It can be hard to know which VR headset is best for your needs. There are so many on the market, and they all have their pros and cons. These best smartphones for virtual reality will help you find one that’s right for you, without breaking the bank.
Here Are The Top 3 Smartphones for Virtual Reality To Check At A Glance If You Are In A Hurry:
Top 10 Best Smartphones for Virtual Reality Reviewed
Moto E is a simple smartphone that gives you access to the apps and features most important to you like Google, Facebook, Instagram, and more. It’s all powered by Android 10.0 with a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor and 4G LTE speeds for quick access to your favorite content, wherever you are.
OUKITEL K10 is a powerful smartphone powered by Android 10.0 and equipped with the latest Octa-core MT6765 Helio P70 chipset, which can deliver an incredible performance of up to 2.0GHz. The 6GB RAM and 64GB ROM will give you enough space for your daily use, while the expandable memory card slot could be used to extend storage capacity up to 256GB(TF card not included).
This is a TCL 10L with a 6.53” FHD+ Dotch LCD display, powered by NXTVISION, which will upgrade your visual experience with sharper details, vibrant images and allow you to enjoy true-to-life color accuracy in everything you present. This device is also certified for use on Verizon’s LTE network. If your device is not receiving messages or calls from certain numbers, be sure that the “Spam Filtering” option has been turned off.
Rugged Smartphone: CUBOT KingKong 5 Pro is a 4G LTE Android 11 smartphone with a 6.2-inch HD+ display, 64GB ROM, 3GB RAM, and dual SIM card slot. Its unique waterproof design can resist water pressure up to 1 meter deep for 30 minutes. The phone comes with an IP68 certification, which means it’s dustproof and shockproof as well. It supports Bluetooth 4.1, GPS/AGPS + GLONASS, and OTG functions that make it more convenient to use outdoors or in harsh conditions.
OUKITEL C21 is equipped with a 6.4-inch FHD+ screen, 2310×1080 resolution, HUAWEI Kirin 710 processor, and Android 8.1 system which gives you a high-performance experience. The AI 20MP Selfie + 16MP Main Quad Camera can intelligently recognize the scene and adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, etc automatically to make your photos clearer and more vivid.
Nokia 3.4 is a smartphone that has been designed to take on the world. It’s made from high-quality materials and offers an immersive experience, all at an affordable price. With a 6.39-inch punch-hole display, you’ll see more of what matters to you and less of what doesn’t.
OUKITEL C22 is a 5.99-inch touchscreen smartphone that supports dual SIM cards, runs the Android 10.0 system, and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 chipset with 2GB RAM and 16GB ROM. It features a triple rear camera of 13MP+2MP+5MP and an 8MP front camera for selfies. The phone has 4G/LTE, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, and other functions.
OUKITEL C22 is a smartphone produced by OUKITEL. It was announced in August 2017 and released in October 2017. The phone comes with an Android 10.0 operating system, 128 GB internal storage capacity, and 2 GB RAM for high performance and multitasking. The phone features a 5.5-inch screen for viewing multimedia content on the go and a 13 MP rear camera for capturing photos or videos of memorable moments with friends and family.
OUKITEL WP7 is a 5.99-inch Android 10.0 smartphone that can be used as a phone, tablet, and desktop computer with a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse. It comes with a 2GHz MT6739 quad-core processor, 6GB RAM, 128 GB ROM, and a 3200 mAh battery. The cell phone supports 4G/3G/2G networks and has dual SIM card slots.
The Huawei Mate 10 Lite is a mid-range Android smartphone released in November 2017. It has a 5.9″ FHD+ display, octa-core Kirin 659 processor, and rear dual cameras (16 MP + 2 MP). The phone also has 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage expandable with microSD cards up to 256 GB, and a 3,000 mAh battery.
Buying Guide For The Best Smartphones for Virtual Reality
1. Size of a screen
You can’t compare smartphones with VR headsets like Oculus Rift or HTC Vive because they both have huge screens which take up all your peripheral vision and create an immersive environment.
On the other hand, Smartphones at best cover your vision but leave out big parts of what’s outside their frame which kind of breaks up the immersion. They also only use one eye instead of two eyes at once as headsets do. However, their screens are small enough to be held in front of your face to transport you.
2. Comfort
I think it’s safe to say that Oculus Rift is the most comfortable VR headset (or at least the one I’ve tried). It’s made out of fabric and feels like wearing a common baseball cap or something like that, which doesn’t press on your face nor do your cheeks hurt after using it for half an hour. Smartphones are not as lightweight; they can be heavy and pressing on your eyes, nose, and under your fingers, if you hold them by the sides to watch movies or play games with them. Not very comfortable, but convenient!
3. Performance
VR requires a lot more processing power than just streaming a video from YouTube or Netflix. You need a fast chip that can deal with a lot of data at the same time and that too without slowing down as it works.
Both Oculus Rift and HTC Vive can be connected to high-end PC’s but smartphones only support low-performance chipsets, so they need even more processing power than those headsets. They’re made for fast internet connections though, just like VR needs a fast processor because you want a smooth experience without buffering or lagging.
4. What about controllers?
I’ve seen videos of people using smartphones with cardboard holders around them which serve as controllers for games in virtual reality simulators. This is not going to give you the same feeling as wearing gloves that track your hand movement, or mouse and keyboard setups on flat screens where you control your perspective with the mouse.
5. Don’t forget the power supply
It doesn’t matter if your phone is connected to your PC or if it runs by itself, you’ll need a charger all the time. If you play for an hour, you’ll have to charge for another hour or so afterward if you want to continue and not run out of battery. This might seem like a disadvantage but there’s also an upside: You could always use your smartphone as a power bank and charge other devices with it while playing VR games!
3 Benefits Of Smartphones For Virtual Reality
1. They’re Just Better at Handling Virtual Reality Applications
The first reason why smartphones are better than their dedicated counterparts when it comes to virtual reality is that they have computing units built into them that are just better at handling the processing needed for virtual reality. When you use an expensive headset like the HTC Vive, your PC needs to handle all of the processing used in order to ensure a smooth experience without lag or dropped frames. While this works out just fine most of the time, there may be times where your PC doesn’t have the resources it needs to pull off what you want – if anything else runs in the background, this may cause issues. With mobile devices, all of this work is handled by different parts within your device. Your phone can dedicate tasks to its graphics processing unit while leaving other jobs available for your CPU. The result is a very efficient use of resources and an experience that’s much smoother than you would typically get from a PC.
2. They Don’t Need to Be Installed
One of the biggest hurdles virtual reality has yet to overcome is accessibility; while it has made leaps and bounds in the last few years, there are still many people out there who don’t have any way to access this technology, either because they can’t afford it, don’t know about it, or simply lack access to it. One reason we’re seeing such explosive growth in mobile devices when compared with their expensive counterparts is that you don’t need anything other than the device itself – no installation necessary. All you need to do is download an app and you’re good to go. This is especially important when it comes to virtual reality because the idea of setting up a complicated rig with sensors and cameras can be a major turn-off for those who don’t have any way to do that. With mobile devices, all you need to do is download whatever app you wish to use, no installation is necessary. In fact, many smartphone-based apps will even let you try the experience before purchasing it – you know exactly what you’re getting into before spending your money.
3. They Use Existing Technology
The final reason why smartphones are better at handling desktop-quality virtual reality applications than expensive headsets has nothing to do with the device itself and more about how we interact with them. You see, when it comes to getting information onto the device itself, there are only so many ways you can do that – one of these is through a USB cable. The fact of the matter is that while virtual reality developers may have found some interesting solutions for interacting with your HMD, most of them still involve sitting in front of a traditional monitor and keyboard/mouse, which isn’t very practical when you’re within the virtual environment. Smartphones get around this by integrating sensors into their devices so you can interact with apps without needing any other equipment. You can use your hands to swipe, tap, or grab things just as easily as if you were holding something in real life.
Conclusion
We’ve found the best smartphones for virtual reality and augmented reality. Check out our list of top brands with high-quality products that won’t break the bank. Which phone do you think is most appealing? What features are important to you when considering a smartphone purchase? Let us know in the comments below!