Best smartphone 2019 : the best choice

Best smartphone 2019

The best smartphones in 2019 are hard to pick from. Here are the Top 10 phones you can buy today and our guide to picking the best one for you.

There are so many good phones to choose from in 2019 but which one is the king of the castle? Is there even a winner? There's no one choice for everyone, so bear in mind the best phone for you might not be number one in our chart.

1. Google Pixel 3

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are the best phones you can buy right now, provided you don't want an iPhone. The only differences between both models are the larger screen (and notch) and battery on the XL.

They have the best camera ever on a smartphone, outperforming all rivals in most situations. Both have the most premium Google phone hardware to date, good battery life, can charge wirelessly and are waterproof.

The notch might annoy you on the 3 XL but the smaller one is there with hardly any compromise. The phones cost from £739 / $799.

2. OnePlus 6T

Although it lacks a headphone jack, wireless charging and waterproofing, the OnePlus 6T is still one of the best phones you can buy right now. It is fairly priced, has the best specs you could hope for, looks great and has cameras that can compete with its rivals.

The glass construction, outstanding display and lightning quick performance starts from £499 or $549 - an incredible price, but you can find the Galaxy S9 for about the same now. The dual cameras are a shade below the quality of the Pixel 3, but most people won’t care or notice.

While its phones have always been excellent, the OnePlus 6T is its best ever, and the phone with which its small compromises finally don’t matter.

There's also an awesome McLaren Edition with new paint job and 10GB RAM ..

3. Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus

The Galaxy S10 Plus is the best Galaxy phone ever with outstanding cameras, build, display and performance. The Exynos version is let down by its merely acceptable battery life.

It's also very expensive from £899 / $999 and then some, but it's a wonderful experience with OneUI's thoughtful additions, slick day to day use and more features than you can throw a stick at.

If you want to spend £100 / $100 less there's the regular Galaxy S10 which has most of the same features including the triple rear cameras and outstanding screen.

4. Huawei Mate 20 Pro

It’s a mark of how good Huawei phones have become that there are two in our Top 10. The Mate 20 Pro has a large vibrant OLED screen, particularly great battery life and awesome triple cameras with a slender notch.

At £899 it's Huawei's most expensive phone yet (though you’ll struggle to buy it in the US) and benefits from improvements made to Huawei’s EMUI software. AI features also improve the camera experience over the P20 Pro, and it adds 3D face unlock and reverse wireless charging so it can charge other phones.

Stereo speakers, waterproofing and 128GB storage to ensure this is a phone that will last you into at least two or three years of use.

5. iPhone XS

The second generation of Apple's notched flagship iPhone is one of the most expensive phones in our list at £999 or $999, but that's the same as 2017's now discontinued iPhone X.

The OLED display is outstanding and features like the totally secure Face ID unlock system make it the most futuristic phone Apple has ever made. Performance is flawless, much like the build quality. It’s probably still the most desirable phone in the world. 

It is fast and wireless charging compatible, but only comes with a slow charger in the box. But improved battery life and amazing dual cameras still make the iPhone XS a no-brainer if you already love iPhone and iOS.

If you want a larger screen there's the iPhone XS Max.

6. Honor View 20

With prices starting from £499, the Honor View 20's closest comparison is the OnePlus 6T, but there's a lot more on offer here than a 6T imitation.

For one, the View 20 was the first phone to release in the west with a punch hole selfie camera - a small circular cutout in the corner of the display, rather than a notch dropping down into the middle of the screen.

There's also the first 48MP rear camera - a stat we worried was all marketing hype, but actually delivers in one of the crispest cameras we've used so far, especially when using the AI-enhanced Ultra Clarity mode.

Throw in the stunning holographic rear, flagship processor, and long-lasting 4,000mAh battery - not to mention an honest-to-god headphone jack in a flagship - and you've got one of 2019's best phones already.

7. iPhone XR

This is the best iPhone for most people right now, as well as being one of the best phones in general. At £749 or $749 it's also more affordable than the iPhone XS and several Android flagships.

Apart from an LCD screen and only one camera it's practically as capable as the XS with the same A12 processor, wireless charging and Face ID. It's got a bigger screen than the regular XS, too.

Six colours at launch gives great choice and battery life is outstanding.

 

 

 

8. LG V40 ThinQ

Although it's only available in the US and Korea the LG V40 is an amazing phone. It's LG's best ever and has pretty much every feature possible with three cameras, IP68, wireless charging and a headphone jack with amazing sound quality. 

The build is slim and light and the display is a great improvement over the V30. It's just a shame that it's not competitively priced against rivals.

But the versatility of have wide angle, regular and telephoto camera modes is great and the manual options for video recording are the best of any phone going.

9. Xiaomi Mi8 Pro

At £499 in the UK the Xiaomi Mi8 Pro is an incredible deal that pretty much undercuts every other phone at the same spec. For the same price as the £499 OnePlus 6T you get 8GB RAM, not 6.

Its transparent design is polarising but if you love it there's no other phone like it. It's blazing fast, has powerful performance, an in-screen fingerprint sensor and great cameras. 

Officially available in the UK with full Google services, this is the best Xiaomi phone you can buy, and one of the best in general.

If you want a Xiaomi phone with similar specs and a stunning sliding design there's the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3.

10. Samsung Galaxy Note 9

The Note 9 takes the winning design of the Note 8 and improves it with better build quality, a larger screen and a sensibly placed fingerprint scanner. The 4000mAh battery is also an amazing upgrade.

The display is the best you'll find on a smartphone alongside stereo speakers, great cameras and the smoothest Samsung software yet.

It's too expensive for some starting at £899 or $999 and you might not need the S-Pen, but if its unique inclusion appeals to you then this is the best phone going.