Smartphone buyer's guide: November 2018 edition

21 November 2018
Decisions, decisions, decisions. The holiday season is upon us and 'tis the season of joy and happiness. But it could also be one of the most stressful events each year because them presents won't buy themselves, will they? That's why we decided to pitch in and hopefully make some of those decisions easier for you.

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  • ?
  • Anonymous
  • LkC
  • 22 Nov 2018

Anonymous, 22 Nov 2018Compact Phones: Iphone 7, Iphone 8, XZ1, XZ2, A3 2016 I mean XZ1c and XZ2c....

    • ?
    • Anonymous
    • LkC
    • 22 Nov 2018

    Compact Phones:

    Iphone 7, Iphone 8, XZ1, XZ2, A3 2016

      • ?
      • Anonymous
      • LkC
      • 22 Nov 2018

      IntelliSense, 22 Nov 2018Z3 what? Motorola? S9 is really compact phone for 5.8". Any... moreSony Z3.... It is smaller than s9 , but still not compact

      S9 is almost 15cm tall. A compact phone needs to be less than 14.
      Like iphone 8 or Sony Compact.

      Does not matter screen size. The 5.8" 18:9 is similar to 5.6" 16:9.
      S8 would be better it was like Nokia 8 Sirocco. It has same 5.5" 16:9 of s7 edge but only 14 cm tall.

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        • Mike Litoris
        • PaT
        • 22 Nov 2018

        What about the Huawei Y9 2019 for budget camera? Its price is similar to that of the Mi A2 but it comes with a bigger screen and has both headphone jack and micro SD slot although it has less RAM.

          • I
          • IntelliSense
          • 3iY
          • 22 Nov 2018

          Anonymous, 22 Nov 2018S9? It has almost 6in tall. My z3 is shorter, it is no... moreZ3 what? Motorola? S9 is really compact phone for 5.8". Anyway there is no 18:9 or 19:9 phones with 5" or 4.7" anymore, and thats why i wrote that there is no enough "compact" phones to make a list. Today 5.5" or 5.8" is consider compact, especially when is made like S9 with thin bezells.

          Motorola at least here in EU is not popular, like Apple, Samsung, even Chinese OEM, like Huawei/Honor is more popular and sells a lot much differente models per year, than Lenovo-Rola.

            Anonymous, 22 Nov 2018Pocophone Cons -Nothing Um what. Did the editor forge... moreThe cons are relative to what the smartphone has to offer for the asking price. In India, the Pocofone F1 cannot be beaten for its value per dollar, for about 270 USD you get a phone that has a flagship chipset, 6 Gigs RAM, a great looking Full HD IPS panel and more than decent Camera, both front and back, that you can find on any phone in that price range. It is capable of 4G on both sims to boot. The only blemish I would put on it is the second SIM slot being hybrid. Otherwise it punches way above its Price.

            If we start holding a plastic back against Pocofone F1 then might as well hold lack of OLED screen against it, while we are at it we could also hold the lack of IP68 water resistance and lack of Wireless charging against it.

              • ?
              • Anonymous
              • LkC
              • 22 Nov 2018

              IntelliSense, 22 Nov 2018Because there is no enough compact phones, that are worth c... moreS9?

              It has almost 6in tall. My z3 is shorter, it is nothing compact

                really honor 8x not on the list???

                  • I
                  • IntelliSense
                  • 3iY
                  • 22 Nov 2018

                  Hj, 22 Nov 2018Why no compact guideBecause there is no enough compact phones, that are worth considering (Sony Xperia have one, Samsung S9 is compact) and in the budget Xiaomi A2 Lite is compact, but thats it.

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                    • IntelliSense
                    • 3iY
                    • 22 Nov 2018

                    Anonymous, 22 Nov 2018No Samsung A7 2018, at least for battery life and keeping c... moreS9 Plus is there with cons: none. Also that smartphone is good for gaming..

                      • I
                      • IntelliSense
                      • 3iY
                      • 22 Nov 2018

                      NokAppSam, 22 Nov 2018You really are truth sayer. xd. Hey, but not all Indians ar... moreOnePlus is Chinese, HMD (licenced Nokia name) in this case is far beyond of Huawei/Honor, Xiaomi, Oppo, vivo, especially in sales, and software. I guess you know that HMD does not have own skin after 2 years, and androidone, or to be precise "Launcher3" is also in no name brends of (50$), or in 3 Xiaomi phones. Google Pixel software and 'androidone' is not same, no matter how bare bone are both of them. Also, Nokia 7 Plus.. Metal build but is seems like plastic (or if you want, polycarbonate), in another words, 7 Plus on the back in black color, collecting more fingerprints thanforensic tim. Just saying..

                        • Z
                        • Zahid
                        • sy0
                        • 22 Nov 2018

                        Good work gsmArena...

                          • ?
                          • Anonymous
                          • JHA
                          • 22 Nov 2018

                          Anonymous, 22 Nov 2018Pocophone Cons -Nothing Um what. Did the editor forge... moreYeah... Plastic back and Screen bleeding issue

                            • ?
                            • Anonymous
                            • MFx
                            • 22 Nov 2018

                            No Samsung A7 2018, at least for battery life and keeping cool during any kind of games? Yeah, ok.

                              • H
                              • Hj
                              • 0uI
                              • 22 Nov 2018

                              Why no compact guide

                                • ?
                                • Anonymous
                                • gyc
                                • 22 Nov 2018

                                No LG G7 or V40 on flagship?

                                  Shouldn't the S9 duo feature in the camera section? The images are some of the best I've seen from smartphone cameras!

                                    Great. It's been a while since I've read this kind of article from GSM Arena. Advanced Happy Holidays, everyone! :) Reading this article now.

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                                      • FarFan
                                      • MIv
                                      • 22 Nov 2018

                                      Fun fact: there are 2 LG phones on first picture (G7 and V40) but none of them is recommended, even as all-rounders.

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                                        • Maria
                                        • 6c6
                                        • 22 Nov 2018

                                        No samsung galaxy A8? Perhaps, it is because A8 is overpriced?

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