JOIN USBest of 2023: Top smartphones launched in India this year
In 2023, we saw the launch of new exciting smartphones, more powerful and visually better than the ones launched the previous years.
I had the opportunity to review several handsets throughout the year. And, as we say goodbye to 2023, we are listing our list of the best phones reviewed this year. Here they are:
Most powerful phone: Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
It is powered by Apple A17 Pro, the world's first 3nm class silicon. The A17 Pro's six-core CPU is up to 10 percent faster with microarchitectural and design improvements, and the 16-core Neural Engine is now up to 2x faster.
Add to that, A17 Pro comes paired with a fully redesigned 6-core GPU. It is up to 20 percent faster and delivers increased peak performance and energy efficiency compared to the previous generation silicon and is even better than any of the rival branded chipsets seen in the latest premium Android phones.
Even the battery life is excellent and can deliver 29 hours of video playback. The camera is on par with any of the flagship phones.
Versatile premium phone: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Like the predecessor, the Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with an S Pen stylus offering a unique user experience. It is great for productivity be it taking instant notes on the lock screen to creating PPTs and in a spare, one can lose their creativity to create digital art, and all this stuff can be done on the go.
Also, the camera hardware is remarkably good. It takes lovely pictures with great details and rich colours and excels even in low light. It can deliver a full-day battery too.
Best foldable phone: OnePlus Open
Though OnePlus is late to enter the foldable phone segment, the wait was worth it. The company has put a lot of effort into design and build quality. Also, OnePlus Open comes with several patented technologies and this has reduced the critical components to 69 compared to another rival branded foldable phone, which comes with 100 plus key components.
Also, the flexible display is of good quality and there is hardly any noticeable crease at the centre. It also ticks other key aspects such as performance, camera, and battery life too.
Best premium flip phone: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5
After several years of refinement, Samsung made big changes in the 2023-series clamshell-designed flip phone Galaxy Z Flip5. It has a bigger cover display that can accommodate several apps and even be able to use it. Users can now fully read messages and emails and even respond directly without having to open the flip phone.
It is well configured to deliver smooth performance and last a full day under normal usage. Even the camera is on par with premium phones in its segment.
Best camera phone: Google Pixel 8 series
There are no branded phones that come close to matching Google's Pixel 8 and 8 Pro in terms of camera capabilities. They boast advanced Artificial Intelligence(AI)-powered computational photography features such as Best Take, that can magically churn out perfect group photos. Even if any one member looking the other way, the Pixel 8 offers multiple-angle photos and can turn the head to look at the camera and get that perfect photo.
There is also a Magic audio eraser, which can drastically reduce the outside noise in a recorded video.
In other aspects, the battery life and day-to-day performance are decent too. With the latest December 2023 firmware, they are getting more photography features, and also the Gemini AI update coming to the Bard AI chatbot, to deliver a smart assistant experience even better.
Best gaming phone: Asus ROG Phone 7 series
The ROG Phone 7 and 7 Ultimate are the best ergonomically designed gaming phones in the industry. It has several tailored solutions for most genres of games. It has the side-charging option, AirTrigger technology (To allow several buttons and motion input gestures), dual front-facing speakers, multi-antenna Wi-Fi, and a tri-microphone noise-canceling array.
Under the hood, they come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which can ensure smooth performance while playing any graphics-rich gaming title. It also has a massive 6,000mAh cell capacity to deliver a long battery life.
Read more | Key features of Asus ROG Phone 7 series
Best all-rounder phone: Apple iPhone 15 Plus
The new iPhone 15 Plus checks all the key aspects we consumers expect from a premium. It has a powerful chipset, premium build quality, long battery life, and exceptional camera hardware.
Its FaceID is a gold standard in terms of facial biometric security and the Dynamic Island design, is no longer exclusive to iPhone Pro.
With deep software and hardware integration, the iPhone 15 delivers a unique visual user interface with apps that offer live updates such as sports-related scores, real-time cab arrival status, or live food delivery status.
Best upper mid-range: Nothing Phone(2)
The Phone(2) improves on the predecessor with meaningful upgrades in terms of performance and camera. The latter was improved with software updates after the launch and now, it performs great in low-light conditions.
With the addition of more LED lights on the back, the company has increased its use cases. Now, users can track their food delivery/Uber cab arrival status just by looking at the LED light on the back.
Best mid-range phones
Vivo V29e
Vivo V29e is not just a pretty phone, but also a fine performer. It has a remarkable set of camera hardware to deliver good-quality photos in almost all light conditions.
iQOO Neo7
iQOO Neo7 is value-for-money mid-range smartphones. It has a visually pleasing design, durability (offers case with retail box), good performance, reliable camera in most light conditions and it can even deliver a full day's of battery life under normal usage, and the super fast 120W charging is a big value addition to the phone.
Best budget phones
Redmi Note 12
The Redmi Note 12 continues the legacy of the Redmi Note series' value-for-money adage. Good feature-rich phone with a reasonable price tag.
Redmi 12
It is best suited for regular people of all ages old and young who use phones for communication purposes be it messaging on WhatsApp scrolling endlessly on social media platforms or watching TV series and movies on OTT apps.
Add to that, it offers long battery life; it works smoothly with any day-to-day activities and the camera hardware is decent for its asking price.
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