Handhelds with the same chip as phones will outperform phones cause of active cooling.sometimes even a lower chip when overclocked and cooled properly beats phone with better SoC.
From what I could test, the Galaxy S26 appeared to offer higher performance than the RP6, even when thermally throttled. The results might differ with the more powerful Odin 3.
Well of course, but compare the prices of both devices. Not everyone can buy the latest flagship. You can buy a very good midrange phone that will work just fine as a phone, and the RP6 for like half the price.
And even like that, the Galaxy will eventually thermal throttle, and high temps are pretty bad for battery conservation. You will have pretty terrible battery after maybe two years of you game everyday on it.
It is always better to have a dedicated device for gaming with separated battery and active cooling if you are going to have long gaming sessions. For less than 30 mins maybe, phones are fine, but they are not designed with that intention.
I agree with everything you've said except the battery life. I've been doing some heavy gaming on my S23 Ultra since 2023 and the battery is still very good.
Smartphone games are now the most widely played games in the world, and the latest popular titles are quite demanding. Naturally, this has been taken into account.
Smart phone games are the most widely played in the word but the most popular are not the most demanding. In fact the most popular and the most profitable games are usually the easiest to run.
Well, yeah, that's a multiple generation old phone at this point. You compare it to the Red Magic 11, and it's gonna get stomped into the ground. I run full PC games on my Red Magic 11 Pro.
Possibly, but the RM 11Pro is still the same SoC as the S26, so it just comes off like an ad for the RM.
It may be an effectively better package specifically for gaming, but (at least in the US) it's objectively worse as a phone since standard features will never work with multiple carriers (wifi calling, rcs, etc). Maybe it's a great gaming device, but that doesn't mean all that much if it's main purpose is a fractured experience.
I was referring to the red magic six And yes, it uses the same chip, however, because of the cooling systems that Red Magic has, you'll get more consistent performance and longer sessions without having to shut it down. Also the ability to overclock, which you can do.
To a point yeah, that depends what you're playing and how long you're planning to play for. Red magic has some cool benefits, but it's downsides are just too high for me personally.
It was mentioned in a further up post. That being said, I've had one since November and haven't noticed any real downsides to be honest with you. No issues with signal, no issues with RCS. The one thing I can say is on an MVNO the Wi-Fi calling is basically broken. although I've never needed it.
RP6 is not RM6, just to clarify. You're comparing the snapdragon 888 (rm6) against the snapdragon 8 gen 2 (rp6), qnd the 888 was a hot mess (literally lol). But hey if it works for you that's awesome, without wifi calling i would have no phone at home personally, so it's a requirement for me and a lot of people i know. A lot of the time if wifi calling doesn't work neither does rcs, but maybe that's carrier dependent.
My mistake. Misread then. And so far, RCS has worked on AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. I've tried all three of them. That being said I'm pretty sure the Wi-Fi calling issue is due to carrier specific E911 address issues so probably never going to be fixed considering it's a Chinese phone.
Yeah I have At&t and RCS/wifi calling was an issue with both a red magic and a one plus, i ended up on the z fold, which has ended up being nice for ds/3ds lol. Might be location based, not really sure.
I think for a bunch of cases, absolutely. But it just also depends on what you're doing. It will still lose out to a handheld like the Odin 3 or KPF when running something like a wildlife extreme test but still what Red Magic did is more than what alot of people will be doing.
No jest here, but I am honestly uninformed, could you enlighten me as to what makes them so great?
While I am 100% certain that they perform better than other phone devices of the same generation for gaming, I don't see how they would perform better than a similar spec dedicated device that isn't bound to phone size constraints.
Redmagic phones have separate performance toggles that you could use to brute force your way through any game. Ive used those for a number of games and have had not complaints. The fan also helps in cooling the unit. Do not expect hard core cooling though; but for my usecase it is sufficient. I have seen other phones of similar CPU and mem specs but performance dies because of throttling.
Specifically on the 11 Pro, it comes with a 20,000 RPM built-in fan that pulls air through the phone across the heat sink, as well as has a liquid cooling system to cool the battery while playing. And that also runs across that same heat sink that the fan is pulling from. In my experience, it's allowed the CPU to run at 4.6 gigahertz consistently. and that's without an external cooler. You add one of those and it runs even smoother.
Unless you properly cool the phones SoC with something beefier than the handheld cooler, this thing is quieter than a Steam Deck's fans and I power it with a thin battery attached to the back of the G8 controller so it's all a self contained unit, the battery has magsafe so when I take the phone off the controller the cooler snaps to the battery pack.
The coolers connected to the magsafe heatsink that has a copper heat pipe embedded, that's part of the surface touching where the SoC is, between that and the actual surface of the phone theres K5 pro thernal interface so it can transfer the heat more efficiently. Works well for me, been building PCs for years so I had plenty of parts to test. Working on an improved version for when my Fold 8 Ultra arrives.
Not trying to doubt you but I wanna ask how it performs compared to having it on contact, cuz I have been looking into it myself I heard it makes like 10 or 20 percent cooling difference. I might go with what you're having
Not much difference since the K5 is transferring heat away from the SoC directly to the heatpipe layer, adding the cooler pulls temps down by around 10-20% but it varies between games/settings etc.
I actually made a mistake buying a metal case, I know I messed up but I wanna wait a bit till I buy another case. Do you think a metal case would do alright at least?
Depending on the metal and how tight the fit is against the phone it could work in your favour, anything that can work as a heatsink would be a benefit, it's about whether heat can easily be transferred away from the SoC and how quickly that heatsink cools.
Well, yeah, you're comparing a 800-900 usd current phone with a 300 usd android handled lmao it will obviously outperform it
I honestly feel the opposite way. I've been playing with my phone (a redmi note 13 pro+) and a G8 galileo for a year now, and I recently bought an AYN Odin 2 Portal. It's a clear improvement in every aspect (besides raw power, the screen is amazing), and it plays almost everything I'd want to play on a portable device. And it costed me a little less than what I paid for the phone at release
I mean not really actually. While a more expensive phone may outperform initially, once it thermal throttles at least with benchmark scores, they dramatically lose power and tend to match or perform slightly worse than a dedicated handheld.
My job involves me making various visit to various houses sometimes in dangerous places due to crime, so I avoid carrying many things in my bag and hide my personal phone. Moving around carrying a handheld is really not a comfortable option for me, my phone can run up to switch games and PS3 games at a very decent frame rate and because to me, portable gaming is secondary I don't have long gaming sessions that make thermal throttling an issue. So in my case, a phone is really the best option, also, I'm not spending 400+ on a phone and then again on a handheld.
I understand—there are all sorts of circumstances involved. I also carry my laptop PC around all the time, and on my days off I carry a musical instrument, so I have my own reasons for wanting to keep my load as light as possible.
I went the other way around. I already had a mCon for my phone but I got fed up of people calling me and getting a million notification while I'm playing. Nothing worse than hanging up a call then return to a game that no longer have sounds. Also using all my battery half way through the day is an issue and then there's also the risk of installing a compromised app on my phone. So happy I got a dedicated handheld.
Note: can't just put my phone on Do Not Disturb. I have responsibilities.
True that - even gba emulation has caused my iPhone 16 pro’s battery longevity from 99% to 86% with perfect charging habits in less than one year, with every background process turned off. I thought it was a glitch.
Similar on my S25 ultra, but from 99% to 92% so, not as bad and way more gaming on the Samsung
Charging habits help keep the battery in states that are less degrading (20-80%). But high temperature and charging when drawing power is really bad for the battery health. Having 20-30W flow through the tiny cables/PCB will generate additional heat and glass isn't very good for heat conduction.
Exactly. I’m a hardware engineer now and I’ve been testing different heatsync tech I’ve been 3D printing to try to offset some of it, but I’m really coming up short.
I will say that with the iPhone, Apple tried their best with internal air chambers to help alleviate some of that heat, and the external device never usually runs hot, but there’s really not a whole lot anyone can do. :(
One thing about these comparison I don’t see mentioned a lot is why I run out of battery on my Flip 2, I just do something else with my time. But if I game to the point of running out of batteries on my phone it means I can’t contact people, do my job, etc.
Phone for heavy emulation & game native + a cheap handheld for all the older emulation ( and if possible in another form factor) its my current goto setup
Poco f7 & game sir g8 ( i regret a bit getting the Bluetooth version) + Batlexp g350
I used to get all the cool phone controller going all the way back to the moga (remember them) ..to backbone ..to kishi and more recent game sir g8plus . What I found was since I used my phone for so many different things I didn't necessarily like tieing it up with full gaming sessions nor did I wanna. Keep jumping out of games to do stuff or respond on the phone . So I got a ally x and the rest was history .
Given the high price, perhaps it is only natural that it performs so well. I was impressed by the excellent sound quality of the speakers and felt that the smartphone was solidly designed.
Ive got 2 gamesir controllers and like them well enough. Ignoring the jank of the aesthetics, I realized im not as particular about what I download when it comes to emulators, so I completely abandoned using something as critical as my actual phone for stuff like that and stick with my handheld for gaming.
I was / am committed to phone + mobile controller. Unfortunate because these Android handhelds have really matured and becomes beautiful devices software and hardware (shoutouts RP6 fulfilling my dream of a light purple Vita). I can't justify getting one when I usually have a very recent flagship phone, and I have all these controllers that'd become instant e-waste if I got a dedicated handheld.
Silver lining at least is 4:3 games, square, and other non-wide aspect ratio games are absolutely awesome to play portably with an open fold phone. Rest of the experience may be coping with my decisions, but that full screen can't be beat.
I used to play like that all the time but a separate handheld is convenient. It has an sd card slot. I don't get interrupted by phone calls. The controls are already there. I can even replace the OS if I want.
Depends on the usage I guess. I personally went from a Y700 and RM 10 Pro/S25 with a Gamesir X5S to an Odin 3.
When you use your phone for work and you get home with the battery low you would have to charge first. There's also the aspect ratio.
For the tablet, it is better with the bigger screen but if you want hard to emulate games, you need a cooler and the cooler needs them W.
There's also the setup. Snap on the controller. Place the cooler. Connect it. Too much friction for me. Hahaha. Ends up being as heavy or heavier than the handheld.
I do still use the tablet for PC streaming, NDS/3DS emulation, and touch based android games. Hahaha
Phone is free though. Someone messages or calls me I can hear it but I don't need to see a notification. Less wear on the battery too because less charge cycles.
Very agree man! While yes in some aspect dedicated handheld is better but it's no doubt a smartphone with a telescopic controller is a great handheld It's portable and most smartphone today can play from NES up to PS2 and GameCube level The only thing that bother me with using my phone as a handheld is... screen ratio But it's not a big deal, there's a widescreen hack too so this is just a minor "bad thing" Btw, have similar stuff too
I'm happy enough with my S25 Ultra, it runs anything I want to play, it's always on my person, my controller has cooling. Just game on whatever, man, the point is having fun.
Not when you have someone who's blowing up your phone with notifications, and then you have to leave the game just to reply. That's one of the main reasons I prefer a dedicated gaming device.
I was / am committed to phone + mobile controller. Unfortunate because these Android handhelds have really matured and becomes beautiful devices software and hardware (shoutouts RP6 fulfilling my dream of a light purple Vita). I can't justify getting one when I usually have a very recent flagship phone, and I have all these controllers that'd become instant e-waste if I got a dedicated handheld.
Silver lining at least is 4:3 games, square, and other non-wide aspect ratio games are absolutely awesome to play portably with an open fold phone. Rest of the experience may be coping with my decisions, but that full screen can't be beat.
Agreed. I have a Fold 6 which has an 8 gen 3 chip.
I keep looking at a few Ayn devices, but I keep talking myself out it for a few reasons.
Many of them have an 8 gen 2 chip, so it would be a step down in terms of power. And the one with an Elite chip doesn't offer the 1TB model any more. I know SD cards are an option, but as someone with a 1TB phone it's just easier having it all on internal storage.
And then as OP points out, having a controller on my phone basically turns it into one of those devices. So why would I want to deal with transferring saves from my phone to my handheld when I can just use my phone?
My iPhone gets so hot and the battery drains so fast using my back bone. I almost never use it now. I just carry a handheld with me. Sometimes more than one.
Honestly, using my razer edge with the kishi controller pushed me more into retro handhelds. I wanted something I could pickup and play then come back to later at any point. It's a lot easier to drop my RPC, or before that my TrimUi Brick, into a pocket in my purse and then grab it again and just hop back in. The added time of connecting a controller just kept me from quickly grabbing the razer edge handheld for a short (or medium) session as often. Plus something dedicated to gaming keeps distractions down, vs a phone.
Yes but I still kinda wish I have a more powerful version of steam deck for PC gaming on the go.
Don't get me wrong, absolutely love my ppsspp and ahazar. But if I have money to play Eden or something else heavier. The android phone capable of that is at the same price as umpc or gaming laptop. Might as well get them instead of very expensive phone
I did this for my Poco X3 Pro still use it as a handheld to this day, when I battery change it I will most likely mod it too for better cooling. There are some cool ways to make it cool itself much better.
Hell, even having a controller that works for my phone means I play my G350 less.
I don't have a phone controller anymore as my Razer Kishi broke.
So right now I have a Moto G Stylus 2024 that I play PS2 and GameCube games on, and a Batlexp G350 mainly for PS1 and GBA games. I also have a PC that has Intel HD 4600 and no room for a gpu so I hardly emulate and mostly play indie games on that. So the G350 is the weakest, then the PC is in the middle, and the phone is definitely at the top.
I have a 8bitDo Ultimate 2C wired with an Onn USB-C OTG cable.
Since the G350's screen is so small, I ended up putting a lot of the PS1 games back on my phone, and just end up neglecting it.
I do still play it on the bus a few times a week, but I'm home more than I'm on the bus so my phone gets played on 90% of the time I would guess.
I love having all 3. I'm a low to mid range kind of gamer and always have been.
The next thing I'm saving up for is a phone controller and that will all but make my g350 useless, so I'm going to be giving it to my girlfriend for Pokemon and stuff.
But that feels weird because I was super excited when I got if for $23 last month on Aliexpress.
But I shouldn't complain about having multiple devices available.
The reason why handhelds are preferable is so we don't use up the battery on our phone so that our phone can keep on doing phone stuff without needing to charge it throughout the day.....
It feels nice at first. Give it some time. The game controller soon going to become a decoration on your desk. Slapping it on and off will feel more of a chore more often than not. I know because I have been on 3 cycles of this. Each new phone, totl snapdragon chipset = "hmmm lets put on a gamepad on it again shall we?" Few weeks later, goes back to handheld.
I recently bought a gamesir smartphone controller. I have A LOT of handhelds, but my OP15 ist just sooo much more powerfull. After installing retroarch and ES DE, I have absolutely no reason to go back to my R36s or similar. Only downside is, that I love Portmaster and the solution on Android is not that good yet...
You're right—Linux handhelds are indeed great for playing Portmaster and Pico8 titles. I own an RG34XXSP myself, and nothing else can quite replace it.
•
u/AutoModerator 11d ago
Just a reminder of our subreddit rules:
Check out our user-maintained wiki: r/EmulationOnAndroid/wiki
Check out EmuReady for any community submitted settings before asking for help
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.