There are so many good smartphones to choose from in 2019, but which one is the king of the castle? Is there even a winner? There’s no one choice for everyone, so bear in mind the best phone for you might not be number one in our chart. Here, is a list of the best smartphones for you.
OnePlus 7 Pro: There’s really very little to fault in the OnePlus 7 Pro. The display, camera, and core specs are essentially all best-in-class – or close enough to count – while the few shortcuts (wireless charging, an IP rating) are easily explained away by a price point that still undercuts the closest comparable rivals by some way.
Yes, this costs a bit more than you’re probably used to from OnePlus, but it delivers on enough of its promises to justify that price hike – and if you’re not convinced, the regular OnePlus 7 is always there (outside the US at least), at the same ol’ price OnePlus has been hitting for the last year or two.
Xiaomi Mi 9: Devilishly fast, insanely beautiful and offering the best value for money you’ll find in any smartphone, anywhere. Mi 9 is a cracking deal at £499, and well worth the upgrade from even Mi 8.
New is an in-display fingerprint sensor as standard, Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 855 processor, 20W wireless charging, a larger screen and a triple-lens camera that includes a massive 48Mp lens.
Mi 9 is one of the best phones in the world, yet it comes at a mid-range price. It is also one of the top-rated camera phones.
Google Pixel 3: The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are the best phones you can buy right now, provided you don’t want an iPhone. The only differences between both models are the larger screen (and notch) and battery on the XL.
They have the best camera ever on a smartphone, outperforming all rivals in most situations. Both have the most premium Google phone hardware to date, good battery life, can charge wirelessly and are waterproof.
OnePlus 6T: Although it lacks a headphone jack, wireless charging and waterproofing, the OnePlus 6T is still one of the best phones you can buy right now. It is fairly priced, has the best specs you could hope for, looks great and has cameras that can compete with its rivals.
The glass construction, outstanding display and lightning quick performance starts from £499or $549 – an incredible price, but you can find the Galaxy S9 for about the same now. The dual cameras are a shade below the quality of the Pixel 3, but most people won’t care or notice.
While its phones have always been excellent, the OnePlus 6T is its best ever, and the phone with which its small compromises finally don’t matter.
Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus: The Galaxy S10 Plus is the best Galaxy phone ever with outstanding cameras, build, display and performance. The Exynos version is let down by its merely acceptable battery life.
Huawei P30 Pro: The Huawei P30 Pro bears many similarities to the older P20 Pro but also to the Mate 20 Pro that sits below it in this chart. Huawei’s software leaves a lot to be desired, but this phone excels with extraordinary cameras.
With an amazing 10x optical zoom and outstanding low light performance the P30 Pro pushes Huawei firmly into the conversation. Battery life is also outstanding.
Huawei Mate 20 Pro: It’s a mark of how good Huawei phones have become that there are two in our Top 10. The Mate 20 Pro has a large vibrant OLED screen, particularly great battery life and awesome triple cameras with a slender notch.
iPhone XS: The second generation of Apple’s notched flagship iPhone is one of the most expensive phones in our list, but that’s the same as 2017’s now discontinued iPhone X.
The OLED display is outstanding and features like the totally secure Face ID unlock system make it the most futuristic phone Apple has ever made. Performance is flawless, much like the build quality. It’s probably still the most desirable phone in the world.
It is fast and wireless charging compatible, but only comes with a slow charger in the box. But improved battery life and amazing dual cameras still make the iPhone XS a no-brainer if you already love iPhone and iOS. If you want a larger screen there’s the iPhone XS Max.
Honor View 20: Honor View 20’s closest comparison is the OnePlus 6T, but there’s a lot more on offer here than a 6T imitation.
For one, the View 20 was the first phone to release in the west with a punch hole selfie camera – a small circular cutout in the corner of the display, rather than a notch dropping down into the middle of the screen.
There’s also the first 48MP rear camera – a stat we worried was all marketing hype, but actually delivers in one of the crispest cameras we’ve used so far, especially when using the AI-enhanced Ultra Clarity mode.
Throw in the stunning holographic rear, flagship processor, and long-lasting 4,000mAh battery – not to mention an honest-to-god headphone jack in a flagship – and you’ve got one of 2019’s best phones already.
iPhone XR: This is the best iPhone for most people right now, as well as being one of the best phones in general. Apart from an LCD screen and only one camera it’s practically as capable as the XS with the same A12 processor, wireless charging and Face ID. It’s got a bigger screen than the regular XS, too.
