The year 2020 will be remembered by history as the "year of the pandemic" and whatever has been achieved positively this year, any invention, miracle or discovery will come under the rug of history. Maybe that's why phone manufacturers haven't innovated out of the way, but rather improved and upgraded. I can't help but notice that Samsung has perfected the foldable, that Oppo has invented the rolling stock, that ASUS has taken the rotary camera to a new level, and Huawei has stuck with superglue to the throne of quality cameras.
Xiaomi has moved to a completely superior category of fast charging and refresh rate, but also to an unparalleled zoom. Apple launched 5 phones, OnePlus even launched 6 phones, and at Samsung, Oppo and Huawei we lost the line. Huawei launched less than in other years for obvious reasons and sold its Honor branch. 5G and big refreshments have seriously eaten away at the batteries, but I can say that we have won elsewhere, where we will have no regression from now on: zooming, fast charging, processing power. We are in the age of 5 nm CPUs already and the effects are only seen next year.
You know my expectations for a top 10 like this: to be a good gaming phone , to be able to do my job with it (hands on pictures and filming) and to have a memorable and pleasing design. Let me show you the 10 phones that caught my attention and appreciation in 2020:
10. OnePlus 8
It will surprise many to include the OnePlus 8 on this list, especially since it did not turn our backs on the camera chapter and had a high price at the beginning. On the other hand, I thought it was an excellent gaming phone, in terms of its size and proportions, in terms of screen, processor and battery. It shoots well in 4K at 60 FPS, which helps me in hands-on and at the time of the test also had the advantage of clean and customizable OxygenOS. Fast charging is another plus, and the design isn't bad at all.
9. ASUS ROG Phone 3
The only real gaming phone in this top is the ASUS ROG Phone 3. This year I also tested other models focused on gaming, but only this one remained in my mind. It is the most accessorized (Kunai controller, fan, covers, Desktop Dock, TwinView Dock, bag, adapters) the largest, with the largest battery and switches to a 144 Hz screen. Fixed to try Dead Cells, I still think the only game that supports that refresh rate. It has a noticeable upgrade in terms of camera compared to its predecessor and finally side touch buttons with extra functionality, with which I got along better. It also integrates streaming to Twitch and YouTube through Game Genie, and I've been streaming it ever since, a hobby of mine. It's a phone with personality, with powerful speakers and if you don't like the interface, you can switch to the stock one. Ah yes, and it has a lot of options for customizing the gaming experience and its settings in terms of RAM, CPU frequency, fan and more.
8. Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra
I feel like I only spent 2 hours with the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra ... It's worth testing more. 2 hours was enough to see that he is the future. Between 120X zoom and 120W charging, it's something really special. Basque is also very handsome with that transparent back, in the version I tried. The zoom is not just "on paper", I really tried it and I was amazed at what it can do, just like its Moon Mode. The screen is very bright and immersive, and the Snapdragon 865 processor no longer has to prove anything to anyone. I would see myself using this phone every day, especially for the moments when I'm last at concerts (when they will be available) or behind a launch event. Fast charging relieves you of stress when you have to go somewhere fast, but I can't help but think about battery wear.
7. iPhone 12 Pro Max
"No table without fish," was once a saying, and no top without an iPhone 12 Pro Max. If you are looking to buy one of the 4 iPhones this year and are looking for innovation, this is the one with REAL innovation. Maybe it's because it has a huge 12 MP sensor in the main camera that comes with Shift Sensor stabilization. That is, the sensor moves, not the lens or gyroscope when you have to stabilize. It has the largest screen in the history of the iPhone, 6.7 inches and brings 10 bit colors, both in terms of display and video capture. I'm already very happy with how I shoot my iPhone 11 Pro and I always get my hands on it with other materials, but a plus in the color range doesn't hurt. And the games look great on the big screen, and the flat edge increases the phone's grip. However, avoid the gold version that attracts too many fingerprints. I got along better with this theoretically huge phone than I expected, and the low-battery legends were just stories after all.
6. Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G
This "wannabe flagship" managed the performance to be more tempting than the Galaxy S20 series, being more powerful than it as a processor and opting for a Snapdragon and not Exynos. The Galaxy S20 FE is theoretically on par with the Galaxy S20 +, only it beats it in color calibration and as a 3x optical zoom it is among the best in 2020. It has powerful speakers, has 5G, does not heat up in games, the polycarbonate back does not prevents wireless charging, adherence and good looks. It also has IP68 certification, large and bright screen, but not too big. It's practically the complete package and only the price discouraged some at its debut. However, the price has started to fall, making it even more attractive. If someone made me choose between this model, an S20, S20 +, S20 Ultra, I would go for the S20 FE 5G.
5. Oppo Reno4 Pro 5G
I can't help but include in the top a phone that offers absolutely everything you need in the super high midrange area. The Oppo Reno4 Pro 5G charges in just 33 minutes, it's very good looking, compact and light and in the photos it surpassed the Xperia 1 II, which I had in my other pocket when I was testing this Oppo's camera. It stabilizes better than some filming flagships, has 5G connectivity and one of the brightest screens I've ever seen. It is also high-performance, it also has a 90 Hz screen, a range of autonomy, the volume jumps by 100 decibels, it does not overheat. It's true that it costs twice as much as other Snapdragon 765G phones, but it's one of the few cases where it makes money and we can see it as a flagship killer.
4. Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G
I think the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 5G is the only phone from 2020 that can boast of being a "phone for journalists." Note 10+ had been a phone for vloggers, content creators before, and it offers that handsome Bokeh video capture. In 2020 the Note 20 Ultra 5G adds a higher-latency stylus, better-implemented navigation and control gestures, as well as omnidirectional capture microphones. Now you can choose the direction in which to "ring" the microphones, connect a Bluetooth headset, or even another type of microphone to your phone. That sounds like a press release to me. Not to mention the rear and front camera footage, which is absolutely perfect, after I said it's perfect for the Note 10+. In low light capture, this is the only phone that can be beaten with Huawei Mate 40 Pro and P40 Pro and it is also the only stylus phone from 2020 that deserves your attention. The big screen also makes it great for gaming and immersive video consumption, and the zoom, although not as high as 100X as the S20 Ultra, seemed to offer clearer images at the intermediate thresholds of 10X, 20X, 30X than the flagship from beginning of the year. This model also has a fingerprint reader and better focus.
3. ASUS ZenFone 7 Pro
In 2020, phones with pop-up selfies, rotating cameras and other such crazy things disappeared. There are only a few last Mohicans left, who believe that you don't have to put a selfie in a hole in the screen. ZenFone 7 Pro is one of them. It has a more refined design than its predecessor, and benchmarks shatter any rival, even iPhones. It also switched from a less impressive screen on the ZenFone 6 to a bright one with a 90 Hz refresh rate, as the fans requested. It's the geeky, nerdy design that tickles your senses if you want something different. Seeing that mechanism in motion is like seeing the inside of a complex Swiss watch. And the fact that you have a powerful triple main camera that becomes your selfie camera makes it unmatched in selfie, photo or video capture. It also has loud bass speakers, it's well built, but it's also massive and heavy. He accompanied me to the worst restaurant I tried in 2020, but that's not his fault, but he did his job well with food photography (a hobby of mine). The photo samples from Orășelul Copiilor are standard in color, details. I would say it is the most underrated flagship of 2020 and has a price below the market average. Oppo and Xiaomi allegedly demanded over 4,000 lei from him.
2. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
Rarely do you see a second generation phone still experimental that solves all the problems of the first generation and adds pluses. You say it's made by Samsung fans. Galaxy Z Fold 2 gets rid of bangs, has bigger screens, the screen protection problem disappears, the hinge is more flexible and versatile, we also have cleaning brushes on the Z Flip for particles and we also have a Snapdragon CPU and not an Exynos 990. All screens its big and bright, we have multitasking on steroids, both by dividing the screen into 2 or 3, and by floating windows and communication between the external and internal screen, but also those special interfaces when you keep the screen folded at 90 degrees like a laptop . The camera is in line with the S20 series, if not the Note 20 and we also have capable selfie speakers. I know, it's expensive, it's exclusive, if it can easily be an "object of desire." If he had a stylus and a slightly better night filming, he was in first place without any problems.
1. Huawei Mate 40 Pro
Given my design criteria for this top, with an emphasis on camera and design, I think the Huawei Mate 40 Pro deserves first place. It's the biggest upgrade to filming on a Huawei Mate 20 Pro so far, and by bringing back the physical volume buttons, it shows that Huawei is listening to public feedback, following the virtual buttons on the Mate 30 Pro. It manages to bring a top view in a good-looking and non-protruding room, even that Space Ring can be appreciated by you. It is made of premium materials, has a large diagonal and chooses a unique format, being rather wide than long, compared to other phones on the market. It's the first Huawei with really fast charging at 66W and has better facial unlock and Bokeh than Apple offers on the iPhone 12 series.
It's by far the best low light phone, so you don't even need Night Mode to be amazed at what it produces. Being a night bird, I see this as a big plus. I'm thinking of night pictures, photos and videos of concerts and upcoming holidays after the pandemic. Not to mention pictures for working in dimly lit environments at events. It also has a powerful processor, finally has stereo speakers after the P30 Pro and P40 Pro did not have and can film 4K at 60 FPS and with selfie camera. Basically, all it lacks is the lack of Google services and applications, but Huawei AppGallery has grown nicely and there's Petal Search as an option, plus the latter comes HarmonyOS as an option, maybe. The complete package as a flagship.
Special mentions also for Realme 7 and OnePlus 8 Pro, which I didn't get to test, but I feel that it deserved a place in the top.