Notebookcheck's Top 10 Smartphones

Samsung has managed to defend the lead this year once again and offers two strong smartphones with the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+. A fast SoC, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of UFS 2.1 storage give the high-end product a strong basis. The displays have been improved and their frames have shrunk. In addition, Samsung uses an aspect ratio of 2.06:1 now. Therewith, the display diagonal can increase without making the device broader. The two models do not actually differ significantly in width. The Galaxy S8 features a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED panel and the S8+ features one with a 6.2-inch size. While the battery capacities are also different, the S8+ could not benefit from its larger battery in our test. The S8 series also offers a great specification otherwise: LTE Cat. 16, Bluetooth 5.0, memory expansion via microSD, IP68 certification, USB 3.1 with DisplayPort support, a fingerprint reader, an iris scanner and more.

Points of criticism are the poor positioning of the fingerprint reader in the Plus model and the ongoing development and fine-tuning of Bixby. In addition, the new models use the same primary camera as the predecessor. Those who want to save money and avoid worse image quality can therefore still buy the Galaxy S7 Edge or Galaxy S7 without any hesitation. The latter is even the only alternative if you do not like the Edge design of the display.

Since customers did not quite accept the predecessor, LG has completely revised the concept of its flagship model and created a great product. The LG G6 uses an aspect ratio of 2:1 and the display size has increased to 5.7-inches. Nevertheless, it still sits comfortably in the hand. It is the first time that the G series uses a fixed battery. On the other hand, the smartphone is now dust and water-proof and also meets other specifications of the MIL-STG-810G military standard. Thus, the G6 is really robust.

The SoC, a high-end model of the last year, still delivers very good performance. In addition, the phone comes with 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of UFS-2.0 storage. The cameras have been improved significantly and are really good now. Furthermore, the display is convincing. It already supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision. The only complaint is that not all components are high-end and features such as wireless-charging, larger storage and better audio chip are not available in Germany.

With the iPhone 7, the smaller model of the two latest Apple smartphones is represented in the ranking. It features a great 4.7-inch display, which could have a slightly higher resolution, but otherwise it is entirely convincing. Unlike the brilliant OLED displays from Samsung, it does not use PWM. Hence, even sensitive users will not have any problems.

The integrated SoC is the baseline standard of all things at the time of testing. In addition, there is 2 GB of RAM and 32 GB, 128 GB, or 256 GB internal storage. Furthermore, a fast LTE Cat. 9 and the wide frequency coverage ensure world-wide reception. Moreover, once again, the camera is decent. It is more light sensitive yet slightly blurrier than its predecessor. In addition, good battery runtimes and dust and water-protection (IP 67) could convince us in the test. However, we are a bit unhappy about the lack of a jack and the poor speaker.

Those who want a larger display and a dual camera had better opt for the iPhone 7 Plus (5.5-inch, 3 GB of RAM). Fans of classical iPhones will be happy with the SE model (4.0-inch).

The HTC U11 is a throughout well-made smartphone and features a display with classic 16:9 format. Its unusual color options make it an eye-catcher. The features are high-end and no reason for complaints. We would only wish for a faster microSD slot. The camera is really good and belongs to the best ones currently available in smartphones. While the battery life is good, it slightly falls behind the competitors'.

With the OnePlus 5, the Chinese company remains constant and offers a full-fledged high-end smartphone for under 500 Euros (~$597). Its price-performance ratio remains unrivaled despite increased prices. Apart from a cutting-edge Snapdragon 835, it features dual SIM, a good dual camera, and decent battery runtimes. It only lacks a memory-card slot. Hence, buyers should carefully consider whether they buy a model with 64 GB or 128 GB flash memory. Moreover, the two variants differ in terms of RAM and offer 6 and 8 GB RAM, respectively. The more powerful model costs 60 Euros (~$71) more in the OnePlus shop.

However, you have to accept smaller cuts in comparison to the competition. For example, the USB port only features USB-2.0 speeds and does not support wired image output. Moreover, the case is not protected against dust and water.

With the Huawei P10, the Chinese manufacturer has primarily improved a product and consequently refined its lifestyle smartphone without offering real innovations. The P10 features a 5.1-inch LTPS display with Full HD resolution. There is ample memory with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of fast UFS-2.1 storage. Mobile networking is also up-to-date thanks to LTE Cat. 12.

In addition, the P10 can convince with its good Leica dual camera, long battery runtimes and fast-charging option. Furthermore, not all manufacturers offer up to 36 months of warranty without a surcharge. Unfortunately, not everything is actually high-end in the P10. The microSD-card reader is relatively slow and the Wi-Fi module fell short of our expectations in view of the specifications. Nevertheless, Huawei has managed to create a great smartphone.

Those who like slightly bigger devices should buy the Huawei P10 Plus. The sibling model of the P10 features a 5.5-inch display with QHD resolution. In addition, it comes with a more light-sensitive camera, higher storage capacity, and an infrared sensor.

The Lenovo Moto Z is the new flagship smartphone from the manufacturer and shows that Moto is heading in the right direction under the guidance of Lenovo. The slim Moto Z is the first device compatible with the new Moto-Mods. This makes docking accessories to the smartphone possible, including supplementary batteries and projectors.

The Moto Z is not stingy in terms of internal components. 4 GB of RAM, 32 GB of internal storage with a microSD reader, a fast Snapdragon 820, LTE, NFC, USB Type-C (3.1 Gen. 1), good cameras, and decent battery life make up a balanced bundle. An audio jack is the only omitted feature. Headphones have to be connected to the USB port; an adapter is included.

The Huawei Mate 9 is a real high-end phablet. Its great display and long-lasting battery are convincing, as are its communication features. Fast LTE Cat. 11 and a wide frequency range for all standards make it a real globetrotter. In addition, it comes with a fast SoC and UFS-2.1 memory. It is richly equipped with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. In addition, the storage capacity can be expanded with a microSD card. Moreover, the improved Leica dual camera was convincing in our test.

However, the Mate 9 also has room for improvements. The Wi-Fi transfer rate is quite slow despite supporting the ac standard. The same is true for the microSD slot. In addition, the 5.9-inch display features only Full HD resolution and the power adapter clatters audibly when connected to the power outlet.

The Sony Xperia XZ Premium continues the tradition of its predecessor and is the only smartphone with an ultra HD panel with HDR support. It is combined with the currently fastest SoC from Qualcomm, Hi-Res audio, and a high-end aluminum case, which is protected against dust and water. However, the Xperia XZ Premium is relatively bulky in view of its display diagonal of just 5.5-inch. Another advantage is that the camera provides slow-motion recording at up to 60 fps, which is heavily limited in terms of duration and resolution (720p, 4 seconds) however. For a top phone, the camera should have been slightly better tuned and is slightly lacking in sharpness. Meanwhile, the battery ensures good battery runtimes.

The Google Pixel XL is the first non-Nexus smartphone the search engine giant offers. The device features a 5.5-inch WQHD display, a cutting-edge Snapdragon 821, fast LTE Cat. 11, and excellent cameras. The high-end case emphasizes the premium claim of the Google smartphone. However, the manufacturer charges a steep price for it.

In addition, the battery runtimes fall short of expectations, but they are still good. We are slightly disappointed that there is no dual-SIM variant and the storage capacity cannot be expanded. While the Google assistant is a well-made improvement of the previous voice assistant, it does not even come close to Apple's Siri in languages other than English.