Along with the rest of 2020, it has been a crazy and difficult year to predict for smartphones. Samsung started the year with the launch of its most expensive cell phone in history, the S20 Ultra, and ended with one of its best deals, the Galaxy S20 FE.
Google launched its flagship Pixel 5, it did so in the mid-range and offered its best design yet, while a OnePlus mobile managed to top the price tag of $ 1,000. Plus, Apple launched its smaller iPhone since iPhone 5. And they all came with 5G.
But among all this, which model managed to become the winner of 2020?
The mobiles
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is Samsung’s best cell phone yet, even with a slightly inferior camera and a slightly lower battery power than the S20 Ultra.
OnePlus 8 Pro: OnePlus has given it their all this year in the mobile department, attacking both the high end and the low end with more models than ever before. Even with the later 8T, the 8 Pro is my preference, especially now that it’s cheaper.
Google Pixel 5: Google made a drastic change with its smartphones this year, but the Pixel 5 is still one of the best Android phones thanks to Android 11.
iPhone 12: You could argue that the added cost of the iPhone 12 Pro ($ 1,159 / MXN $ 27,499) is justified, but unless you take a lot of zooming photos, the iPhone 12 is your best bet.
Keep in mind that the Android phones chosen are the best in the United States. This means that Huawei, which continues to innovate with its cameras and speed, and Xiaomi, which impressed us with the Mi 10 Ultra, were not included.
iPhone vs Android: design
The mobiles included here may not fold or rotate, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have their own identity. They haven’t reinvented anything, but each has its own unique touch that sets it apart from the others and stands out from the rest.
First, let’s see its size and screen.
Dimensions (from the biggest to the smallest)
- Note 20 Ultra: 164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1 mm
- OnePlus 8 Pro: 165.3 x 74.3 x 8.5 mm
- iPhone 12: 146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4 mm
- Pixel 5: 144.7 x 70.4 x 8.0 mm
Screen / body ratio (from highest to lowest)
- Note 20 Ultra: 91.63%
- OnePlus 8 Pro: 90.79%
- iPhone 12: 87.45%
- Pixel 5: 86.75%
The Note 20 Ultra is without a doubt a Samsung, with a huge Infinity curved display, a camera selfie integrated and very thin frames above and below the screen.
Like the other previous notes, it has a very rectangular aesthetic that makes it appear more elongated than it is, while the camera bulge in the right corner is a bit large and sticks out more than in any other mobile analyzed. here.
The best color is the new Matte Mystic Bronze, which is a mix between gold and rose gold. But you will surely want to protect it with a blanket. On the one hand, it’s all glass, and on the other hand, its size makes it a bit difficult to hold even with two hands.
The rectangular edges, flat surface, and camera bump look good, but when combined, they make it a little odd to grab hold of. It is much heavier than all the other mobiles on the list.
Weight (from the most to the least heavy)
- Note 20 Ultra: 208 grams
- OnePlus 8 Pro: 199 grams
- iPhone 12: 164 grams
- Pixel 5: 151 grams
The Pixel 5 is not only the lightest of the bunch, but it’s also one of the prettiest. Google has done a good job with its latest Pixel phone, offering its first design that doesn’t feature huge bezels.
In fact, it’s the only Android mobile (that I know of) to be surrounded by universal bezels, giving the Pixel 5 a balanced and symmetrical aesthetic, similar to that of the iPhone 12.
Beyond that, it’s like any Pixel. The silhouette is the same as the original model, and the square camera setup is roughly the same as the Pixel 4. With very thin bezels, the camera selfie it is now in the upper left corner of the screen and is barely visible.
The Pixel 5 is the only mobile here that isn’t glass, but it’s not aluminum either. The back is covered with an environmentally friendly plastic resin which gives the mobile a strange texture and does not appear premium. Of course, we love the Sorta Sage color and the chrome power button stands out.
The OnePlus 8 Pro is surely the least recognizable of the bunch, but that doesn’t mean it’s bland or boring. It has a fantastic curved screen and it’s the only phone here that doesn’t have a very large camera setup.
The panel angles perfectly match the shape of the mobile, and the screen’s top and bottom bezels are extremely thin, virtually giving it an edge-to-edge screen aesthetic that’s comfortable to handle.
The back is glass but is frosted so it won’t smudge fingerprints as easily as the Note 20 and iPhone 12. The two new colors, Glacial Green (8GB RAM) and Ultramarine Blue (12GB RAM) s ‘fit well to the sides of the panel and look great.
At first glance, the iPhone 12 looks a lot like the iPhone 11 it replaces, but the small changes Apple has made are significant. The most obvious is the size of the bezel. On the iPhone 11, the bezels were quite large at 5.57mm, but on the iPhone 12, they were only 3.47mm.
The iPhone 12 is also thinner and lighter than the iPhone 11, and since Apple has returned to the “flat” design for its edges and for the screen, the mobile has an aesthetic that makes it look and feel. smaller than it is.
It is also much lighter than the other glass mobiles on the list. Granted: its screen is smaller than that of the Note 20 and the OnePlus 8 Pro, but the difference in weight and distribution is palpable when you hold it.
Instead, the Note 20 is quite heavy, and while the Pixel 5 is significantly lighter, it doesn’t feel so much of a mobile. premiumbut rather a cheap plastic. The iPhone 12 strikes a good balance between balance and build quality.
the notch Fairly large, as well as the striking camera setup, but the overall design of the iPhone 12 is the prettiest Apple has produced in years. It is solid, symmetrical, elegant and stands out in a market full of curved rectangles.
As mobiles become seamless with big screens and cameras, Apple continues to find a way to dominate the market with smart iterations and personality.
Our choice: iPhone 12
iPhone vs Android: screen
The screens of smartphones premium They’ve reached a point where they all get an A + score from DisplayMate, so whichever phone you choose, you’ll have one of the best displays ever.
Before we get into size, brightness, and pixel density, the main difference between Android phones and the iPhone 12 is screen speed. While the iPhone 12 has a 60Hz cap, the Pixel 5 runs at 90Hz, and the Note 20 Ultra and 8 Pro have a 120Hz refresh rate.
Higher refresh rates mean you should be able to scroll faster or games and videos will perform better on these mobiles, especially when you go from 60Hz to 120Hz on the Note 20 Ultra and OnePlus Pro.
But Apple does such a good job of calibrating its screen and optimizing its operating system that the iPhone 12 doesn’t seem slower than 120Hz cell phones. The same can be said of the resolution.
The iPhone 12 and Pixel 5 have Full HD + displays at 1080p, while the Note 20 Ultra and OnePlus 8 Pro have Quad HD + displays at 1440p. (One downside, however, is that you can only use 1080p resolution with the 120Hz refresh rate on the Note 20 Ultra.)
The difference is negligible. While the Pixel 5 has its own issues with color saturation and brightness, both displays are just as crisp and have the same pixel density as QHD displays. And the iPhone 12 is just as rich and vibrant. If I hadn’t seen the spec list, I wouldn’t have known that the iPhone 12 has fewer pixels.
Apple may not have changed the resolution of its “Super Retina XDR display,” but it did add a small change that makes it even better than the other phones on this list.
Apple calls it “Ceramic Shield” and it was designed so that your mobile screen won’t break if dropped from a distance. Luckily I wasn’t able to verify it, but after a month of using it without a screen protector, I haven’t seen a single scratch like I do on other phones, including the most popular iPhones. more recent.
While all the mobiles on this list can be considered “big”, there is practically an inch of difference between the smallest and the largest. It may not sound like much, but the difference becomes palpable when using them.
Screen size (from the smallest to the biggest)
- Pixel 5: 6 inch
- iPhone 12: 6.1 inch
- OnePlus 8 Pro: 6.78 inch
- Note 20 Ultra: 6.9 inch
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is not only the biggest mobile here, but it has one of the prettiest displays I’ve ever used. Colors are vibrant without being overly saturated, photos are rich in detail and vivid (up to 1600 nits), and videos are vibrant and smooth. It’s hard to find a corn, except maybe it’s too big.
That said, the OnePlus 8 Pro isn’t too small than the Note 20, and it’s also visually stunning. Like the Note 20, the edges are curved and its Quad HD + 3168 x 1440 resolution is bright and vibrant. It’s crisp and clear, but in my opinion the white balance isn’t always accurate and has a purple tint compared to other displays.
And as I said before, the iPhone 12’s display is also impressive. But when it comes to speed, clarity, brightness, and depth, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra stands out above the rest. Even at 1080p resolution, Apple comes very close to the Note 20 Ultra. And if the iPhone 13 has the supposed 120Hz ProMotion display, it just might beat it.
Our pick: Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
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