Smartphones have become an indispensable part of our contemporary world and of us, ingrained in our daily routines and essential to our existence as individuals. As Elon Musk once said, we’re already modern cyborgs, we just lack the interface. Whether it enhances our social standing or serves as a literal lifesaver, a smartphone plays a significant role in our lives.
As we find ourselves toward the end of 2023, the smartphone landscape is in a constant state of flux and evolution. The rapid pace of change means that a top-tier phone from the previous year may now be relegated to the status of a mundane mid-range device. With a plethora of choices available, selecting the best smartphone for one’s needs can be a challenging endeavor. Fret not, we’re here for you and we will make it simple!
Best phones of 2023
1 .Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max – The best iPhone available right now, boasting the latest and fastest chipset, three main cameras, and the new Dynamic Island feature.
2. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra – The best Android phone you can get right now. The Galaxy S23 Ultra has it all – fast processor, bright and vivid AMOLED screen, and something other flagships lack – a stylus.
3. Google Pixel 8 Pro – The flagship Android with the purest Google experience. If you want to get your new “feature drops” before anyone else and you want to dip your toes into the wonderful world of AI directly on your smartphone, the Pixel 8 Pro is your best option.
4. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 – Simply the best foldable phone out there. If you want to hop on the foldable train, there’s nothing better on the market, at the moment.Not only is the Galaxy Z Fold 5 a multitasking machine, but you can also use it with a stylus!
5. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 – The best flip phone at the moment. The Galaxy Z Flip series is another take on the foldable idea, folding a regular phone in half rather than unfolding a phone into a tablet. If you miss the compact phones of the past, the Z Flip series may be the right one for you.
6. Asus Zenfone 10 – The best compact Android phone on the market, if you don’t want to fold your display in half. The Asus Zenfone 10 is specifically designed to be one-hand operation friendly, and also comes with a flagship processor, great battery life, and one of the best optical stabilization systems in the business.
7. Sony Xperia 1 V – The first phone with a variable zoom camera. The Xperia 1 IV is for serious photography enthusiasts. It basically has the first and only truly variable camera system on the smartphone market. Plus, you’re getting Sony’s creator-focused Pro apps, namely – Photography Pro, Video Pro, Music Pro, and Cinema Pro.
8. OnePlus 11 – Back to the flagship-killer roots of OnePlus. This phone will get you most (if not all) flagship smartphone features that matter, but at a very reasonable price.
9. Google Pixel 7a – The best budget Android flagship is a Pixel. You’re getting all software tricks that Google holds up its sleeve, great camera algorithms, and a rather distinctive design for not a lot of money.
10. Apple iPhone 13 mini – The best compact iPhone is also the best compact phone of them all. With its 5.4-inch display, the iPhone 13 mini is unbeatable when it comes to size. Your pockets will thank you for that choice.
Honorable mentions:
- OnePlus Open – The first attempt of the company at the foldable smartphone. Also, one of the best foldable debuts on the market.
- Google Pixel Fold – Google’s attempt to make a competitive foldable phone. Not a bad one, too.
- Sony Xperia Pro-I- A pro camera in a smartphone, the Xperia Pro-I takes a 1-inch sensor from one of the company’s most successful compact cameras (RX-100) and slaps it on a smartphone. The usual Sony Pro-grade creator apps are also onboard. If you’re serious about your photography, this one’s for you.
- Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate – The best gaming phone, period. Asus has a great pedigree when it comes to mobile gaming (and gaming in general), and if you enjoy your Fortnite and want to take it everywhere with your, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is your best choice.
- Samsung Galaxy A54 5G – The best midrange phone. Sometimes you don’t have to cough up a lot of money to get the best smartphone experience, and the Galaxy A54 is a perfect example. This midranger has a great design, a beatiful 120Hz AMOLED display, and a price tag that will make you smile.
The above list is just a quick summary of the best phones you can get at the moment. If you want the deep dive, the whole experience, if you like to weigh in pros and cons, get every available information, you should keep on reading. You can always check out each and every review if you want to go even deeper and find every little bit of information about each model.
In this article, we will explore what constitutes the “best smartphone” and provide some tips on how to choose the perfect one for you. There are some key smartphone features that are very important for the user experience, and even though “best” is a subjective thing to some extent, these features are the ones to look for when buying a smartphone.
- Display: We consume the world mainly through our eyes, and the bigger and better the display of a smartphone, the better viewing experience we would get. We live in the AMOLED era now, and another buzzy new metric is the refresh rate of the display. Modern flagships sport at least a 120Hz display refresh rate, which makes things very smooth, especially when you scroll through text and websites.
- Camera: If the display is how we consume the information on our smartphones, the camera is essentially a device for capturing memories. The number of megapixels is not the only thing to think about. The aperture, image stabilization, and processing technology all play a role in the quality of the camera.
- Battery life: Even the best smartphone in the world is worthless if the battery runs out. A long-lasting battery is essential for those who use their phone frequently. The battery life of a phone varies depending on the model and usage patterns, but the bigger the battery, the better, as Winnie the Pooh often says.
- Performance: The performance of a smartphone is a composite factor that depends on its processor, RAM, and storage capacity. A powerful processor, ample RAM, and plenty of storage will ensure a smooth and seamless user experience, but you shouldn’t forget about the actual software on top of that and the optimization that’s going on. A clean and well-optimized smartphone OS could offset more modest hardware inside.
- Design and Build Quality: The design and build quality of a smartphone is always an important factor that can determine its durability and aesthetic appeal. A well-built phone with a sleek design will not only look good but also last longer. Different protection ratings also fall into this category, such as the IP dust and water resistance rating, and the tempered glass on the front and back, mainly manufactured by Gorilla Glass.
- Software support: This might seem unimportant but getting five years of software updated versus only two or three could potentially save you a lot of trouble and also money. When you pay premium money for a premium phone, you expect it to last. We shouldn’t overlook this aspect and even though most manufacturers now strive to offer longer support cycles, there are some clear winners and losers here.
Now that we have looked at the key features to consider when choosing the best smartphone, let’s see what’s the best phone to buy in 2023.
Source: phonearena