Best smartphones of 2020 - buyer’s guide

GSMArena team, Last updated 17 August 2020.

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 S20+

Specs

The Galaxy Note10+ steps down as our Editors' choice in the Best flagship category, only to be replaced by the Galaxy S20+. It's not the greatest available Galaxy, but you won't be sacrificing much compared to the Ultra, and the Plus is much better value.

Flagship killers

Realme X50 Pro 5G

Specs

Realme is holding on to the flagship killer trophy with the X50 Pro 5G. It offers a 90Hz 6.44-inch AMOLED display, 35-minute charging and loud stereo speakers - that's flagship grade stuff right there. So is the camera output when it comes to stills and the dual selfie camera even one-ups most true top-end handsets.

Camera phones

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G

Specs

Admittedly, we weren't ecstatic when we reviewed the Galaxy S20 Ultra at the end of February. But just because it's hard to justify spending €1300 on a smartphone that has an outlandish claim for Space zoom stamped on its back, doesn't mean we don't appreciate the Ultra for taking modern smartphone photography beyond the realm of the established. It's an easy pick for the Best camera phone award for a money-is-no-object type of consumer.

Gaming phones

Asus ROG Phone 3 ZS661KS

Specs

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.

Battery life champions

Xiaomi Poco F2 Pro

Specs

Our top pick for a battery life champ is the Poco F2 Pro for being one of the most powerful smartphones and the most dependable performer when it comes to battery life.

Compact phones

Apple iPhone SE (2020)

Specs

Apple released a new SE this year and it's an instant Editors' choice in our compact phones chart. It's hardly perfect - it revives a form factor introduced 6 years ago and last touched up in 2017 and reuses a lot of that 2017 iPhone 8 bits. But, like it or not, there simply hasn't been a high-end smartphone this small since the Xperia XZ2 Compact from April 2018.

Premium all-rounders

Motorola Edge

Specs

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.

Midrange all-rounders (up to €300)

Xiaomi Mi 9T

Specs

Another midrange victory goes out to the Xiaomi Mi 9T in a tight race with the Realme X2. There's a lot to like about Xiaomi's entry in this class, starting with the triple camera - as in actual three focal lengths. It also makes very good use of them producing excellent results across the board. That applies to the pop-up selfie cam too, which in turn makes the already great AMOLED display notchless.

Midrange all-rounders (up to €250)

Realme 6

Specs

If you have slightly more to spend, we'd recommend the Realme 6. It is the best phone in this price bracket and having 90Hz display is not the only reason. It has one very capable chip for gaming, excellent battery backup, and its camera delivers in quality and versatility across the board.

Midrange all-rounders (up to €200)

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S

Specs

If we have about €200 to spend on a phone, we'd go with the Redmi Note 9S. It has pretty much everything you'd want out of a handset for this price - a large and sharp display (LCD, but still), a modern chipset (powerful and efficient), a big 5,020mAh battery with 18W charging support and a whole array of cameras.

Entry-level phones (Asian markets)

Realme 5s

Specs

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.

Entry-level phones (Western markets)

Samsung Galaxy A20e

Specs

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.