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The best smartphones for Q2 2020 - 39 mobile phones in review

Smartphone Editors' Choice Awards Q2 2020. A total of 39 smartphones were comprehensively tested and reviewed by us in the second quarter of 2020. Which devices stood out in particular? In the following mobile phone comparison you will find the recommendations of our editorial staff as well as current deals.

Despite the disruptions caused by the coronavirus in the months from April to June 2020, smartphone manufacturers were by no means idle and presented numerous new mobile phone models; we took a close look at these for you. 

Even if some launches were delayed or could only take place online, our reviewers still had a lot to do; ranging from the budget entry-level smartphone to the expensive flip phone, there were novelties in all categories.

Fresh wind from China with initial difficulties

With Oppo and realme, two brands from China mixed up the mid-range and upper-class markets thanks to the official distribution in Europe. We liked the realme X50 Pro the most thanks to its good battery life, plenty of storage, and high performance level. However, it's not a real price breaker, and the manufacturer should reconsider its pricing policy in the West in view of the strong competition.

With the Find X2 NeoOppo also brought a mid-range device onto the market that's not quite budget-friendly. Moreover, it's difficult to keep track of the current jumble of Find X and Reno models from the manufacturer, since they are partly the same smartphone with a different name.

The new manufacturers will probably have to keep smoothing out their strategy a bit, but it's always good to get new impulses for the market.

Find X2 Neo...
Find X2 Neo...
...or Reno 3 Pro? Naming confusion with Oppo.
...or Reno 3 Pro? Naming confusion with Oppo.

The best of the best - These smartphones received the best overall scores

A total of five devices were able to achieve the highest rating of "very good" in our demanding tests and thus also receive the Top-Rated Award.

We rated the Huawei P40 Pro with 89%. In recent years, Huawei's top smartphones have been able to convince us thanks to great cameras and high-quality features. This year, the P40 Pro delivers top performance in the test again, but it's still not for everyone.

Why? The US prohibits its companies from giving the Chinese manufacturer access to American technologies, so the smartphone comes with the open-source Android operating system but without Google Apps and services.

Even though Huawei is doing a lot to build its own ecosystem, the user experience is still very limited at the moment. Hardcore fans who like to tinker with their devices will currently find big discounts and can take a look therefore.

Huawei P40 Pro
Huawei P40 Pro
Top-Rated Award
Top-Rated Award

Just behind the Huawei P40 Pro, and usable without restrictions, is the most expensive device so far of the Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi: The Mi 10 Pro. It says goodbye to the price-breaker image that the manufacturer had maintained until that moment, but in return, it offers great specs like a high-quality OLED display, first-class workmanship, and very good cameras, even if the wide-angle camera still lags a bit behind other brands.

The OnePlus 8 Pro also received a "very good" in our test. This manufacturer once had the image of a "flagship killer" too, putting pressure on the established manufacturers with cheap devices.

However, OnePlus itself is a well-known player in the premium market nowadays, and thus, the prices have gone up again with the OnePlus 8 Pro and have almost reached the 1,000-Euro mark (~$1,184). But there's also a lot being offered in exchange: very fast charging, a bright and precisely calibrated display, a fancy and stable case, flexible cameras, fast storage, and for the first time with OnePlus, even an IP certification. By the way: With the OnePlus Nord, the manufacturer wants to make the fans of cheaper smartphones happy again soon.

The cheaper and minimally watered-down versions of the aforementioned smartphones, the Xiaomi Mi 10 and the OnePlus 8, also get our best rating. Both are hardly inferior to their bigger siblings in terms of performance, and you don't have to do without 5G either.

In regard to cameras, the OnePlus 8 appeals to us more; it also offers significantly longer battery life. Both smartphones are of high-quality workmanship and also offer a bright screen. It's the details that make the difference; you can read the partial results that are most important to you personally in detail in our reviews.

Xiaomi Mi 10
Xiaomi Mi 10
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
OnePlus 8
OnePlus 8
OnePlus 8 Pro
OnePlus 8 Pro

Our favorite - Editors' Choice Awards Q2 2020

Based on the review results obtained in the period under consideration, we conduct an editorial vote and then present the Editors' Choice Award. The award will be given to those smartphones that stand out through their successful overall package, absolute top performance in specific rating areas or a particularly good price-performance ratio and that represent an attractive purchase option for our editors in the respective category.

Apple iPhone SE 2020

The new iPhone SE 2020 surprised at its presentation with the fact that it contains the same SoC as Apple's current flagship devices. For just under 530 Euros (~$628), you get a decent amount of power in an iPhone 8 outfit. In the test, we also liked the bright IPS display as well as the fast Wi-Fi 6 and the many LTE frequencies supported. The iPhone SE 2020 presents itself as a modern device due to the inclusion of wireless charging as well through its light and slim case.

However, you shouldn't be a fan of 5G because the budget iPhone doesn't support this. There's also only a single camera, moderate call quality, and just 12 months of warranty. The design is also no longer quite up to date with its wide bezels above and below the screen and the large Home button.

But you have to accept some compromises if you want to enter the Apple world for little money. For less-demanding users, the iPhone SE 2020 is a great device, very mature, and with lots of power.

Apple iPhone SE 2020
Notebookcheck Editors' Choice Award


Note: Commercial use of the award graphics may require a license. More details.

The following table shows all smartphones tested in the period under consideration with their overall and partial ratings in our detailed review as well as a selection of important parameters and benchmarks. All results and details can be found in the linked review articles. The table can be sorted in each column; just click on the respective column title, for example, on "Weight". In addition, the table can be filtered; the input is done via the "Search" field. Example: "120 Hz" or "AMOLED".

The best smartphones - Reviewed in Q2 2020

Overall score
Model
Image
Starting price
Chassis score
Size
Width
Weight score
Weight
Display score
Display type
Resolution
Pixel density
Screen-to-body ratio
Display brightness
Delta E Colorchecker
Refresh rate
Camera score
Delta E Colorchecker low light
Delta E Colorchecker daylight
Application performance score
PCMark for Android Work 2.0 score
Gaming performance score
3DMark for A. Sling Shot Ext. (ES 3.1) Un.
GFXBench Aztec Ruins H.T. Onscreen
PUBG Mobile HD
Battery life score
Battery life Wi-Fi 150 cd/m²
Temperature score
Top idle
Top load
Audio score
max. audio output (dB)
Touchscreen input score
Connectivity score
89.4 %Huawei P40 Pro
Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16
Huawei P40 Pro
93.1 %6.58"8.95 mm87.9 %209 g92.3 %OLED2640x1200441 PPI19.8:9576 cd/m²1.1090 Hz82.8 %11.6310.682.2 %1134157.7 %6508234090.2 %743 min94.5 %28.3 °C30.2 °C72.4 %89.1 dB95 %68.8 %
85.8 %Google Pixel 4 XL
SD 855, Adreno 640
Google Pixel 4 XL
87.9 %6.30"8.2 mm88.6 %193 g89.3 %P-OLED3040x1440534 PPI19:9555 cd/m²3.9090 Hz67.4 %40.717.2678.7 %1033555.2 %64041188.4 %623 min92.2 %29.2 °C36.4 °C75.4 %84.3 dB97.2 %50.9 %
87.4 %Huawei P40
Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16
Huawei P40
89.6 %6.10"8.5 mm90.1 %175 g90.7 %AMOLED2340x1080422 PPI19.5:9593 cd/m²3.03060 Hz77.4 %6.198.7476.2 %873653.9 %6140273090.1 %806 min88.2 %31.5 °C39.9 °C72 %79.6 dB95 %58 %
81.3 %Huawei P40 Lite
Kirin 810, Mali-G52 MP6
Huawei P40 Lite
82.3 %6.40"8.7 mm89.5 %183 g86.2 %IPS2310x1080398 PPI19.2:9448 cd/m²3060 Hz59.8 %45.988.673.7 %916431.5 %2954133091.3 %1007 min92.1 %34.1 °C35.4 °C71.6 %88.2 dB91.1 %46.6 %
88.2 %Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
SD 865, Adreno 650
Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro
88.4 %6.67"8.96 mm87.9 %208 g92.9 %Super AMOLED2340x1080386 PPI19.5:9762 cd/m²0.9090 Hz76.2 %22.319.6382.3 %1095260.8 %7986304090.1 %865 min93.4 %30.4 °C33.1 °C78.2 %84.5 dB96.1 %54.4 %
88.5 %OnePlus 8 Pro
SD 865, Adreno 650
OnePlus 8 Pro
91.3 %6.78"8.5 mm88.1 %199 g94.2 %AMOLED3168x1440513 PPI19.8:9779 cd/m²0.68120 Hz78 %8.0111.282.6 %1115361.1 %8111313990.5 %923 min81.9 %33.1 °C46.7 °C76 %84.4 dB97.2 %53.2 %
77.5 %Umidigi Power 3
Helio P60, Mali-G72 MP3
Umidigi Power 3
76.9 %6.53"10.3 mm87.7 %218 g81.3 %IPS2340x1080395 PPI19.5:9450 cd/m²7.13060 Hz64.2 %16.746.3970.5 %795415.1 %12664.692.2 %1124 min86.6 %30.3 °C42.7 °C40.6 %75.8 dB93.3 %44.6 %
78.1 %Umidigi F2
Helio P70, Mali-G72 MP3
Umidigi F2
76 %6.53"8.7 mm87.8 %215 g81.7 %IPS2340x1080395 PPI19.5:9512 cd/m²6.53060 Hz64 %19.716.3373.1 %790515.2 %13035.191.9 %1078 min86.8 %29.3 °C42.5 °C66 %81.4 dB91.7 %42.3 %
82.6 %Huawei Mate Xs
Kirin 990 5G, Mali-G76 MP16
Huawei Mate Xs
65.6 %8.00"11 mm86.4 %300 g88.7 %OLED2480x2200414 PPI10.15:9418 cd/m²2.6060 Hz79 %10.017.0377.4 %851247.1 %4422464084.2 %481 min92.2 %33.8 °C33.8 °C72 %81.9 dB89.4 %64.8 %
84.1 %Oppo Reno3 Pro 5G
SD 765G, Adreno 620
Oppo Reno3 Pro 5G
85.7 %6.50"7.7 mm90.5 %171 g86.9 %AMOLED2400x1080405 PPI20:9778 cd/m²5.28090 Hz69.6 %32.310.2777.4 %789638 %34151390.3 %876 min91.3 %28.2 °C37.8 °C76 %83.5 dB95.4 %46 %
74.8 %Motorola Moto E6s
Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320
Motorola Moto E6s
76.4 %6.10"8.5 mm91.4 %160 g84.7 %IPS1560x720282 PPI20:9481 cd/m²5.02060 Hz40.4 %44.349.9954.1 %51976.2 %5234.289.8 %806 min93 %28.1 °C33.9 °C69.4 %82.3 dB92.2 %32.9 %
79.7 %Honor 9X Pro
Kirin 810, Mali-G52 MP6
Honor 9X Pro
80.7 %6.59"8.8 mm87.9 %206 g82.9 %IPS2340x1080391 PPI19.5:9474 cd/m²6.3060 Hz59.2 %17.885.3370.2 %754128.5 %2515113091 %971 min93.2 %32.5 °C32.9 °C75.8 %82.7 dB88.9 %47.7 %
76.6 %Motorola Moto G8
SD 665, Adreno 610
Motorola Moto G8
79.1 %6.40"9 mm89 %188 g86.2 %IPS1560x720268 PPI19.5:9452 cd/m²3.84060 Hz53.3 %42.3410.0556.2 %696913.1 %11389.190.8 %988 min88.1 %30.7 °C41.2 °C67.4 %80.1 dB90.6 %37.3 %
68.3 %Nokia 1.3
SD 215, Adreno 308
Nokia 1.3
59.9 %5.71"9.35 mm91.9 %155 g82 %IPS1520x720295 PPI19.5:9406 cd/m²5.22060 Hz34.4 %47.724.8431.1 %34763.8 %90.6 %906 min84.6 %36.5 °C44.5 °C50 %78.8 dB77.8 %33.1 %
85.2 %Apple iPhone SE 2020
A13 Bionic, A13 Bionic GPU
Apple iPhone SE 2020
81.9 %4.70"7.3 mm92.5 %148 g90.4 %IPS1334x750326 PPI16:9659 cd/m²1060 Hz63 %33.0510.4583 %59.9 %5688606088.6 %694 min88 %36 °C40.5 °C71.4 %86.4 dB89.4 %50.7 %
76.7 %Huawei P smart Pro
Kirin 710, Mali-G51 MP4
Huawei P smart Pro
80.3 %6.59"8.8 mm87.9 %206 g82 %TFT-LCD (LTPS)2340x1080391 PPI19.5:9459 cd/m²5.7060 Hz60 %20.655.1962 %699312.4 %9912.389.4 %757 min88.4 %36.2 °C39.4 °C79 %86 dB87.2 %37.7 %
80.7 %Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
SD 720G, Adreno 618
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S
81.9 %6.67"8.8 mm87.9 %209 g85.1 %IPS2400x1080395 PPI20:9612 cd/m²3.98060 Hz59.4 %46.887.368.5 %767329.3 %2680113092.3 %1187 min88.3 %34.7 °C39.9 °C72 %81 dB95.6 %44.3 %
87.8 %Xiaomi Mi 10
SD 865, Adreno 650
Xiaomi Mi 10
88 %6.67"8.96 mm87.9 %208 g92.7 %Super AMOLED2340x1080386 PPI19.5:9791 cd/m²1.1090 Hz73.2 %17.149.6582.1 %1061362.3 %7957296089.8 %662 min90.2 %31.3 °C39.3 °C77.4 %83.5 dB96.1 %54 %
79.8 %Oppo A91
Helio P70, Mali-G72 MP3
Oppo A91
86.7 %6.40"7.9 mm90.4 %172 g84.7 %AMOLED2400x1080411 PPI20:9613 cd/m²6.1060 Hz66.8 %41.385.3974.1 %818515.5 %12654.588.3 %605 min91.5 %32.7 °C35.2 °C75.6 %88.9 dB86.1 %47 %
74.9 %Motorola Moto G8 Power Lite
Helio P35 MT6765, PowerVR GE8320
Motorola Moto G8 Power Lite
83.6 %6.50"9.2 mm88 %200 g81.5 %IPS1600x720270 PPI20:9462 cd/m²5.7060 Hz48 %44.895.7655.6 %53257.1 %5394.290 %833 min89.9 %34.6 °C37.4 °C75 %85 dB86.1 %39.3 %
81 %Motorola Edge
SD 765, Adreno 620
Motorola Edge
85.6 %6.70"9.3 mm88.9 %190 g86.4 %AMOLED2340x1080385 PPI19.5:9438 cd/m²5.34090 Hz61 %36.896.5773 %833633.1 %3223123090.9 %888 min86.3 %33.7 °C41.7 °C68.6 %80.5 dB88.3 %49.3 %
76.6 %Huawei P Smart 2020
Kirin 710, Mali-G51 MP4
Huawei P Smart 2020
76.9 %6.21"8.2 mm91.2 %163 g83 %IPS2340x1080415 PPI19.5:9448 cd/m²5.22060 Hz54.6 %46.615.5956.2 %30 %9673079.3 %523 min86.2 %28.7 °C44.3 °C60 %74.8 dB93.9 %41.8 %
76.9 %Realme C3
Helio G70, Mali-G52 MP2
Realme C3
79.6 %6.50"8.95 mm88.4 %195 g82.8 %IPS1600x720270 PPI20:9492 cd/m²6.1060 Hz56 %43.976.5862.5 %883813.5 %12169.63094.1 %1371 min91.4 %30.5 °C37.6 °C70.6 %88.9 dB84.4 %40 %
78.2 %Realme 6i
Helio G80, Mali-G52 MP2
Realme 6i
79.7 %6.50"9 mm88.1 %199 g83.3 %IPS1600x720270 PPI20:9484 cd/m²5.8060 Hz64.2 %38.496.8963.4 %873315.1 %1347113093.7 %1318 min93 %30.4 °C34.3 °C79.6 %86.4 dB84.4 %38.5 %
80.7 %Realme 6
Helio G90T, Mali-G76 MP4
Realme 6
83.4 %6.50"8.9 mm88.8 %191 g85.2 %IPS2400x1080405 PPI20:9427 cd/m²4.4090 Hz67.6 %38.395.3269.5 %1051228.9 %2568113091 %971 min90.2 %29.9 °C39.6 °C74.2 %87.4 dB86.1 %47.4 %
85.3 %Xiaomi Black Shark 3 Pro
SD 865, Adreno 650
Xiaomi Black Shark 3 Pro
84.9 %7.10"10.1 mm87.6 %253 g85.1 %AMOLED3120x1440484 PPI19.5:9589 cd/m²4.65090 Hz71.2 %40.4810.4983.2 %1094559 %276089.7 %767 min89.5 %27.9 °C40.2 °C69.4 %84.3 dB93.9 %51.3 %
84.2 %Nubia RedMagic 5G
SD 865, Adreno 650
Nubia RedMagic 5G
84.3 %6.65"9.75 mm87.7 %218 g83.4 %OLED2340x1080388 PPI19.5:9601 cd/m²8.1144 Hz61.2 %39.797.8683.1 %1287960.8 %8154286088.3 %614 min90 %31 °C40 °C76.4 %83.4 dB95.6 %51.6 %
76.1 %Motorola Razr 2019
SD 710, Adreno 616
Motorola Razr 2019
73.3 %6.20"6.9 mm87.9 %205 g84.9 %P-OLED2142x876373 PPI22:9428 cd/m²6.39060 Hz54.8 %43.068.5663.7 %746021.9 %2006113080.7 %469 min88.7 %30.6 °C43.5 °C66 %80.6 dB94.4 %44.4 %
84 %Oppo Reno3 Pro
SD 765G, Adreno 620
Oppo Reno3 Pro
85.7 %6.50"7.7 mm90.5 %171 g86.6 %AMOLED2400x1080405 PPI20.9574 cd/m²4.84090 Hz70.2 %32.315.379.5 %857338.7 %34971390.5 %893 min86.8 %29.6 °C43.6 °C75.2 %85.1 dB95 %44.8 %
80.1 %Oppo Reno3
Helio P90, PowerVR GM9446
Oppo Reno3
78.3 %6.40"7.9 mm90.6 %170 g86.6 %AMOLED2400x1080411 PPI20:9598 cd/m²4.96060 Hz69.6 %39.777.2669.4 %712916.6 %12875.889.8 %802 min86.3 %29.5 °C45.3 °C77.4 %82.5 dB90 %45.5 %
86.1 %Realme X50 Pro
SD 865, Adreno 650
Realme X50 Pro
85.7 %6.44"8.9 mm87.9 %205 g88.8 %OLED2400x1080409 PPI20:9690 cd/m²3.2090 Hz67 %37.5111.4283.8 %1320261.3 %8204306090 %775 min94.1 %29 °C31.8 °C76.2 %87.7 dB93.3 %52.7 %
74.6 %Alcatel 1S (2020)
Helio P22 MT6762, PowerVR GE8320
Alcatel 1S (2020)
75.1 %6.22"8.45 mm91 %165 g81.4 %IPS1520x720270 PPI19:9456 cd/m²6.7060 Hz47.2 %46.668.8751.1 %48176.5 %4584.493 %1226 min95 %26.6 °C31.4 °C70.4 %80.8 dB83.9 %37.8 %
79.6 %Realme 6 Pro
SD 720G, Adreno 618
Realme 6 Pro
83.8 %6.60"8.9 mm88.4 %195 g83.8 %IPS2400x1080399 PPI20:9419 cd/m²6.1090 Hz63.2 %37.078.2772.9 %1010628.6 %26561191.5 %1031 min93 %31.2 °C33.6 °C73.6 %82 dB80 %48.3 %
88.4 %OnePlus 8
SD 865, Adreno 650
OnePlus 8
88.7 %6.55"8 mm89.7 %180 g93 %AMOLED2400x1080402 PPI20:9783 cd/m²0.9090 Hz73.6 %21.539.1481.5 %1080060.9 %8153316091.2 %1045 min93.9 %29.2 °C32 °C72.8 %89.4 dB97.2 %51.7 %
78.8 %Samsung Galaxy A41
Helio P65, Mali-G52 MP2
Samsung Galaxy A41
83.9 %6.10"7.9 mm92.1 %152 g89.8 %Super AMOLED2400x1080431 PPI20:9559 cd/m²2060 Hz62.2 %43.897.9656.9 %674213.4 %11794.92889.4 %650 min92.5 %26.2 °C36.6 °C68.2 %85.5 dB84.4 %47.5 %
83.5 %Oppo Find X2 Neo
SD 765G, Adreno 620
Oppo Find X2 Neo
85.7 %6.50"7.7 mm90.5 %171 g86.8 %OLED2400x1080405 PPI20:9807 cd/m²5.4090 Hz67 %40.298.1476.3 %845635.9 %35011389.1 %712 min91.1 %29.2 °C37.6 °C79.8 %86.3 dB93.3 %49.7 %
82.3 %Oppo Find X2 Lite
SD 765G, Adreno 620
Oppo Find X2 Lite
82 %6.40"7.96 mm89.7 %180 g85.9 %OLED2400x1080411 PPI20:9633 cd/m²5.6060 Hz68.2 %41.266.6174.8 %775436 %35241389.2 %728 min90.4 %28.2 °C40.1 °C71 %91.1 dB92.2 %48 %
74.7 %Wiko View 4 Lite
Helio A25, PowerVR GE8320
Wiko View 4 Lite
77.3 %6.52"8.45 mm90.2 %174 g83.5 %IPS1600x720269 PPI20:9470 cd/m²4.5060 Hz49.6 %46.675.152.8 %50606.6 %4624.292.3 %1133 min93.4 %28.8 °C34 °C68 %83.1 dB82.8 %37.1 %
82.9 %Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro
SD 720G, Adreno 618
Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro
85.5 %6.67"8.8 mm87.9 %209 g89.3 %IPS2400x1080395 PPI20:9579 cd/m²1.8060 Hz65 %41.945.9169.5 %782929.2 %2667113091.7 %1175 min90.8 %30 °C38.4 °C80.2 %87.1 dB95.6 %50.4 %
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > Reviews > The best smartphones for Q2 2020 - 39 mobile phones in review
Editorial staff, 2020-08- 1 (Update: 2020-08- 1)