One of the big surprises of the launch of the iPhone 15 was the news that The Pro versions had the A17 Pro chip, which is capable of running AAA video games. The kind of games that would normally have to run on a console, PC or Mac, because other phones don't have the resources those games need. That is why they make iPhone 15 Pro an ideal phone for gaming
The performance upgrades and capabilities of the iPhone 15 Pro ensure these games are the most engaging ever seen on a smartphone. Let's see it!
iPhones rival game consoles, thanks to powerful chips like the A17, along with bright, high-pixel-density OLED displays capable of 120hz refresh rates.
The iPhone also offers a huge library of mobile games, with iOS often receiving the latest premium games before Android, and, thanks to the superior hardware and software integration of Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC),, you can expect excellent performance even with versions older than the iPhone 15 Pro.
If you like mobile games and want to know which is the best iPhone to play right now, then we are here to help you, although it is true that the title of the article makes it quite clear.
Which iPhone is best for gamers?
For me, currently the best option without a doubt is the iPhone 15 Pro, as it has all the power of the iPhone 15 Pro Max in a smaller, more comfortable and ergonomic size. It's true that the iPhone 15 Pro lacks the camera's 5x optical zoom, but for gamers that won't matter as much as it will for photographers.
The other main factor to differentiate these two phones is Battery life, 23 hours for the Pro compared to 29 hours for the Pro Max. This will certainly be an important factor for those anticipating long gaming sessions.
Like the iPhone 15, the Pro version has a screen that measures 6,1 inches, but the Pro iPhones' screen features ProMotion technology and a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, ideal for fast-moving games.
Inside the iPhone 15 Pro is the latest iPhone chip, the A17 Pro with a six-core CPU, a six-core GPU and 8 GB of RAM. The GPU is what's so powerful, offering hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, which should mean gamers will experience the kind of shadows and reflections typically seen on consoles.
These features make the iPhone 15 Pro an ideal phone for gaming
Is the iPhone 14 or iPhone 13 good for gaming?
There really isn't much difference between these two iPhone models. Both phones offer almost the same A15 Bionic processor. Thanks to the additional graphics core in the iPhone 14, this could be a better buy for gaming, but it costs more than the iPhone 13, so perhaps the iPhone 13 with more storage for the same price is better than an iPhone 14 with less storage.
What games are available for the iPhone?
There are millions of games for iPhone and many of the premium games come to iOS before Android. You can play games like:
- Alto's Odyssey, Among Us and Asphalt 9
- Legends, Assassin's Creed, Call of Duty: Mobile, Clash of Clans, Diablo Immortal and Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Lego Starwars: TCS, Mario Kart Tour and Marvel Contest of Champions
- Minecraft, Monument Valley 2, Pokémon Unite, Roblox, Tetris and Tomb Raider Reloaded
Apple also has the option to acquire Apple Arcade, a game subscription service that offers more than 200 games in various genres and styles. It costs 6,99 euros per month, and includes games like:
- Beyond a Steel Sky, Crossy Road: Castle, Cut the Rope 3 and Disney Melee Mania
- Football Manager 2023 Touch, Hello Kitty Island Adventure, Sonic Dream Team and many more.
However, not all games work on all devices. For example, Resident Evil Village is only compatible with the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, along with several iPads. Assassin's Creed: Mirage and Death Stranding that are only available for the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max.
Players can play against friends in Split Screen, while Game Center and SharePlay mean you can play with friends even when they're not around.
Other applications or servers
Other games are available through the Xbox Cloud Gaming service if you're a Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, but you'll stream gameplay from their servers as Apple doesn't allow users to access any other app stores on the iPhone currently.
This may change in the future if the EU Digital Markets Law forces Apple to open up app distribution to avenues other than the App Store. If this happens, it may force Apple to allow side-loading of non-App Store apps on the iPhone, thus opening the devices to even more games and potentially malware.
For now, Android users have access to games that iPhone users don't and can also take advantage of emulator apps to play old console games.
What specifications do I need for iPhone gaming?
The iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max have the most advanced iPhone chip right now: the A17 Pro. It's a six-core CPU, a six-core GPU with 8 GB of RAM, the most RAM Apple has ever included in an iPhone and a definite advantage for the players.
The A17 Pro GPU is, according to Apple, 20% faster than its predecessor, it also includes hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, just like the M3 chip in Macs. This should mean that gamers will experience the type of shadows and reflections that are usually only seen on consoles.
That's the A17, what about the A16 Bionic found inside the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, and the 14 iPhone 2022 Pro/Max? When it launched, this chip was faster than the competition and is still holding up well, as you can see in the benchmarks below.
As a result, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are still excellent iPhones for gaming, as long as you don't mind that there are some games that are not compatible with those phones such as Resident Evil Village and Assassin's Creed: Mirage and Death Stranding.
The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 outperformed their predecessors, as expected, but how do they perform against other smartphones? Our colleagues at Tech Advisor have compared the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro to several Android phones. As you can see in the benchmarks below, the iPhone 15 and 15 Pro are miles ahead of the competition in Geekbench 6 scores.
iPhone 15 Pro battery
Another thing to keep in mind when choosing your iPhone's battery life, especially if you're likely to be gaming for long periods of time. A fast loading time is also beneficial. The longest battery life is the iPhone 15 Pro Max with up to 29 hours, the larger form factor hides a larger battery.
Next up is the similarly sized iPhone 15 Plus with 26 hours. The iPhone 15 Pro offers up to 23 hours, while the iPhone 15 can handle up to 20 hours. These are Apple's numbers, and they're not gaming-specific, but they should give you an idea of what to expect. Fast charging should give you 50% charge in 30 minutes if you're using a 20W charger (a 50% fast charge for the iPhone 15 Pro Max takes 5 minutes longer, but it's a bigger battery after all).
You'll also want to consider how much storage you can get for your money. Games and game data take up space, and you can't add more storage space to an iPhone later. So get what you can afford. That may mean getting a less powerful (or smaller) iPhone so you can get double the storage.
Lastly, pay attention to the quality of the screen. All iPhones in the 15 series have high maximum brightness (up to 2000 nits outdoors). By 2023, the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus get this level of brightness: the limit is 1.200 nits of maximum brightness on the iPhone 14 and 13, and the second-generation iPhone SE can only handle 625 nits of brightness.
Conclusion
As always, I hope you liked this article about how the iPhone 15 Pro is an ideal phone for gaming. In short, it is true that many iPhone models can be a great option for gaming, but if we want to have the best of the best, and be able to play the latest games, the best option is the iPhone 15 Pro. Well, it is comfortable and ergonomic with its size of 6,1 inches, powerful with the A17 chip, and has a great autonomy of up to 23 hours, added to its fast charging. And you, do you use the iPhone to play?
