The year is finally coming to a close. We’ve seen many phones released throughout the year, some are great and some are just downright awful.
So let’s keep the awfulness aside and look at some of the best flagship, mid-range, and entry-level phones that have graced the market in 2019.
Entry-level phones.
HUAWEI Y9s
I did a quick first impression of the phone a couple of weeks back and was pretty surprised by it. Sure the cameras might not be great, but it had no notch and comes with a pop-up camera. The two features that you would usually see on some mid-range and flagship devices.
It even played games well too. All in all, because of its price and looks, it deserves a spot on our list.
Xiaomi Redmi 8
Perhaps the biggest selling point of the Redmi 8 is its 5,000mAh battery combined with a power-efficient Snapdragon 439 processor. This gives you close to 2 days of usage.
If you do run out of charge, the phone supports 18-watt quick charging but said charger has to be purchased separately
Samsung Galaxy A20
AMOLED or OLED display has a reputation for displaying ‘true black’. The reason behind this: The pixels turn off completely when displaying the black color. That’s also the reason why these kinds of panels are expensive.
But Samsung managed to equipped the Galaxy A20 with the said panel and still priced it under US$240. Granted it’s not an FHD display, but it manages to display vibrant colors and is capable of more than 400 nits of brightness. Ideal for outdoor viewing.
Mid-range phones.
Xiaomi Mi 9T
The Mi 9T might not be for everyone due to the flame holographic effect at the back of the phone. But it makes up for the bezeless display and it’s easily mistaken for a flagship phone.
It even has decent performance for a phone with a mid-range Snapdragon processor. The camera could be better but it still sufficient enough for Insta-worthy shots, especially during the day.
Check out our video review of the Xiaomi Mi 9T here.
Samsung Galaxy A50
Once again, Samsung makes its way on our list with the Galaxy A50 for the same reasons as its entry-level counterpart. The stunning display and solid mid-range performance make it a perfect buy if the Galaxy S and Note series are out of your budget.
The camera is also slightly below, if not on par with the Google Pixel 3a. But it’s also a decent price of US$349 if you’re looking to try an in-display fingerprint sensor.
Honor View 20
Similar to the Mi 9T, View 20 also has a unique holographic back which does make the phone stand out. It also incorporates a punch-hold display, which was made famous by Samsung with the S10 phones.
But perhaps the best feature of this phone is its performance. It rocks a Kirin 980 processor which was Huawei’s 2018 flagship processor - used in the Mate 20. That made the View 20 basically a flagship phone, positioned in the mid-range market.
Flagship phones.
iPhone 11 family
At some point, you’re going to have to ask if the iPhones are ever going to be affordable. But they are perhaps one of the best phones if you ever wanted to invest in an ecosystem.
They might not have much of an improvement from the previous phones, but the inclusion of a wide-angle lens and further stability of iOS definitely does give it a place on our list.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 family
The Galaxy Note 10 is the only phone that is going strong with a stylus and it’s not just an accessory.
Every iteration, they have improved the S-Pen by making it a remote control, adding gesture support, and even partnering up with Wacom to improve accuracy and precision.
Not to mention, it has one of the best cameras on an Android phone and its screen is bloody gorgeous in terms of color reproduction.
OnePlus 7 Pro / 7T Pro
OnePlus phones are the pinnacle of Android performance. It’s blazing fast and always has the latest and best hardware compared to other phones.
Sure it lacks in the photography department and we’ll never know if they might be on-par with Samsung and Apple. But it makes up in showing you what the Android operating system and do and that’s no easy feat.
What we hope to see more in 2020.
The notch might finally go extinct. Companies have shown that it's possible to make phones without notchs for a cheap price.
In addition to that, some manufacturers have teased the possibility of an in-display selfie camera. So there is no reason for a notch anymore.
2020 will also make 5G the new mainstream mobile network connection. Services like Google Stadia and Microsoft Project xCloud are on the rise and they will benefit from the stable, fast, and low latency connection that 5G offers.
Finally, this might be a far-fetched dream, but I do hope that the glass on our phones will be come more durable, because I can't for the life of me find a phone case that I actually like using.
And maybe, just maybe, bring the headphone jack back?
