Huawei, of course, has its own folding phone. But, it also became embroiled in a US-China trade war and was ultimately forced to abandon Google services on its latest products, rendering them almost worthless to most Android users. However, amongst the noise of cracking folding displays and the drama of geopolitical intrigue, some genuinely brilliant phones have come to the market. So, let’s take a look at the best phones of 2019. Everything from the metal and glass design, to its excellent cameras, to the super-sharp screen oozes class and refinement. It’s a phone that can, genuinely, do everything. Gaming, photography, and productivity tasks are all handled with ease. Plus, it even manages to garner impressive battery life numbers. In fact, we only had two real misgivings about the S10 Plus – the price and Samsung’s software. The S10 Plus is expensive, costing $999 from new — although it’s no more expensive than many of its premium rivals. As for the software? Well, Samsung’s OneUI Android skin is better than previous efforts, but it’s still slightly too invasive for us to really love. Still, neither of those flaws make the S10 Plus a bad phone, and its excellent features more than atone for such issues.
Fantastic screenGreat-looking designStrong camerasSpeedy processorOneUI is a huge improvement over previous Samsung skins
ExpensiveSamsung can be slow to issue OS updatesBixby isn’t very helpful
However, we feel that the Pixel 4 XL is still one of the best phones on the market. Its 90Hz refresh rate screen is a delight to use and it has almost peerless cameras, despite the lack of an ultra-wide angle lens. Its battery life can’t match the S10 Plus, above, but its stripped-back version of Android is absolutely seamless and a joy to use (take note, Samsung software developers). All told, the Pixel 4 XL is the closest Android analogue to an iPhone. Everything just works in its own, uniquely Google, way.
Stunning cameraImpressive screen quality with new 90Hz refresh rateSnappy Face Unlock techSignificantly better battery life than Pixel 3 XL and Pixel 4Stock Android interface is easy to use
Design might not be to everyone’s tasteGesture controls feel a bit gimmicky at the momentNo ultra wide-angle camera lens
It has a huge, sharp 6.8-inch 1440×3040 resolution display, making it perfect for gaming, watching films, multitasking, or even manipulating spreadsheets. It has a crazy 12GB of RAM and the lowest storage option is 256GB – although, you can even augment that with a microSD card. Like the S10 Plus, however, the Note 10 Plus is expensive, and has the same Samsung software quirks. Still, it’s easily one of the best phones launched this year.
Screen is bright, sharp, and largeRear glass case is a work of artImpressive front and rear camerasBreathtaking speed and performanceStylus still makes it one of the most interesting phones on the market
Very expensiveTypical Samsung quirksNo headphone jack
It’s not perfect — for example, the rear case feels slightly tinny and plasticky, despite being Gorilla Glass 6. However, you’ll struggle to find a better value Android phone on the market. It can easily compete with the flagship models from Samsung, Apple, and Google, while costing around $300 less.
Blisteringly fastGood screenGreat camerasFaster updates than bigger manufacturersCheaper than most similarly-specced rivals
OnePlus phones are becoming more expensiveConstruction feels a little bit plastickyNo waterproof rating
Battery life is strong, although it doesn’t quite have the raw power of some more expensive phones. However, as with the Pixel 4 XL, you get the same seamless Google experience every time you interact with the phone. If you’re looking for a cheap Android smartphone that won’t let you down, you can do a lot worse than the Pixel 3a XL.
Incredible cameraDecent performanceGood screenFantastic valueClean version of Android
Plastic design is a shameNo expandable storage
Aside from the impressive central feature, the Galaxy Fold is fast, being able to easily run three apps at a time on its large display. It has Samsung’s typically impressive cameras, and turns heads like no other phone on sale. It’s expensive, of course, and not without some significant flaws, but it makes our list for originality alone.
Folding screen is cool and innovativeLightning fast performanceStrong camerasHead-turning design
Incredibly expensiveConcerns over reliabilityFront screen is too small for regular use
Really, if you don’t need all of the top flagship features, there aren’t many phones which will give you such a complete experience for such a low price. It even gets a headphone jack and supports microSD cards. Does it have any major flaws? Not really. However, there are some things you need to be aware of before buying the G8 Plus. It’s not the quickest phone on the market and the plastic case might be a surprise to anyone used to metal and glass constructions. The other issue is US availability – the phone is not yet available in the States, but that should change early in 2020. We think it’s worth the wait — it’s a remarkable phone for the price.
Remarkable value for moneyStrong rear cameraVery little bloatwareLight Android skinImpressive battery life
Video quality isn’t the bestNot the fastest phone on the marketScreen can look a little soft at times
What’s more, can you put a score on software quality? We love using Google’s phones — they’re remarkably straightforward. Samsung’s on the other hand, often have duplicate apps and functions, making things take slightly longer than they should. However, when the cameras, performance, and hardware designs of Samsung’s phones is so strong, it’s impossible to keep them off the list. For more, see our guide to the Best Phone Brands
