Best smartphones of 2020: Preliminary round

06 December 2020
We've sorted the most interesting smartphones into seven categories, round 1 of voting will determine the Top 5 in each category.

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  • M
  • MrHong
  • xZI
  • 07 Dec 2020

While I cannot pick the best phone from each category, in my opinion the best phones are:

1. Samsung Note 20 Ultra (SD): great battery life, display, S-Pen, very good system performance and user-friendly UI (with lots of features), highly capable cameras. Very few weaknesses aside from high price tag

2. iPhone 12: great build quality, nice screen (could be 90Hz), clean OS and fast performance with only minor throttling, good cameras (but has blue tinting), fast FaceID. Stuck with Lightning port and worse battery life than iPhone 11, and stingy retail box. No fingerprint sensor

3. Xiaomi Poco F2 Pro: pretty cheap with fast gaming performance despite a clunky and messy OS. Decent camera setup too and good battery life

Worst phones:

1. Realme X50 Pro: pointless overpriced phone with bad system performance and cameras. Touch delay issues thanks to badly optimised OS

2. Samsung Note 20 Exynos: paying $200 extra above S20 FE just to get a S-Pen, and thermal throttles quickly with bad battery life

3. Realme 5i/6i: quite pricey, but the screen is garbage and useless because it freezes randomly.

    • P
    • Pitchwisse
    • TWr
    • 07 Dec 2020

    The Xiaomi MI10 Ultra easily beats every other phone in the flagship category.

      ithehappy, 07 Dec 2020Ha ha it's hilarious that people use and even prefer S... moreObviously you are bigoted and stuck in the past. You should feel sorry for yourself.

        The z fold 2 is hands down the best phone of 2020 but its price doesn't make it the overall winner. That one goes to the note20 ultra. Fitting, as it may well be the last note.

          • M
          • MRick
          • YUU
          • 07 Dec 2020

          LG V60?

            Ha ha it's hilarious that people use and even prefer Samsung. While they make great hardware that software of theirs is still so pathetic which is unimaginable to use, even in short term. Ew.

              Android Authority, 06 Dec 2020Not sure where in Europe you are from, but the Snapdragon v... moreThat's a 15% price increase for the same phone (plus 5G that almost no one can use right now) and snap865 that they should've gave us from the start.

              And the thing that they charge Snap865 version more is themselves assuming the Exynos is inferior. So they are assuming that in the S20 they gave us an inferior phone with Exynos while charging more than the US variant. Inferior in performance, inferior in battery life...even photos are worse!

              The original S20 and Note20 have this problem and we can't buy the better snap865 version in Europe.

                • ?
                • Anonymous
                • t7X
                • 07 Dec 2020

                No Xperia 1ii in best camera list?

                  • V
                  • Viper
                  • 8kE
                  • 07 Dec 2020

                  Anonymous, 06 Dec 2020I think it is... But... It Exynos.... xDnor A71 or A71 5G using Exynos.. both are Snapdragon, i think you're confused with A51, and i wonder why the A71 isn't on the list

                    PhoneSmartUser, 06 Dec 2020No LG phone in the main categories? LG v60 and Velvet deser... moreLG V60 is a great phone but almost non existent in the market. in Europe its so hard to find. in fact I wanted to buy it but couldnt find a reliable source while LG is offering us SD845 velvet. LG is just plain weird in making marketing decision.

                      Anonymous, 06 Dec 2020Please stop those BS (because of ignorance, people dont kno... morehello ANONYMOUS where did I ever mention it is the best?

                        • A
                        • Anil
                        • HsF
                        • 07 Dec 2020

                        Mi 10 best

                          • C
                          • CaptainChris
                          • 3Ai
                          • 07 Dec 2020

                          TCL 10 Pro and TCL Plex should be on that list

                            No Motorola edge plus in flagships..
                            No Huawei nova 5t in mid range phones ..

                              I am surprise Vivo X50 Pro + is not on the list of best smartphone! It is ultra fast, smooth, great camera and screen etc. A phone with all the necessary kit to complete with the best phone on the market in 2020.

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • r92
                                • 06 Dec 2020

                                Why is there no Motorola edge plus on the list?

                                  Boggy-Stefy, 06 Dec 2020Like everything in life, the most expensive things are not ... moreTotally agree 100%!
                                  But try explaining that to, you know who😂👍

                                    mi10 ultra is Best flagship of 2020

                                      I got myself the vivo x50 pro+, because of the size and the leather back, the camera were ranked top 3. No idea why it's not listed. Only downsides are missing stereo speakers and wireless charging.

                                        • J
                                        • John
                                        • frj
                                        • 06 Dec 2020

                                        CICARITO, 06 Dec 2020Wow, almost every of my answer is top, either lots of us he... moreProbably because you only learnt of the phone from the advertisements of the manufacturer, like Samsung and Apple will always be best in advertising but there are so many better phones with a way smaller advertising footprint

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