We tried all the latest and greatest smartphones to find the best of 2018
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The best smartphones of 2018
Smartphones are perhaps the most personal
tech we own. That’s why it’s super important to pick the phone that’s
best for your needs. There are many factors to consider, from design and
operating system to security and durability. We consider every aspect
of the smartphone to determine whether it’s a good buy for you, or if
you’re better off with something else.
Last year was an incredible year for phones because of the sheer variety available, thanks in part to new contenders such as Razer and Essential. Even on the iPhone side,
you now have the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and the X to choose from. After much
debate and soul-searching, we landed on the iPhone X as our top pick
for the best phone available right now, though Google’s Pixel 2 XL is
the closest second we’ve ever had.
Here’s why the iPhone X ultimately triumphed, and our picks for other
smartphone categories. If you’re partial to Google’s mobile operating
system, we’ve even compiled a list of the best Android phones on the market, which includes the aforementioned Pixel 2 XL, among other devices.
Who’s it for: Anyone who’s been itching for an iPhone with a new look. How much will it cost: $1,000 Why we picked the iPhone X:
The iPhone X represents the next decade of Apple’s signature product.
Gone is the home button in favor of a modern, edge-to-edge “bezel-less”
design that makes it easily identifiable. This change brings an all new
gesture-based way to interact with the iPhone that’s satisfyingly fun.
While it features technologies we’ve seen before in other Android phones, Apple often does them best. The high-resolution OLED screen, which DisplayMate recently affirmed
as the best, is energy-saving and colorful, with inky, deep blacks; it
makes watching videos and movies feel a little more immersive. The
all-glass design makes the iPhone X capable of wirelessly charging, and
it can take a dip in water because it’s IP67 water-resistant. The A11
Bionic processor remains unmatched, with reliably fast performance when
moving around the home screen or playing intensive augmented reality
games using ARKit.
Most importantly, the TrueDepth camera introduces a new, more secure
way to unlock your phone, and it also helps you step up your selfie
game. The TrueDepth camera is an array of depth-sensing cameras and
sensors on the top of the iPhone X. It can identify the intricacies of
your face, allowing you to unlock your phone just by looking at it via a
new system called Face ID. Apple said it considers Face ID the future
of its product line, so wave goodbye to Touch ID. It’s fast, and even
works at night. While Touch ID is a hair faster and a little more
reliable, it’s much harder for someone to get into your phone with Face
ID equipped.
Face ID isn’t the only new feature the TrueDepth camera brings — you
can now use Portrait Mode with your selfies. The cameras can fairly
accurately detect the background and the subject, allowing you to blur
everything around your face when snapping a selfie. It’s in beta and
will only get better in the coming months, but it does make your selfies
stand out. The TrueDepth camera also lets you send animated emojis, or Animojis.
Like motion capture used in movies, emojis can mimic your facial
expressions and record audio, and you can send these to friends on any
device via the Messages app.
The battery easily lasts a full day, though like with most flagship
smartphones, heavy use will bring it perilously low by the end of the
day.
Switching to iOS 11, it offers far more customization
than ever before, and on the iPhone X it feels snappy and fluid.
There’s the redesigned App Store, a new easier-to-use Control Center,
and a Files app that will make working with your Macbook a breeze.
Add to all that Apple’s commitment to your security and privacy,
instant software updates, and its industry-leading customer service that
lets you walk into any Apple Store and get help for free, and you have
one great smartphone.
The lack of a headphone jack is the only major mark against the
iPhone X. It comes with Lightning EarPods, but if you have your own
headphones, you may struggle with the included 3.5mm-to-Lightning
adapter. You may want to purchase wireless earbuds,
but neither of these scenarios are the end of the world. The iPhone 7
Plus removed the headphone jack first in 2016, and most Android
manufacturers have jumped on board. Based on our experience with the
iPhone X, we can tell you with confidence that you will survive. It’s
not ideal, but it’s becoming the standard across the industry.
Who’s it for: Anyone who wants speedy software updates, and the best camera. How much will it cost: $850 Why we picked the Pixel 2 XL:
Google’s Pixel 2 XL is the best Android phone we’ve ever used. The
Pixel range continues to be the only Android phones that can fully
compete with Apple’s iPhone in several key areas — security, timely
software updates, customer service, and software design. If you’re an
Android fan who will never buy an iPhone, the Pixel 2 XL is the best
phone you can buy. Google
went with LG to manufacture the Pixel 2 XL, and it’s able to perfectly
optimize the hardware and the software — similar to what Apple does with
the iPhone. That approach, plus the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor
and 4GB of RAM, makes the Pixel 2 XL the most powerful Android phone
around.
The Pixel 2 XL’s software experience is where it shines. It runs the
latest Android 8.1 Oreo, which is uncluttered and silky smooth, and you
can easily test the next version of Android P.
The little tweaks Google added make the phone an absolute joy to use,
from the redesigned Google feed to the At a Glance widget that shows
your next calendar event and the weather. The Google Search bar is below
the dock, making it easier to access, and Living Universe wallpapers
bring your phone to life. Set a dark wallpaper, and the user interface
triggers a dark mode.
One of our favorite features is Now Playing, which automatically
identifies music playing in the background and subtly lets you know the
song name and artist on the Always-on Display. This happens offline, and
no data is ever sent to Google. We also love Active Edge, which lets
you squeeze the Pixel to trigger the Google Assistant. We think
Assistant is one of the best voice assistants you can use on a
smartphone, and this feature lets you get straight to it. It’s this
attention to detail and design that makes the Pixel 2 XL a great
smartphone.
Then there’s the crisp, plastic, 6-inch OLED screen with a 2560 x 1440-pixel resolution. There have been many complaints
about the screen, such as a blue tint when looking at it at an angle,
muted colors, and screen burn-in. Google has responded to these
complaints, saying it’s confident in the screen, but it has issued a software update to mitigate these concerns — we think the criticism is overblown.
We haven’t seen any deal-breaking issues with the screen, and we stand
by our statement that the Pixel 2 XL as the best Android phone you can
get.
The Pixel’s design may not be for everyone, but we like the mix of
two-tone aluminum and glass on the rear. It’s less easy to shatter and
it isn’t a fingerprint magnet, unlike most flagship phones that are
all-glass. The rear aluminum coating feels like a matte chalkboard, and
it’s pleasant to the touch. The fingerprint sensor is fast, and you can
swipe down on it to see your notifications. Like most flagship phones,
it’s IP67 water-resistant.
The Pixel 2 XL’s spotlight feature is its 12.2-megapixel camera,
which is one of the best around. Google’s HDR+ technology allows for
excellent dynamic range in photos, and the detail it captures is
stunning. It’s even one of the best performers in low-light scenarios.
There’s no optical zoom, unlike many of its competitors, but it does
have Portrait Mode even though it lacks dual cameras. Google purely uses
software to detect the background from the subject, and its results are
as good as the iPhone X. We’ve even found it takes better Portrait Mode
selfies than Apple’s iPhone.
The best things about the Pixel 2 XL are its commitment to timely
software updates and customer service. Pixel phones get automatic
Android software updates and security patches without delay. In fact,
they will be automatically downloaded when you aren’t using the phone.
That’s vitally important for your privacy and security. There’s also a
24/7 support team you can access via the phone or by chat directly in
your Settings app.
Like the iPhone X, the main problem here is the lack of the headphone
jack. You get a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter in the box, but if you’re not a
fan of dongles, you may want to grab wireless earbuds. Again, it’s not
ideal, but it’s manageable.
The Pixel 2 XL costs $850, which is expensive, but it’s well worth
your money if you want a reliable and uncluttered smartphone experience.
There’s also the smaller, 5-inch Pixel 2 that offers the same exact
features, though it doesn’t have a bezel-less design.
Our other top contenders include the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the S9 Plus,
which we’ve already mentioned. They win points for gorgeous bezel-less
displays, incredible low-light cameras, the latest Snapdragon 845
processors, and major camera upgrades over last year’s S8. The LG G7 ThinQ is a great choice that’s chock-full of features you will want, including a headphone jack, and certainly take a look at the LG V35 ThinQ — the cameras are the same, but they’re not as good as the Pixel 2, Galaxy S9, and iPhone X cameras.
1.
Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
2.
LG V35 ThinQ
3.
OnePlus 6
4.
LG G7 ThinQ
We also cannot recommend the OnePlus 6 enough.
For $530, it truly retains the flagship-killer moniker. You get the
same Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor that is powering the rest of this
year’s flagships, along with even more RAM. OnePlus also goes a step
further with an excellent, customizable software experience, and a
nearly bezel-less design. While its price is at the higher end of the
budget category, the OnePlus 6 is at the top of our best cheap phones guide. Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
For a true alternative to modern all-glass smartphones, we recommend taking a look at the BlackBerry Key2. Yes, the company is still around, but it’s TCL that makes the hardware,
and BlackBerry Limited manages the Android software. The physical
keyboard is absolutely fantastic, and it’s not hard to switch from a
touchscreen one. The Key2 may not have the same technical power as the
other smartphones we’ve talked about, but it deserves a place here
because it’s not just unique — it’s good.
Google Pixel 2
The best camera phone
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends
Why should you buy this: It has the best smartphone camera you can buy.
Who’s it for: Anyone who wants the best smartphone camera. How much will it cost: $650-plus Why we picked the Google Pixel 2:
Nearly all flagship smartphone cameras these days are excellent, but
Google’s Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL stand out by reliably capturing
remarkable photographs. We’re focusing on the Pixel 2 here, as it’s far
cheaper than most flagship smartphones listed above.
The Pixel 2 has a 12.2-megapixel camera, but it’s Google’s image
processing that does all the hard work. There’s virtually zero shutter
lag, and while the processing takes a second or two, the results can be
astonishing. The Pixel excels thanks to Google’s HDR+ technology, where
the smartphone captures multiple photos at once, picks the best one, and
layers the rest to produce an image with the least amount of noise.
This also eliminates overexposed or underexposed parts of an image,
resulting in excellent dynamic range.
Though there is only one camera on the rear, Google added a Portrait
Mode, which blurs out the background behind a subject. It’s impressive
what Google can do with just software, as the camera can very accurately
detect depth and the subject in the photo. The rear camera in Portrait
Mode isn’t as good as the iPhone X or 8 Plus, but it’s excellent on the
selfie camera.
The excellent camera experience is paired with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon
835 chip, which is still speedy, along with 4GB of RAM. As we mentioned
earlier, Google’s software optimization results in one of the most
reliable, highest-performing Android phone ever made. Best of all? The
Pixel 2 is water-resistant, and it gets automatic software updates
directly from Google, so your phone will always be up to date and
perfectly safe. Google also offers 24/7 customer support right in the
settings menu, so you can reach out to Google immediately if you have a
problem.
Who’s it for: People who need a phone that can last two days. How much will it cost: $1,100 Why we picked the Huawei P20 Pro:
You will find an impressively large 4,000mAh battery in the Huawei
P20 Pro, which is enough to see you through two days before you need to
find an outlet. It’s not just the big battery that gives this phone such
stamina — Huawei has also pulled off some clever software trickery to
optimize power management. In addition to boasting a long-lasting
battery, the P20 Pro also supports quick charging, with Huawei’s
proprietary SuperCharge technology offering a full charge from empty in
90 minutes; it’ll charge the phone to 50 percent in just half an hour.
There are no compromises under the hood to achieve the solid battery
life. The P20 Pro is packing Huawei’s own Hisilicon Kirin 970 processor,
backed by 6GB of RAM with 128GB of storage. We found performance to be
fast and smooth in our testing.
The 6.1-inch AMOLED Full HD display is vivid and sharp, and there is
an excellent triple main camera that combines 40-megapixel, 8-megapixel,
and 20-megapixel sensors. We also like the design, with a small notch
at the top of the screen and a slim bezel at the bottom that houses the
fingerprint sensor. The P20 Pro runs Android 8.1 Oreo. If we had to find
a weakness it would be Huawei’s EMUI user interface and the lack of the
headphone port, but this is a great all-around device.
You can check out our roundup of other smartphones with the best battery life for other alternatives.
Who’s it for: Bargain buyers who want a steady Android phone. How much will it cost: $270 Why we picked the Nokia 6.1:
The Nokia 6.1 offers great build quality, something the Nokia brand
has always been associated with. While everyone else turns to glass, the
Nokia 6.1 is unashamedly metal and it retains a 16:9 aspect ratio and
big bezels around its screen. A dull, dated look is skillfully
sidestepped with a series of arresting anodized copper highlights that
really make this phone pop.
The 5.5-inch display is Full HD, there’s a respectable Snapdragon 630
processor inside backed by 3GB or 4GB of RAM, depending on whether you
opt for the 32GB or 64GB model. There is also a MicroSD card slot for
expansion. The 3,000mAh battery goes the distance it recharges via the
USB-C port.
Budget phones tend to have weak cameras, but the 16-megapixel lens in
the Nokia 6.1 has an f/2.0 aperture and Zeiss optics and it performs
well in good lighting conditions. In low light or at night it’s not so
great. There’s also a capable 8-megapixel selfie camera.
This is an Android One phone, so you get pure, unadulterated Android
8.1 Oreo out of the box. There’s no manufacturer user interface on top
or bloatware anywhere in sight. Even better, the Nokia 6.1 should get
timely updates for the foreseeable future.
Support for Bluetooth 5 and Google Pay via NFC round out this feature-packed budget device. Read our guide of the best cheap phones to learn about other options.
This is a decent time to purchase a smartphone. Samsung, LG, HTC,
Sony, and Huawei have all unveiled their flagship phones, but Apple’s
big September event is coming up, and we’ll see new Pixel phones from
Google in October. You should also know that Samsung is going to launch
its Galaxy Note 9 smartphone in August.
It’s best to buy your phone unlocked
if possible, as they can be used on any network, which allows you to
switch carriers and keep your phone if you want. Buying your phone
unlocked means you’ll avoid carrier bloatware like extra apps and
services you don’t need. If you are an Android user, it also means the
carriers can’t hold back your software updates.
If your phone is just a year old or less, you really don’t need to get a new one.
Which OS is best for you?
This is where things get personal. Picking a smartphone operating
system is a huge deal. You’re buying into an entire ecosystem of apps
and compatible products when you choose between Android and iOS.
Apple’s iOS is a beautiful, simple operating system and the App Store
offers the best app selection imaginable. Each and every aspect of iOS
is curated by Apple, and it shows. Android is more open and it has fewer
rules, but that means that manufacturers and app makers can willfully
ignore Google’s Material Design language and do whatever they want,
sometimes rendering Android unrecognizable and cluttered. Android is
gorgeous, as seen on Google’s Pixel 2 and 2 XL, but you don’t often see
it like that.
Since Apple is the only company that makes iPhones, it also has
complete control over software updates. As such, iPhone users always get
the most recent and best iOS experience possible. It released iOS11
last September, and 76 percent of Apple devices are on it. Android users
don’t have that luxury. Unless you own a Pixel or Nexus device — and
very few of Android users do — you will have to wait months if not a
year to get software updates. That is why less than five percent of
Android devices are running Android 8.0 Oreo, which released in
August 2017. It’s absurd.
Software updates contain security updates, which keep your phone safe from malware, viruses, and hackers. Android is the most heavily targeted mobile OS,
so it is attacked by the worst bugs, like Stagefright and Heartbleed,
both of which remain unpatched for millions of Android users. Google now
issues a security patch every month, but many manufacturers don’t push
them to users in a timely fashion, if ever.
In contrast, Apple can immediately patch
security flaws and send the updated software to all iPhone users
immediately. Since most users update their software when prompted, most
iOS users are protected from these very real threats. There is no
denying that iPhone users are safer. Apple’s iOS also offers full
encryption with no compromises. The company even went to war with the
U.S. government and the FBI to guarantee the right to encryption for its
users. If you care about your security, you should buy an iPhone.
How we test
A phone is so much more than its spec sheet. Your entire life is
stored on it, from your photos and contacts to your music and your
favorite apps. For that reason, we take great care when we review phones
to recommend only the absolute best out there.
We use each phone we review as our daily driver for an extended
period of time to test out all the features. We do benchmarks, play
games, take photos, plunge them in water, and use them until their
batteries expire. Then we charge ’em up and do it all over again. We
test devices like real people use devices. We’re not in some stuffy lab
during obscure tests. We’re running around the cities we live in using
these phones just like you use your phones. Then we think about each
phone in comparison with its competitors to come to a decision: Should
you buy this phone or something else? If the answer is “something else,”
we tell you what to buy instead.
Smartphone innovation has peaked, and the
number of radical new features that come out each year is shrinking. As
such, when you’re buying a phone, you’re buying a device that will be
with you 24/7 for several years. It’s a big choice, and things like
apps, a product ecosystem, customer support, and security should be
important factors in your buying decision.
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Julian Chokkattu
@julianchokkattu
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