PUBG Mobile is a graphics-intensive game that demands a powerful phone, and in 2019 one of the latest and fastest phones you can buy is the OnePlus 7 Pro. Not only is it a great phone for gaming, it also includes some of the most advanced smartphone features for those who love to live on the bleeding edge.
Our Pick
OnePlus 7 Pro
From $669 at OnePlus
Best phone for PUBG Mobile
The OnePlus 7 Pro may be new, but it burst onto the scene with top-end hardware specs at a great price. The 1440p 90Hz display will look fantastic running graphically-intensive games like PUBG , and unlike other gaming-focused phones, you won’t be left sacrificing other key specs or features for top-end gaming performance.
Who should buy the OnePlus 7 Pro?
Are you looking for a phone that not only offers top performance for gaming and other activities, but is also priced lower than other flagships? Check out the OnePlus 7 Pro.
Is it a good time to buy a OnePlus 7 Pro?
The OnePlus 7 Pro was just announced and only just went on sale, so now is the perfect time to buy if you’ve been considering a phone upgrade,
Reasons to buy
- 90Hz display refresh rate
- No bezels or notches
- Options up to 12GB of RAM, when 6GB will do fine
- Great price
- Stereo speakers
Reasons not to buy
- No headphone jack
- No SD card slot
- No wireless charging
- Somewhat disappointing battery life for size
Why you should buy the OnePlus 7 Pro
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PUBG Mobile has been developed to run pretty well on old and new phones alike, but you’ll need a phone with admirable specs to run it at the highest graphics settings. Even the base model OnePlus 7 Pro fits the bill, with 6GB and a Snapdragon 855 processor delivering enough memory and processing power to deliver great gaming performance. That only improves if you opt for the models with 8GB or 12GB of RAM. Oxygen OS continues to deliver a simple and speedy software experience that allows for customization, including a Gaming Mode, which offers fine controls for avoiding distractions while gaming. You can limit notifications to alarms and calls or set custom notifications for displaying messages while you game.
With streamlined software running on the latest hardware, it’s hard not to see the OnePlus 7 Pro as the best phone for PUBG Mobile in 2019.
Then there’s the part you’ll be staring at for hours on end. The display of the OnePlus 7 Pro delivers the best version of a bezel-free smartphone with no compromise for notches. That means the entire display’s real estate will be devoted to the game, with a front-facing speaker somehow squeezed in the top to deliver stereo sound.
Just like the Razer Phone 2 and ASUS ROG Phone, the display supports a higher display refresh rate — up to 90Hz where available. That means everything will look silky smooth to your eye — whether you’re earning chicken dinners in PUBG Mobile or scrolling though Instagram.
Another reason the OnePlus 7 Pro sits atop our list is the price. At launch, pricing started at $699 for a base model that comes with 6GB of RAM along with a trendy three-lens camera layout on the back and a pop-up selfie cam. This is OnePlus following all the latest trends in smartphones except the one where the phone is priced around $1,000. That base model will already run PUBG Mobile wonderfully before considering RAM and storage upgrades that will serve you better in the long run. It seems like OnePlus has returned to its roots of undercutting the competition by putting out a flagship that doesn’t settle on core specs, and that’s great news for competitive gamers looking for an edge. Sure, the phone doesn’t have a headphone jack, which still comes in handy for gaming on the go, and it doesn’t support expandable storage or wireless charging, but when you’re in the game all that really matters is performance and display.
Alternatives to the OnePlus 7 Pro
If PUBG Mobile is life but you’re not entirely sold on the OnePlus 7 Pro, you might be interested in these other great gaming phones.
Runner-up
Razer Phone 2
$499 at Amazon
Built like a brick with booming sound
For this second iteration, Razer kept everything that made the Razer Phone such a great gaming phone — the latest Snapdragon chipset, 8GB of RAM, and that buttery-smooth 120hz display — and then doubled down on the other important stuff that makes for a great phone including a brighter display, water-resistance, wireless charging, and improved camera sensors and software.
With the Razer Phone 2 discounted to $500 it’s now a great time to pick one up. It’s got a lot of great features that perform exceptionally well for gaming, including the beefy front-facing speakers. I’m also personally a fan of the blocky design that gives me nice edges to grip.
Razer was the first phone maker to try and dazzle us with a 120Hz refresh rate and it does make an impressive difference when a game supports it, although many games — PUBG Mobile included — don’t offer full support for 120Hz yet.
Phone with killer features
ASUS ROG
$899 at Amazon
A premium gaming machine
ASUS pulled out no stops when they created the Republic of Gamers phone, including ultrasonic touch sensors that give you programmable shoulder buttons. This is truly a phone for the hardcore players only.
The ASUS ROG phone is the most extra phone you’ll ever see — for instance, it has an extra charging port on the side that’s actually really functional when playing PUBG because it lets you charge your phone more comfortably when holding it sideways. There’s also a fan that aims to keep the device cool, or at least look cool trying.
Its the little touches like that combined with the snappy hardware that makes the ROG phone a compelling option — but only if you can justify the cost.
Bottom line
If mobile gaming is one of your favorite past times there’s no better time to be upgrading your phone than in early 2019. Not only are there stylish gaming phones out there that deliver optimized gaming performance, but the trends have hit the mainstream with every flagship from Samsung and elsewhere touting some sort of gaming advantage. Right now, the OnePlus 7 Pro looks to be the best phone that we can recommend specifically for gaming because you get all the best features for gaming without overpaying in a highly competitive marketplace.
Our Pick
OnePlus 7 Pro
From $669 at OnePlus
Best phone for PUBG Mobile
The OnePlus 7 Pro may be new, but it burst onto the scene with top-end hardware specs at a great price. The 1440p 90Hz display will look fantastic running graphically-intensive games like PUBG , and unlike other gaming-focused phones, you won’t be left sacrificing other key specs or features for top-end gaming performance.
Credits — The team that worked on this guide
Marc Lagace is the Apps and Games Editor at Android Central. He’s been a gamer for most of his life and actually took a university course on Video Game Theory — which he aced! You can reach out to him on Twitter @spacelagace.
