Is a gaming phone with 1.3 million AnTuTu good?

We got some info about how AnTuTu scores translate in mobile gaming. Depending on your phone’s score, it may actually be under or overqualified for games.

You might have seen AnTuTu scores spawning left and right as new smartphones are released worldwide. When a flagship chipset is launched, its scoreline becomes the new baseline for top-tier performance.

But let’s say you own a smartphone that only scores 1.3 million AnTuTu? Is it good for gaming? Can it run every game on the Play Store?

In this article, we showed some insights into the never-ending quest of the recommended AnTuTu score for mobile gaming. Read on because you might be shocked by the truth.

What is AnTuTu?

AnTuTu is a popular benchmarking tool and is owned by Chinese company Cheetah Mobile. It’s a common tool for testing the theoretical performance of chipsets and smartphones.

When we say theoretical, the numerical values simply represent raw performance from the CPU, GPU, and other components that are pushed to their limits. The score isn’t absolute but it gives you a clue on what to expect from your device once you use it in real life.

Here’s how to check your phone’s AnTuTu score:

AnTuTu Scores for Gaming

Now we have established what AnTuTu is and what it does, let’s talk about the numbers and what they mean. 

So, what is the best AnTuTu score for gaming? Honestly, there’s no fixed minimum or maximum score for this type of task.

As mobile gaming keeps innovating, developers are demanding better chipsets that can handle complex computing and graphics rendering. This is why the supposedly minimum and maximum points change yearly.

A consensus, however, exists among gamers where they use AnTuTu to let others know what may work on this game or that game.

As of writing, smartphones that score below 500K on AnTuTu could play games at low or medium graphics with stable experience at 30 FPS. You could push for high at 60 FPS but a few tweaks in the graphics would be needed. 

Also, intensive games like Genshin Impact and MIR4 would run stably at the lowest graphics and FPS.

The respectable line is from 600K to 700K points. You could play demanding games at medium graphics with stable experience at 30, 45, and 60 FPS. If you adjust graphic elements in the settings menu, you could enjoy partial high graphics at 60 FPS.

To access higher settings, your device should score at least 800K on AnTuTu. Many games, including first-person shooters, are playable at very high or even ultra graphics at 60 or 90 FPS with this scoreline.

We’re not saying this is the standard but the highest AnTuTu based on the March scoring belongs to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 at 2.14 million. It’s followed by the MediaTek Dimensity 9300 at 2.13 million.

Benchmark Scores Are Not Everything

Based on that scoring, getting half of 2.14 million should put your phone in a very good position in raw performance. How so?

In that same March performance report by AnTuTu, the tenth place in the midrange segment scored 836,504 points. That’s the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3. See the ranking below:

With these numbers, should you buy a flagship model with over 2 million points? If you can, go for it. But for gaming, not necessarily.

Benchmark results only tell one part of the whole picture. Software optimization, game polishing, bug fixes, and other software factors also determine stable gaming. Add your phone’s thermals and battery life, then everything becomes complicated.

A chipset with 2 million AnTuTu is expected to dish out so much performance that it will heat up quickly. If the phone has a bad design, it would overheat when you’re gaming or doing demanding tasks. No point buying such a device if the thermals are awful.

Final Thoughts

Your 1.3M AnTuTu-scoring phone will definitely run tons of games at the highest graphics at 60 FPS. For FPS and MOBA, you can even go for 90 to 120 FPS.

But remember, increasing the FPS beyond 30 at higher graphics will contribute to higher temperatures. Make sure your phone is getting extra ventilation and play somewhere with decent ambient temperature, which means no-no outside under the hot sun.

Yours truly installed Ragnarok X, Black Clover Mobile, and more recently, Genshin Impact on a 1.3M AnTuTu-scoring phone. Everything’s smooth and incredible at ultra graphics and 60 FPS. If there were stutters, they were not noticeable. Temperature ranges are decent averaging between 39 and 41 degrees Celsius.

On the other hand, having a phone with over 2M on AnTuTu is awesome but you should get one not because of the numbers. That phone should offer you beyond raw performance, such as top-notch cameras, excellent multitasking, durability and resistances, and powerful AI features.