In 2020 the largest smartphone makers will release new phones one by one, but the models from 2019 are still good. Samsung has the Galaxy S10 and the Note 10+, Apple the iPhone Xs and iPhone 11 Pro, and there are top smartphones such as the Huawei P30 Pro and the OnePlus 7T. We list the best smartphones of 2020 that you can now buy for you.
The winner: iPhone 11 Pro (Max)
price from € 1159 (iPhone 11 Pro) / € 1259 (iPhone 11 Pro Max)
Colors green, gray, silver
OS iOS 13
Screen 5.8 inch oled (2436×1125) / 6.5 inch oled (2688×1242)
Processor hexacore (Apple A13 Bionic)
RAM 4 GB
Storage 64, 256 or 512 GB
Battery 2,658 mAh / 3,969 mAh
Camera 12 megapixel triple camera (rear), 12 megapixel (front)
Connectivity 4G, Bluetooth 5, WiFi, GPS
Format 14.4 x 7.1 x 0.8 cm / 15.8 x 7.8 x 0.8 cm
Weight 188 grams / 226 grams
Other Lightning, no headphone port, esim
Website www.apple.com
9 Score 90 
- Pros
- Ease of use
- Performance
- Build quality
- Camera
- Screen
- Negatives
- price
- Not enough innovation
- No usb-c
- No 3.5 mm jacket
The best smartphones of 2020
iPhone 11 Pro (Max)
The iPhone 11 series from Apple is the first series of which an iPhone can bear the stamp ‘Pro’. The iPhone 11 Pro is the best iPhone of the moment. The iPhone 11 Pro comes in two flavors: the regular iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 11 Pro Max. Both devices are basically the same. The Max version, however, has a larger screen and somewhat larger battery capacity.
Where Apple tries to distinguish itself with the iPhone 11 Pro is the camera. The three camera lenses on the back should ensure that Apple finally comes back a bit with Samsung and Huawei when it comes to smartphone photography. For this, Apple has added a wide-angle and telephoto lens to the rear in addition to the main sensor. A special night mode has also been created, which ensures that you can still take beautiful photos in environments where you don’t even see anything. With the iPhone 11 Pro, Apple delivers another smartphone with the best camera, although Huawei can only better capture the environment in low-light conditions.
Apple has also used the best in terms of specifications. The A13 Bionic processor runs in circles around the fastest Snapdragon processors. The full-HD OLed screen is also good for licking your fingers. The glass housing is more water-resistant and now also available in an attractive green color. Yet, as with the other iPhones, there are elephants in the room: the price tags cannot be justified in any way, even if you are a smartphone user who has stuck to the phone and iOS. The iPhone 11 Pro is available from 1159 euros, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max from 1259 euros. The basic model only has 64GB of storage memory. What is too little for these smartphones. You should also take into account other harassment, such as the poor repairability that is eagerly milked by Apple and the lack of the 3.5 mm jack.
Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro
Xiaomi is a newcomer on the Dutch market, but the Chinese manufacturer immediately stands out because of the wonderful range of smartphones. That offer can be confusing: you have the Xiaomi Mi 9, Xiaomi Mi 9T, Xiaomi Mi 9 SE and this Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro. The mutual differences are small, especially if you compare this Mi 9T Pro with the normal 9T version. The design is the same, only the camera is slightly improved and the device is more powerful. In fact, the device is just as powerful as the most expensive smartphones that you see on the shelves at the moment.
The Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro is equipped with a versatile camera, with which you can shoot both wide angle and telephoto shots with three lenses. The main lens is the same Sony IMX 586 sensor that you also find on the very expensive OnePlus 7 Pro, for example. A great camera lens, but unfortunately the photos are not as impressive as the Pixel 3A or Huawei P30 Pro. There is a pop-up camera on the front, so there can be minimal edges around the screen.
In terms of performance, Xiaomi puts manufacturers such as Samsung, Apple, Huawei and OnePlus in awe by offering a smartphone that is more complete and powerful for much less money … for half the price. The only concession you have to make is the Miui software shell that Xiaomi is rolling out over Android. This is packed with advertisements and other junk. It is many steps back from the Android basis on which it is based. Why does Xiaomi do that?
Google Pixel 3A
Most top smartphones come with an enormously high price of sometimes a thousand euros. That you can also get a very good smartphone for less than half of that is proven by Google. The normal version costs you 400 euros, the larger Pixel 3A XL costs 480. The Pixel 3A looks a bit old-fashioned, thanks to a plastic housing and thick edges around the screen. Nevertheless, it is a very handy device.
The Pixel 3A has a single camera at the rear. Nevertheless, this smartphone has one of the best smartphone cameras on board. The clean Android version is also a good reason to opt for the Pixel. Because Android is maintained by Google itself, you will be the first to receive the latest updates. Moreover, you will not get unnecessary apps pre-installed such as McAfee virus scanners. This keeps your device performing optimally, despite the fact that the specifications of the Pixel 3A smartphone are somewhat on the poor side.
Read the full review of the Google Pixel 3A here.
Apple iPhone 11
The iPhone 11 is in fact the successor to the iPhone XR, which appeared in September of 2018. But you could also see it as the lightweight brother of the most expensive iPhone 11 Pro. Although lightweight, if you look at the performance, then this iPhone is nothing less than the Pro brother. The same A13 chipset and working memory make this smartphone extremely powerful. Moreover, it is a smartphone with an excellent endurance for iPhone concepts when it comes to battery life.
Compared to the iPhone XR, especially the camera has improved. Thanks to the dual cam on the back you can now take photos with a wide angle lens, in addition to the regular lens. A night mode has also been added, so that something can be captured in the dark.
However, there are also disadvantages. The price can be guessed, but the greediness of Apple is also reflected in the lack of a 3.5 mm connection and the fact that there is no fast charger in the box. The screen is also below par. The LCD screen panel does not belong in smartphones in this price range and the same can be said about the low resolution.
Read the review of the iPhone 11 here
Samsung Galaxy S10 +
Samsung is celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Galaxy S with the Galaxy S10 series. This series consists of three smartphones: the Galaxy S10, the cheaper Galaxy S10e and the super deluxe Samsung Galaxy S10 +.
The three cameras on the back take (as you are used to from Samsung) again top pictures. A telephoto lens, wide angle lens and regular camera lens ensure that you have three zoom levels. Samsung uses a new Android skin: OneUI. This works smoothly and looks modern, but has the disadvantage that there are still many advertising and duplicate apps present. The speech assistant Bixby is also still not an enrichment. Annoying is that a button is still reserved for this on the side of the smartphone. You cannot use this button for anything else, you can only switch it off.
Read the full review of the Samsung Galaxy S10 + here.
Zenfone 6
The availability of the Zenfone 6 is a bit problematic. Due to a patent battle, the smartphone is not yet on the shelves everywhere. That’s a shame, because the Zenfone is an innovative smartphone. At the rear you will find a dual cam that shoots great photos. At the front, no camera appears at all. This does not slide out of the case, as with many other smartphones such as the OnePlus 7 Pro and Oppo Reno, but the camera on the back turns forward. Not only can the best camera be used for selfies and video calling, but the entire front of the smartphone can also be used for a screen as large as possible.
The previous Zenfones had a problem that we also knew from Asus laptops: they were packed with unnecessary apps and an annoying Asus skin. Fortunately that is not the case with the Zenfone 6. That also increases the chance of solid update support.
View the full review of the Zenfone 6 here.
Xiaomi Mi 9
Xiaomi, it sounds Chinese, it is Chinese. That means that you get a smartphone that the competition cannot match. The Xiaomi Mi 9 has the most powerful specifications such as a Snapdragon 855, lots of main memory, an oled screen, fingerprint scanner behind the screen and an excellent camera system with triple lenses. Moreover, the design is not inferior to other top smartphones. The device is already available from 449 euros, while smartphones with comparable specifications often cost twice as much.
Yet there are some disadvantages to take into account with the Xiaomi Mi 9 smartphone. For example, there is no headphone port. The software can also be improved. Like many other Chinese smartphone brands such as Huawei and Oppo, Android is heavily taken care of by Xiaomi. Although the Mi 9 runs on Android 9, the design is more childlike and Android runs less stable due to the Xiaomi adjustments. It also does not promise much for the update support.
Read the full review of the Xiaomi Mi 9 here.
Motorola Moto G7 Plus
The G-series from Motorola (which is part of Lenovo) has been the choice for years for those looking for a luxury smartphone, but doesn’t want to pay too much for it. The smartphone cost around 300 euros when it appeared, but offers are now and then visible. The construction of the smartphone is not inferior to the luxury versions of Samsung Galaxy and Huawei smartphones: with glass and metal. Moreover, the Moto G7 Plus is particularly complete, thanks to a dual cam, fingerprint scanner, USB-C connection and large screen with minimal screen edges and a drop-shaped screen notch. For even less money you can also opt for the Moto G7, which is slightly less powerful and has a somewhat lesser camera.
Motorola also scores points with the clean Android version. With minimal adjustments, Motorola is able to quickly release updates for the Moto G7 Plus. Moreover, you keep as much computing power and storage capacity as possible for yourself. In this area, Motorola is being chased hard by, for example, Nokia, which releases many smartphones with Android One. Competition keeps manufacturers sharp, so we would like to see this. Because Motorola also has something to improve: although they are clear about the update policy, they promise only one major Android update and two years of security updates. That could be better.
Here you can read the entire review of the Motorola Moto G7 Plus.
Huawei P30 Pro
Huawei is taking over the baton from the best smartphone for the first time. That is actually mainly due to the revolutionary camera with which the Huawei P30 Pro is equipped. Although, I can say cameras better. There are three cameras and a TOF sensor, a lens that is specially designed to measure distance – blurring the foreground or background on photos. Most impressive, however, are the innovative zoom lens and the ability to shoot in the dark. The Huawei P30 Pro has by far the best smartphone camera that we have had in our hands.
Yet there are also disadvantages to mention with the Huawei P30 Pro. The EMUI software shell that is being rolled out over Android is messy and brings many unnecessary apps and advertising apps. That does not deserve a smartphone of around a thousand euros. Also a headphone connection is missing and you cannot put your regular micro-sd memory card in the smartphone: you must purchase a special NM memory card (made by Huawei) to expand the storage memory. If Huawei would release this device with this connection, micro-SD memory cards and Android One, the Huawei P30 Pro would score a full 10 in our opinion. A person can dream, right?
Here you will find the entire review of the Huawei P30 Pro.
Samsung Galaxy S10
Of course, the Galaxy S10 + is the top device from Samsung. You would therefore almost overlook the regular Galaxy S10 smartphone. That’s a shame, because the Samsung Galaxy S10 is not inferior to the Plus variant. The smartphone is a bit smaller and a wide-angle lens is missing. The price is a lot more interesting, moreover, it is already decreasing considerably. At the time of writing, it is already available from around 650 euros. That is a bit different than the suggested retail price of 899 euros, which was used during the launch in March.
Here you can read the entire review of the Samsung Galaxy S10.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+
It is clear that the Galaxy Note 10+ is an excellent smartphone. It looks nice, has a fantastic screen and uses the best hardware of the moment. Moreover, the smartphone stands out because of the camera hole in the screen and the attractive colors in which it is available. The battery life is good, the charging goes fast and can be wireless, and the software and support are also OK. Those looking for the best Samsung phone must have the Note 10 Plus.
That does not mean that the Note 10 Plus is the best choice for everyone. Certainly not. The device is screamingly expensive (1100 euros), now and certainly not the best cameras – the Huawei P30 Pro for example shoots much better photos. The Note 10 Plus also offers too little innovation on some points compared to the S10 Plus. The battery life is comparable, the cameras are almost identical, the Galaxy S10 + is more comfortable to hold and has a headphone connection, for example. It is extremely embarrassing that Samsung has removed this from the latest Note.
The screen is slightly smaller and the hardware is less impressive, but the biggest difference is that it does not have an S-Pen. If that doesn’t matter much, you can do better with the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus. In practice it performs almost the same as the Note 10 Plus and is available from 759 euros at the time of writing. That saves almost 350 euros. The hefty additional cost makes the Note 10 Plus a smartphone for the true enthusiast.
The full review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus can be found here.
OnePlus 7t
The Chinese brand OnePlus has made a name for itself by making incredibly good smartphones, with a price tag that was about half as high as the most expensive smartphones from Apple and Samsung. OnePlus could rightly call its smartphones ‘flagship killers’. Unfortunately, those times are far behind us, OnePlus smartphones fall into the same price category and cannot compete with smartphones in the same price range.
Nevertheless, there are specific advantages if you choose the OnePlus 7T, the best OnePlus smartphone that you can currently choose. This way the smartphones work super-fast, even the charging. Not only because of the good specifications, but also because of OxygenOS, the Android version of OnePlus that has no pollution or advertising. The screen is also very good, not only because of the display quality, but also because of the high refresh rate, which gives you the feeling that everything is just a little faster.
Read the full review of the OnePlus 7T.
iPhone Xs
When Apple comes with an S version of a smartphone, the differences compared to the predecessor are small. Take the iPhone 4s, 5s and 6s, for example. The same goes for the Xs, which is a staged version of the iPhone X: better screen, better camera and especially a more powerful chipset. By the way, don’t be fooled by the somewhat unfortunate name chosen. You say 10 S, the Xs is not ‘extra small’. In fact, the larger Xs Max version is huge, thanks to its 6.5-inch screen.
That OLED screen is fantastic, the colors are true to nature and the screen is bright enough to illuminate a dark room. The dual cam is also worthwhile, photos are very realistic and detailed. However, it does fall short in difficult lighting conditions such as bright backlight or dark environments.
The elephant in the room is the price. The cheapest version costs 1149 euros. The Max version is even a hundred euros more expensive. Although the iPhone Xs is the best smartphone of the moment, these prices are absolutely not in proportion to what you get in return. Regardless of whether you have so much money for a smartphone, the price is in no way good to talk about.
Read the full review of the iPhone Xs here.
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