Best smartphones of 2020 - buyer’s guide
Welcome to our up-to-date GSMArena Smartphone Buyer's guide - the completely overhauled directory of the best smartphones you can buy.
You will find a few categories of phones below with our top pick headlining each category. But don't be limited by our choice, you can find more options once you visit each category.
Flagship phones
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
The Galaxy Note20 Ultra gathers all the cutting edge tech Samsung can offer to the public, short of a foldable screen. The latest in the Note lineup has a superb display, great battery life and a very capable tri-set of cameras. But it's the S Pen that makes it a unique proposition for any type of creative use as well as general note-taking.
Continue readingFlagship killers
Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G
Samsung itself is doing some flagship killing with the Galaxy S20 FE (for Fan Edition). It comes with a 120Hz Super AMOLED display, bringing flagship-grade refresh rate to the masses. It's also the easiest way to get a Snapdragon version of a mainstream Galaxy (Folds don't count) in Europe by getting the 5G variant. We measured top-class battery life and we were also really happy with the camera output.
Continue readingCamera phones
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G
The Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra isn't just the best Galaxy or the best Note on the market. It also packs the absolute best Samsung camera and that triple arrangement on the back offers spectacular photos. The big sensor on the main camera gives it an advantage in challenging light. That telephoto offers a proper 5x optical zoom and excellent image quality, too.
Continue readingGaming phones
Asus ROG Phone 3 ZS661KS
The ROG Phone 3 took everything that made the ROG Phone II great and elevated it further. On the surface, it is still, very-much the same phone, even maintaining nearly identical dimensions. That’s an entirely deliberate choice, since Asus successfully managed to maintain compatibility with the already industry-leading accessory ecosystem of the ROG Phone II.
Continue readingBattery life champions
Xiaomi Poco F2 Pro
Our top pick for a battery life champ remains the Poco F2 Pro for being one of the most powerful smartphones and the most dependable performer when it comes to battery life.
Continue readingCompact phones
Apple iPhone 12 mini
We sure thought Apple was done with the small iPhones this year after the new iPhone SE premiere. Yet, Apple managed to surprise us with a proper mini flagship with no missing features. Indeed, the new iPhone 12 mini is a smaller version of the iPhone 12 and it's lost nothing.
Continue readingPremium all-rounders
Motorola Edge
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128GB 6GB RAM
$ 399.99
The Motorola Edge is our new to pick in this niche category. It is a premium all-rounder however you look at it - the curved OLED screen has 90Hz refresh rate and HDR10 support. The Snapdragon 765G is great for gaming and multimedia and will not disappoint anyone in terms of speed and performance.
Continue readingMidrange all-rounders (up to €300)
Realme 7 5G
The Realme 7 5G is among the cheapest 5G phones priced at around €300 and it is our new top suggestion. It offers a large LCD screen with 120Hz refresh rate and runs on the Dimensity 800U 5G chip that provides decent performance. You can also rely on a pretty good quad-camera on the back. And the battery life is pretty amazing, too.
Continue readingMidrange all-rounders (up to €250)
Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC
There is no better mid-ranger than the Poco X3 NFC if your budget is around the €250 mark. The phone offers unbelievable bang for the buck - you get a large 120Hz display within a splash-proof body, snappy performance, a very good (mid-range) quad-camera, and pretty amazing battery life.
Continue readingMidrange all-rounders (up to €200)
Realme 6
Our new top pick for this under-€200 mid-range category is the Realme 6. Its price has already dropped to some bargain numbers and it is easily the most feature-rich phone you can buy for as low as €170. The Realme 6 is better suited that many more expensive mid-rangers - it offers a 6.5" 1080p screen with 90Hz refresh, there is gaming-capable Helio G90T chipset and 4GB or 6GB of RAM.
Continue readingEntry-level phones (Asian markets)
Realme 5s
Our top pick to buy in the most affordable category if you reside in (most of) Asia is the Realme 5s. It's not the cheapest one, more like the middle of the road, but that secures you a powerful Snapdragon 665 chipset, which delivers by far the most oomph under a 720p screen you can get for similar money.
Continue readingEntry-level phones (Western markets)
Samsung Galaxy A20e
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32GB 3GB RAM
$ 167.00
Our top pick for an entry-level smartphone in the Western world is the Samsung Galaxy A20e. One of the most affordable Galaxies you can get, the A20e packs a couple of cams, including an ultra wide-angle one, and has a fingerprint reader on the back.
Continue readingBest phones by category
Reader comments
- lol
imo this list should start with number 4 this year and leave first 3 empty for lack of innovation.
- 24 Nov 2020
- 0U6
- Anonymous
Its a list of phones. Sony dont make any phones, they make parts used on smartphones. Sony is still working on assembling their parts into phones. When i Purchased my sony phone they werent close to getting that part.
- 23 Nov 2020
- 3IP
realme 6 making it to the list of a mid-range all rounder is unexpected
- 23 Nov 2020
- v$A