We Rank the Best Xiaomi Phones for Gaming: You’ll Never Guess Which Was the Winner
It’s never been easier to jump on the mobile gaming bandwagon. Whether you camp yourself on the couch, kill time commuting on the MRT or spend a little too much time on your toilet break (#guilty), the convenience of gaming is hitting the next level. Phones are now powerful enough for everyone from casuals to hardcore gamers, and Xiaomi has quickly built a rep in Singapore for launching some seriously impressive gears that power up the gaming experience.
But while Xiaomi’s broad range means you have plenty to choose from, it can be tricky to figure out exactly which phone is the best for gaming. That’s why we’ve taken a deep dive into their current catalog to help you choose the perfect Xiaomi phone based on your needs and budget. For now, we’ll keep our focus on Xiaomi and Pocophone without covering the Black Shark offshoot.
What we look for in a gaming phone
There are a number of features to look for in a phone you plan to use for gaming:
- Great display: Unless you’re sticking to basic titles, you need a big and beautiful display to get the most out of mobile gaming. A high refresh rate is a bonus.
- Big battery: It’s not much fun to see your battery freefall towards zilch after just a few minutes of gaming. The battery should not only be big, but also efficient.
- Beefy chip: For graphics intensive games, a powerful CPU and GPU are essential.
- Plenty of RAM and storage: You need space to store your games and save files, not to mention enough memory to run your favorite apps.
The best Xiaomi gaming phones
Spec Overview: Head to head between our top picks
| Spec | #1 Mi 11 Ultra | #2 Mi 11 | #3 POCO F3 | #4 Mi 10T Pro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WQHD+ AMOLED DotDisplay (3200 x 1440) | WQHD+ AMOLED DotDisplay (3200 x 1440) |
FHD+ AMOLED DotDisplay (2400 x 1080) |
FHD+ LCD DotDisplay (2400 x 1080) |
|
| Display size | 6.81-inch | 6.81-inch | 6.67-inch | 6.67-inch |
| Refresh rate | 120Hz | 120Hz | 144Hz | |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 |
| Storage | 256GB | 128-256GB | 128-256GB | 128-256GB |
| RAM | 12GB | 8GB | 6-8GB | 8GB |
| Dimensions |
164.3 x 74.6 X 8.38mm (234g) |
164.3 x 74.6 x 8.06mm (196g) | 163.7 x 76.4 x 7.8mm (196g) | 165.1 x 6.4 x 9.33mm (218g) |
| Battery | 5000mAh | 4600mAh | 4520mAh | 5000mAh |
| Rear camera | 50MP wide angle48MP ultrawide48MP telephoto |
108MP wide angle 13MP ultrawide 5MP telemacro |
48MP main camera 8MP ultrawide 5MP telemacro |
108MP primary 13MP ultrawide 5MP macro |
| Front camera | 20MP selfie | 20MP selfie | 20MP selfie | 20MP selfie |
#1 Mi 11 Ultra
In case calling it the Ultra wasn’t enough of a hint, Xiaomi’s latest phone is an absolute beauty. With incredible specs and a massive display, you have everything you need in a gaming phone.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor
- WQHD+ 6.81” AMOLED DotDisplay (3200×1440)
- 120Hz adaptive refresh rate
- 5000mAh battery with wireless charging
- 12GB RAM/256GB storage
With the Mi 11 Ultra, you also benefit from an awesome camera setup and an innovative new design. It does carry a hefty price tag, but it’s worth it if you’re not worried about the budget. With these specs, it’s our top pick for gamers looking at Xiaomi phones. Just be aware that new camera housing adds some extra weight on one side, though you can almost use it as a handle once you get used to it.
#2 Mi 11
The Mi 11 is almost identical to the Mi 11 Ultra when it comes to gaming, with a couple of minor downgrades to justify the lower price tag. The main differences are the 4600mAh battery (still big!) and 8GB RAM (still plenty!), plus potentially less storage depending on the version you go for. That said, the Mi 11 shares the Mi 11 Ultra’s fantastic display, refresh rate, chipset and plenty of other features, so you can’t go wrong with this if you want to spend a little less. We had to rank the Mi 11 second on our list purely because of the Mi 11 Ultra’s unmatched specs, but you could call it a tie once you factor in the savings.
#3 POCO F3
An absolute powerhouse for those on a budget, the POCO F3 is an incredibly popular gaming phone in Singapore. It follows up on the success of the F2 series and brings a stack of excellent features to gamers at an affordable price.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 processor
- FHD+ 6.67” AMOLED DotDisplay (2400×1080)
- 120Hz refresh rate
- 4520mAh battery
- 6-8GB RAM/128-256GB storage
Though it has a smaller battery than the 10T Pro ranking at #4, the Poco F3 takes the bronze medal thanks to the addition of an AMOLED display and a stronger processor.
#4 Mi 10T Pro
Before phones like the Mi 11, Mi 11 Ultra and Poco F3, the Mi 10T Pro could easily have sat at the top of our list. Albeit the lower price tag, the 10T Pro still packs a punch with flagship features incorporated into its design – from the fast chipset to an insanely high refresh rate.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor
- FHD+ 6.67″ LCD DotDisplay (2400 x 1080)
- 144Hz adaptive refresh rate
- 5000mAh battery
- 8GB RAM/128-256GB storage
Despite minor gripes like the use of an LCD display and no wireless charging, the Mi 10T Pro is an amazing phone and certainly deserves to be titled one of the best gaming phones from Xiaomi.
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Carrie is a problem-solving adventurer at Circles.Life. While she’s off-duty, she wears many other hats: does photography that #SparkTheOrdinary at @carriesimitaiji, writes on her lifestyle blog carriesim.com, and spread body positivity on her Instagram account @carriesim.
