We have wondered for a while now: Can you play games on your iPhone beyond Candy Crush or Tetris? Like really play actual AAA titles?
Even if you are an avid PC gamer, carrying on with favorite titles on the go via an iPhone would have been a great option. And it appears that an Apple App Store has plenty of those to download. So, how possible is enjoyable AAA gaming on an iPhone? Let’s find out together!
What iPhone to Get for Gaming?
Apple’s A17 Pro Bionic comes on par with most gaming smartphones’ Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. However, it can heat up quite a bit during gameplay. The chip uses a lot more power, which pretty much guarantees a certain degree of thermal throttling.
So, owners of an Apple iPhone 15 Pro can enjoy playing the following titles:
- Resident Evil 4
- Resident Evil 4 Village
- The Division: Resurgence
- Death Stranding
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage.
But again, even though these games are optimized for mobile, users must be prepared for their iPhones to get hot and even lag.
Needless to say, those who have the latest iPhone 16 will enjoy an even better gaming experience. A18 chip can deliver a pretty smooth mobile gameplay. The Ray tracing feature enhances lightning graphics. Wi-Fi 7 is also better for cloud gaming. Finally, the iPhone 16 Game Mode kicks in automatically once you start playing. It helps reduce background activity and thus improve frame rates. And the best part is that you can achieve that even on a base model.
In conclusion, newer iPhone models (17 Pro and above) deliver qualitatively better gaming.
Conserving Battery Life while Gaming on an iPhone
Even though the Apple iPhone 16 has a bigger battery, gamers must optimize their battery life to get the most out of their phones. When gaming on an iPhone, it is recommended to do the following:
1 – Turn on Low Power mode. This one is obvious but is still worth mentioning. Don’t wait until your battery life drops below 20% to auto-kick in power saving. Instead, you can manually enable it before your gameplay to give the battery a little boost. This will also turn off Siri, which is heavy on battery usage.
2 – Lower the brightness level. You also want to dim the screen in order to reduce battery usage. While it does compromise the experience, you don’t want your iPhone today mid-game.
3 – Lower the volume. In all fairness, the volume does not significantly impact the battery; still, every bit counts. IPhone gamers may want to consider turning off background sounds altogether to improve battery life.
4 – Turn off Location Services. This feature affects your battery life. And assuming you will be static while playing a game, having it on is somewhat redundant.
ASUS ROG Phone 7 vs. iPhone 15 Pro
While we have established that the A17 Pro chip is just as good for gaming as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, ASUS ROG Phone 7 has some apparent advantages over the iPhone 15 Pro:
- Larger 6.8in display
- Higher refresh rate (165Hz vs. 120Hz iPhone offers) and AMOLED technology
- Significantly larger battery capacity
- 65W charging speed
- Scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 3 surface.
ASUS ROG Phones are renowned in mobile gaming for a reason. This is not to say that your iPhone is not suitable for gaming. However, users will likely achieve a better experience with a designated gaming smartphone model.
What Else Can You Do to Improve iPhone Gaming Experience?
Aside from tweaking the settings, consider investing in the following accessories:
- Get a thermoelectric cooler to address heating while gaming.
- Remove your iPhone from charging while playing.
- Buy a quality screen protector to reduce marks and scratches from excessive tapping and swiping.
- Consider investing in a gaming controller for the iPhone.
Ultimately, AAA titles put a strain on your iPhone’s screen, speakers, and Wi-Fi antennas over time. And since the phone is likely your primary portable communication source, taking your game back to a PC may not be such a bad idea.
Bottom Line
With fewer adjustments, serious gaming on an iPhone is entirely possible and can even be enjoyable. Naturally, the newer the iPhone model, the better suitable it is for mobile AAA gameplay. However, users should not discount the strain they put on their iPhone’s hardware when logging those gaming hours. Lastly, you might want to consider getting a gaming phone after all. Whenever that’s the case, consider Gadget Salvation for your phone reselling needs.
