The most sophisticated phone. The most powerful smartphones

Despite the fact that the bulk of smartphone sales in the world are made up of models in the budget and mid-price segments, the main attention is usually drawn to the release of so-called flagships - the best and most expensive smartphones in the model range of various manufacturers. Flagships are interesting because they primarily implement technical innovations, which then migrate to cheaper devices. The price of flagships from the world's leading brands at the start of sales can exceed a thousand dollars. Those who are unable to pay that kind of money, but want to get their hands on a flagship smartphone, can either wait for the price to drop after a few months or buy last year's flagship, the price of which usually drops after a replacement is released on the market.

This ranking presents the top 10 best flagship smartphones for December 2017. The rating is based on technical characteristics, price-quality ratio and reviews in the Yandex Market (this rule does not apply to new products that have not yet accumulated reviews). The rating includes the flagships of six of(American company Apple, South Korean Samsung and LG, Chinese Huawei and Xiaomi). The top ten global manufacturers also include Chinese brands Oppo, Vivo, TCL, Lenovo, ZTE, but the products of the first three are not represented in Russia. As for Lenovo, this company has been focusing in recent years on the budget segment, and produces flagship models under its subsidiary Motorola brand, which is mainly focused on the American market. ZTE has not yet released a truly bright flagship in 2017. Instead, the ranking includes leading Taiwanese manufacturer ASUS, Chinese brands OnePlus (which is a subsidiary brand of Oppo) and Meizu.

Honor 9 4GB/64GB

The average price in Russia is 19,500 rubles. Buy Honor 9 on AliExpress possible for 18.7 thousand rubles (delivery to Russia is free).

The new flagship of the Huawei sub-brand went on sale on July 6, 2017 and today has received 68% of five reviews in Yandex Market.Number of recommendations in Yandex Market - 83%.

Technical characteristics of the model: 5.15-inch screen with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, Android 7.0 operating system, 64 GB of permanent and 4 GB of RAM, support for two SIM cards, the slot for the second SIM card is combined with a slot for a memory card up to 256 GB. Battery capacity 3200 mAh. Eight-core Kirin 960 processor of its own design with Mali-G71 MP8 graphics accelerator. Fingerprint scanner on the front panel. Body made of 15 layers of tempered glass.

The cameras are almost the same as the flagship of the main brand Huawei P10: a color dual camera module with a 12-megapixel sensor and an f/2.2 aperture collaborates with a 20-megapixel black and white camera, 2x zoom without loss of quality. The only difference is that there is no optical stabilization. Software stabilization remains, but it copes worse with shaking during video recording and taking photos on the go. At the same time, when shooting under normal conditions, you will not notice any difference in the quality of shooting, so there is little point in overpaying 4.5 thousand for optical stabilization, as well as the logos of Huawei and Leica (which helped develop the camera for Huawei P10) on the body. The front camera, like the Huawei P10, has an 8 megapixel sensor.

9th place.

Huawei Mate 10 Pro 6/128GB

The average price in Russia is 44,700 rubles. You can buy Huawei Mate 10 on AliExpress for 42 thousand rubles (delivery to Russia is free). As of today, the model has scored 71% of fives according to reviews in Yandex Market. The number of recommendations in Yandex Market is 79%.

Huawei has three flagship lines, the eldest of which is the Mate family. At the same time, the cost of the Mate models does not fit into the Chinese standards of affordable prices, although it is worth considering that Huawei is a representative of the top three smartphone manufacturers in the world along with Samsung and Apple, and if you compare the price of the Mate 10 Pro with the flagships of these manufacturers, it is noticeably lower . For example, Apple iPhone X 64GB costs 68 thousand rubles, that is, one and a half times more expensive, and Samsung Galaxy S9+ 128GB costs 54 thousand rubles, that is, 20% more expensive.

Like the Samsung and Apple flagships mentioned above, the Mate 10 Pro, which went on sale in October 2017, follows the trend of almost frameless smartphones, due to which the body is approximately the same as a 5.5-inch smartphone with a 6-inch OLED screen with a resolution of 2160x1080.

Huawei has been collaborating with the famous German camera company Leica in recent years, resulting in some of the best camera quality in the world. This model has a dual main camera, one of the sensors of which has a resolution of 12 megapixels and is responsible for colors, and the second with a resolution of 20 megapixels is monochrome and provides high image clarity. The camera's aperture is a fantastic f/1.6 (the smaller this figure, the better; for comparison: the Galaxy Note 8 has f/1.7, and the 10th iPhone has f/2.4). In practice, this means that low-light photos will be even clearer, and black and white photos will be very expressive. Optical image stabilization should also help with image clarity. In addition, the camera has a 4-in-1 autofocus combo, which greatly reduces the time required to focus. The front camera has an 8 megapixel sensor with f/2.0 aperture. Photo resource Dxomark gave the Huawei flagship camera an average score of 97, 100 points for photography, and 91 points for video.

Other characteristics: Android 8.0 OS, 8-core HiSilicon Kirin 970 processor, 128 GB of internal and 6 GB of RAM, no memory card slot, support for two SIM cards. The battery has a capacity of 4000 mAh, this is one of the best indicators among flagships. There is a fast charging function. There is a fingerprint scanner on the back panel.

At the presentation of this model, the following was said: “The Huawei Mate 10 series introduces the first neural processor with support for artificial intelligence, ushering in the era of smart smartphones.”

Xiaomi Mi Note 3 64Gb - the most inexpensive of the best camera phones

Average price in Russia - 19,980 rubles. Buy Mi Note 3 64Gb on AliExpress possible for 19 thousand rubles (delivery to Russia is free). The phone, introduced in September 2017, has currently scored 79% of five reviews in Yandex Market and received 93% of recommendations for purchase.

Technical characteristics: 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1920x1080, 64 GB of internal memory and 6 GB of RAM, 2 SIM cards. Battery capacity 3500 mAh. 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor. There is a fingerprint scanner. Metal body.

The main thing you need to pay attention to in this model is the cameras. Mi Note 3 has 3 cameras: dual main and front. The main cameras produce a 12-megapixel image. One of them is wide-angle with a focal length of 27 mm, f/1.8 aperture and optical stabilization. The second has a focal length of 52 mm, an aperture of f/2.6 and does not have optical stabilization. The second main camera is used for dual optical zoom. The cameras are accompanied by a two-tone flash, allowing for more natural color reproduction when shooting indoors. The front camera received a 16-megapixel matrix from Samsung. Specialists from the photo resource Dxomark gave the Mi Note 3 camera very good marks - 94 points for photography, which corresponds to seventh place. For comparison, the iPhone 8 scored 93 points for photography. The video shooting did not impress the Dxomark editors so much; Mi Note 3 received 82 points for it. The average score was 90, which corresponds to an overall eighth place. For a smartphone costing less than 20 thousand rubles, the result is simply amazing. For comparison: iPhone 8 costs 2 times more, and almost all camera phones from the top ten cost at least 35 thousand rubles (with the exception of HTC U11 EYEs for 25 thousand, which will be discussed above). Therefore, Mi Note 3 is the best choice for those who want a smartphone with a very good camera, but are willing to spend no more than 20 thousand rubles on the purchase.

Meizu Pro 7 Plus 64GB

Buy Meizu Pro 7 Plus 64GB on AliExpress possible for 21.5 thousand rubles (delivery to Russia is free). The older version of the new flagship went on sale in September 2017 and today has received 57% of five reviews in Yandex Market and 84% of recommendations for purchase.

The main thing that distinguishes this model from the entire previous Meizu model range is the second display with a SuperAMOLED matrix with a diagonal of 1.9 inches and a resolution of 240x536 pixels. This display is designed to display information about time, weather and incoming notifications. With it you can take selfies with the main camera. The main display is also SuperAMOLED, 5.7 inches diagonal and 2560x1440 resolution. Technical characteristics: Android 7.0 operating system, 64 GB of storage and 6 GB of RAM, without a slot for an external memory card. Two SIM cards. Battery capacity - 3500 mAh. There is a fingerprint scanner. MediaTek Helio X30 10-core processor. Metal body.

Dual camera 12+12 megapixels. One module is color, the second is monochrome. Aperture at f/2.0 each. The front camera has the same aperture, its resolution is 16 megapixels. It is worth noting that the photographic resource Dxomark was not impressed with the Meizu Pro 7 camera and gave it a slightly higher photography score than the iPhone 6 - 74 points. For comparison: the Xiaomi Mi Note 3 camera (which costs 4 thousand rubles cheaper than the Meizu Pro 7) received 94 points for photography, beating the 8th iPhone.

The technical characteristics are largely the same as in the Meizu Pro 7: a second 1.9-inch 240x536 display, Android 7.0 operating system, 64 GB of permanent memory, without a slot for an external memory card. Two SIM cards. There is a fingerprint scanner. Metal body. Dual camera 12+12 megapixels. Front 16 mp.

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus 64GB is the most popular smartphone in the Xiaomi catalog

Average price in Russia - 12,500 rubles. Buy Redmi 5 Plus 64GB on AliExpress possible for 10.1 thousand rubles (delivery to Russia is free).

Model from Xiaomi,presented in December 2017 andwhich went on sale in Russia in January 2018, has currently scored 81% of fives according to reviews in Yandex Market and received 95% of recommendations for purchase there.This delight of buyers is easily explained: while leading smartphone manufacturers are trying to conquer the market of frameless models, focusing on the flagship segment, Xiaomi follows this trend in the budget segment (although it is worth noting that in the flagship segment, Xiaomi has a decent frameless model Mi Mix 2), namely in the new Redmi 5 and Redmi 5 Plus. We chose the older model for rating mainly because of its better display.

The first thing you need to notice about the Redmi 5 Plus is the huge 5.99-inch IPS screen. A couple of years ago, a phone with such a screen would have been a shovel for a narrow circle of connoisseurs of such models, but in the era of frameless smartphones, an increase in screen size had virtually no effect on the increase in body size. If we compare the 6-inch Redmi 5 Plus with the standard 5.5-inch Xiaomi Redmi Note 4X, we will see that the Redmi 5 Plus is half a millimeter smaller in width and thickness, only the length has changed, it is 7.5 mm longer, but this means that the Redmi 5 Plus, just like the standard models, will easily fit in your pocket or hand. The resolution is also impressive at 2160x1080, while budget smartphones tend to offer a maximum resolution of 1920x1080.

Other characteristics: Android 7.1 OS with MIUI 9.1 proprietary shell. 64 GB of permanent memory and 4 GB of RAM, there is a slot for a memory card (combined with a slot for a second SIM card). Powerful battery with a capacity of 4000 mAh. 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor. There is a fingerprint scanner. Metal body. Main camera 12 MP, front camera 5 MP.

LG V30 Plus

The average price in Russia is 49,140 rubles.

The flagship of the South Korean manufacturer went on sale in December 2017 and today has received 81% of fives in Yandex Market and 89% of recommendations for purchase.It’s worth saying right away that there is a standard version of the LG V30, and it differs from the “plus” version not in the size of the case, but in the memory capacity, it is half the size, and the price in Russia is no lower, so the “plus” model was chosen for the rating.

The V30+ continues the tradition of a frameless screen, started in the spring of 2017 by the LG G6, while the screen, due to the disappearance of the “LG” inscription from the front panel, has become even larger - 6 inches (in the G6 it was 5.7 inches) with the same QHD+ resolution (2880x1440) . The display matrix has become noticeably better: the LG G6 had IPS, and the new flagship has P-OLED.

Another major improvement over the G6 is the more powerful Snapdragon 835 processor with 4GB of RAM. The volume of built-in memory is 128 GB. Usually, with such a memory capacity, manufacturers do not consider it necessary to support a memory card, but not LG: the V30+ supports a memory card, and even of a fantastic size of 2 GB.

Android 7.1 OS, dual SIM support. Battery 3300 mAh. The battery life in talk mode is 12.2 hours, in standby mode - three and a half days. To fully charge (0-100%) the smartphone will take approximately 1 hour 45 minutes. Fingerprint scanner on the back panel.

The main camera of the LG V30+ has two modules with different focal lengths. The first 16 megapixel sensor received hybrid autofocus (PDAF + laser), optical stabilization and a lens with an excellent f/1.6 aperture. The second is wide-angle with a resolution of 13 megapixels and an aperture of f/1.9. The front camera is underwhelming: the resolution is only 5 megapixels, f/2.2 aperture and 90° viewing angle.

The Dxomark resource gave the LG V30+ a low score - 87 points for photography, not making it into the top 10 best cameras. In blind tests, the LG V30+ performed better: in a comparison of six flagships conducted by the Phonearena resource, the LG V30+ won two out of nine tests, losing only to the iPhone X and sharing second place with the Google Pixel 2 XL. They lost to OnePlus 5T and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 (each of which won only one test), and Huawei Mate 10 Pro (which did not win a single test).

It is worth noting the excellent sound in the headphones even with a standard headset. This is due to the fact that an advanced ESS Saber ES9218P audio chip is installed inside the LG V30+, which includes a 4-channel 32-bit DAC, an amplifier and a harness.

ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom ZE553KL 64Gb - flagship with the most powerful battery

The average price in Russia is 27,000 rubles. Buy ZenFone 3 Zoom ZE553KL on AliExpress possible for 24.2 thousand rubles (delivery to Russia is free). The new flagship in the ZenFone 3 line from the leading Taiwanese manufacturer went on sale in March 2017 and today received 56% of the five reviews in Yandex Market (see. ). The number of recommendations in Yandex Market is 62%.

Technical characteristics: 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, Android 6.0 operating system, 64 GB of permanent and 4 GB of RAM, there is a slot for a memory card up to 2 TB (combined with a slot for a second SIM card). Battery capacity - 5000 mAh. Battery life in talk mode on 3G networks is up to 48 hours, when browsing websites over a Wi-Fi network up to 25 hours, standby time up to 42 days. ZenFone 3 Zoom supports fast charging technology (10 minutes of recharging will be enough for an additional 5 hours of talk time). 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 MSM8953 processor. There is a fingerprint scanner.

ZenFone 3 Zoom is equipped with two high-quality main cameras. The first, based on the latest Sony IMX362 sensor with large pixels (1.4 microns), has a wide-angle lens with a large aperture (f/1.7) and a 12 megapixel matrix with support for ASUS SuperPixel technology. It is designed for shooting everyday scenes, including in low light. SuperPixel technology allows for a 2.5x improvement in light sensitivity compared to the iPhone 7 Plus. In addition, the camera supports optical and electronic image stabilization to minimize blur when shooting photos and videos, uses a color correction sensor to improve color reproduction, and allows you to record video in 4K/Ultra-HD format. The second of the main cameras - with the same resolution of 12 megapixels and optical zoom of 2.3 times - is used for obtaining high-quality close-up shots. In addition to optical zoom, you can use the digital zoom function, which gives a total image magnification of 12 times. Switching between cameras is instant, and the combination of the two produces stunning depth of field—and professional-looking photos. In manual camera mode, ZenFone 3 Zoom allows you to customize many different photography settings, such as white balance, exposure value, focal length, ISO level and shutter speed.

ZenFone 3 Zoom features ASUS TriTech+ Triple AF system, which includes dual-pixel phase detection autofocus technology similar to that found in DSLR cameras. Phase sensors for focusing are contained in each pixel of the photosensitive matrix, which ensures the fastest and most accurate focusing, even for moving objects. In addition, the ASUS TriTech+ system includes tracking autofocus (for both photos and video) and laser autofocus that fires in just 0.03 seconds.

On its official website, ASUS posted comparative photos of ZenFone 3 Zoom and iPhone 7 Plus, which show that ZenFone 3 Zoom demonstrates better shooting in panorama mode, better color rendition, and copes better with night photography and macro photography.

In a blind comparison test between cameras of flagship smartphones and the Canon 5D Mark II DSLR, conducted in June 2017 among readers of hi-tech.mail.ru, ASUS ZenFone 3 Zoom took 4th place, beating the DSLR camera, as well as the best in the world ( according to the authoritative resource Dxomark) smartphone camera HTC U11. The editors of hi-tech.mail.ru commented on this: “ZenFone 3 Zoom surprised. The smartphone does not belong to the premium category, but readers liked its bright photographs.”

ZenFone 3 Zoom has a high-quality front camera with a 13-megapixel Sony IMX214 sensor and ASUS SuperPixel technology, which further doubles light sensitivity. When shooting in low light conditions, the smartphone screen turns bright white, acting as a flash. Combined with software features like Portrait Enhancement and 140-degree Panoramic Selfies, this camera lets you take highly detailed, great-quality self-portraits—and with all your friends in the frame.

Listening to music with ZenFone 3 Zoom immerses you in a world of sounds that regular smartphones simply can't reproduce - because only ZenFone 3 Zoom supports SonicMaster 3 technology and is certified for high-resolution audio playback.

As we can see, this smartphone has no weak points at all. Typically, flagships suffer from a very average battery, while the powerful battery of the ZenFone 3 Zoom allows you to work without recharging twice as long as the iPhone 7 or Samsung Galaxy S8, while its price is half the price.

ZenFone 3 Zoom takes third place in .

Apple iPhone X 64GB

Average price in Russia -68,000 rubles. The tenth iPhone (X in this case represents the Roman numeral 10) went on sale on November 3, 2017 and today has scored 58% of five reviews in Yandex Market. The number of recommendations in Yandex Market is 64%.

This year the iPhone celebrates its 10th anniversary: the first iPhone went on sale on June 29, 2007. Apple, which in recent years has been offering customers the same eggs, only in profile, finally decided to release something fundamentally new to the market, and it was successful, however, a significant part of the innovations was simply repeated by Android manufacturers, and the rest turned out to be ambiguous. Firstly, the iPhone X received a frameless screen, and even with an OLED matrix. However, this is new only for iPhones, since the frameless display first appeared back in the spring on the Samsung Galaxy S8, and the Galaxy Note 8, which went on sale in September, also has it. As for the OLED display, it is not original, but made by Samsung, and, apparently, Samsung left the best displays for its models, and sold it to Apple with worse quality, since after the release of the iPhone X, users began to complain about screen flickering when the brightness was reduced. The design of the front panel above Apple had the spirit of Samsung in the air, because... if you arrange everything in the best possible way, you will get an exact copy of the Samsung flagships. Apparently for this reason, a strange inclusion in the screen appeared on top of the front panel, which users called a “codpiece”, “beard” or “unibrow”, and it is not convenient to view content in all applications, because the unibrow sometimes creeps up on him. But now it’s very easy to distinguish the iPhone X from all other smartphones.

Samsung has introduced three types of unlocking in its new flagships: the usual fingerprint scanner, face scanning and iris scanning. Apple acted more radically, removed the fingerprint scanner and left only a face scanner, which creates a three-dimensional model of the face and then learns to recognize its owner in new images. But this function has two disadvantages. Firstly, the system does not understand the fact of growing up in children and one day it will stop recognizing them. Therefore, Apple does not recommend using the tenth iPhone for children under 13 years of age. Secondly, facial recognition will not be able to distinguish between twins, so the tenth iPhone is also not recommended for those who have twin brothers or sisters. And also to those who have children similar to them. Available on YouTube video of a 10-year-old boy unlocking his mom's iPhone just by looking at it.

The edge-to-edge display leaves no room for physical buttons. Samsung simply made the buttons touch sensitive. Apple, instead of following a successful example, chose a not very convenient option: gesture control. As a result, using the phone with one hand became impossible in many situations.

When looking at the back panel, you can also immediately distinguish the 10th iPhone from all the others, because The camera block is located not horizontally, but vertically. In this case, the block protrudes so much that the phone cannot lie flat on the table. The problem can only be solved by purchasing a cover. Now about the cameras themselves: they are almost the same as in the iPhone 8 Plus: dual main 12 MP and front 7 MP. At the same time, the aperture was improved from f/2.8 to f/2.4, dual stabilization was introduced, and a portrait mode was added when taking selfies. The Dxomark resource gave the iPhone X camera an average score of 97 (third place after Samsung Galaxy S9+ and Google Pixel 2): 101 points for photography (second place afterSamsung Galaxy S9+) and 89 points for video shooting.

Other characteristics: 5.8-inch screen (actually smaller, since the black notch eats up part of the screen space) with a resolution of 2436x1125 pixels, iOS 11 operating system, 64 GB of storage and 3 GB of RAM, support for one SIM card. The smartphone does not support an external memory card. Battery capacity 2716 mAh. 6-core Apple A11 Bionic processor. Case material - glass. Like other recent iPhones, there is no standard headphone jack, no support for a memory card or a second SIM card.

To summarize, we can say that the iPhone X is a technologically advanced phone that cannot be confused with any other, but some innovations are unique to Apple (since they already exist on Android), while others are ambiguous and do not always lead to user convenience. The high price also does not add to its attractiveness, and the reviews for this model are the worst in our rating. Therefore, the iPhone X is clearly not worthy of first place.

OnePlus 5T 64GB is the most powerful smartphone in the world

The average price in Russia is 32,000 rubles. Buy OnePlus 5T on Aliexpress possible for 29.4 thousand rubles (delivery to Russia is free).

This model, which went on sale in December 2017, is the successor to the OnePlus 5 and differs from its predecessor primarily in the recently fashionable almost frameless screen. The replacement in the form of OnePlus 5T turned out to be very worthy: today this model has 83% of five reviews in Yandex Market, 95% of recommendations for purchase and is the most popular model in the OnePlus catalog.

OnePlus 5T received a 6-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2160x1080. In comparison with OnePlus 5, which had a diagonal of 5.5 inches, the dimensions of the case (it is made of metal, as in OnePlus 5) have remained virtually unchanged: it has increased only 1 mm in width and 2 mm in height. This was achieved by moving the fingerprint scanner from the front panel to the back and generally more efficient use of the front panel.

Android 7.1 OS, support for two SIM cards (of which only the first one supports 4G LTE, and the second only 3G), 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. 64 GB of permanent memory and 6 GB of RAM. If OnePlus 5 was the most powerful Android smartphone in the world, then OnePlus 5T, judging by the tests of several video bloggers, is the most powerful smartphone not only among Android models, but also surpasses the iPhone X. For example, a test on the EverythingApplePro YouTube channel demonstrated that While the tenth iPhone launched one application, the OnePlus 5T launched six.

OnePlus 5T received a battery with a capacity of 3300 mAh, like OnePlus 5. Like its predecessor, OnePlus 5T, despite the average battery capacity, shows good battery life, comparable and even superior to models with a battery of at least 4000 mAh . For example, the OnePlus 5T has a reading time of 19 hours and 20 minutes, which is 20 minutes longer than the Xiaomi Mi Mix with a 4400 mAh battery and an hour longer than the Huawei Mate 10 Pro with a 4000 mAh battery. If we compare OnePlus 5T with Samsung Galaxy Note 8, which has a battery with the same capacity, then OnePlus 5T outperforms its competitor quite significantly, working 4 hours 20 minutes longer in reading mode and 2.5 hours in video mode.

Fast charging is still just as fast: in 30 minutes, the OnePlus 5T charges up to 57%, which is enough for a day of use. It takes 1 hour and 10 minutes to charge a smartphone from 0 to 100%.

The 5T has a dual photo module consisting of a 16-megapixel Sony IMX 398 sensor and a second 20-megapixel Sony IMX 376. Both sensors are equipped with optics with an f/1.7 aperture. If in OnePlus 5 the second main sensor was used for 2x optical zoom, now it serves for better shooting in low light conditions. The front camera is equipped with a 16-megapixel Sony IMX371 sensor, supports auto-retouching and allows you to use light from the screen instead of flash.

OnePlus 5T has a face recognition feature that works in 0.4 seconds. However, for security reasons, facial recognition cannot be used for payments.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 64GB - the flagship with the largest screen

Average price in Russia - 54,450 rubles.

Samsung's autumn flagship went on sale on September 15, 2017 and today has scored 70% of the five stars according to reviews in Yandex Market. The number of recommendations in Yandex Market is 83%.

Samsung has made it a rule to release two flagships a year: in the spring, the flagship of the Galaxy S family, and closer to the fall, a more advanced flagship of the Galaxy Note family with a stylus. However, last year the Galaxy Note 7 was withdrawn from sales shortly after they began due to battery problems, so the new flagship Galaxy Note 8 was actually the first in its class in two years.

Samsung in its new flagship follows the recent trend towards large screens, while being one step ahead of its competitors. While Apple in the 10th iPhone came to the need to increase the diagonal to 5.8 inches (as in the spring Galaxy S8), the Galaxy Note 8 received a fantastic diagonal of 6.3 inches (the resolution is also impressive: 2960x1440). It has become slightly larger in body size than the Galaxy S8: width 7.5 cm versus 6.8, height 16.2 cm versus 14.9, but due to the competent use of screen area (it is frameless, like in the Galaxy S8) the dimensions and the weight of the glass-metal body are comparable to the classic 5.5-inch models of competitors. For example, the Apple iPhone 8 Plus with a 5.5-inch screen is 0.3 cm wider and 7 grams heavier than the Galaxy Note 8, although the latter is 0.4 cm longer. The quality of the AMOLED display itself deserves all praise: the authoritative resource DisplayMate claims that the Galaxy Note 8 has "the most innovative and high-performance screen the site has ever tested."

If from the front the Galaxy Note 8 differs from the Galaxy S8 only in the size of the body, then when looking at the back panel these models definitely cannot be confused. Samsung followed another trend in the new flagship: it used a dual main camera for the first time (the Galaxy S8 still had one main camera). The first camera is wide-angle, with a focal length of 26 mm and an aperture of f/1.7. The second is a narrow TV camera with 52 mm. This roughly corresponds to the viewing angle of the human eye, so it is also suitable for taking portraits without distorting perspective. Both modules have a resolution of 12 megapixels. Both modules have optical stabilization (the same technique was later repeated by the iPhone X). Now you can shoot smooth videos and sharp photos not only in normal mode, but also with 2x optical zoom. The Dxomark resource named the Galaxy Note 8 the best smartphone for zoom (enlarging the image when shooting). For example, according to this indicator, it received 66 points versus 58 for the iPhone X. Samsung added a “dynamic focus” function for the second camera. By turning it on, you can adjust the amount of background blur before and after releasing the shutter. In this case, the smartphone saves photos from both cameras. The front camera of the Galaxy Note 8 has the same aperture as the main one - f/1.7, resolution 8 megapixels.

Now about the stylus, which comes included and distinguishes the Galaxy Note 8 from other flagships. What is it for? Draw, write down reminders, make notes on photos. You don't even need to unlock the screen to write and edit notes. In addition, by pressing with the stylus, you can translate words in a foreign language text. Of course, most people will rarely need a stylus, but for creative people it will be a real boon.

Galaxy Note 8 has 64 GB of internal memory, as well as support for an external memory card up to 256 GB (iPhone X does not support memory cards), but you will have to choose what to insert into the tray: a second SIM card or a memory card. The 8-core Samsung Exynos 9 8895 processor, coupled with 6 GB of RAM, makes the Note 8 the second most powerful Android smartphone in the world (the first is OnePlus 5).

After the failure with the batteries of the Galaxy Note 7 in the new flagship, Samsung decided not to experiment with this component and equipped the phone with a standard 3300 mAh battery, this allows the Note 8 to work 22 hours in talk mode and 74 hours in music listening mode. There is a fast charging function. Half an hour at the outlet, and the battery will last for 3-4 hours. Charging from 0 to 100% will take 1 hour 41 minutes.

There are three types of unlocking: the usual fingerprint scanner, face scanning and iris scanning. At the same time, the fingerprint scanner located on the rear panel will be more convenient for men, because... It will not be very convenient for women to reach it due to the size of the case.

It’s obvious that even after the release of the iPhone X, the Galaxy Note 8 remains the best smartphone in the world. A lot has already been said about technical differences, now let’s compare reviews, recommendations and prices for the two main flagships of the fall: Galaxy Note 8 scores 69% of fives in Yandex Market vs. 55% for the iPhone, the number of recommendations in Yandex Market is even more in favor of Samsung: 71% versus 43%, while the price of the Galaxy Note 8 is 16.4 thousand rubles less than the iPhone X.

There was a time when computers operated using a simple single-core processor. But gradually the power of the components began to increase. Then something similar began to happen with smartphones. Nowadays, many models cope with various tasks better and faster than a desktop computer, not to mention a laptop! In today's selection we will look at the most powerful smartphones. In this case, we will focus on AnTuTu, since it is it that best evaluates the performance of portable equipment. Data is as of February 2019.

What does power depend on?

The results of benchmark testing are influenced by a variety of components:

CPU- it is this that is the key to power; with a weak chipset, no other component can provide high speed;
RAM- the number of simultaneously running applications depends on its volume, and its functionality is also affected by its throughput;
Persistent memory- if it is slow, then the programs will work very slowly;
Graphics accelerator- Playing videos and launching 3D games depend on it.

The remaining components affect the breadth of functionality rather than performance.

Huawei Mate 20

CPU: Kirin 970, 8 cores, 2*2.6 GHz, 2*1.92 GHz, 4*1.8 GHz
Graphics accelerator: Mali-G76
RAM:
AnTuTu benchmark rating: 303903

Price: 37,990 rub.

The fastest device as of February 2019 remains the Mate 20. The device received a chipset of Huawei’s own design and, as tests show, this solution is the most effective, overtaking the top-end Snapdragon 845 processor. The model is interesting not only for its performance, but also for its new body coating, which is designed to improve the aesthetic impression and successfully prevent fingerprints. The device has an excellent camera with three matrices - 8+12+16 megapixels, SuperCharge, a good level of autonomy and high-quality sound with Dolby Atmos.

Advantages:

Flaws:

None.

Honor Magic 2

CPU:
Graphics accelerator: Mali-G76
RAM: 6 GB
AnTuTu benchmark rating: 298628

Price – from 37,000 rubles.

Advantages:

Flaws:

The case quickly becomes covered with fingerprints, which significantly spoils the impression.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro

CPU: Kirin 980, 8 cores, 2*2.6 GHz, 2*1.92 GHz, 4*1.58 GHz
Graphics accelerator: Mali-G76
RAM: 6 GB
AnTuTu benchmark rating: 297294

Price: from 55,490 rubles.

Third place in the ranking is occupied by the older version of Mate 20, marked Pro. The device features a more recent chipset, has an AMOLED matrix compared to the previous device, and also has a different cutout - “eyebrow” versus “drop”. The device features an increased battery capacity of 4200 mAh, as well as support for fast and wireless charging technology. Mate 20 Pro can become a power bank for another smartphone. The device has IP68 water resistance, which makes it more interesting, but the most important advantage is the powerful camera, recognized as one of the best in the world in 2018. It consists of three modules – 40+20+8 MP s. The device has a full set of interfaces, including NFC. Sound is provided with Dolby Atmos.

Advantages:

Flaws:

Type-C does not always accept external media correctly.

OnePlus 6T

CPU: Snapdragon 845, 8 cores, 4*2.8 GHz, 4*1.7 GHz
Graphics accelerator: Adreno 630
RAM: 6/8 GB
AnTuTu benchmark rating: 296010

Price: from 34,000 rubles.

Xiaomi Mi5S

CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 MSM 8996 Pro
Graphics accelerator: Adreno 530
RAM: 4 GB
AnTuTu benchmark rating: 144,135 points

Price: 25,400 rub.

This Chinese smartphone not only has a powerful processor, but also a large number of wireless modules. In particular, the device transmits data via LTE-A category twelve. The 12-megapixel camera resolution may seem insufficient to some, but in practice this is quite enough to get a high-quality photo. In addition, the main camera is complemented by an optical image stabilizer, and its aperture is widened to f/2. Nothing like this can be said about the front camera alone - it really raises questions.

Advantages

Many wireless modules (including Wi-Fi 802.11ac);
Not a bad main camera;
There is a version with 128 GB of permanent memory;
Good IPS display;
You can install two SIM cards;
There is a fingerprint scanner.

Flaws

The simplest front camera (4 MP);
No memory card slot;
Not the best sound quality and volume.

OnePlus OnePlus3

CPU: MSM8996
Graphics accelerator: Adreno 530
RAM: 6 GB
AnTuTu benchmark rating: 140,288 points

Price: 34,700 rub.

This is not the most expensive device, especially if you order it outside of Russia. At the same time, it has very powerful components, although they are one generation behind devices released in 2016. On the front panel of the smartphone there is a 5.5-inch screen created using AMOLED technology and having Full HD resolution. However, many buyers note that even despite such an LCD panel, the device cannot provide long-term battery life. But it supports a large number of wireless communication standards

Advantages

Maximum amount of RAM;
Very good cameras (16 and 8 megapixels);
AMOLED screen with high pixel density;
It is possible to install two SIM cards.

Flaws

There is no memory card slot;
Not the longest operating time;
Not the best software.

Vivo Xplay5

CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 MSM8976
Graphics accelerator: Adreno 510
RAM: 4 GB
AnTuTu benchmark rating: 138,706 points

Price: 29,700 rub.

Many Android smartphones are distributed all over the world. But some models are only sold in certain countries. For example, if it is possible to find Xplay5 in Russia, it is with great difficulty. Most often, this device is ordered from Chinese online stores. The phone is relatively inexpensive and deservedly ranks among the most powerful devices. At the same time, the smartphone offers high-speed Internet access via Wi-Fi 802.11ac or LTE. But its main advantage is an AMOLED display with a resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels - until some time only Samsung could build such screens into its products.

Advantages

There is a version with 128 GB of memory;
The screen is created using AMOLED technology and has high resolution;
Good cameras (16 and 8 megapixels);
Many wireless modules;
Decent battery life.

Flaws

There is no microSD card slot;
Old Android 5.1.

Conclusion

Attentive readers may have noticed that market leaders Samsung and Apple were not included in the top most productive smartphones. This confirms that the companies have very serious competitors. If the trend does not change, then both brands may lose their market share, because in terms of other indicators, China and other countries have long looked no worse.

2017 has just crossed its equator, but many smartphone developers have already managed to mark their mark with new products. Compared to last year, the main characteristics of 2017 phones have improved. Cameras and processor frequencies have become better, and record holders for the amount of RAM have emerged. This rating included best phones of 2017– top 10 models.

Huawei P8 Lite is one of the best mobile phones on the market in 2017, announced by the Chinese back in January. And like the Nokia 6 smartphone, the latest version of the Android operating system right out of the box. The advantages of this phone model include high performance. The eight-core HiSilicon Kirin 655 processor with a clock frequency of 2.1 GHz and 3 GB of RAM allow you to use this device to solve all your pressing problems.

Mobile photography lovers can also choose this phone to capture beautiful shots. Yes, 12 MP and f/2 is not an advanced solution on the market today. But, if you compare the cost of Huawei P8 Lite (2017), as well as its hardware, then the choice in its favor seems obvious.

The advantages of Huawei P8 Lite (2017) include a 5.2-inch display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, which is much better compared to the previous phone model. In general, purchasing this phone with an optimal price tag and balanced hardware will be an excellent way to spend your money. The average price of a phone is 16,500 rubles.

9. Xiaomi Mi Max 2

Can any list of the best smartphones today be complete without a Xiaomi representative? Of course not! A special community has already formed around this company, which considers this brand to be the Chinese “Apple”. This may be true. Although none of the developers of the Celestial Empire were called that. But Xiaomi Mi Max 2 made it into our TOP 10 best phones of 2017 for a reason. This is a really cool smartphone, and like all devices of this brand, it has a low price.

Featuring a large 6.44-inch screen with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels and an all-metal body, this phone can replace a small tablet. Yes, its dimensions are not suitable for everyone, but devices with such dimensions always have those who will buy them. And you shouldn’t be afraid that such a screen will quickly “eat up” the battery. The battery in this smartphone has a capacity of 5300 mAh.

Now, what did the Chinese save on? On the most important thing - the processor. Snapdragon 625 is certainly cool. But, it was last year. Yes, the phone more than solves all the necessary tasks. But it will become obsolete before its analogues. And if you suddenly bought the “first” Xiaomi Mi Max model, there is no point in changing your device to this one.

On average, Xiaomi Mi Max 2 with 64 GB of internal memory costs 17,430 rubles.

8. Sony XA1 Ultra

The Japanese phablet took eighth place in the ranking of the best phones of 2017. If you are looking for a smartphone for watching TV shows on the way to work or reading books, then you do not need to buy a tablet for this. You can buy Xiaomi Mi Max 2 or Sony XA1 Ultra. Sony has a slightly smaller screen - as much as 6 inches with a resolution of 1920x1080.

The operating system of this phone is Android 7.0 Nougat. Thanks to the budget, but quite powerful eight-core Helio P20 processor and 4 GB of memory, this smartphone can easily handle all “heavy” applications from the Play Market. Owners of this phone will be pleased with the internal memory capacity of 32 GB, as well as the camera. A 23 MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture will help you take bright and clear photos.

Will the Sony XA1 Ultra be able to stay in the top of the best smartphones of 2017 until the end of the year? Most likely no. Some Chinese will insert a gigantic amount of unnecessary RAM into his device, and people who don’t understand the essence will advertise it on every post. In the meantime, the Japanese flagship with an average price of 27,990 rubles is in eighth position.

7. LG G6 H870DS

The 7th place in our 2017 phone rating is occupied by the LG G6. It belongs to the increasingly popular class of frameless phones. An important component of its design is a bright 5.7-inch display with a resolution of 2880x1440 pixels. Its main feature is its non-standard aspect ratio. At first it causes awkwardness, but when you get used to it, you no longer want to switch to the classic ratio.

The advantages of the LG G6 H870DS phone include the presence of a wide-angle photo module, protection from dust and moisture, a capacious 3300 mAh battery and support for two SIM cards.

As for the shortcomings, the Koreans equipped this device with rather clumsy firmware. Although, there is a chance that it will be updated. And the quality of the phone's 13 megapixel front camera is unlikely to satisfy picky buyers. And you will have to pay from 26,950 rubles for the LG G6.

6. Samsung Galaxy C5 Pro

The 6th place among the best phones of 2017 is occupied by the “Pro” version of the Samsung Galaxy C5. Since last year’s C5 model was budget, its “professional” variation also belongs to this type of device. The main feature of the smartphone is two 16-megapixel cameras with f/1.9 aperture. The phone has a good 5.2-inch screen and an all-metal body.

The hardware of the Galaxy C5 Pro is built around the 626th “Snow Dragon”. The 8-core processor has a clock frequency of 2.2 GHz. The phone is also equipped with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of space for files. Does a $360 smartphone with these specs have a weak spot? Yes, this is not a very capacious battery - only 2600 mAh. But the developers had to find a compromise between battery capacity and case thickness. And they chose the second.

5. OnePlus OnePlus 5

OnePlus OnePlus 5 is one of the best Chinese phones in 2017. We are already accustomed to the fact that the guys from OnePlus do not skimp on the hardware of their smartphones. So in the fifth model, the user will have access to 6 GB (in older models 8 GB) of RAM, a powerful eight-core processor and 64 GB of internal memory.

Among the advantages of this phone model with a 5.5-inch screen, it is worth noting a beautiful aluminum body, a dual camera (16/24 megapixels) and support for Dash Charge fast charging technology, as well as a 3300 mAh battery. As for the shortcomings, the phone lacks a slot for a memory card and protection from dust and moisture. The price of the OnePlus 5 smartphone starts at 31,790 rubles.

4.Huawei Honor 9

The ninth model from Huawei’s premium series couldn’t help but be included in the 2017 phone rating. This device has an excellent dual camera with a resolution of 20 and 12 megapixels, which surpasses the iPhone 7 in its characteristics. Fans of listening to music will also like this Chinese flagship. It is equipped with Asahi Kasei Microdevices Hi-Fi audio chip, which will help you enjoy high-quality sound.

Among the main characteristics of the phone it is worth noting: a 5.2-inch display, an 8-core HiSilicon Kirin 960 processor, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory, as well as a 3200 mAh battery.

But, of course, the main advantage of the “nine” is its price. This is the most affordable flagship smartphone that meets the latest requirements. Is it worth paying 26,000 rubles for it? Definitely worth it.

3. HTC U11

HTC U11 is one of the highest quality phones of 2017. The smartphone has a great design and the best camera at the moment. Yes, the sensor is only 12 megapixels. But, thanks to Dual Pixel, HDR Boost, Acoustic Focus technologies, as well as the record f/1.7 DxO Mark aperture, this device was given 90 points. HTC U11 is the first smartphone to achieve this milestone.

It is also worth noting the 5.5-inch Super LCD 5 display with a resolution of 2560×1440, the 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and water resistance. And this phone costs 44,990 rubles.

2. Samsung Galaxy S8

Samsung Galaxy S8 takes a worthy 2nd place among the best gadgets of 2017. This device has an excellent design. Its 5.8-inch screen occupies almost 99.9% of the entire front panel area. Moreover, the screen itself, with a resolution of 2960×1440 pixels and excellent color rendition, easily surpasses all competitors.

The phone's hardware didn't disappoint either. The user can switch performance modes themselves, depending on the performance of specific tasks on the smartphone. It is also worth noting the new ability to unlock the screen using iris scanning. And, of course, the Koreans equipped their device with fast charging technology. Where would today be without this?

The average cost of a new Samsung Galaxy S8 is RUB 48,360.

1. iPhone 8

The new smartphone from Apple did not disappoint customers. iPhone 8 quickly became the leader in the ranking of the best phones of 2017 thanks to its excellent technical characteristics. The “heart” of the device is the powerful six-core Apple A11 Bionic processor, which ensures fast operation of iOS 11. 64 GB of internal memory is also a significant advantage of this model, delighting users. The 4.7″ touch screen provides high quality images in a resolution of 1334×750. Photography enthusiasts will be pleased with the 12 MP rear camera with F/1.8 aperture and the front camera with 7 million pixels. They allow you to take excellent pictures that are not inferior in performance to compact cameras. In addition, the smartphone supports all major types of mobile and wireless communications, has a lot of useful functions and a 14-hour battery (talk time).

The price for iPhone 8 starts at 46,000 rubles.

Do you want to know which smartphone is the best today, what characteristics it has, what it looks like and how much it costs?

20. BlackBerry Classic

If you liked BlackBerry phones in the early days of the company's success, then you'll definitely like this model. It looks like the classic phones of this brand, but at the same time it has both a high-quality touchscreen and a physical keyboard.

19. Sony XZ Premium

This is a good phone. It has a great screen, the software is accessible, and its speed is impressive. However, being good isn't enough to be worth $800.

18. BlackBerry KeyOne

This model is a successor to the Priv and also runs on Android, but this time the keyboard is fixed rather than sliding. Thus, this model marked the company's return to its roots.

17. ZTE Axon 7

This smartphone is made by a Chinese company that is not very popular around the world. Why does it deserve a place on this list? The fact is that it can offer you everything that top-end flagships running Android have, but at the same time it will cost you at least $250 less.

16. Moto G5 Plus

This line remains one of the best for those looking for a budget smartphone running Android. This smartphone proves that good, but not great, hardware can be a big advantage at the right price.

15.Huawei Mate 9

This smartphone boasts a large 5.9-inch screen and a large battery that allows the device to function for a very long time. It is also one of the fastest Android smartphones available today, thanks to Huawei's software combined with the existing operating system.

14. Moto Z2 Force

This new model has everything you would expect from a premium smartphone. It's very fast, its screen looks very good, its cameras are good for taking quality pictures, and its body is very thin.

13. iPhone SE

This smartphone, which has a screen diameter of 4 inches, is currently the highest quality small model on the market. You get everything the sixth iPhone has to offer, but for just $350.

12. iPhone 6s/6s Plus

Apple still sells these models even though they are two years old. After all, they are still great smartphones. Most recently, the company released a new version of the iOS 11 operating system, and this smartphone goes well with it.

11. HTC U11

This smartphone has an excellent camera, an attractive mirror body, and high speed operation. You can also pinch the edges of the phone to open the app of your choice, a rather unusual feature.

10. LG G6

This is the best smartphone from this manufacturer, and it is really good. It has everything you need: premium design, water resistance, thanks to which LG was finally able to reach the same level as such giants as Samsung and iPhone.

9. OnePlus 5

This is one of the best Android smartphones, which will delight you with a classic simple design, excellent performance, an excellent camera, and a good price tag. Moreover, you will still find a headphone jack here.

8.Galaxy S8

This smartphone is the most beautiful to date. Yes, it looks even better than the eighth iPhone and Note 8. Curved glass on both the front and back is a nod to its predecessor, the Galaxy S7.

7. iPhone 7

This model is officially last year's, but it costs just $550, putting it ahead of the Galaxy S8, which will set you back $679. Like any other iPhone, this smartphone allows you to use better and more diverse applications in better conditions than is the case with Android smartphones.

6.Galaxy S8+

This smartphone is identical in function to the one mentioned above, namely the S8, but it is slightly larger in size and has a 6.2-inch screen. However, it was ahead due to the ratio of phone size and screen size.

5. iPhone 7 Plus

The camera with two lenses is the main reason why this model was ahead of the seventh iPhone. And the new price of $670 puts the phone comfortably ahead of the $720 Galaxy S8+.

4.Galaxy Note 8

Incredible design, very narrow bezels, beautiful display, fast speed, dual-lens camera, and unusual features that require the use of a stylus make this smartphone the best product from this manufacturer.

3. Google Pixel and Pixel XL

Even though there is a newer Galaxy Note 8 on the market, these models still rank highest among Android smartphones. They offer impressive performance as well as superior image quality.

2. iPhone 8

Over the past few months, the seventh iPhone lost its lead in the ranking to Google Pixel smartphones, but in September the situation changed again, and again the Apple product was at the top. This model has an excellent glass and metal body, a great camera and amazing performance.

1. iPhone 8 Plus

This model takes all the advantages that the iPhone 8 has and adds a bigger and better screen, a dual-lens camera capable of incredible things like optical zoom and adding depth effects to take truly high-quality photos.

Coming soon: Moto G5s and G5s Plus

Motorola and Lenovo recently announced that new smartphone models will be released in the fall of 2017. It is expected that the original model will undergo several changes for the better. For example, the body will be made entirely of metal, compared to the body of the original model, which was half metal and half plastic.

Coming soon: Google Pixel 2

Both various rumors and the standard annual release cycle of new smartphones suggest that the Pixel 2 will appear in the fall. It is reported that it will have an improved design that will be more in line with the premium segment.

Coming soon: iPhone X

And, of course, the anniversary iPhone, whose premiere is scheduled for November 3, will claim first place. This will be the most expensive iPhone in history (its price starts at $999), but there will be something to pay for: a 5.8-inch high-quality display that occupies almost the entire front surface, a facial recognition function for unlocking the phone, the ability to quickly or wirelessly charging and much more.

How can you determine the most powerful (productive) smartphone in the world? In fact, doing this, to put it mildly, is rather difficult, because if you compare devices directly, it turns out that one of them is better in some ways, and worse in others. So what should we do?

There are special applications that allow you to test a smartphone according to many parameters (these are so-called “synthetic tests”), after which they give ratings. One of the most popular applications is AnTuTu Benchmark, we have already mentioned it on our website. After testing, the application displays the result as a number. The higher the number, the more productive and powerful the smartphone is, in theory. So, for example, if previously a good smartphone was considered a device that gave out about 50,000 “parrots” (as points for passing a test are called in slang), today smartphones give out 150 thousand “parrots” and more!

The only problem is that you cannot trust such tests 100%. Why? Firstly, the application does not take into account some important details. For example, if a smartphone is very powerful, but is terribly slow when turning pages on the desktop (due to lack of firmware optimization), you are unlikely to know about it. And secondly, there are rumors that manufacturers allegedly know how to extract more “parrots” than they actually have, that is, in other words, they deceive the user. But no one knows whether this is really so, so for now we are talking only about empty speculation.

Here is a list of the most powerful devices (information for January 2017, data will be updated as new results are released):