Rating of the best flagship smartphones TOP 2020: reviews, specifications, Chinese models

What does "flagship smartphone" mean?

According to the definition offered by Wikipedia, the flagship is the best model currently in the lineup produced by a particular company. Simply put, a flagship smartphone is a device that has top-end characteristics and technical equipment.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION!

The very term "flagship" was first used in the navy. This was the designation for the ship on which the command was located, and from where the entire battle was controlled.

When evaluating the qualities of a smartphone, its performance, battery life, camera and screen quality are taken into account. Additionally, the devices that will lead the manufacturer's assortment line are equipped with a certain zest that distinguishes them from other devices. At one time, smartphones without frames were referred to the number of flagships, but recently such a decision has become the norm in the production of mobile devices.

How the best smartphones for today or "flagships" differ from budget devices

Flagship devices are considered to be superior to their younger counterparts by default. In part, there is a grain of truth in this. But in order to know exactly why it makes sense to purchase the most advanced gadget, you should list the main differences between this segment and budget models.

• construction and design. Flagship devices are of higher quality and more expensive materials. Most often it is metal and glass, in contrast to the plastic used in inexpensive smartphones;
• screen. To qualify as a flagship, a smartphone must have a large display. Manufacturers are in a relentless race for screen quality and size. It has also become a rule to release phones without bezels around the display. Another characteristic of the flagship model is its high resolution, which is sometimes simply not perceived by the human eye;
• application of unique technologies. This can be input via a stylus, face or retina recognition, keyboard sensitivity to pressure. Nobody says that these functions will be in demand, but they distinguish the top-end gadget from the "average";
• latest hardware parts. The flagships use the most modern processors, which allows such devices to support multitasking (simultaneous opening of several resource-intensive applications);
• long-term technical support. A special approach from the manufacturer is applied to the flagship line. For several years after the release, these devices will receive updates and improvements to the software, which is not available for budget devices.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION!

Also, each company, when developing top-end solutions, tries to comply with the principle of wow-effect. This means the uniqueness of the design, which should attract the buyer with its appearance.

While talking about the positive qualities that differentiate the best smartphones from simple devices, there are also several disadvantages of such devices should be mentioned.

• overcharge. When a novelty is released, which is accompanied by a serious advertising campaign and numerous presentations, the manufacturer sometimes sets a simply space price tag for his product;
• the ability to live without the latest technology. Objectively, the addition of megapixels in the camera, the increase in resolution to qHD or the addition of an additional gigabyte of RAM is practically not felt by the user. But all these innovations have to pay;
• rapid obsolescence. Every year a new flagship comes out and it is sometimes simply unrealistic to chase new products. You either need to be a geek or have a lot of extra money to update your smartphone with such a frequency;
• displacement of flagship models by Chinese counterparts. A fairly large number of models from China are presented on the market, which are sometimes called "flagship killers". These devices offer similar technical capabilities (and often even better) at a lower price due to the low promotion of the brand.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION!

If for a person it does not matter what brand of smartphone he uses, then the best option would be the purchase of a Chinese device that will cost half the price of its eminent analogue.

Leading smartphone manufacturers

Regularly, manufacturers of mobile gadgets conduct market analyzes to assess the leaders. Traditionally, the leading brands that offer quality flagships are the number of companies with the highest sales. The rating of the best manufacturers by the end of 2019 is as follows.

1. Samsung. A company that is the leader of the rating. The brand accounts for almost a third of all mobile devices sold. One of the advantages of the manufacturer is the use of its own components.
2. Apple. An honorable second place is taken by a well-known company from Cupertino. Some decline was observed against the background of the release of the unsuccessful iPhone 8, which technically practically did not differ from the previous model. Another reason for the impossibility of breaking out into clear leaders is the high cost of the brand's products, which does not have budget models in its lineup.
3. Huawei. The Chinese company closes the top three, which since 2013, when it accounted for only 1% of sales, has managed to squeeze out such "monsters" as LG, Motorola and Nokia. The brand also uses proprietary processors in its smartphones, which helps to reduce the cost of the finished device.
4. Xiaomi. Another Chinese A-brand that has shown steady growth in the share of the mobile device market over the past 5 years. One of the manufacturer's advantages is not just the release of smartphones, and in a wide range, but also of various gadgets from the “Smart Home” system and other accessories.
5. Lg. The second Korean manufacturer in the ranking, which shows a decrease in sales every year. This is due to the unsuccessful engineering solutions of the latest flagship models while maintaining the high cost of the devices.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION!

The release of the failed Samsung Galaxy Note 7, which had an exploding battery, slightly moved the company from the first place, but the management managed to rehabilitate itself with the release of the successful S8 / S8 +, S9 / S9 +, Note 8.

When compiling a rating of the leading manufacturers of mobile phones, the Nokia brand should be mentioned, which has lost its position against the background of adherence to its own operating system (Windows Mobile), which is not flexible enough in comparison with others mobile OS.

Top best smartphones of 2019

Many users who are interested in the question of which phone is the most powerful in the world have doubts when choosing the optimal flagship device. Submitted by ratingd does not break gadgets into places, it was created rather for the purpose of informing: each model has its own advantages and has some disadvantages. The final choice is the subjective opinion of the consumer.

 Sony Xperia XZ2

A novelty from a well-known Japanese brand, which, despite some shortcomings, was included in the rating of top flagships. The company still does not want to follow the new trends and equips its devices with a single camera. The latest processor from Qualcomm - Snapdragon 845 is used as a filling, which allows using the smartphone not only for work, but also for resource-intensive games. The amount of RAM is 4 GB, which is not a record. The user is offered 64 GB to store his own files. The only rear camera has a resolution of 19 megapixels. Of the chips, support for 4K video format can be noted, as well as the ability to record at a resolution of 960 frames per second. Among the shortcomings, users note an insufficient battery capacity of 3180 mAh, as well as a slippery body. The cost of the device is 56,999 rubles for the premium version.

Sony Xperia XZ2

LG G7 ThinQ

The latest flagship from the Korean brand, which incorporates the best features from the V30 and G6 models. The device is equipped with a 6.1-inch screen with a non-standard aspect ratio: 19.5: 9. Like the well-known product from Apple, which also got into the rating, there is an "eyebrow" on top: inside it fit a front camera, a proximity and light sensor, and a speaker. The smartphone is equipped with the latest version of the Snapdragon 845 mobile processor. Like the entire flagship series of this brand, the gadget boasts high-quality sound: there is support for DTS: X 3D surround sound, a Hi-Fi Quad DAC support system. The device is equipped with a 16 megapixel dual main camera and an 8 megapixel front camera. The disadvantages include a small battery capacity (3000 mAh), which leads to the need to recharge every day. The cost of the model is 44,990 rubles.

LG G7 ThinQ

Samsung Galaxy S9 / S9 +

A novelty from the Korean brand, which became a logical continuation of last year's flagship. This model is not a cosmetic rework, but is a qualitatively new device, although the appearance has remained unchanged. There are also beveled edges with Edge technology. The older model has a screen diagonal of 6.2 inches, the younger one has a 5.8-inch display. The innovations concerned the location of the fingerprint scanner, which moved to the middle and became more convenient. The camera has also been completely redesigned, which has learned to take even better pictures. The model comes in different configurations of processors - Exynos 9810 or Snapdragon 845. The retail price is 37,000 rubles for the S9 and 48,990 for the S9 +.

Samsung Galaxy S9

Apple iPhone XS Max

The smartphone, which is the most powerful in the world, which is why it can be considered the leader of the rating. The only drawback is the cost, which is 109,900 rubles for the version with 256 GB of memory. This is the company's largest phone diagonal in terms of screen size - it is 6.5 inches. An OLED matrix is ​​used, which provides the highest quality image transmission. The heart of the model is a proprietary Apple A12 Bionic processor. Its power is sufficient for the most demanding applications. There is a dual camera at the back (each module is 12 megapixels), the front one has a resolution of 7 megapixels. The battery capacity is 3,174 mAh. According to customer reviews, the company's engineers overclocked with automatic processing of ready-made photos that are unnatural in comparison with the pictures taken with the previous model iPhone X.

Apple iPhone XS Max

The best smartphones to date by nominations

In addition to the general division of devices on the market, in order to determine the best devices to use, you can make a selection according to certain parameters.

2019 flagship smartphones with powerful battery

One of the best centenarians among flagship smartphones the sample of 2019, according to users and experts, can be considered the Google Pixel 2 XL. Despite the fact that not so long ago the company presented the next model of this line, it turned out to be a failure. The battery capacity is 3520 mAh, but this figure is not decisive, since additionally, the battery life depends on the balanced work of the processor and all others components. According to the manufacturer, on one full charge, the device can work up to 88 hours. That's a lot - considering the 6-inch screen diagonal. The cost of the gadget is 40,490 rubles for the version with 64 GB.

Google Pixel 2 XL

2019 flagship smartphones with a good camera

The winner of this nomination is new from chinese brand Huawei, model P20 Pro. In the DxOMark camera quality rating, the device has left its competitors far behind. A triple camera and an artificial intelligence system based on a neural unit are used as the main module. The camera resolution is striking, which is 20 and 40 megapixels. There is also a powerful zoom, at which the maximum level of resolution is only 10 megapixels to preserve the clarity and naturalness of the picture and to prevent the appearance of digital noise. There is optical stabilization for one camera, the rest use software processing methods. The cost of the device is 49,990 rubles, and this can be considered the main disadvantage.

Huawei P20 Pro

2019 Chinese flagship smartphones

In addition to world famous brands, a large number of interesting models from Chinese manufacturers that compete with more expensive devices advertised brands.

Honor View 10

Model with a 5.99-inch display with a resolution of 2160 × 1080 pixels. The device is equipped with the proprietary HiSilicon Kirin 970 processor, which provides good performance. The built-in battery capacity is 3750 mAh. There is a fingerprint scanner. The main camera is equipped with a dual module of 16 and 20 megapixels, respectively, the front camera has a resolution of 13 megapixels. The operating system is preinstalled with Android 8.0. The cost of the device is 28,300 rubles for the version with 128 GB of internal storage.

Honor View 10

Xiaomi Mi 6 64GB

An updated line of devices under the Mi index, which is distinguished by an attractive design and improved case materials. This device is equipped with the previous version of the processor - Snapdragon 835, but it has 6 GB of RAM. The battery capacity is 3350 mAh. The diagonal of the screen is 5.15 inches. At the back is a 12 megapixel dual camera module. One drawback is the lack of a standard headphone jack. The cost of the model is 23,000 rubles.

Xiaomi Mi 6 64GB

Huawei Honor 9

A model that can already be considered outdated in terms of time of release, but still retains its position in the market as a fairly powerful device. The hardware platform consists of a HiSilicon Kirin 960 processor and 6GB of RAM. The diagonal of the screen is 5.15 inches. Battery capacity - 3200 mAh. A dual module is used as the main camera: 12 megapixel color, 20 megapixel monochrome. The cost of the device is 20,990 rubles for the version with 64 GB of memory.

Huawei Honor 9

Xiaomi Mi 8

Another model from the successful line of the brand, which appeared in Russia on June 8, 2019. The device has a 6.21-inch display made using AMOLED technology. The amount of RAM is 6 GB, ROM is 128 GB. The battery capacity is 3400 mAh. The smartphone is powered by the new Snapdragon 845 processor. According to the AnTuTu rating, the model is in third place in terms of performance at the time of release. There is a 12 megapixel dual camera, the front one has a resolution of 20 megapixels. The device also boasts a 3D scanning facial recognition system. The cost of the novelty is 30 390 rubles.

Xiaomi Mi 8

Which smartphone to buy in 2019: editorial opinion

There is no single recipe for choosing the best smartphone. It all depends on the requirements and needs of the end user. If the issue of price-quality ratio comes first, then it is better to take a closer look at Chinese manufacturers offering models that are in no way inferior to flagships from famous brands.

If you need a functional phone for work, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is one of the best available today. This device has a screen diagonal of 6.3 inches, has a high-quality dual camera, convenient location of the fingerprint, the most modern processor, and as a nice bonus - stylus. In this modification, additional functions were attached to it, and an ordinary plastic pen became a full-fledged working tool.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

For those who do not count money and want to become the owner of the coolest smartphone, the choice is unambiguous - a novelty from An Apple That Will Not Only Become An Indicator Of Its Owner's Status, But It Will Also Become A Reliable Worker tool.

Expected novelties of the smartphone market

Each company has already managed to announce some new items - or rather, their ideas regarding the release of flagships next year.

Samsung is talking about flexible smartphones that will be both tablet and phone very soon. Apple promises to release an updated version of the iPhone X model, from which it is planned to remove the annoying "eyebrow" for users.

Also, most manufacturers are talking about the mass production of smartphones with an on-screen fingerprint scanner. But so far, only a few Chinese models have received this idea.

OnePlus 7 is among the most anticipated smartphones of the near future. The sixth version did not become such a breakthrough as the first modifications were, but users believe that the company will be able to regain its former glory.

Another innovation expected in all flagships expected in 2019 will be the presence of support for fifth generation (5G) networks, which have already been tested.

You can find out how to choose the right flagship smartphone, as well as what features they have, from the presented video.