Deutsch
Español
Français
Italiano
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Русский
Türkçe
Svenska
Chinese
MagyarThe Best Smartphones
Smartphones are destroying everything else in terms of sales in the mobile market. These incredibly versatile devices outstripped normal cell phones ages ago. With even stronger processors and growing display sizes, the so-called "phablets" are now encroaching on tablet territory. The line between these devices is growing increasingly blurry - at least at the upper end of the market. These smartphone-tablet crossbreeds have taken many of the top spots in our smartphone Top 10 list. As a result, most of the top models in our list are occupied by very recently released devices. Still, here and there a brave old soldier has clung on to the top of the ladder. Besides the ranking of the high-end smartphones, the following charts might be interesting as well:
The Best Smartphones
Position | Total Rating | Date | Image | Model | Height | Weight | Size | Refresh-Rate | Resolution | Screen-to-Body | OS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 90.6 % | 10/2021 |  | Apple iPhone 13 Pro Apple A15 Bionic Apple A15 GPU 5-Core 6 GB Memory, 256 GB NVMe | 7.65 mm | 203 g | 6.10" | 120 Hz | 2532x1170 | 87 % | Apple iOS 15 |
| 2 | 89.7 % | 10/2021 |  | Apple iPhone 13 mini Apple A15 Bionic Apple A15 GPU 4-Core 4 GB Memory, 128 GB NVMe | 7.65 mm | 140 g | 5.40" | 060 Hz | 2340x1080 | 85 % | Apple iOS 15 |
| 3 | 89.4 % | 02/2021 |  | Samsung Galaxy S21 Samsung Exynos 2100 5G ARM Mali-G78 MP14 8 GB Memory, 128 GB | 7.9 mm | 169 g | 6.20" | 120 Hz | 2400x1080 | 86 % | Android 11 |
| 4 | 89.3 % | 03/2022 New |  | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G Samsung Exynos 2200 Samsung Xclipse 920 8 GB Memory, 128 GB | 8.9 mm | 228 g | 6.80" | 120 Hz | 3088x1440 | 90 % | Android 12 |
| 5 | 89.1 % | 06/2021 |  | Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G Qualcomm Adreno 660 12 GB Memory, 256 GB | 8.38 mm | 234 g | 6.81" | 120 Hz | 3200x1440 | 91 % | Android 11 |
| 6 | 89 % | 04/2022 New |  | Oppo Find X5 Pro Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Qualcomm Adreno 730 12 GB Memory, 256 GB | 8.5 mm | 221 g | 6.70" | 120 Hz | 3216x1440 | 89 % | Android 12 |
| 7 | 88.7 % | 03/2022 |  | Huawei P50 Pro Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 4G Qualcomm Adreno 660 8 GB Memory, 256 GB | 8.5 mm | 195 g | 6.60" | 120 Hz | 2700x1228 | 92 % | Android 11 |
| 8 | 88.7 % | 09/2021 |  | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G Qualcomm Adreno 660 12 GB Memory, 256 GB | 6.4 mm | 271 g | 7.60" | 120 Hz | 2208x1768 | 90 % | Android 11 |
| 9 | 88.6 % | 02/2022 |  | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 5G Qualcomm Adreno 660 6 GB Memory, 128 GB | 7.9 mm | 177 g | 6.40" | 120 Hz | 2340x1080 | 87 % | Android 12 |
| 10 | 88.5 % | 12/2021 |  | Asus ROG Phone 5s Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Plus 5G Qualcomm Adreno 660 16 GB Memory, 512 GB | 9.9 mm | 238 g | 6.78" | 144 Hz | 2448x1080 | 82 % | Android 11 |
The table above contains an overview over the best smartphones reviewed by Notebookcheck over the course of the past 12 months as well as still relevant and available older products. In cases of identical score the more recent device is listed first. All prices in above table and price comparisons are updated daily and can thus differ.
Link: all devices in this class reviewed
Editors' Comments
Last month, we had quite a few devices with meaningful aspirations in review but only the Huawei P50 Pro managed to make this list. In return, the Xiaomi 12 Pro (87.4 %) had to be removed again, and the Sony Xperia Pro-I (88 %), Xiaomi 12X (87.9 %) and Motorola Edge 30 Pro (87.7 %) failed to qualify despite their good overall ratings.
1st – Apple iPhone 13 Pro / Pro Max
In direct comparison with the iPhone 12 Pro the Apple iPhone 13 Pro lacks major innovations. Instead, Apple focused on finetuning and improving the existing designs, for example by adding a 120 Hz display. From a technical point of view the display is the best currently available in a smartphone as it offers high brightness, a high color accuracy, and integrated DC dimming.
Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro is a well-done evolutionary step forward.
Thanks to its larger battery the iPhone 13 Pro features amazing stamina, and its camera updates are quite significant as well, particularly when recording videos where Apple continues to provide state of the art camera technology. Thus, the iPhone 13 Pro is an amazing albeit quite expensive smartphone. If you are looking for a larger display the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max might be worth a closer look as it features the exact same hardware.
All iPhone 13 models can be purchased either directly through Apple or through official resellers, such as Amazon.
Pricecompare
2nd – Apple iPhone 13 mini
If you are looking for a compact high-end smartphone the Apple iPhone 13 mini is your best bet. System performance, camera quality, and battery life are second to none other in its class. Of all the phones reviewed in the most recent past only the Asus Zenfone 8 gets even close in terms of size. It is very fast yet not as fast as the iPhone 13 mini, and its 5.9-inch display is quite a bit bigger than the iPhone 13 mini’s 5.4-inch display.
The iPhone 13 mini’s Performance and connectivity are second to none.
Apps are running smoothly and without any problems. The system is very snappy and fast, which is at least partly courtesy of the iPhone 13 mini’s great touchscreen. It gets very bright and is thus well usable outdoors. Given that the entry-level models have now been bumped to 128 GB of storage the woes of the past should be just that: of the past.
The Apple iPhone 13 mini is available through Apple as well as the usual retail channels, such as for example Amazon.
Pricecompare
3rd - Samsung Galaxy S21 und S21+
The Samsung Galaxy S21 features a 6.2-inch OLED display running at between 48-120 Hz and it is powered by an up-to-date in-house high-performance SoC with access to 8 GB of RAM and either 128 or 256 GB of non-expandable internal storage. The Galaxy S21+ comes with a 6.7-inch display and 12 GB of RAM but is otherwise identically equipped, save for its larger battery (4,800 mAh vs. 4,000 mAh) making for longer battery life despite its larger display. In addition, its rear cover is made of glass while the S21 features a plastic rear.
Both phones come with triple cameras featuring a main 12 MP sensor accompanied by an ultra-wide angle and a telephoto lens. The latter features a giant 64 MP sensor but no optical zoom capabilities. Instead, it offers a nearly lossless 3x hybrid zoom as well as a 30x digital zoom.
Pricecompare
4th – Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is a well-made blend of Samsung’s traditional Ultra-series intertwined with their Note-series. It features a high-resolution 6.8-inch LTPO AMOLED display with support for the integrated S-Pen. It comes with up to 12 GB of RAM and 1,024 GB of internal storage. However, we find the entry level SKU’s 8 GB of RAM to be somewhat meager.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is a powerful piece of technology. However, at the time of writing we found it to be in need of fine-tuning on various fronts.
Its color-accurate display can get extremely bright, and its connectivity includes everything your heart might desire except for 5G mmWave that is not available in Europe. Like its predecessors, the S22 Ultra is IP68-certified against ingress of dust and water and will receive updates from Samsung for a very long time.
Unfortunately, it’s brand-new AMD GPU is not perfect (yet), and its gaming performance is thus somewhat limited at the moment. In this price range, we also would not have expected the occasional frame drops we noticed.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is available among others on Amazon, with prices starting just North of $1,000 for the 8 GB / 128 GB entry-level SKU.
Pricecompare
5th – Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
The Mi 11 Ultra is a powerful high-end smartphone by Xiaomi. It represents the pinnacle of Xiaomi’s current flagship lineup and feels very premium indeed. Its camera performs very well, particularly regarding colors. The 5x optical zoom does a great job enlarging objects without loss in quality, and thanks to its good optical image stabilization photos remain crisp and in focus. The large camera sensor is also excellent in capturing what little light there is when it gets dark to produce well-made low-light photos.
The Mi 11 Ultra is an excellent smartphone with a bright and colorful display.
One of the highlights is the small display at the rear. Among other things it enables you to take selfies using the main camera. A total of 256 GB of internal storage should suffice for almost everybody, and the powerful high-end Qualcomm SoC paired with 12 GB of RAM make for an excellent experience when running any application whatsoever. The colorful 120 Hz OLED display did a fantastic job overall.
Xiaomi devices are not officially sold in North America.
Pricecompare
6th – Oppo Find X5 Pro
The Oppo Find X5 Pro is a well-made evolution of its predecessor. It features a 1440p AMOLED display, a fast Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, an IP68 certification, fast wired, and wireless charging. Its main focus is the powerful triple-camera array developed jointly with Hasselblad.
The Oppo Find X5 Pro is a well-made smartphone with only minor flaws.
In our review, we found the color tuning by Hasselblad to result in photos that were slightly to cool. Overall, the Oppo Find X5 Pro lacked major flaws but could have benefited from a more accurate GPS modem. We would have also expected support for 6 GHz Wi-Fi 6 in this price range. Instead, the device is limited to just VHT80 Wi-Fi 6.
Oppo smartphones are not officially sold in North America. International unlocked GSM-only versions can be purchased on Amazon with prices starting at $1,700.
Pricecompare
7th – Huawei P50 Pro
The Huawei P50 Pro is a powerful high-end smartphone with plenty of premium features. Among others, we find a color-accurate bright 120 Hz display, an IP68 certification, fast charging, both wired and wireless, USB 3.2 with screen mirroring and an optional desktop mode, and last but not least a powerful camera array.
The P50 Pro is a more or less successful attempt by Huawei to circumvent the current US embargo imposed upon the Chinese manufacturer. It features a Snapdragon 888 4G, lacks support for Wi-Fi 6E, and its Wi-Fi 6 support is limited to just VHT80 instead of VHT160.
The Huawei P50 Pro is a great smartphone. However, we find it hard to justify its premium price since some of its components are no longer state of the art.
In addition, the device does not support Google Mobile Services (GMS) meaning that various third-party apps will only be able to offer a limited set of features.
Huawei smartphones are not available in North America.
Pricecompare
8th – Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G
The Galaxy Z Fold3 5G is a powerful piece of technology no longer aimed exclusively at enthusiasts and early adopters. This third generation foldable smartphone offers the sophisticated benefits of a high-end smartphone paired with the capabilities of a foldable display. It also supports Samsung’s S-Pen, which makes sense given its size.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G is a powerful piece of technology capable of giving even future competitors a run for their money.
There aren’t really that many flaws with the Fold 3 other than maybe the fact that when folded it half it is quite bulky, particularly around the cameras. Its main camera is great and, even though it lacks a super high-resolution sensor, very capable of keeping up with its competitors. Its ultra-wide-angle lens on the other hand is low in detail, and should have performed better considering the price range the device occupies.
The Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G is available on Amazon with prices starting at $1,600.
Pricecompare
9th – Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
Samsung’s so-called community smartphone has been updated. For European customers, this device is yet another chance to obtain a Samsung flagship smartphone powered by a Qualcomm instead of Samsung’s own in-house Exynos SoC. The Galaxy S21 FE 5G features a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED display running at FHD+ resolution and a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. The more affordable SKU comes with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of UFS 3.1 storage while the high-end SKU comes with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage. Both are powered by a Snapdragon 888 with no option for a 4G-only model and no microSD-card slot to be found anywhere on the device.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 FE combines a variety of high-end features with a good price-performance ratio.
In our test, we particularly praised its triple-camera array, its IP68 certification, its great display, and its long-term update promise.
The device is not available in North America.
Pricecompare
10th – Asus ROG Phone 5s (Pro)
The Asus ROG Phone 5s is best gaming smartphone currently available. It comes with a bright and color-accurate 144 Hz AMOLED display protected by current generation Gorilla Glass Victus and a high touch input sampling rate of 300 Hz. Its Snapdragon 888+ ensures great performance and is cooled properly resulting in almost no throttling under sustained load. The ROG Phone also offers great connectivity, dedicated touch sensors as additional input options, a quad DAC, and powerful speakers.
The Asus ROG Phone 5s (Pro) is the best gaming smartphone currently available. However, the s-model doesn’t really offer any benefits over its predecessor.
The Pro model features a different secondary display at the rear, more RAM, additional cellular bands, and an external snap-on fan. The larges downside the 5s cannot shake off is the fact that it is nearly identical to its own predecessor.
The Asus ROG Phone 5s is not officially sold in the US. Unlocked international GSM-only models are available on Amazon with prices starting at around $1,100.
Pricecompare
Best Smartphones in Comparison
Test Results
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro A15 GPU 5-Core, A15, 256 GB NVMe | Apple iPhone 13 mini A15 GPU 4-Core, A15, 128 GB NVMe | Samsung Galaxy S21 Mali-G78 MP14, Exynos 2100 5G, 128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G Xclipse 920, Exynos 2200, 128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra Adreno 660, SD 888 5G, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | Oppo Find X5 Pro Adreno 730, SD 8 Gen 1, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | Huawei P50 Pro Adreno 660, SD 888 4G, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G Adreno 660, SD 888 5G, 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G Adreno 660, SD 888 5G, 128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | Asus ROG Phone 5s Adreno 660, SD 888+ 5G, 512 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Response Times | ||||||||||
| Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 7.2 ? | 5.6 ? | 9.6 ? | 0.872 ? | 3.2 ? | 0.711 ? | 1.058 ? | 10.4 ? | 10.4 ? | 2.4 ? |
| Response Time Black / White * | 2.4 ? | 4 ? | 3.2 ? | 1.501 ? | 2.4 ? | 1.389 ? | 0.933 ? | 2.4 ? | 2.4 ? | 2.4 ? |
| PWM Frequency | 510 ? | 510 ? | 240.4 ? | 120 | 510 ? | 361 | 60 | 245.1 ? | 247.5 | 575 ? |
| Screen | ||||||||||
| Brightness middle | 1050 | 851 | 790 | 1077 | 891 | 746 | 765 | 808 | 758 | 749 |
| Brightness | 1058 | 847 | 793 | 1093 | 888 | 744 | 771 | 820 | 758 | 750 |
| Brightness Distribution | 98 | 98 | 97 | 97 | 99 | 97 | 95 | 97 | 99 | 97 |
| Black Level * | ||||||||||
| Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 1 | 1 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 2.9 | 1.5 | 1.4 |
| Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 2.4 | 2 | 4.2 | 2 | 3.7 | 1.6 | 2.6 | 4.2 | 3.1 | 2.8 |
| Greyscale dE 2000 * | 1.5 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 1.8 |
| Gamma | 2.2 100% | 2.21 100% | 2.13 103% | 2.37 93% | 2.3 96% | 2.23 99% | 2.21 100% | 2.01 109% | 2.06 107% | 2.29 96% |
| CCT | 6504 100% | 6423 101% | 6497 100% | 6526 100% | 6527 100% | 6499 100% | 6446 101% | 6359 102% | 6378 102% | 6602 98% |
| Heat | ||||||||||
| Maximum Upper Side * | 35.1 | 34.6 | 35.3 | 36.1 | 39.7 | 36.1 | 35.1 | 36.3 | 35.4 | 41.5 |
| Maximum Bottom * | 35.8 | 34.9 | 35.8 | 34.8 | 36 | 34.1 | 34 | 37.2 | 35.3 | 37.8 |
| Idle Upper Side * | 33.6 | 33.3 | 28.1 | 28.1 | 32.5 | 28.6 | 30 | 30.8 | 31.8 | 27.2 |
| Idle Bottom * | 33.6 | 31.6 | 26.6 | 27 | 28.2 | 27.8 | 27.3 | 29.8 | 28.7 | 26.7 |
| Battery Runtime | ||||||||||
| Reader / Idle | 2614 | 3107 | 1713 | 1973 | 1108 | 1269 | 1257 | 1430 | ||
| H.264 | 1493 | 1043 | 941 | 1078 | 1006 | 1142 | 1004 | 934 | ||
| WiFi v1.3 | 993 | 849 | 544 | 844 | 650 | 788 | 590 | 610 | 594 | 734 |
| Load | 333 | 302 | 267 | 410 | 276 | 367 | 330 | 388 | ||
| Power Consumption | ||||||||||
| Idle Minimum * | 0.51 | 0.57 | 1.1 | 0.58 | 1.13 | 1.24 | 1.24 | 1.02 | 1.01 | |
| Idle Average * | 1.54 | 1.38 | 1.61 | 0.71 | 1.67 | 1.39 | 2.14 | 1.18 | 1.5 | |
| Idle Maximum * | 1.57 | 1.41 | 1.78 | 1.16 | 1.69 | 1.42 | 2.2 | 1.27 | 1.6 | |
| Load Average * | 3.06 | 2.65 | 6.47 | 7.07 | 5.17 | 3.58 | 3.95 | 5.25 | 5.54 | |
| Load Maximum * | 4.59 | 3.56 | 10.12 | 11.32 | 9.9 | 6.99 | 10.45 | 7.74 | 9.16 |
* ... smaller is better
Benchmarks
| PCMark for Android - Work performance score (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
| Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal - offscreen Overall Score (sort by value) | |
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro | |
| Apple iPhone 13 mini | |
| Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G | |
| UL Procyon AI Inference - Overall Score (sort by value) | |
| Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra 5G | |
| Oppo Find X5 Pro | |
| Networking | |
| iperf3 Client (transmit) 1 m 4M x10 Netgear AX12 (sort by value) | |
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro | |
| Apple iPhone 13 mini | |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra | |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G | |
| Asus ROG Phone 5s | |
| iperf3 Client (receive) 1 m 4M x10 Netgear AX12 (sort by value) | |
| Apple iPhone 13 Pro | |
| Apple iPhone 13 mini | |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
| Samsung Galaxy S21 | |
| Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra | |
| Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G | |
| Asus ROG Phone 5s | |