Notebookcheck's Top 10 Smartphones

Huawei's Mate 30 Pro Test Huawei Mate 30 Pro - Auch ohne Google ein starkes Smartphonefeatures a 6.53-inch large OLED display running at a native resolution of 2400 x 1176, the oddness of which is courtesy of the noticeably curved display providing additional screen real estate on both sides. The lack of a volume rocker is also due to this curved display, and it has been replaced with a gesture performed along the curved side of the device.

The Huawei P30 Pro has a 6.47-inch (16.43 cm, 102.8 cm²) OLED panel with 2340 x 1080 pixels, which is very good in our review. Both the maximum luminance as well as the color accuracy are on a very high level. The Huawei smartphone is powered by its own high-end SoC in combination with 8 GB RAM and 128 or 512 GB internal storage, which can even be expanded via Nano memory card. The remaining specs of the P30 do not leave anything to be desired, either.

The highlight of the smartphone is its Leica quad camera. The main lens captures a lot of light, you get an ultra wide-angle, a 5x optical zoom as well as a TOF camera. The hybrid zoom is expanded to a 10x enlargement and the digital zoom even supports a zoom factor of 50x. The camera performs very well in our test, but there is still room for improvements in terms of video recording. Huawei has already announced a corresponding feature update.

The Apple iPhone 11 Pro hardly changed compared to last year's model and is definitely the most compact high-end smartphone. It has a 5.8-inch OLED screen with 2436 x 1125 pixels. The fast SoC always ensures a responsive user experience. The storage cannot be expanded, so you have to choose between 64, 256 and 512 GB SKUs.

The new triple camera now includes an ultra wide-angle lens, which enables really great shots both for pictures and videos. The Apple smartphone once again offers an IP68 certification and supports wireless charging. The significantly increased battery capacity also enables excellent battery runtimes.

You should have a look at the iPhone 11 Pro Max if you want a bigger battery and more more screen area.

The Samsung Galaxy Note10+ is the high-end model of the Note-series and offers a huge 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED screen with 3040 x 1440 pixels. The smartphone is powered by Samsung's own Exynos 9825, which is supported by 12 GB RAM. You can choose between 256 or 512 GB internal storage, which can also be expanded via microSD card. The optional 5G SKU is limited to 256 GB though. There is a quad-camera at the back, which consists of a wide-angle, a telephoto, an ultra wide-angle as well as a depth of field sensor. The battery capacity is good at 4300 mAh, but the runtime is still shorter than expected.

Overall, the Galaxy Note 10+ does not cause any criticism for the specs. It is still unfortunate that the stereo jack as well as the heart rate monitor from the previous model were removed. The new gestures of the S-Pen are certainly nice, but more of a gimmick than a real benefit.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G is not only equipped with a dedicated 5G modem, but also the biggest battery and the biggest AMOLED screen (6.7-inch) within the current Galaxy S-series. Otherwise, the specs are very similar to the other models, but the cameras did receive a small upgrade compared to the S10 with an additional 3D sensor both at the front and the back. 8 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage are adequate for this segment, but the latter cannot be expanded. The S10 5G is also limited to a single-SIM SKU.

If you can live with the two drawbacks, then you will definitely get one of the best smartphones from the S10-series with the longest battery runtimes.

The Samsung Galaxy S10+ has a 6.4-inch Curved-Dynamic AMOLED display, and the front glass is only interrupted by the holes for the two front cameras. Depending on the SKU, you either get a ceramic or glass rear (Gorilla Glass 5). The frame is always made of stainless steel and gives the smartphone a very sophisticated impression.

The Galaxy smartphone is powered by a fast Exynos 9820 combined with up to 12 GB RAM and 1 TB internal storage, and the latter is also expandable via microSD. Fast LTE and Wi-Fi 6 are included as well, and you can transmit data via Bluetooth 5.0 with dual-audio, MST, Ant+, and NFC. The list of features is pretty much complete and wireless charging in both directions is supported as well, so you can also charge other devices with the smartphone via induction. We like the cameras and their features, but they are not perfect.

Samsung's Galaxy smartphone does not reveal many drawbacks. The battery runtimes were not convincing during the review, but Samsung should be able to improve the performance via updates in the future. The facial recognition is not really secure and the Koreans still do not include aptX HD for their high-end device. 

The Asus ROG Phone 2 is the well-made second generation of Asus’s gaming smartphone, various SKUs of which are available. The most basic model is the so-called Strix Edition, which features 8 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage, and lacks the optional detachable fan. The latter is included with the Standard edition, which also features 12 GB of RAM and a whopping 512 GB of storage. Those who want even more will opt for the Ultimate Edition with double the internal storage and a matt-black exterior.

The OnePlus 7T Pro once again offers an extendable camera and therefore an AMOLED screen without a notch and with slim bezels. The latter is 6.67 inches with 3120 x 1440 pixels and a fats refresh rate of 90 Hz. A powerful SoC, 8 GB RAM as well as 256 GB internal storage complete the good package. 

The triple camera takes good pictures and is pretty versatile. The two speakers create a comparatively rich sound and the battery runtime is very good. However, you have to waive features like the stereo jack, an IP certification and wireless charging.

If you prefer a more exclusive product, you should take a look at the McLaren Edition, which offers another design as well as more RAM.

The Apple iPhone 11 is the least expensive product within Apple's current smartphone generation. The 6.1-inch IPS display has a resolution of 1792 x 828 pixels, so the pixel density is lower compared to the bigger siblings and there is no HDR support, either. The design is also a bit bulkier with wider bezels. The small iPhone is available with 64, 128 or 256 GB storage.

The dual-camera at the back offers an additional wide-angle lens. The smartphone is also certified according to IP68, supports wireless charging and provides long battery runtimes. It is, however, annoying that Apple ships the smartphone with an insufficient power adapter.

The highlight of the Samsung Galaxy Fold 5G is the 7.3-inch foldable OLED screen. You also get another Super-AMOLED panel (4.7-inch) at the outside, so you do not have to open the smartphone every single time. The spec list is excellent with a Snapdragon 855, 12 GB RAM as well as 512 GB UFS 3.0 storage. It also supports the latest 5G standard.

The triple-camera at the rear is on par with the Galaxy S10+ and takes very good pictures. There is a total of three front camera, so you can take pictures from all angles. The battery runtime is surprisingly good, despite the large display. The biggest point of criticism is certainly the durability of the main display.