The Best Smartphones

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.

Given that battery capacity was reduced slightly battery life was mediocre at best, especially with all communication modules enabled. In return, its triple camera performed exceptionally well, and it is one of the best smartphone cameras currently available. The dual speakers have also been upgraded noticeably, and now offer a good sound quality and soundscape. The biggest drawback are the missing Google services. Apart from that, the Huawei smartphone is an incredible device.

Its quad-camera features a 108 MP sensor, an ultra-wide angle lens, and two zoom lenses with 3x and 10x optical zoom, respectively, and support for up to 100x digital zoom. Supported communication standards include 5G, Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC. Battery life was decent overall.

In our review, the S21 Ultra managed to prove its value. However, VHT160 Wi-Fi turned out to be rather poor, and the lack of Bluetooth audio codecs can be frustrating at times.

Compared to its Pro sibling the mini’s rear-facing dual-lens camera lacks the telephoto lens, the LiDAR scanner, and support for ProRAW. Apart from that we noted its bright and color-accurate display, its accurate location services, and its Sub6 5G with a wide range of supported frequencies. Due to the smaller capacity battery life was on the short side yet still acceptable.

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.

We did not find too many flaws on the iPhone 12 Pro. Its peculiarities are not going to bother long-time iPhone users, and there are almost no annoying limitations worth noting. Except for maybe the lack of Bluetooth High Res Audio support and the fact that 5G is not supported in Dual SIM mode.

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.

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.

The Asus ROG Phone 3 is one of the most powerful Android smartphones currently available, and a clear number one when it comes to mobile gaming.

The Asus ROG Phone 3 offers wide cellular frequency support, much more so than the Strix. In return, its battery doesn’t last as long. If you are looking for a very good gaming smartphone with a high-frequency display and optional OEM accessories the Asus ROG Phone 3 will be hard to beat.

Like most Asus smartphones, the ROG Phone 3 is almost impossible to find in North America. The international unlocked GSM model is available on Amazon with prices starting at $930, and while the official retailer listed on the ASUS USA website, Mobile Advance, has the phone listed for $1,050 it is currently unavailable.

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.

Both devices performed very well in our tests, and our only gripe was with their respective audio performance. If purchasing directly through Samsung, you get a wider palette of colors to choose from. It can also be purchased through the usual retail channels, such as for example Amazon.