To most people smartphone gaming means endless hours of Candy Crush in waiting rooms. But it’s more than that now. People who think gaming is all about consoles or personal computers are now reconsidering that idea with the onslaught of smartphones and the games people play.

smartphone gaming

Yet Androids and iPhones are moving into the hardcore gamer arena. I’m talking about the guys and gals that keep themselves fueled up on sodas and pull all-nighters, lost deep in another world that exists within the game.

The extreme gamer needs certain features because as games become more complex they need more power, speed and graphics from the phone so let’s take a look at six smartphone features for the extreme gamer.

1. Processor Speed

Your processor is the brain of the phone. The first cellular phones were akin to land lines. Smartphones are computers that just happen to make telephone calls. And computers have to have a brain to do whatever function you want it to do. The first thing you want to check for is the processor’s clock speed. Smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S5 have a clock speed of 2.5 GHz. More GHz means more processing power for the hardcore gamer.

The processor is split up into cores. Using the Samsung as an example again, the Galaxy S5 has a quad-core processor. It has four cores each running at 2.5 GHz so your total clock speed is actually 10 GHz. Having more cores and more GHz means being able to run complex games with less loading time or freezes during gameplay.

2. Screen Resolution

If you are intense about your mobile gaming you want the best graphics possible. The top mobile gaming phones have resolutions of over 500 pixels per inch. The more pixels per inch you get, the more detailed your games are going to look. Extreme mobile gamers play the types of games that are very in-depth. To maximize the fun of playing, high-resolution is a must.

3. Data Storage

Again the more detailed and intense a game is the more space it is going to take up on your phone. Good smartphones come with 16 GB of storage space. But the ultimate gamer has several very involved games so even the best phones won’t have enough onboard memory. To store the types of games you want you will need to buy a memory card.

Every smartphone has a maximum amount of memory it can use from a card. There are many great smartphones for gaming that will take a 128 GB memory card so that the extreme gamer can save all the hottest new releases.

4. RAM

RAM is short-term data storage. If you have more RAM you can do more things at once, but more importantly to the gamer you can play more in-depth games with better graphics. Some of the best phones carry between 2GB to 4GB.

5. Durability

Let’s face it. With all the intensity you handle your smartphone with during a difficult point in gameplay, you need a phone built to last. Check out reviews on durable phones because you will be putting much more pressure on it than a user that simply makes call and texts.

6. Battery Life

All of the previous five features we have mentioned need power. If you don’t want to find yourself tethered to a wall outlet every few hours check into the battery life of the phone. The more you use it and the more powerful it is; the more juice it is going to need to keep up with you. As a gamer you aren’t going to get as much time from a battery as an average smartphone user. Quality of the battery type will maximize your time away from chargers.

As the ultimate gamer there are many features you need if you are serious about playing the most in-depth games. Do your research, consider these features and ask questions so you can find the best smartphone for your specific needs. Now let the games begin.