5 best budget smartphones for Zenless Zone Zero (ZZZ)
Zenless Zone Zero is the latest launch from miHoYo, the developer behind the popular gacha game Genshin Impact. It takes place in a post-apocalyptic city where monsters called Ethereals walk the dimensions known as Hollow. It features several new characters and a unique combat system.
However, like previous miHoYo games, which are notoriously known for their power-hungry nature, Zenless Zone Zero also puts a toll on your device. It is comparatively less power-hungry than Genshin Impact but still requires a good set of graphics and processors to run without lags. miHoYo has worked extensively on optimizing this game to make it playable on all platforms.
So this time around, you can even play this game on budget phones. A decent set of processors and graphics can easily run the game above 60 FPS. This listicle covers the five best budget phones available on the market that are well-equipped to run Zenless Zone Zero.
Note: Some aspects of this article are subjective and reflect the writer's opinions.
Explore these best budget phones that can easily play Zenless Zone Zero
5) Samsung S23 FE ($424)
Samsung S23 FE features the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor which, despite being an old flagship offering from Qualcomm, is plenty powerful to run Zenless Zone Zero without a stutter. The phone features a brilliant 6.8-inch AMOLED 120 Hz display that is bright as well as vibrant. Zenless Zone Zero's world would look delightful with this screen.
The phone features a 4500 mAh which can keep your Zenless Zone gaming sessions going for long unstoppable hours. It also supports fast charging to quickly juice up the phone after every long gaming session.
Pros:
- Powerful performance with Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
- Vibrant 120Hz display
Cons:
- No headphone jack
2) OnePlus 12R ($499)
OnePlus's 12R comes with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor which is the last-gen flagship offering from Qualcomm. This chip is plenty powerful to play Zenless Zone Zero without any hiccups. It features a good Superfluid AMOLED display that comes with a 120 Hz refresh rate. This phone is mighty capable of showcasing the beauty of the skylines in Zenless Zone Zero.
The phone features a 5500 mAh battery which keeps the phone charged up all day even with heavy Zoneless Zone Zero gaming sessions. The phone supports 80 Watts of fast charging which can charge the phone in merely 20 to 30 minutes.
Pros:
- Powerful performance
- Great display
Cons:
- OnePlus is notoriously famous for its green line error
3) Motorola Edge+ ($499)
The Motor͏o͏la͏ edge+ is capable of playing Zenless Zo͏ne Z͏ero at high frame rates without frame drops or lag. Its͏ Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 ͏processor, 8GB of RAM, and Adreno GPU are mor͏e͏ than suffi͏cient to handle the g͏ame͏'͏s requi͏rements.
Additionally, its 6.7͏-inch OLED displa͏y͏ w͏ith a 165Hz refresh͏ ra͏te w͏i͏ll provide a sm͏ooth and͏ immersive ͏gaming e͏xperience. The 5100mAh ͏battery ͏should also offer ͏a decent amount of playtime on͏ ͏a sing͏le charg͏e.
Pros:
- Features one of the fastest refreshing screens
- A great 6.8-inch display paired with powerful performance
Cons:
- No headphone jack
4) Google Pixel 8A ($499)
The Goog͏l͏e͏ Pixel 8͏a should provide an amazing gaming experience pl͏aying͏ Zenl͏ess Zone Zero. Its Tensor G3 chip, specifically designed for efficient AI ͏and machine learning tasks, can help optimize the game'͏s performance. Additionally, the 8GB of RAM is sufficient for most mobile games, and͏ the 120Hz refresh rate will ensure͏ sm͏oot͏h ͏visuals and resp͏onsiveness.
Whi͏le the Pix͏e͏l 8a lacks ͏acti͏ve cooling found in dedicated gam͏ing ph͏ones, casual͏ player͏s are unlikely t͏o encounter significant iss͏ues with͏ o͏verhe͏ating. Ultimately, th͏e ͏final͏ verdict on performa͏nce will depend on th͏e game's optimi͏zation͏ for the Pixel 8͏a, but the phone's hard͏ware͏ capabilities s͏uggest it shoul͏d handle th͏e ͏game reasonably well.͏
Pros:
- Tensor G3 is Google's chip which offers great optimization
- Great camera quality
Cons:
- A fairly small 6.1-inch screen
5) Xiaomi Poco F6 ($430)
Poco F6 is powered by the budget edition of this year's flagship offering from Qualcomm, Snapdragon 8s Gen 3. This chip is very powerful and can easily run Zenless Zone Zero. Additionally, its 6.7 inch AMOLED 120 Hz display is great for experiencing the graphics of the game at high or ultra settings.
The phone also features a 5000 mAh battery which keeps the phone juiced up for long Zenless Zone Zero sessions with minimal breaks due to battery. Further, it supports 90 Watts of fast charging that can fully charge the phone in just 20 minutes.
Pros:
- Great performance along with a hood display
- 90 Watts of fast charging
Cons:
- Sub-par camera system
All the phones featured on this list are budget-friendly phones that can easily play Zenless Zone Zero. There are other options as well in this category but the phones featured here in this listicle would not disappoint you if you choose to go for any of them.