2017 has been a year of revolutionary flagships. The mobility sector has seen a tremendous growth and now it is time to have a look at 2017’s best flagship smartphones.
Let’s go:
#01 Samsung Galaxy Note 8
This season, the Note comes with another advantage over the S8, the dual camera. It offers 2x optical zoom and improved bokeh effects. It still offers excellent image quality in both good and low light. While a bit late to the party, Samsung was the first to add OIS to the secondary camera, a vital feature for telephoto shots.
#02 Apple iPhone X
The iPhone X excels in design and build, it has one of the best smartphone screens, unmatched performance, and top-notch camera experience. It also aced our audio lab test and has one of the best stereo speakers right now. The Face ID exceeded expectations and the mini Kinect inside the notch work great and may as well become the next industry standard. Apple did great in picking and packing the hardware for the iPhone X.
#03 Google Pixel 2
The Pixel 2 is just as good as the XL, only smaller, cheaper, and not as good-looking. It’s got a display that doesn’t turn blue when you look at it off-centre (it’s a little sad that we need to point it out in 2017), it takes top-quality photos and videos, and runs Android as Google intended it to be. As an added bonus, it’s reasonably priced – by 2017 standards, that is.
#04 Samsung Galaxy S8
It is tall, okay. But tall is not what makes a phone hard to use with one hand, wide is. And wide the Galaxy S8 isn’t.
But for all its pocket-friendliness, the Galaxy S8 is pretty much identical to its less space-conscious sibling – the same processor, cameras and software – only less battery, and smaller diagonal. Best of all – easier on the pocket in that other way.
#05 Apple iPhone 8 Plus
The “plus” iPhones are typically the ones that stand out. The ones that close the specs gap between Apple and the rest, the ones that are more likely to get Android users interested if you will. The ones that get the better treatment and superior equipment. The ones that can do more and do it better.It has great build quality, its screen is truly impressive, and it’s just incredibly fast. The new camera setup has some very nice improvements, and the loud stereo speakers will easily impress you. The base storage is doubled and the new file formats for photo and video take up half the space.
#06 OnePlus 5T
A top-quality display is one thing the 5T has going for it, and it doesn’t hurt that the battery can keep it powered for quite a while. And while premium materials have trickled down into the midrange, the silky aluminium body of the OnePlus handset wouldn’t be out of place on a phone twice its price.
You can also call us fans of OxygenOS. It’s the best of both worlds – stock Android ambience, but with extra features to make your life easier. Face unlock is a prime example – an old and buried built-in Android feature brought to life with just a little extra work. Well done!
#07 Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
It definitely took more than a few years, but Xiaomi has arguably managed to traverse the tough road from a start-up underdog to a respectable player in the mobile phone industry – capable of offering exquisite high-end products along with traditionally good value devices to an increasingly international scene. Lofty generalizations aside, even if you don’t appreciate the Chinese manufacturer for what it is and how far it has come, it is really hard to deny the appeal of devices like the Mi Mix 2.
