Best flagship killers 2023 - buyer’s guide

The Poco F3 has been finally replaced by a worthy successor - the Poco F4 GT. It is among the cheapest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1-packing smartphone on the market, but that’s not the only thing that’s great about the Poco F4 GT.

Just like the Poco phones before this one, the F4 GT also comes with one incredibly good AMOLED screen with 1B colors and 120Hz refresh rate. There are four stereo speakers, fast charging, and a reliable triple-camera system, too.

The all-round package also includes physical magnetic pop-up gaming triggers, unbelievably fast 120W charging, and the familiar MIUI 13 on top of Android 12.

The best part of the Poco F4 GT is its pricing, of course. The phone costs about €550, which makes it the cheapest flagship you can buy in 2022, a flagship killer, if you will.

The Realme GT2 Pro has a great display, long battery life, fast charging, excellent camera performance across all scenarios (especially the ultrawide with its added-value features), and utilizes the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1's full potential. These, and its €650 price, are what make it a true flagship killer.

We are quite keen on the Paper White and Paper Green design options as they eliminate smudges and provide superior grip to glass-made devices. Oh, and the bio-based polymer seems to keep the surface temperatures low even after long periods of gaming.

The all-round package also includes stereo speakers, 65W fast charging, excellent battery life, and unique microscope camera.

The best parts of the Realme GT2 Pro also include widespread availability and attractive pricing of €650.

Read full review

The OnePlus 10 Pro price has already dropped down to less than €700 and being a full-fledged 2022 flagship in 2923 with rising prices is what makes it perfect for this flagship killer category. It's not only fairly affordable for a premium smartphone, but it also has everything – an attractive premium design, an outstanding OLED screen with high resolution and refresh rate, flagship performance and plenty fast charging.

This OnePlus 10 Pro also comes with a versatile triple camera setup on the back with high-res primary and ultrawide cameras, plus an 8MP 3.3x telephoto. The quality, while not class-leading, is still more than enough for the premium segment.

Overall, the OnePlus 10 Pro is a solid offer with all-round flagship specs. The only real caveat is the USA exclusive IP68 certification, something OnePlus has been known to do for a while.

The Motorola Edge 30 Pro is somewhat of an odd proposition - a flagship that isn't quite, with unique selling points but also some notable shortcomings. On the first list is the 144Hz display - we can appreciate the smoothness, but can't quite see it as a substantial advantage over the 120Hz of the competition. We do appreciate the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 hardware, of course.

We also enjoyed the 'stock' Android 12 build, sweetened by Moto enhancements and we can even come up with use cases for the 'ready for' platform. It's in those cases that the latest-gen Snapdragon comes in handy and it doesn't hurt that the Edge 30 Pro shows one of its more stable implementations that we've seen.

The lack of a telephoto camera stands out and it's compounded by all too simple video recording capabilities. Slight missteps in the display and battery departments, while hardly dealbreakers, place the Edge 30 Pro in a somewhat trailing position. Add to that the missing waterproofing in a sea of properly sealed competitors and some odd choices in the BoM and the phone isn't looking very premium either.

With all that said, the Motorola Edge 30 Pro isn't a bad package. On the contrary, it's a balanced offering that's easy to recommend for its €660 or so price.

Going from the 9T to the 11, iQOO's non-Pro high-end model has stepped its game up a notch. For starters, it gets a great display with a spec sheet and performance not typically found in the class. The latest Snapdragon inside it is proving its worth too and delivers heaps of power, while the whole package is remarkably efficient and also super-fast to charge. Stereo speakers are a given at this point, but these are better than average, the IR emitter is a welcome sight, and the design stands out - particularly if you go for the BMW Motorsport livery.

Some may say it's unreasonable to expect an IP rating at this level, but if you can find it on a midrange Samsung, perhaps the top-tier iQOO should have it too. Video recording on the 11 does not inspire confidence either, though that's more of an outlier in an otherwise convincing camera setup, which still leaves room for the Pro to breathe freely.

In the end, the iQOO 11 is a performance-focused offering with a superb display, excellent battery results, and a camera that's good enough. It may be priced a touch too high, but you're getting some state-of-the-art hardware.