Top 5 Smartphones of 2017
5. Huawei Mate 10 Pro
Chances are you have never seen a Huawei smartphone if you live in North America, but they are one of the most popular brands in Asia. Huawei became the second-largest smartphone manufacturer just behind Samsung after overthrowing Apple last month. They revealed their ultra flagship – Huawei Mate 10 Pro just recently. For the first time, Huawei is implementing IP67 water and dust resistant features with an all-new design. It comes with dual Leica branded lenses for stunning photos and is equipped with the latest custom-made Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 970 chip, which Huawei says is the fastest chip on the market.
4. LG V30
LG V3O is one of the most underrated smartphones of the year. It features a 6-inch edge-to-edge Quad-HD P-OLED display with a ~537 PPI density. V30 is the only smartphone on the list to feature Quad-DAC for amazing sound quality. LG’s implementation of the dual camera is probably the best. The main camera is 16 megapixels with a wide aperture of f/1.6, which is the widest in the list, and the secondary camera is wide-angle that captures a 120-degree field of view. Apart from featuring the latest and greatest specs of the year, V30 has also one of the best designs.
3. iPhone 8 Plus
iPhones are automatic top smartphones because of their customer satisfaction, longevity, and prospering from the best eco-system. But this year’s models are not a huge leap forward. iPhone 8 plus could have topped the list had it not come with a four-year-old design and the only IPS LCD display on the list (we have to wait for iPhone X for a new design and OLED display). It features one of the best dual-camera systems on a phone though. The primary 12-megapixel lens shoots true-to-life photos with great color accuracy, contrast ratio, and higher dynamic range. It is also equipped with the A11 Bionic chip which is ridiculously fast. For the first time, Apple has implemented wireless charging (finally) and fast charging – the latter not being included in the box.
2. Galaxy Note 8
If you are looking for a phone that comes with every feature available on the market, look no further than Samsung’s latest ultra flagship – Galaxy Note 8. It features all the flagship specs but many other features that make this phone stand out. The S-Pen is an impressive stylus for business people which also comes with numerous software bells and whistles to make it extremely useful. For the first time, Samsung has introduced a dual-camera system in its flagship line-up which is quite impressive, since the second lens has optical image stabilization unlike that in the iPhone 8 plus.
1. Google Pixel 2 XL
Finally, Google’s latest iteration of Pixel phones has topped the list of best phones on the market. Apart from featuring the latest specs, the Pixel 2 XL is equipped with the most impressive camera in the list. DXOMark has given it a rating of 98 which is a new record for any smartphone camera. It is one of the only camera phones to have EIS and OIS. That means it captures great low-light photos and smooth videos with a lot much less jittering. It is the software that makes this phone the best in the world though. Being shipped with the latest Android version 8.0 (Oreo), it is one of the smoothest performing phones in the world. It is finally IP67 certified, which means it is dust and water-resistant for up to one meter for 30 minutes.