The best smartphones winter 2024 - 16 reviewed phones compared
In this article, we have only included the smartphones which we have tested in the last three months. Our detailed tests are linked in the table at the end of the article. Additionally, you'll find exciting recommendations and potential bargains in our previous top lists:
Our reigning champions: These are currently the best smartphones!
Xiaomi makes a strong comeback with its flagship models. Priced at around $678, the Xiaomi 14 boasts a slightly more compact design compared to other top models, featuring a very bright 120 Hz display. The camera setup, equipped with three 50-megapixel lenses, delivers impressive results in various lighting conditions and is capable of shooting 4K video.
Within the same timeframe, we also tested the larger Apple iPhone 15 Plus (priced from around $730), which has secured a top spot on our list. With robust performance, a vibrant and accurate display, and a meticulously crafted body with IP68 certification, the iPhone 15 Plus continues to impress.
Xiaomi secures the third position once again with the 14 Pro, priced at around $810. This model stands out, particularly for its camera features, including variable aperture control and exceptional light sensitivity. Despite delivering excellent battery life, the USB port's speed could be improved within this price range.
Google has also introduced new smartphones, and the Pixel 8 Pro, starting at around $799, excels in the software department with extended updates and innovative features, with a focus on the trending topic of AI. Notably, the keyboard now offers proofreading capabilities, audio recordings can have noise eliminated, and AI-enhanced image editing provides a more streamlined and comprehensive experience.
Its counterpart, the Google Pixel 8, starting at around $550, also enjoys 7 years of updates and boasts a vibrant OLED display. However, some phones offer much faster charging, and the SoC (System on Chip) is slightly less powerful compared to other high-end mobile phones. Nevertheless, the Pixel 8 stands out as a fantastic smartphone with a commendable camera and various advantages.
The Oppo Find N3 Fold, priced at around $1,480, shares a striking resemblance to the OnePlus Open and successfully conceals the fold, making it nearly imperceptible. This smartphone offers impressive runtimes and a plethora of features, although users must contend with a somewhat modest camera.
The Xiaomi 13T, though moderately priced, still earned a "very good" rating in our tests. Priced at approximately $467 on Amazon, this upper-class smartphone from Xiaomi offers a premium build, ample power for daily tasks, and a commendable camera system.
On the other hand, the Xiaomi Mix Fold 3, starting from around $1,424, stands out as a highly sophisticated foldable device boasting modern features like WiFi 7 and a powerful camera setup. However, as the smartphone is currently only available in Europe as a Chinese import, users need to be aware of a few limitations.
Our favorites - Editors Choice Awards Autumn 2023
Samsung Galaxy M34 5G
After a one-year hiatus, Samsung is introducing new models in the Galaxy M series, targeting the mid-range segment, which has previously been somewhat overshadowed by the main Galaxy A series.
The Galaxy M34 5G represents Samsung's latest offering in this category, priced below $300. The device has undergone modernization in various aspects, boasting a large battery for extended endurance, a remarkably bright OLED display, a quality speaker, and IP-certified casing.
While the plastic case is prone to fingerprints, the absence of a power supply in the package and Samsung's non-committal stance on update promises, the Galaxy M34 5G provides a remarkable value for the money overall. Interested buyers can find the smartphone on Amazon.ca for approximately $331.
Fairphone 5
If you enjoy repairing your mobile phone yourself and prioritize a lengthy warranty and update support, the Fairphone 5 is the ideal choice. Equipped with modern features such as an eSIM and USB 3.2 port, this smartphone comes at a price of $700, making it a bit on the higher side.
However, the producer places great emphasis on transparently documented, humane working conditions in the supply chain and environmentally friendly sourcing of raw materials. This commitment justifies the higher cost compared to conventional smartphones.
While there is room for improvement in terms of battery life and speakers, we are still impressed by the sustainable and modular concept of the Fairphone 5.
You can find the Fairphone 5 for around $700, for example, via the onlineshop.
Note: The commercial use of the award graphics may necessitate obtaining a license. Further details.
The best smartphones of winter 2024
Overall rating | Model | Image | Price from | Case rating | Size | Thickness | Weight rating | Weight | Display rating | Display type | Resolution | Pixel density | Aspect ratio | Screen-to-body-ratio | Screen brightness | DeltaE color checker | Refresh rate | Camera rating | DeltaE color checker lowlight | DeltaE color checker daylight | Application performance rating | Gaming performance rating | 3DMark for A. Sling Shot Ext. (ES 3.1) Un. | GFXBench Aztec Ruins H.T. Onscreen | PUBG Mobile HD | Battery life rating | Runtimes WiFi 150 cd/m² | Temperature rating | Top idle | Top under load | Audio rating | Max. audio output (dB) | Touchscreen input rating | Connectivity rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 83.4 % v7 (old) | Oukitel WP30 Pro Dimensity 8050, Mali-G77 MP9 |  | 85.3 % v7 (old) | 6.78" | 19 mm | 84.5 % v7 (old) | 414 g | 82.9 % v7 (old) | IPS | 2460x1080 | 396 PPI | 20.5:9 | 75 % | 417 cd/m² | 5.93 | 120 Hz | 62.5 % v7 (old) | 46.32 | 10.55 | 82.7 % v7 (old) | 53.3 % v7 (old) | 28 | 95.1 % v7 (old) | 1502 min | 88.1 % v7 (old) | 23.3 °C | 48.8 °C | 64 % v7 (old) | 84.8 dB | 93.3 % v7 (old) | 49.2 % v7 (old) | |||
| 89.7 % v7 (old) | Apple iPhone 15 Plus A16, A16 GPU 5-Core |  | 88.6 % v7 (old) | 6.70" | 7.8 mm | 88 % v7 (old) | 201 g | 93.9 % v7 (old) | OLED | 2796x1290 | 460 PPI | 19.5:9 | 88 % | 1040 cd/m² | 1.2 | 060 Hz | 76 % v7 (old) | 15.5 | 9.07 | 91.1 % v7 (old) | 68.6 % v7 (old) | 54 | 92.9 % v7 (old) | 1102 min | 90.1 % v7 (old) | 30.5 °C | 38.4 °C | 80 % v7 (old) | 90.6 dB | 93.9 % v7 (old) | 66.7 % v7 (old) | |||
| 87.3 % v7 (old) | Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 SD 8 Gen 2, Adreno 740 |  | 83.9 % v7 (old) | 8.03" | 5.3 mm | 87 % v7 (old) | 259 g | 93.4 % v7 (old) | AMOLED | 2160x1916 | 360 PPI | 10.15:9 | 89 % | 1308 cd/m² | 1 | 120 Hz | 79.6 % v7 (old) | 35.71 | 6.03 | 95.9 % v7 (old) | 73.3 % v7 (old) | 15182 | 63 | 91.6 % v7 (old) | 923 min | 78.9 % v7 (old) | 26 °C | 49.4 °C | 82.6 % v7 (old) | 87 dB | 88.9 % v7 (old) | 53 % v7 (old) | ||
| 76.5 % v7 (old) | Blackview N6000 Helio G99, Mali-G57 MP2 |  | 80.6 % v7 (old) | 4.30" | 18.4 mm | 87.9 % v7 (old) | 208 g | 83.4 % v7 (old) | IPS | 1200x540 | 306 PPI | 20:9 | 52 % | 661 cd/m² | 5.6 | 060 Hz | 46 % v7 (old) | 38.17 | 4.24 | 65 % v7 (old) | 21 % v7 (old) | 2649 | 28 | 91.4 % v7 (old) | 1014 min | 92.5 % v7 (old) | 26.5 °C | 37.5 °C | 56 % v7 (old) | 83.4 dB | 88.9 % v7 (old) | 44.3 % v7 (old) | ||
| 89 % v7 (old) | Google Pixel 8 Pro Tensor G3, Mali-G715 MP7 |  | 91.9 % v7 (old) | 6.70" | 8.8 mm | 87.8 % v7 (old) | 213 g | 93.5 % v7 (old) | OLED | 2992x1344 | 490 PPI | 20:9 | 87 % | 1467 cd/m² | 1.1 | 120 Hz | 82.6 % v7 (old) | 29.1 | 5.18 | 85.2 % v7 (old) | 68.6 % v7 (old) | 9935 | 63 | 90.2 % v7 (old) | 760 min | 87.2 % v7 (old) | 28.3 °C | 43 °C | 74.2 % v7 (old) | 89.4 dB | 93.3 % v7 (old) | 57 % v7 (old) | ||
| 88.9 % v7 (old) | Google Pixel 8 Tensor G3, Mali-G715 MP7 |  | 89.9 % v7 (old) | 6.20" | 8.9 mm | 89.1 % v7 (old) | 187 g | 92.5 % v7 (old) | OLED | 2400x1080 | 424 PPI | 20:9 | 87 % | 1410 cd/m² | 1.1 | 120 Hz | 79.6 % v7 (old) | 30.42 | 5.3 | 84 % v7 (old) | 64.6 % v7 (old) | 9813 | 56 | 91.1 % v7 (old) | 814 min | 87.5 % v7 (old) | 29.9 °C | 42.7 °C | 83.2 % v7 (old) | 89 dB | 92.8 % v7 (old) | 52.7 % v7 (old) | ||
| 83.2 % v7 (old) | Fairphone 5 QCM6490, Adreno 643 |  | 82.7 % v7 (old) | 6.46" | 9.6 mm | 87.8 % v7 (old) | 212 g | 88 % v7 (old) | OLED | 2700x1224 | 459 PPI | 19.9:9 | 83 % | 617 cd/m² | 3.4 | 090 Hz | 58.2 % v7 (old) | 33.49 | 4.85 | 80 % v7 (old) | 58.2 % v7 (old) | 6499 | 21 | 40 | 88 % v7 (old) | 575 min | 82.6 % v7 (old) | 28.8 °C | 48.2 °C | 72 % v7 (old) | 87.1 dB | 90.6 % v7 (old) | 55.4 % v7 (old) | |
| 76.6 % v7 (old) | Cubot P80 Helio MT8788, Mali-G72 MP3 |  | 82.6 % v7 (old) | 6.58" | 9.8 mm | 87.7 % v7 (old) | 217 g | 83.3 % v7 (old) | IPS | 2408x1080 | 401 PPI | 20:9 | 88 % | 533 cd/m² | 7.1 | 060 Hz | 50.8 % v7 (old) | 44.77 | 7.94 | 59 % v7 (old) | 15.2 % v7 (old) | 1276 | 4.4 | 91.5 % v7 (old) | 1036 min | 88.6 % v7 (old) | 22.5 °C | 44.8 °C | 66 % v7 (old) | 78.5 dB | 86.7 % v7 (old) | 49.4 % v7 (old) | ||
| 87.7 % v7 (old) | Xiaomi 13T Dimensity 8200-Ultra, Mali-G610 MP6 |  | 86.7 % v7 (old) | 6.67" | 8.49 mm | 88.3 % v7 (old) | 197 g | 93.9 % v7 (old) | AMOLED | 2712x1220 | 446 PPI | 20:9 | 87 % | 1250 cd/m² | 0.8 | 144 Hz | 76.2 % v7 (old) | 25.47 | 9.99 | 86.3 % v7 (old) | 61 % v7 (old) | 8769 | 30 | 59 | 90.9 % v7 (old) | 1026 min | 89.4 % v7 (old) | 24.1 °C | 41.9 °C | 79 % v7 (old) | 91.4 dB | 91.7 % v7 (old) | 51 % v7 (old) | |
| 88.3 % v7 (old) | Oppo Find N3 SD 8 Gen 2, Adreno 740 |  | 88 % v7 (old) | 7.82" | 5.9 mm | 87.4 % v7 (old) | 239 g | 93.1 % v7 (old) | OLED | 2440x2268 | 426 PPI | 1.08:1 | 90 % | 1290 cd/m² | 1.5 | 120 Hz | 73.2 % v7 (old) | 42.58 | 3.83 | 96.2 % v7 (old) | 60 % v7 (old) | 14892 | 43 | 90.2 % v7 (old) | 861 min | 79.4 % v7 (old) | 27.4 °C | 45 °C | 87.4 % v7 (old) | 82.8 dB | 93.9 % v7 (old) | 67.5 % v7 (old) | ||
| 89.4 % v7 (old) | Xiaomi 14 Pro SD 8 Gen 3, Adreno 750 |  | 91.1 % v7 (old) | 6.73" | 8.49 mm | 87.6 % v7 (old) | 223 g | 93.4 % v7 (old) | AMOLED | 3200x1440 | 521 PPI | 20:9 | 90 % | 1046 cd/m² | 1.1 | 120 Hz | 78.4 % v7 (old) | 12.91 | 7.6 | 87.5 % v7 (old) | 71 % v7 (old) | 76 | 60 | 91.7 % v7 (old) | 897 min | 76 % v7 (old) | 27.8 °C | 44.6 °C | 78.6 % v7 (old) | 90.5 dB | 94.4 % v7 (old) | 70 % v7 (old) | ||
| 87.4 % v7 (old) | Xiaomi Poco F5 Pro SD 8+ Gen 1, Adreno 730 |  | 84.4 % v7 (old) | 6.67" | 8.59 mm | 87.9 % v7 (old) | 204 g | 94.2 % v7 (old) | AMOLED | 3200x1440 | 526 PPI | 20:9 | 87 % | 1004 cd/m² | 0.8 | 120 Hz | 65.8 % v7 (old) | 47.03 | 10.83 | 91.2 % v7 (old) | 68.3 % v7 (old) | 10033 | 63 | 60 | 90.9 % v7 (old) | 960 min | 88 % v7 (old) | 26.4 °C | 43.3 °C | 76.8 % v7 (old) | 89.4 dB | 96.1 % v7 (old) | 54.4 % v7 (old) | |
| 84.9 % v7 (old) | Realme GT5 SD 8 Gen 2, Adreno 740 |  | 85 % v7 (old) | 6.74" | 8.9 mm | 87.9 % v7 (old) | 205 g | 88.8 % v7 (old) | AMOLED | 2772x1240 | 451 PPI | 20:9 | 89 % | 1084 cd/m² | 5 | 144 Hz | 73.4 % v7 (old) | 42.42 | 4.94 | 85 % v7 (old) | 69.5 % v7 (old) | 60 | 90.8 % v7 (old) | 939 min | 46.8 % v7 (old) | 30.7 °C | 44.7 °C | 73.6 % v7 (old) | 89.9 dB | 91.1 % v7 (old) | 53.3 % v7 (old) | |||
| 85.8 % v7 (old) | Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro 5G SD 7s Gen 2, Adreno 710 |  | 85.3 % v7 (old) | 6.67" | 8 mm | 89.1 % v7 (old) | 187 g | 92.7 % v7 (old) | AMOLED | 2712x1220 | 446 PPI | 20:9 | 91 % | 1177 cd/m² | 1.51 | 120 Hz | 74.6 % v7 (old) | 10 | 7.62 | 78 % v7 (old) | 49.3 % v7 (old) | 4993 | 15 | 40 | 91.2 % v7 (old) | 1002 min | 88.2 % v7 (old) | 25.5 °C | 43.4 °C | 69.2 % v7 (old) | 78.2 dB | 93.3 % v7 (old) | 52 % v7 (old) | |
| 89.8 % v7 (old) | Xiaomi 14 SD 8 Gen 3, Adreno 750 |  | 91 % v7 (old) | 6.36" | 8.2 mm | 88.6 % v7 (old) | 193 g | 93.6 % v7 (old) | OLED | 2670x1200 | 460 PPI | 20:9 | 89 % | 1052 cd/m² | 1.1 | 120 Hz | 78 % v7 (old) | 10.98 | 7.12 | 96.1 % v7 (old) | 72.2 % v7 (old) | 19187 | 93 | 93.2 % v7 (old) | 1092 min | 76.9 % v7 (old) | 27.4 °C | 44.2 °C | 79.8 % v7 (old) | 92.6 dB | 94.4 % v7 (old) | 67.9 % v7 (old) | ||
| 83.7 % v7 (old) | Samsung Galaxy M34 5G Exynos 1280, Mali-G68 MP4 |  | 84.4 % v7 (old) | 6.50" | 8.8 mm | 87.9 % v7 (old) | 208 g | 92.2 % v7 (old) | Super AMOLED | 2340x1080 | 396 PPI | 19.5:9 | 81 % | 888 cd/m² | 1.76 | 120 Hz | 63.6 % v7 (old) | 43.28 | 5.05 | 72 % v7 (old) | 41.1 % v7 (old) | 3856 | 16 | 30 | 91.6 % v7 (old) | 1064 min | 88.3 % v7 (old) | 26 °C | 43.8 °C | 75.2 % v7 (old) | 83.8 dB | 93.9 % v7 (old) | 51.9 % v7 (old) |
The table above shows all the smartphones we tested during the last three months including their overall and partial scores in our detailed reviews as well as a selection of important parameters and benchmarks. All results and details can be found in the linked reviews.
The table can be sorted in each column - just click on the respective column title, for example "weight".
Further interesting phones of winter 2024
After Nokia and realme's parent company, BBK, recently struck a patent deal, the Chinese the producer's brands will soon be fully available for purchase again.
Realme should benefit from this as well, as the realme GT5 may no longer be available just as an import device. The smartphone, which only costs about $540 and nevertheless makes a excellent impression, is truly outstanding considering its dazzling 144 Hz display, extreme charging performance, and reasonable battery.
