What is it about gaming on the move? It seems that everywhere you look, people of all ages are using their smartphones to play everything from classic, old-school games to complex, graphics-heavy versions of big hitters like Halo and Grand Theft Auto, as well as puzzles, quizzes, driving games, zombie games, and a mixture of the two – like the superb Zombie Highway 2, out now for Android and iOS.
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Bigger Phones, Better Games
There are several possible reasons for the spread of mobile gaming and the death of the gamer stereotype. Phone screens are bigger and clearer, Wi-Fi is faster and more widely available, and the sheer variety of games has tended to draw in a wider variety of players. Angry Birds, with its mixture of semi-cute characters and moderate violence, played a part in spreading the pleasure of gaming, while the get-away-from-it-all thrills of online gambling have also proved hugely popular. Somewhat less cute, for example, are the prehistoric beasts featured in Uptown Aces Megasaur offering, while other mobile-friendly slots have been themed around everything from Aztecs to Warlocks.
Samsung S6
From a techy point of view then, the question is this; if you’re in the market for a new phone right now, and you know you’re going to be doing a lot of gaming on it, what’s the best choice? Here we’ll take a look at two of the finest options, starting with Samsung’s revitalized S6 for Android.
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Firstly, it’s a step up in terms of how it actually feels. If you’re going to be bashing away at the screen for hours, you want a device that feels solid, and the S6 is an improvement on its predecessor in that regard. Gorilla Glass and aluminium have replaced the plastic of the S5, and its lines are nicely smoothed out and rounded off.
Screen & Battery
The screen is where it all comes together for gamers. The S5 screen was very, very good; this is better. 5.1 inches of Super AMOLED technology copes beautifully with even the most complex game graphics. The contrast is superb, and you can adjust the color settings to your liking. One more important point for committed mobile gamers is battery life, and the S6 doesn’t disappoint; you should get a full day’s gaming from it, and charging – should that not be enough – is super-fast.
iPhone 6
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For Apple fans, the spread of gaming has – at last – resulted in phones with bigger screens. The iPhone 6 is almost unnoticeably thicker (0.1mm) than Samsung’s offering, but feels sleek and rounded in the hand, and very well built. The screen is still smaller at 4.7 inches, and PPI is lower than the S6, but again the contrast and color accuracy are impressive. However, it’s the iPhone’s battery life that might be a factor for gamers. While it’s an improvement on the iPhone 5S, the battery has a lower capacity than the Samsung, and despite being slightly more efficient, won’t last as long under serious gaming.
Both phones have fantastic 64-bit processors, with Samsung’s Exynos a little more powerful than Apple’s A8. While many people will choose between the two based on whether they prefer to live with Android or iOS, for gamers, the slightly higher spec of the Samsung, as well as the bigger range of games available, will be a big draw.