Our editors' favorite smartphones of 2018

31 December 2018
As 2018 draws to a close, it's only fitting we take a look back and try to remember it for what it really was - twelve months filled with hundreds of cool and not so cool smartphones. Our reviewers tried to stay objective for those written and video reviews they did for you, our beloved audience. But they have certainly picked some favorites and today they are going to share them with you.

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babak, 02 Jan 2019i own pocophone and x compact but i like to experience mate... moreBuy it @huawei store or the others which sell the mate 20 pro....

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    • babak
    • a3p
    • 02 Jan 2019

    i own pocophone and x compact but i like to experience mate 20 pro or mate 20x.the only drawback for me is that i couldnt find any nano memory for it and thats why i didnt buy it. also i bought a sandisk 400gb microsd in high price and dont like forget that and stick to 128gb mate 20 pro. i really hope huawei to stay away from nano memory in future.

      Haplo, 02 Jan 2019I'm surprised some people mention Mate 20 Pro, but fail to ... moreP20 pro image sample is over sharpness, it doesnt have 3x optic zoom, night mode, no ultra wide lens, no kirin 980, no bokeh video, no black white video, mate 20 pro has great night camersa quality..4k video supported by ois n ais, p20 not.the resolution of screen is better on mate 20 pro n many more

        Larsen, 02 Jan 2019Is any reason to delete my comment? I am only asking, wh... moreI feel you... Because of bad experiences with samsung devices no matter how good of a feature they may introduce, im not buying... Based from experience, quality is the biggest compromise from samsung. Just go with sony or apple, best quality.

          Anonymous, 02 Jan 2019That different for me. premium is only from the price tag, ... moreOwn an iphone xs max or any other iphone and you'll see how better it is.

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            • Larsen
            • TXd
            • 02 Jan 2019

            Is any reason to delete my comment?

            I am only asking, why is Samsung selling two types of Note 9 for this same price. I dont care about Antutu stupidity, but seriously photos on ISOCELL/Exynos are really worst than EXMOR/Snapdragon. If Samsung want to try his hokus/pokus alchemy with CMOS, it s not correct sell it like EXMOR/Snapdragon device /same price level/. They can try it in middle range models and in the moment, when ISOCELL will be better than EXMOR just put it into new model of Note. I have NOTE 9/Exynos/Isocell EU device and when I am looking at S9/S9+ photos I feel cheated by their politics.

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              • Boo
              • sxr
              • 02 Jan 2019

              Omg, those are really top class picks from your editors gsmarena, bit I wonder, you guys have those devices, but why on earth cant you even make your pictures top class. I mean really its annoying im viewing this on my Honor Play and Im seeing your pictures pixelated. I mean its 2019 and your still using pics from way back, are you guys sure you got those devices, Note 9 Mate 20 Pro etc etc etc and you cant even put on some great pics from this article jezzzzzzz!

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                • snd
                • 02 Jan 2019

                MZPK, 01 Jan 2019All of them are androidTechnically savvy people tend to prefer Android over iOS.

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                  • aziz Fa
                  • XCj
                  • 02 Jan 2019

                  iphone x

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                    • Haplo
                    • mNi
                    • 02 Jan 2019

                    Indrawan, 02 Jan 2019Best phone 1. Huawei mate 20 pro 2. Samsung note 9 3. Go... moreI'm surprised some people mention Mate 20 Pro, but fail to mention P20 Pro. P20 Pro has almost everything Mate 20 does - except previous gen chipset (which still ensures silky-smooth operation) and one of its cameras is monochrome instead of wide-angle.
                    Oh and an excellent traditional home button finger-print scanner.

                    At 1/3 lower price, for me its a very easy choice.

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                      • Anonymous
                      • PA7
                      • 02 Jan 2019

                      Nothing new that give significant impact this year

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                        • VectorR
                        • vxM
                        • 02 Jan 2019

                        AppleIsBest, 02 Jan 2019Best phone of year, its easy IPHONE XS MAX :)That absolutely true. No one come even close. "Oldie" iPhone X isn't far behind ;).

                          Best phone
                          1. Huawei mate 20 pro
                          2. Samsung note 9
                          3. Google pixel xl

                            AppleIsBest, 02 Jan 2019Best phone of year, its easy IPHONE XS MAX :)hahahahahahhahahahahahahhahaha WTF

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                              • GK
                              • uwv
                              • 02 Jan 2019

                              One Plus 6 as best phone???? You gotta be kidding me. It's the most over rated mid-ranger phone being projected as premium phone.
                              Why it's considered as premium phone, it has never out paced premium phone in any of parameter?
                              It should be compared with Honor 10, Nova, Zenfone etc.
                              In fact, it is mid ranger being sold at premium price. It's a open loot much more than iPhones.

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                                • AppleIsBest
                                • mWX
                                • 02 Jan 2019

                                Best phone of year, its easy IPHONE XS MAX :)

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                                  • Note9 User
                                  • mX@
                                  • 02 Jan 2019

                                  I waited for the release of & considered most of the flagships mentioned here, (I nearly got the Mate 20 Pro, but was put off mainly by the EMUI, but also their NanoMemory cards & the LG 'green screen' issue on it's release), but it does deserve to be amongst the top of the list.

                                  I also considered what didn't make it onto the Editors choice, yes Apple didn't feature probably because of the eye watering high prices, for some it doesn't matter, but for me & probably most people outside of the U.S. it does as it's even more expensive, currently in the U.K. for the XS Max:
                                  64GB @ £1,099, 256GB @ £1,249 or 512GB @ £1,449 and then I would have to shell out for proprietary extras like a fast charging USB-C power adaptor which was £49 for the 30W, but now you can get the 18W for £29, that doesn't include the USB-C to Lightening cable though, that'll be £19 for 1m or £35 for 2m, & £9 if you want a Lightening to 3.5mm female Jack dongle.

                                  If Apple & it's accessories were more reasonably priced, they would've sold more & made more overall profit, it'll be interesting how 2019 will pan out for them.

                                  I got the Galaxy Note 9 512GB with a free 512GB Micro SD card for £999 on Black Friday direct from Samsung which has everything I need in the box (apart from a case & screen protector).
                                  I did alot of research & found GSMA to be the best accurate source, so a big THANK YOU to them & also community members like Kiyasuriin, I also helped out answering questions if I knew the factual answer (including any relevant links).

                                  I definitely made the right choice for myself, but we're all different & have different needs & preferences, this Note 9 is probably more than I need, with features like Bixby that I may never use, but it ticks all my boxes, it's all good, except I expected better macro camera shots than my S6, it seems about the same, though it's still early days for me.

                                  I consider this phone to be the swiss army knife of the smartphone world.

                                  I understand those saying S9+, it depends what deals are going on, I got more bang for buck with this Note9 & I'm happy with it.

                                  Whatever phone you chose in 2018, I hope you're happy with it, I also believe that good things/ deals come to those who can wait (unless it's a good launch discount/ bundle deal ;)).

                                  Happy hunting & Happy 2019 to you all. Peace.

                                    MZPK, 01 Jan 2019All of them are androidthey prefer android phone , soo i dont see any problem here ...

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                                      • Anonymous
                                      • IWV
                                      • 02 Jan 2019

                                      Excalibur, 01 Jan 2019Without price consideration, Best phone: iphone xs max (... moreThat different for me. premium is only from the price tag, the phone it self is just same with others flagship.

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                                        • Shui8
                                        • KZ8
                                        • 02 Jan 2019

                                        Slayer, 01 Jan 2019Utterly predictable drivel by presumably paid journalists! ... moreNo hate. I love both Sony & Huawei. Mate 20 the better buy & got lot of goodies, but let be honest, me also hate stock EMUI (but not its features). Just use themes to mask them, and i made my own Sony UI to EMUI 9 device. - https://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-20/themes/theme-sony-xperia-xz3-emui-9-t3883733

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