Since its launch on March 19th of this year, PUBG Mobile has been creating a trend unlike anything we have seen before. The game has easily surpassed the very trendy games, Candy Crush, Clash of Titans, and others. We’ve seen it grow to become the talk of every outing, and a trend of social media. However, the game can be very CPU & GPU intensive, rendering most budget phones useless when it comes to playing the game.
A few phone manufacturers have got their head in the game and created high performance, budget smartphones that easily match the performance of flagship devices (like the Note9, S9+, Huawei P20 Pro, etc.). We are totally serious about calling them budget smartphones because their prices range from LE 5-7k. These phones can run the game at Full HD and HD settings smoothly without overheating the phone or causing damage to its CPU or GPU.
Budget, Flagship Killer Smartphones
Xiaomi Pocophone F1
Xiaomi or as commonly known in Egypt, Mi, has made quite the entrance into the market last year, offering an array of budget smartphones to compete amongst budget phone giants in the Egyptian market.
This phone houses the latest Snapdragon 845 processor. This processor is currently in top-tier phones like the Samsung Note9, and is on par with Huawei’s Kirin 970, the processor found in Huawei’s most expensive phones. Aside from having 6GBs of RAM, and 64GB of internal storage (with expandable storage), and a 4000mAh battery (with quick charge), this guy comes at an amazing price of LE6, 444.
The phone runs the game smoothly on Full HD and Extreme FPS. However, the phone sacrifices on build quality and cameras. Also, the display is not AMOLED; it’s just an old-fashioned IPS LCD (just like the ones Apple used until they got their AMOLED screens from Samsung for their first iPhone X).
Huawei Honor Play Dual SIM
Huawei has earned the trust of many everywhere, from amazing batteries and build quality to flagship phones that are relatively cheap. This edition packs the Kirin 970, the one we mentioned earlier, and it can run the game smoothly on Full HD Graphics and extreme FPS settings. And, unlike the Pocophone F1, this one has slightly better build quality, and it makes not-so-big sacrifices on the battery with a 3750 mAh (with fast-charge). However, the camera layout and performance is similar to the Pocophone F1. It has a double camera setup, and takes “good” pictures. It has two variants: 4GBs RAM or 6GBs RAM both with 64GBs of internal storage. It has a similar IPS LCD to the Pocophone, and its starting price comes at around LE 5,500.
Huawei Honor 10 Dual (Full HD, Extreme FPS)
This one is quite similar to the Huawei Honor Play because of the chipset it hosts, but due to the higher starting price of LE 6,999, it is of better build quality. It can run the game smoothly on Full HD Graphics and extreme FPS, but it lacks a bit in terms of battery (3400mAh, with fast-charge) and it doesn’t host an expandable storage option like the Pocophone F1 and the Honor Play. Nevertheless, it has a similar IPS LCD (with higher pixel density per inch), and it has an internal storage of 128GB along with the 4GB/6GB RAM options.
Good Performance, Better Build Quality
Xiaomi Mi 6 (HD, Medium FPS)
The Xiaomi Mi 6 is the second on the list to host a Snapdragon processor, but this one hosts the 835 processor: a powerful mid-range processor that can run the game at HD and Medium FPS settings. Also, it packs an IPS LCD similar to the previous phones, and an okay dual camera setup. It comes at a starting price of LE5,979 with 6GB RAM, 64GB internal storage (no expandable storage), 3350mAh fast-charge battery, and out-of-the-box Android Nougat software.
Oppo F7 (HD, High FPS)
Unlike the previously mentioned phones, OPPO phones scream of build quality and making a statement through their designs. The F7 comes in a premium, elegant red colour that vanquishes the all-too-similar looking phones. It also hosts Mediatek’s Helio P60 processor, a mid-range processor that is powerful enough to play the game on HD Graphics and High FPS settings. The phone comes at a starting price of LE6,440 with 128GB internal memory, 6GB RAM, 3400mAh (no fast-charge) battery, and the usual IPS LCD. In addition, it has a better single lens camera setup, with all the AI features the software is capable of.
Oppo F9 (HD, High FPS)
OPPO F9 Pro is pretty similar to the OPPO F7, with exceptions to the battery (3500mAh with fast charging), the awesome selection of colours, the waterdrop notch, a dual camera setup, and the overall amazing look of the phone and build quality. It can run the game smoothly on HD and High FPS settings. It starts at LE5,349 with 64GB internal memory and 4GB RAM.
Acceptable performance, More Features
Samsung Galaxy A7 2018 (Balanced, Medium FPS)
Samsung has been a market leader when it comes to creating cameras that compete against giants like Apple, and they are using their technological advancements in their latest edition of the A7 with a triple camera setup. The camera setup can take out-of-focus shots, as well as take very wide shots, and the build quality of the phone is premium too. To top all of that, Samsung hasn’t adopted the annoying notch that the previously mentioned phones have adopted, and their Exynos 7885 processor runs the game on Balanced Graphics and Medium FPS settings. The phone’s battery is also one of the lowest on the list with 3300mAh (without fast-charging technology). However, it hosts the best display out of the bunch with an AMOLED display. And, at a starting price of LE 5,720, you get 128GB of internal storage (with expandable storage) and 4GB RAM.
Huawei nova 3i (Balanced, Medium FPS)
Packing a slower Kirin 710 processor, the Huawei Nova 3i can run the game smoothly on Balanced Graphics and Medium FPS settings. But the vibrant gradient colours of the phone and the design, make up for the lower capacity battery (3340mAh, without fast-charge), the overall mid-range processor and the IPS LCD. This smartphone hosts a 128 internal memory (with an expandable storage slot), 4GB RAM, dual camera setup and comes at a starting price of LE 5,349.
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