Yes, they affect mobile performance.
Some of the mining apps consumes alot of ram. When your phone ram is not high, the phone will start to lagg. Even if you have a good ram, for the fact that you will be mining always means the app will be running steadily in your device. The speed and the battery of the phone will be affected on the long run.

To be on a safer side, go for a phone with;
High ram;
High battery capacity;
High processor;