoto camera in addition to the other two on the 15R. Though modest, the 2X optical zoom is more than handy and helps in portrait photography too. Other than that, you get a quality 50MP primary camera with OIS that does a good job in varied lighting. An 8MP ultrawide camera and a 16MP selfie camera are handy at best.
OnePlus 13R price in India: Rs 39,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage
Poco F7 5G
The Poco F7 5G is arguably the best value for money phone in this list given its sub-35K price tag even for its top variant. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC with 12 GB RAM and up to 512 GB UFS 4.1 storage. It has a vibrant 6.83-inch AMOLED screen with 1.5K resolution and support for 12-bit colour, 120 Hz refresh rate, 3200 nits peak brightness and HDR10+ and Dolby Vision compliance. It has a massive 7550 mAh battery for extended gaming sessions, and the bundled 90W turbo charger juices it up quickly.
The phone also supports reverse wired charging and can be used as a powerbank to charge smaller devices like wireless earphones. Targeted at gamers, the photography department here is at par with the 15R, comprising a 50MP primary camera with OIS and an 8MP ultra-wide shooter at the back, with a 20MP front camera taking care of selfies and video calls. The phone launched with Android 15 with Xiaomi’s HyperOS 2, with more updates expected.
Poco F7 5G price in India: Rs 31,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage; Rs 33,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 512 GB storage
iQOO Neo 10
The iQOO Neo 10 is another very good option for gamers. Like the Poco F7, this too is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC, and you get its 12 GB LPDDR5X RAM and 256 GB UFS 4.1 internal storage variant in this budget. It can support up to 144 FPS in gaming and has a large vapour chamber cooling to keep things comfortable during long gaming sessions. The phone hosts a large 7000 mAh battery that can power extended hours of gaming and last well over two days of moderate use. The bundled 120W fast charger can recharge half of it in less than 20 minutes.
The iQOO Neo 10 has a 6.78-inch 10-bit OLED HDR display with 1.5K resolution, 144 Hz refresh rate and 5500 nits peak brightness. Like most phones in this list, photography is handled by two rear cameras consisting of a 50MP primary camera with OIS and an 8MP ultra-wide snapper. You also get a 32MP front camera for selfies and video calls. The phone launched with Android 15 with the company committing to 3 major Android updates and 4 years of security updates for the device.
iQOO Neo 10 price in India: Rs 38,999 for 12 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage
Best gaming phone in India under Rs 30,000
iQOO Neo 10R 5G
Yes, some serious mobile gaming is very much possible even within a budget of 30K thanks to the iQOO Neo 10R 5G, It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip with 8 GB LPDDR5X RAM and fast 256 GB UFS 4.1 internal storage. With the right payment methods you can also score its 12 GB RAM variant in this budget. The phone is less than 8 mm in thickness despite hosting a big 6400 mAh battery. The bundled 80W fast charger can juice it up briskly.
The iQOO Neo 10R 5G has a 6.78-inch 10-bit OLED HDR display with 1.5K resolution, 144 Hz refresh rate and 4500 nits peak brightness. Photography is handled by two rear cameras consisting of a 50MP primary with Sony IMX882 sensor and OIS and an 8MP ultra-wide shooter. You also get a 32MP front camera to please the selfie crowd. The phone runs Android 15 with the company committing to 3 major Android updates and 4 years of security updates for the device.
iQOO Neo 10R 5G price in India: Rs 28,999 for 8 GB RAM/ 256 GB storage