The era of mobile gaming is now growing faster than ever. Games like BGMI, Free Fire, Call of Duty Mobile have created a tremendous craze among the youth. But the question is, can these games be played properly on smartphones available in the range of less than ₹ 15,000? Can these phones withstand the pressure of hardcore gaming for a long time? I myself have done gaming tests on some such phones (Redmi A4 5G, Moto G45, Redmi 14C 5G, Realme C75 5G, Galaxy F15/M15 5G) and here I will let you what you can expect based on my experience.
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What do you get in phones in the ₹ 15,000 range?
In this budget, you mainly get processors from MediaTek Dimensity 6000/7000 series or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6/7 series. Processors like Snapdragon 695, 765G, and 778G or Dimensity 6100, 6300 are common in this range. In some mobile variants, you may also get Unisoc processor like T760 or Samsung use Exynos performance based processor.
Talking about RAM, there are options ranging from 4GB to 8GB, but for gaming, one should choose a phone with at least 6GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage!
How is the hardcore gaming experience?
The low-budget smartphones are designed for day-to-day activities and you can also use these phones to play some lite games like Candy Crush, Minion Rush, Ludo, Sudoku, Temple Run, Angry Bird. You can play these low specs games for hours without any issue, however if you try to play hard-cord graphics games, then these phones might struggle!
I tested games like BGMI, Free Fire, Call of Duty Mobile and Genshin Impact on some phones in this budget range of Rs 15000. The results were like this:
1. BGMI and Free Fire (on medium settings)
If you play BGMI or Free Fire on smooth or balanced graphics, these phones give good performance for 1.5 to 3 hours. However, if you turn on Ultra HD graphics or 60FPS mode, the phone starts heating up and throttling (speed reduction) starts. Performance is slightly better on phones with Snapdragon 778G or Dimensity 7000 series, but they are still not ideal for long-term gaming as there is no cooling unit installed to cool down processor.
2. Call of Duty Mobile (CoDM)
CoDM is a bit more demanding. It heats up the phone quickly even on medium settings. In my test, I got smooth gameplay for about 1-1.5 hours on a phone with 6GB RAM, after that the frames started dropping.
3. Genshin Impact (on lowest settings)
₹15,000 phones are not very supportive for heavy games like Genshin Impact. I ran it on the lowest settings, but after 30-40 minutes the phone got so hot that the game started lagging. The battery also drains fast. If you want to play this game regularly, it will be a challenge on phones of this budget.
How long will gaming last? Battery and thermal management
Phones of this budget usually have a 5000mAh battery, which is good for normal use, but it gets drained quickly in hardcore gaming. As hard-core gaming need more resources to run the game, they will ultimately consume more battery and due to lack of thermal management, the phone will start struggling after 1 hour.
- Light games (Candy Crush, Ludo King): You can play them for 4-6 hours without any problem. These are low specs games and while playing, the phone does not heat too much. An entry level processor from brand like Snapdragon, Mediatek, and Unisoc is quite enough to handle these light games.
- Medium Games (BGMI, Free Fire): You will get smooth gaming for 1.5 to 3 hours, but after that the battery will drain rapidly and the phone may heat up. In low to mid graphic settings, you will get decent performance, but soon you change the setting from mid to high the phone might struggle to play the game.
- Heavy Games (Genshin Impact, CoDM HD): Performance will be down after 30 minutes to 1 hour. In case, bluetooth is on for wireless communication, location is on, you hardly can play the game on MediaTek Dimensity 6000/7000 series or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6/7 series based phones.
Thermal management is a big challenge in this budget. Most phones do not have technology like liquid cooling or vapor chamber, so the phone heats up during gaming and throttling starts.
What to do if you want the best gaming in this budget?
While choosing a phone under ₹15,000, pay attention to the processor and RAM: Phones with Snapdragon 778G or Dimensity 7000 series perform better, avoid Unisco processor. Apart from that, 6GB RAM should be the minimum, however if you get more RAM like 8GB or 12GB then it is even better.
Now if you have a phone with 6GB RAM having Snapdragon 6 Series or MediaTek 6000/7000 series processor, then use the following tricks to play the games for longer period…
- Close background apps: Close other apps before gaming so that RAM is free.
- Optimize graphics settings: Always play in Balanced or Smooth mode, avoid Ultra HD.
- Use external fan for cooling: If you want to do gaming for a long time, then you can put a cheap cooling fan behind the phone or play the game inside AC room.
- Keep power saving mode off: Do not turn on battery saver mode during gaming, it affects performance.
Conclusion: Is hardcore gaming possible on a ₹15,000 phone?
Yes, but for a limited time. If you are a casual gamer and play games like BGMI or Free Fire for 1-2 hours, then these phones will work. But if you are a pro gamer and want high graphics gaming for hours, then phones in this budget may disappoint you.
So, if your budget is limited and you are serious about gaming, then it would be wise to invest a little more and get a phone with a better processor and cooling unit. Otherwise, you will have to compromise a bit on phones in this range.
Final Word: Always read real-world tests and user reviews while choosing a gaming phone. Rather than relying on the specs, it’s better to try it yourself first!
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