BEST ALL-AROUND PHONE
So far, we've looked at the phones with the most power, best aesthetics, best battery life, and best speakers. But what about the phones that perform the best across the board? If you want the ultimate smartphone, these are the ones you should spring for.
1. THE BEST ALL-AROUND IPHONE: THE IPHONE XS MAX
If you want the ultimate iPhone, the iPhone XS Max is the phone for you. It's packed full of the latest features, has lots of power and boasts a beautiful 6.5-inch display. With a base price of $999 new, it isn't cheap, but you do get a lot of bang for your buck. Plus, buying a used or refurbished XS Max can save you money.
The XS Max runs on the powerful A12 Bionic processor and has an OLED display, dual cameras on the back, new depth-adjusting features, Face ID for unlocking your phone, stronger glass and improved water resistance. The 6.5-inch top-to-bottom screen, which has a notch cut out for the front-facing camera, allows for immersive app and media experiences. The battery life is only slightly less than that of the iPhone XR with up to 25 hours of wireless talk time, 13 hours of internet use, 15 hours of video playback and 65 hours of audio playback.
The base model features 64GB of storage, but you can upgrade to 256GB or 512GB and add fast-charging for a bit extra as well. If you want a phone with all the features of the XS Max but with a smaller screen, choose the iPhone XS.
2. THE BEST ALL-AROUND ANDROID PHONE: THE SAMSUNG GALAXY S10 PLUS
If you're in the market for the best-of-the-best Android phone, look no further than the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus. This device features a powerful CPU, beautiful graphics, 6.4-inch screen, impressive camera and a fast, user-friendly operating system. Like the iPhone XS Max, it sells for a base price of $999.
Here are some of the specs for the S10 Plus:
- CPU: Either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 or the Exynos 9820
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 128GB, 256GB, 512GB or 1TB
- Battery: 4,100mAh
- Resolution: QHD+
The S10 Plus features a 6.4-inch AMOLED panel, which provides breathtaking imagery and vivid colors. The phone is also the first to feature the Infinity-O design, meaning there's a circular cut-out in the top-right corner of the screen, rather than a notch, for the front-facing camera.
The cameras on the S10 Plus are impressive. It has dual selfie cameras that enable Live Focus pictures and a rear-mounted triple camera that includes a new ultra-wide angle camera.
It also runs on the new One UI operating system, which is based on Android Pie and makes using the phone exceptionally easy. It moves all of the elements you need to tap to the bottom third of the screen so that they're always within reach, even on such a large display. If you're looking for the ultimate Android, this phone is the way to go.