October 2020 handset round-up - OnePlus 8T, Sony Xperia 5 ii, Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

It's the season for new phones, with new announcements and releases coming thick and fast. If you're looking for a new handset to game on - and, y'know, maybe make a few calls with - it can be a little confusing.

We thought we'd try and help cut through the noise a little by drawing attention to a few of the phones we've been using of late.

This month that incorporates the all new OnePlus 8T and the Sony Xperia 5 II. It also includes the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, which has been out a couple of months, but is being featured prominently as part of Microsoft's new Xbox Cloud Gaming service.

Here a few thoughts around these three phones, with particular focus on their gaming potential.

OnePlus 8T

OnePlus has already made one of the best phones of 2020 in the OnePlus 8 Pro. It's so good, in fact, that they're not even making a OnePlus 8T Pro.

All of which places the spotlight on the 5G-ready OnePlus 8T. It's powered by the same Snapdragon 865 chip as the Pro, which means it'll handle any game at max settings. The phone has a vastly improved cooling system as well, and everyone knows that a hot phone is the enemy of extended gaming sessions.

It still has a similar 6.55-inch AMOLED display to the OnePlus 8, but this time it's flat and moves at a faster 120Hz refresh rate - both game-friendly attributes. Throw in crazy-fast 65w charging, and a new lower price tag, and you have a seriously compelling mid-priced gaming device.

Sony Xperia 5 II

The Sony Xperia 1 II launched earlier this year with an outrageous 4K 6.5-inch display and a super-fast camera. The Sony Xperia 5 II is a close relative, but it's more compact and significantly cheaper.

Mobile gamers really shouldn't sleep on this one. While its flat 6.1-inch OLED display is a little smaller than the Xperia 1 II's, and doesn't have the same 4K resolution, it actually gains a much faster 120Hz refresh rate. And with a super-wide 21:9 aspect ratio, landscape gaming feels epic.

Besides the display, you get the same Snapdragon 865 CPU, stereo speakers, 5G, and a headphone jack - all of which should be welcomed with open arms by gamers.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra

The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is an absolute beast, with a huge 6.9-inch 120Hz Super AMOLED display that might just be the best in the business.

This global model is powered by Samsung's own Exynos 990 CPU and a whopping allowance of 12GB of RAM, which means it'll run any game you can throw at it with consummate ease.

But we're more interested in its potential as a canvass for the new Xbox Cloud Gaming (aka xCloud) service, which is how it was packaged for us. With that huge, bright display and the phone's 5G capability, it's a great way to play console-quality games on the go.