Internet casinos are more accessible than ever before, with a huge proportion of Kiwis now in a position to play everything from pokies to live dealer games on their mobile phone. Having the ability to play anywhere, at any time, is a big attraction, but how enjoyable your gaming experience is can be very much dependent on the device you are playing on.
For those looking to get the most out of their mobile casino gaming, choosing the right smartphone is crucial. This article will explore the key features to look for and highlight some of the top phones available for playing online pokies and other casino games.
What to Look for in a Gaming Phone
Before we get into the particular models, it’s critical to know what makes a good gaming phone. Some important specifications directly affect performance.
A quality screen comes first. Opt for a large one, at least 6.5 inches, with high resolution. Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) is a good starting point, but Quad HD (2560 x 1440 pixels) will give even clearer and more lively pictures, so those colourful pokies will seem to come alive. You can play online casino games here to see just how stunning game graphics can be.
Display technologies like OLED and AMOLED are superior because they produce brighter colours and overall better images. A high refresh rate such as 120Hz or even 144Hz will smooth out animations and make the experience feel more responsive when gaming.
Processing power is the core of your phone. A quick processor, or chipset, means your games will look incredibly smooth, especially graphically intensive games. The Snapdragon 8 Elite is one of the best processors in some of the best gaming smartphones of 2025.
Random Access Memory, or RAM, is also a critical component. RAM is your phone’s short-term memory, and having more of it allows the device to handle more data at once, which is essential for complex games. For a casual player, 8GB of RAM should suffice, but for those who take their gaming seriously, 12GB or even 16GB is recommended to prevent lag and crashes.
Finally, consider battery life. Games will drain the battery in seconds, so try and get a large battery capacity that will sustain long periods of playtime without needing to be charged.
Top-Tier Gaming Phones
For the best of the best, try specialised gaming phones. These are phones made from the ground up with a focus entirely on gaming.
The Asus ROG Phone 9 Pro is widely considered the peak of gaming phones for 2025. It features the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, large 6.78-inch AMOLED display with super-responsive 185Hz refresh rate, and plenty of RAM to go around. While pricey, its performance cannot be beat for the most demanding games.
Another best pick in this category is the RedMagic 10S Pro. It offers best-in-class performance on a par with the more expensive flagships, complete with a high-end display and cutting-edge design tailored for gaming.
Flagship Phones That Excel at Gaming
You don’t really need a gaming phone per se to have an amazing experience. Most flagship mass-market smartphones from the leading manufacturers have more than enough power in them to play your favourite online casino game.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is a do-everything smartphone that also happens to be a gaming monster. It features a massive 6.9-inch QHD+ display, the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor, and 12GB of RAM. It lacks some of the gamer-focused features like shoulder buttons, but its S Pen stylus can be an extra bonus for certain strategy-based titles.
For Apple enthusiasts, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is the way to go. It boasts an enormous 6.9-inch 120Hz OLED display that makes games look amazing, and its A18 Bionic Pro chip can easily keep up with graphically demanding games. The use of USB-C and faster charging rates are also welcome touches for gamers.
The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is also a similarly sturdy option, particularly for those in the Google ecosystem. While its Google Tensor G4 chip may not be as powerful as the latest Snapdragon, it’s more than enough for mobile gaming and comes at a lower price point than its largest competitors at Apple and Samsung.
Great Mid-Range and Budget Options
You don’t have to break the bank to own a phone that’s great for pokies. There are some excellent options in the mid-range market, such as the OnePlus 12R and the Samsung Galaxy A50.
No matter how much you can afford to spend, there is a phone out there that can serve as a great platform for playing the exciting online casino games.
Carla Schroder is a self-taught Linux and Windows sysadmin who laid hands on her first computer around her 37th birthday. Her first PC was a Macintosh LC II. Next came an IBM clone–a 386SX running MS-DOS 5 and Windows 3.1 with a 14-inch color display–which was adequate for many pleasant hours of Doom play. Then around 1997 she discovered Red Hat 5.0 and had a whole new world to explore.
Somewhere along the way she found herself doing freelance consulting for small businesses and home users, supporting both Linux and Windows users and integrating Linux and Windows on the LAN, primarily Linux servers and Windows clients. She is the author of the Linux Cookbook, Linux Networking Cookbook, and the Linux Cookbook 2nd Edition for O’Reilly, and has written hundreds of Linux howtos for various publications, .
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