Top 10 Android phones. Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus: knowing his worth. Why wait: big bets on camera

Android is an operating system for smartphones and many other devices. Originally developed by the Californian by Android Inc., which was then bought by the American search giant Google. The share of Android in the global market of operating systems for smartphones is 82.8% (data from International Data Corporation for 2015). For comparison: iOS (iPhone operating system) has 13.9%, Windows phone only 2.6%.

Android is good because it runs both the best flagships of 2016 and budget models, this is its difference from iOS, only expensive iPhones work on this OS. Fans of budget models can also take a closer look at Windows Phone, the new generation of which is called Windows 10 Mobile, but there are few applications for this OS (due to the small number of users and unclear prospects), while in Google Play(the official app store for Android) there are more than 2.2 million, which is even more than the number of applications in App Store(the official app store for iOS), where there are 2 million of them.

In this ranking, we will consider best phones on Android in different price categories. The rating includes only smartphones running Android 5.1 and 6.0. The 4th Android is already outdated, and version 5.0 too. As for the difference between the 5th and 6th Android, in our opinion, the advantages of the 6th Android are not too obvious, because. this version of the OS can drain the phone faster than Android version 5.

10 OUKITEL U7 Plus

The average price in Russia is 5,670 rubles. You can buy OUKITEL U7 Plus on Aliexpress for 4.8 thousand rubles (delivery to Russia is free). The model from the Chinese brand, which went on sale in August 2016, received 56% of fives according to reviews in Yandex Market. Specifications: Screen 5.5 inch resolution 1280x720 pixels, operating android system 6.0, 16 GB permanent and 2 GB random access memory, there is a slot for an external memory card. Support for two SIM cards. Main camera 8 MP, front camera 2 MP. Battery capacity - 2500 mAh. There is a fingerprint scanner. 4 core Mediatek processor MT6737.

9HOMTOM HT17 Pro

The average price in Russia is 5,500 rubles. You can buy HOMTOM HT17 Pro on Aliexpress for 4.5 thousand rubles. Inexpensive model from a Chinese manufacturer, released in September 2016, scored 53% of fives according to reviews in Yandex Market. Specifications: 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels, Android 6.0 operating system, 16 GB of permanent memory and 2 GB of RAM, there is a slot for a memory card up to 128 GB, support for two SIM cards. Main camera 13 MP, front camera 5 MP. Battery capacity - 3000 mAh. Operating time without recharging in talk mode - 15 hours, in standby mode - 280 hours. 4-core processor MediaTek MT6737. There is a fingerprint scanner.

8 OUKITEL K10000

The average price in Russia is 8,760 rubles. You can buy OUKITEL K10000 on AliExpress for 7.9 thousand rubles (delivery to Russia is free). The model from the Chinese manufacturer received 55% of fives according to reviews in Yandex Market (see reviews of the OUKITEL K10000). The battery of this model is the most powerful in the world of smartphones today - 10,000 mAh, so this model takes first place in the ranking of the best smartphones with powerful battery. Here's what they write in the reviews: "The battery is gorgeous, 4 days with a very intense load, with the screen and WiFi practically on - easy, there are still 10-12% left. It charges quickly." Another review: "The phone is super, I've been trying to discharge the phone for 3 days now, the first day I didn't let it out of my hands at all for 14 hours of reading, playing games, the Internet and installing applications, it was discharged to 60 percent over the next 2 days of not so heavy use it was discharged to 35" .

Other technical specifications: 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels, Android 5.1 operating system, 16 GB of permanent and 2 GB of RAM, with two SIM cards. Main camera 13 MP, front camera 5 MP.

7Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 32Gb

The average price in Russia is 10,000 rubles. You can buy Redmi Note 4 32Gb on AliExpress for 9 thousand rubles (delivery to Russia is free). Xiaomi introduced Redmi Note 4 at a presentation in Beijing on August 25, 2016. The flagship of the Redmi family, beloved by buyers, whose sales in the world have long exceeded 100 million devices, scored 59% of fives according to reviews in Yandex Market (see Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 reviews). Specifications: 5.5-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, Android 6.0 operating system, 32 GB of permanent memory and 3 GB of RAM, there is a slot for a memory card up to 128 GB (combined with a slot for a second SIM card). Main camera 13 MP, front camera 5 MP. Battery capacity 4100 mAh. 10-core processor MediaTek Helio X20 (MT6797), 2100 MHz. There is a fingerprint scanner. Metal case.

6 OUKITEL K6000 Pro

The average price in Russia is 9,060 rubles. You can buy OUKITEL K6000 Pro on AliExpress for 8.1 thousand rubles (delivery to Russia is free). The model from the Chinese brand received 61% of fives according to reviews in Yandex Market. Specifications: 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, Android 6.0 operating system, 32 GB of permanent and 3 GB of RAM. There is a slot for an external memory card (combined with a slot for a second SIM card). Main camera 13 MP, front camera 5 MP. OUKITEL specializes in smartphones with powerful batteries, this phone was no exception: the battery capacity is 6,000 mAh (for comparison: the 6th iPhone has a 3.5 times weaker battery - 1,715 mAh). Time battery life: talk time - 46 hours, standby time - 360 hours (15 days), music listening time - 45 hours. 8-core processor MediaTek MT6753. Video processor Mali-T720. There is a fingerprint scanner. Metal case.

5 HTC 10 32Gb - smartphone with the best camera in the world

The average price in Russia is 30,550 rubles. You can buy HTC 10 on Aliexpress for 25.2 thousand rubles (delivery to Russia is free). The flagship from the second largest Taiwanese manufacturer was released in May 2016 and today scored 73% of fives in reviews in Yandex Market. Specifications: Android 6.0 OS, 5.2-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2560x1440, 32 GB of permanent memory (of which 23 GB is available to the user) and 4 GB of RAM. Support for external memory card. Support for only one SIM card. Battery capacity - 3000 mAh. Talk time - 27 hours, standby time - 456 hours. There is a fingerprint scanner.

The main advantage of this model is its cameras. Main - 12 mp, front - 5 mp. Optical image stabilization is introduced for the first time in both the main and front cameras. The camera performs well in low light conditions. The manufacturer's website says: "You can expect perfect lighting for great photos. Or you can trust the HTC 10's main camera, which captures up to 136% more light in every shot. No magic - just new generation UltraPixel technology, enhanced optical stabilization and a fast ƒ/1.8" lens. The HTC 10's front camera is no less impressive than the rear one. Its light sensors are larger, the lens has an ƒ/1.8 aperture, and the screen plays the role of a flash perfectly. The wide-angle lens allows you to capture not only your own portrait, but The HTC 10 adds 4K video recording for the first time with 24-bit Hi-Res stereo audio recording, with 256 times more detail and twice the frequency range of the HTC 10 camera. .6 seconds - that is, almost instantly.

Various reviews and comparison tests say that the HTC 10 has the best camera in the world today. The Phonearena resource in July 2016 conducted a comparative test of flagship cameras, in which HTC 10 took first place, beating LG G5, iPhone 6s, OnePlus3, samsung galaxy S7, Sony Xperia X performance. Resource Dxomark gave the Taiwanese flagship camera 88 points (none of the smartphones sold today has a better rating).

4 ASUS Zenfone 3 ZE552KL 64Gb

The average price in Russia is 21,900 rubles. You can buy Zenfone 3 ZE552KL 64Gb on AliExpress for 16.1 thousand rubles (delivery to Russia is free). The flagship from the leading Taiwanese manufacturer, released in June 2016, today scored 66% of fives according to reviews in Yandex Market (see reviews of ASUS Zenfone 3). Specifications: Android 6.0 OS, 5.5-inch screen with a resolution of 1920x1080, 64 GB of internal memory and 4 GB of RAM, there is a slot for a memory card up to 128 GB. Battery capacity 3000 mAh. The case of ASUS Zenfone 3 is made of high-strength Corning Gorilla Glass with rounded edges (2.5D technology).

Main camera 16 MP, front camera 8 MP. The slogan of this model is "Created for photography", thus it is positioned as a camera phone. The latest Sony IMX298 sensor is used as the main camera sensor. ZenFone 3 is equipped with a fast f/2.0 lens and a unique system not found in other smartphones - TriTech triple autofocus. For the first time in the world, ASUS engineers have combined three technologies for focusing a smartphone's camera - laser, phase and tracking, and have achieved amazing efficiency at the same time. Focusing time is as low as 0.03 seconds - in various shooting conditions and scenarios. ZenFone 3 focuses 10x faster than you can blink. Add to this a highly effective system of optical and electronic image stabilization, as well as a color correction sensor, then there is no doubt: clear pictures and videos with natural, saturated colors can be obtained with just one touch. When shooting still images, 4-axis optical stabilization detects camera shake and compensates for image blur, while 3-axis electronic stabilization helps you record smooth movies even when shooting handheld or on the move.

Using 5-magnet drivers, a metal-framed voice coil and a specially designed resonant chamber, it delivers a rich and clear sound. In addition, by connecting headphones to ZenFone 3, you can enjoy audiophile sound in 24-bit/192 kHz - 4 times better than the quality of conventional audio CDs.

Of course, this model implements the proprietary Asus user interface ZenUI, this time the latest version 3.0.

The Asus ZenFone 3 has the best value for money to date (it's half the price of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and three times the price of the iPhone 7 Plus), as well as best reviews among the flagships of the world's leading manufacturers, therefore it rightfully takes first place in this rating.

3 ZTE Nubia Z11 Mini S 64Gb

The average price in Russia is 18,000 rubles. You can buy Nubia Z11 Mini S on Aliexpress for 15.8 thousand rubles (delivery to Russia is free). Slightly reduced in size and the most technically advanced version of the flagship of the ZTE Nubia family, released in October 2016, received 75% of fives in reviews in Yandex Market. Specifications: 5.2-inch screen with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, Android 6.0 operating system, 64 GB of permanent and 4 GB of RAM, there is a slot for an external memory card. Support for two SIM cards. Battery capacity - 3000 mAh. There is a fingerprint scanner, which, in addition to unlocking the smartphone, can be used to control the camera, take screenshots, and make mobile payments using NFC.

Main camera 23 MP, front camera 13 MP. The main camera uses the Sony IMX318 module, as in ASUS ZenFone 3 deluxe.

2 LG G5 is the world's first modular smartphone

The average price is 22,650 rubles. The flagship from the South Korean manufacturer, released in April 2016, received 76% of fives according to reviews in Yandex Market. LG G5 became the most popular model LG in South Korea in 2016 (antutu.com resource data). It should be noted right away that we are talking about a full-fledged flagship LG G5, which is not officially sold in Russia, so you can’t buy it in the official LG store or large retail chains, but it’s not a problem to find it in small online stores (if you don’t have ad cutter enabled, you will see a list of stores selling LG G5 below). In Russia, only a light version of the LG G5 SE is officially sold, while its average price is much more expensive (31,550 rubles), and the characteristics are weaker, in particular, less modern processor and less RAM. Therefore, the choice in favor of a full-fledged flagship at a lower price, in our opinion, is obvious.

Features LG G5: 5.3-inch screen with a resolution of 2560x1440, 32 GB of internal memory and 4 GB of RAM, there is a slot for memory cards with support for a fantastic amount of up to 2 TB (you will have to choose whether to install a second SIM card or a memory card in the slot ). operating system Android 6.0. Battery capacity - 2800 mAh. Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 MSM8996 processor with Adreno 530 video processor. And as many as three cameras: 16-megapixel main camera, 8-megapixel wide-angle camera (viewing angle - 135 degrees) and 8-megapixel front camera. The wide-angle camera is located in the same place as the main one - on the rear panel. Unlike the dual camera of the 7th iPhone, where the image is analyzed by two sensors at once, which can affect the quality of the frame for the worse, because. blurring may occur in some areas, the LG G5 takes a different path: it takes two pictures at once with two different cameras: wide-angle and main, from which you can choose the best one. Also, a wide-angle camera is good where you need to shoot a large object, without being able to move far away from it so that it fits completely into the frame when shooting with a standard camera.

The camera of the LG G5 received 86 points in the well-known photographic resource Dxomark, as did the camera of the 7th iPhone. As for the comparison with another last year Samsung flagship Galaxy S7 Edge, the hi-tech.mail.ru resource conducted a comparative test of their cameras and the results were as follows: " Flagship Samsung Still, they shoot better, which is especially noticeable at night. However, when it comes to self-portraits, LG leads the way with another major advantage: the ability to take wide-angle shots with a 135-degree field of view. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge won in the blind vote, however, experts attributed this victory to the brighter unnatural colors in the Samsung camera and preferred LG G5. Therefore, it is fair to say that the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and LG G5 have about the same main cameras level, while the LG G5 has an advantage in shooting with a front camera, as well as an additional plus in the form of a wide-angle camera.

This model- the world's first smartphone with a modular equipment principle. The user can replace the battery in a few seconds or install one of the LG Friends modules: special block LG Cam Plus with additional camera control buttons or LG Hi-Fi Plus with an audio chip. With the first module, the smartphone becomes a full-fledged compact camera with a comfortable grip, and with the second module it turns into a real audio player. The LG Cam Plus module has its own 1200 mAh battery. But you shouldn’t just sum up the capacities, everything is a little different: as soon as the smartphone’s battery runs out, it is immediately recharged from the battery in the LG Cam Plus unit. So, in fact, we have an additional external battery. The modules are purchased separately. LG Cam Plus costs from 900 rubles, but the purchase of LG Hi-Fi Plus will cost 6 thousand rubles.

1 OnePlus 3T 64Gb is the most powerful smartphone in the world

The average price in Russia is 26,300 rubles. You can buy OnePlus 3T 64Gb on Aliexpress for 24.9 thousand rubles (delivery to Russia is free). Launched in mid-November 2016, this model is an upgraded version of the OnePlus 3 that launched in June 2016, and has earned the title of "flagship killer" due to its superior performance and affordable price, as well as being ranked among the top 6 best-selling smartphones in the world. at the end of the year. Today, the updated version of OnePlus 3T has 76% of fives according to reviews in Yandex Market (see reviews of OnePlus 3T). Specifications: Android 6.0 OS, 5.5-inch AMOLED screen with a resolution of 1920x1080, 64 GB of permanent memory. If other flagships in this ranking have 3 or 4 GB of RAM, the OnePlus 3T has an incredible 6 GB of RAM, which allowed it to become the fastest and most powerful android smartphone 2016 (only the Galaxy S8 released in 2017 was able to surpass it). The OnePlus3T ranked third in performance in the 2016 AnTuTu study, behind only the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 7. In practice, this performance means that you can keep two dozen Chrome tabs open and a couple of games in the background.

OnePlus3 does not support an external memory card, although with 64 GB of memory it is not particularly needed. Battery capacity - 3400 mAh. There is a fingerprint scanner. Support for two SIM cards.

The advantages of the model include incredible strength. Strained glass Gorilla Glass 4, protecting the screen, coped with the scratch resistance test (similar tests are carried out by the famous YouTube blogger Zach Nilson). Representatives of OnePlus, in order to prove the strength of their flagship, took a bold step and dropped OnePlus3 from a flying plane at an altitude of about 230 meters (for comparison: the main building of Moscow State University has a height of 240 meters). The smartphone fell to the ground screen down, but this did not affect its appearance or performance.

The OnePlus 3T has a 16-megapixel Sony IMX298 sensor with f/2.0 aperture, OIS, PDAF, and a 1.12µm pixel size. The front camera has a 16-megapixel sensor. The Phonearena resource in July 2016 conducted a comparative test of flagship cameras, as a result, the Phonearena editors gave OnePlus 3 (OnePlus 3T has the same main camera) fourth place, it lost to HTC 10, LG G5, iPhone 6s and surpassed Samsung Galaxy S7 and Sony Xperia X performance. However, if we compare samsung cameras Galaxy S7 and OnePlus 3, the OnePlus 3 clearly wins only in quality front camera, it takes better pictures than most mainstream smartphone cameras. As for the main camera of the Samsung Galaxy S7, visually, the pictures from it are better than the main camera of the OnePlus 3.

The Android operating system is the most popular mobile operating system, with more than 2 billion users today. Its capabilities are constantly expanding due to numerous third party applications, which almost hourly appear in the official Google store Play market(GP).

Today I will tell you about the most popular and best apps on Android 2018, which are simply required to be installed on your smartphone. This collection includes both "celebrities" and programs that you may not have heard of. The selection criteria were user reviews, the number of downloads in GP, ​​as well as personal experience. So let's get started.

The collection includes only free apps. Some of them have a paid version, which is distinguished by extended functionality, as well as the absence of built-in ads.

TuneIn Radio

The best, in my opinion, radio on Android, which has a collection of over 100,000 radio stations. In addition to the usual music channels a la Europa Plus, here you will find news, conversational, educational stations, podcasts, many filters for easy searching for the content you need, a favorites button and other goodies. Moreover, all this is available in free version applications (although sometimes you have to watch ads).

The number of downloads is 100+ million, the average rating is 4.4 points.

Monefy - convenient expense tracking

4 cost planners with approximately the same user ratings fought for the chance to get into the selection, but my choice fell on Monefy: the application interface seemed to me more pleasant and friendly than competitors.

All expenses in the application are divided into categories and you just have to fill them in as you make purchases, spend on utilities, vacations, etc. Built-in calculator, convenient widgets for viewing information on the lock screen, visual charts showing your expenses - plan your personal or family budget without any problems. Very, very comfortable!

The number of downloads is 1+ million, the average rating is 4.6.

XPlayer

A video player with a simple name bribed me, first of all, with its simplicity and ease of operation. Also, like its more popular counterparts, it supports video playback in any format, including 4K, and recognizes all video files on the smartphone with their sorting into the appropriate folders, etc.

I was pleased with the ability to store videos in a personal folder (access by pin code), the built-in equalizer and the “modest advertising” that appears on the screen if you yourself decide to support the developers and press the button in the form of a mug of tea.

The number of downloads is 10+ million, the average rating is 4.8 points.

Samsung Health

Summer is coming: it's time to get rid of extra pounds and get in shape. In order to achieve good results and take a comprehensive approach to solving this issue, we will need special applications for good health. Samsung Health- the best option from what can be found in the open spaces of GP. Moreover, it works on any smartphone, and not just on Samsung, as you might think.

The application has a built-in pedometer, cycling and sports trackers that allow you to control physical activity and track your activity. Controlling weight and calories consumed, exercise programs, as well as the ability to track heart rate, blood pressure, glucose levels and other indicators (using third-party devices synchronized with the application) are just a small list of what Samsung Health can do.

The number of downloads is 100+ million, the average rating is 4.3 points.

Friend around

Got yourself in shape? Now it's time to make new friends. Probably everyone has heard about the mega-popular Badoo, Tinder and Mamba, so I decided to give a head start to the young.

Dating app "FriendVokrug" has everything you need for easy communication: chats (group, private), search filters, emoticons, stickers, gifts, notifications - in general, the interface is very good. Of the pluses, you can highlight the ability to view the pages of people who have visited your profile. In general, if you are tired of standard messengers, then FriendVokrug is a great alternative.

The number of downloads is 10+ million, the average rating is 4.3 points.

Hotspot Shield Free VPN

You should also not forget about your security and anonymity on the Internet. Moreover, "evil" social media and giant corporations sleep and see how to find out more about you, and then sell the obtained data to intelligence agencies or marketers.

There are a lot of VPN services on Android: I chose Hotspot Shield Free VPN. Firstly, the service does not require registration - you log in, press a button and surf the Internet unnoticed. Secondly, it is free and works stably without any donation (well, you still have to look at the advertisement). And thirdly, inside the application you will find a set of tools that allow you to clean the device from junk files, prolong battery life and check your smartphone for "malicious" applications" - I have not seen this in other VPN programs!

The number of downloads is 50+ million, the average rating is 4.2.

Gismeteo

In the case of the weather app, the statement turned out to be true - "popular does not mean best." At the top of Google Play is the AccuWeather application, which has a huge functionality, as well as an immense amount of built-in advertising: this is unacceptable. Therefore, my choice fell on the "modest" Gismeteo.

The application is stylishly designed, has a user-friendly interface and a minimum of unnecessary additional functions. Moreover, from my own experience I can say that the Internet resource gismeteo.ru most often predicts the weather correctly, so the application will certainly cope with a similar task.

temperature, wind speed, humidity, Atmosphere pressure and even the K-index of the geomagnetic situation - everything that a simple user needs is here!

The number of downloads is 1+ million, the average rating is 4.3 points.

Google Maps

There is no need to reinvent the wheel when it has already been created. So you can say about the application " Google Maps", which, in essence, is the best navigator on Android, which is confirmed by the users who install it.

Find out information about traffic jams, navigate in any settlement, find public transport stops, catering places and other significant objects on the map. In addition, most important places have photos, as well as reviews of people who visited these objects.

An interesting feature of the application is the ability to plot a route online and follow it offline. In general, informative, convenient and simple, which is not surprising, given the creator of the program.

The number of downloads is 1+ billion, the average rating is 4.3 points.

CM Launcher 3D 5.0

This launcher cannot be called unknown, but if you have not heard about it, and even more so have never used it, then you have missed a lot. With it, you can turn the interface of any Android smartphone into a "candy".

So, it has: 10 thousand free themes for every color and taste, built-in quick search, intelligent sorting of applications according to their purpose, as well as tools for cleaning the smartphone from “garbage” and speeding up its work.

Of the cool features of CM Launcher 3D 5.0, you can highlight the ability to create themes yourself, literally, collecting individual elements piece by piece, as well as support for Microsoft's smart voice assistant Cortana.

The number of downloads is 100+ million, the average rating is 4.6.

Security Master

Search the best antivirus Android is a thankless task. And you will probably be surprised when you find out that it has become Security Master - an application that is a whole complex for protecting and improving the performance of your device.

In addition to the antivirus itself, Security Master has a smartphone accelerator that cleans garbage and closes unnecessary applications, thereby saving battery power, a built-in VPN service that allows you to visit prohibited sites, locking applications with a password, a game accelerator that optimizes your smartphone for gaming, and a bunch of other goodies. Just not an antivirus, but a godsend!

The number of downloads is 500+ million, the average rating is 4.7 points.

File Manager by Flashlight + Clock

Not the most popular (in terms of the number of downloads), but simple and easy to manage, this file manager has all the rights to take its rightful place, both in the collection and on your gadget.

A distinctive feature of File Manager from Flashlight + Clock is simplicity. On home page application, you will find all the necessary categories of files, as well as several buttons for sending information to the cloud and remote access to a smartphone. Nothing superfluous - minimalistic and effective!

The number of downloads is 10+ million, the average rating is 4.8 points.

facemoji keyboard

Choosing a keyboard on Android is a very difficult task due to the fact that there are a great many of them in GP. After trying a few of the most popular ones, I settled on the Facemoji keyboard.

This application will turn sending messages into an exciting experience. A bunch of free themes, the ability to create your own keyboard by uploading any photo as a background, thousands of emoticons, gifs, emojis and emoticons - a standard keyboard can only dream of this. Facemoji also supports fast typing and predictive input, in no way inferior to other similar applications.

LightX

A great photo editor that has all necessary tools to turn an ordinary photo into a real work of art. There are hundreds of different filters, applying which, you can significantly improve any photo.

And lovers of painting in LightX will find brushes of different thicknesses and a number of other “gadgets” for manual editing. Photo frames, the ability to create collages, attach stickers and inscriptions to photos, a user-friendly interface and much more in an application that takes only 20 MB. Yes, LightX is not the most downloaded photo editor in GP, ​​but that does not make it any worse, which is confirmed by high user ratings.

The number of downloads is 10+ million, the average rating is 4.7 points.

Conclusion

It is simply impossible to cover all the best and most unusual Android applications in one article. Therefore, if you are interested in thematic collections in the style of "Best Photo Editors" or "Best Business Applications", leave your applications in the comments: I will not leave the most interesting ones without attention.

What can we expect from new phones in the second half of 2018? And which one would be the best new phone to buy?

Because most smartphone manufacturers have already set up an annual update cycle. Thanks to this, we have an idea of ​​when the most anticipated phones of 2018 will arrive. There is already official information about some smartphones.

In this article, we will outline what to expect in the second half of 2018 in the market mobile phones. You will get an idea of ​​new trends and trends that will be reflected in new models.

New trends and trends

Big flagship focus android phones 2018 will focus on the new Snapdragon system chip. In 2017, most, if not all, flagship phones were powered by Snapdragon 835. It will be interesting to see how much the next processor model will be from the manufacturers of the previous one.

Apple fans will be interested to know what new technologies will be applied in new products. How to change the functionality of AR and Face ID.

Of particular interest is the following trend in smartphone design. Will the new phones be completely bezel-less?

Without further ado, let's move on to our list of the most anticipated phones of 2018.

Telephone	Expected Features	Release time	Expected price
Sony Xperia XZ3	New interface, dual camera, advanced design	Autumn	$ 800
Nokia 9	Innovative Zeiss multi-lens camera	Autumn	$ 700
Huawei Mate 20	Great battery life, performance and camera improvements	October	$ 800
Moto Z3 Force	Continuous display, performance and camera improvements	August	$ 700
LG V40	Focus on professional features like audio quality and video recording	October	$ 800
OnePlus 6T	Not yet known	November	$ 500
Google Pixel 3	New edge-to-edge design, new Android version, new AI capabilities	October	$ 650
Google Pixel 3XL	Improved display quality, new Android version, new AI features	October	$ 850
Samsung Galaxy Note 9	Built-in fingerprint scanner, S Pen is better	October	$ 950
Apple iPhone 9	6.1" edge-to-edge LCD, no 3D Touch, new AR features	September	$ 700
Apple iPhone X 2018	Performance and camera improvements, new AR features	September	$ 1000
Apple iPhone 9 Plus	6.5" edge-to-edge OLED screen, new higher price, focus on camera performance, new AR features	September	$ 1100

Sony Xperia XZ3

Expected release date: Fall 2018 (IFA)

Expected Price: $800

Why wait for it: Will we be offered a new interface?

Sony finally updated the design of their phones with the new XZ2 series in early 2018. Now we expect the company to improve appearance phone in the new Xperia XZ3.

The XZ3 is rumored to have a dual camera system on the back. The biggest changes are planned in the new interface. Sony's new interface will follow Android P innovations and may support gestures.

Nokia 9

Expected Price: $700

Why wait: big bets on camera

HMD Global brought our beloved Nokia brand into phones in 2017. However, this did not cause the expected excitement. But there is every reason to believe that new model will get much better.

Nokia has traditionally focused on a great camera. We expect that new flagship The premium Nokia 9 in 2018 will do just that: it will offer a great smartphone with an excellent camera with Zeiss optics.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro

Expected release date: Fall 2018

Why wait for it: Huawei hopes to bet on AI intelligence

Huawei is now the third largest phone maker in the world. He has several different models premium level. In the future, it is a global leader in the smartphone market.

The most anticipated new product P20 Pro is planned to use three cameras, a large OLED display and a capacious battery. We also expect Huawei to improve its smart assistant system. An update to Kirin's own processor is also expected.

Moto Z3 Force

Expected release date: Summer 2018

Expected Price: $700

Why wait for it: one-of-a-kind modular design

Lenovo owns Motorola and is investing heavily in developing the brand.

The new 2018 Moto Z3 Force is likely to bet on two factors. A unique ShatterShield display and a unique module that allows you to transform your phone.

LG V40

Expected release date: Fall 2018

Expected Prices: $800

Why wait for it: the desire to restore user trust

LG also decided to introduce two flagship phone in a year. We recently got to know the LG G7 ThinQ. But the real flagship is expected later. We are talking about the LG V40.

This phone will have top performance, great cameras and great battery life.

OnePlus 6T

Expected release date: Fall 2018

Expected prices: from $550

Why wait: ultra-fast performance and charging speed, affordable price

OnePlus is a company that has 4 years of experience in the world of mobile phones. All previous models were extremely successful. From swept from the shelves like pies.

We don't know what the OnePlus 6T will look like yet. It is unlikely that he will change much. Probably, the useful area of ​​the display will increase.

OnePlus 6T will traditionally be the most affordable flagship and one of the fastest phones. We hope that the hardware capabilities of the camera will also be improved.

Google Pixel 3/3XL

Expected release date: Fall 2018

Expected Prices: $650 / $850

Google, which last week threatened to punish resourceful developers who misuse the Accessibility API (functions for people with disabilities), this week announced a couple of major new changes to the Play Store app store. In the next two years, developers will be forced to use only the latest APIs and make appropriate changes to their applications to support 64-bit computing.

From the end of next year, new Android apps must target an SDK no older than one year from the current version (we are talking about the targetSdkVersion attribute, which indicates the version of the API for which the app was developed). That is, with the release of the next version of Android P, developers will only be able to publish apps on the Play Store that target Android 8.0 Oreo (API 26) or later. Android update Q, which will be released after Android P, will raise the minimum target API one step higher - to API 28 and so on. Judging by the wording, intermediate releases like API 27 (Android 8.1) will not be taken into account in this case.

Recall that the minimum and target API levels are completely different concepts. The minimum API specifies the minimum (oldest) version of Android required for the application to work. Targeted means that the developer has made the appropriate changes to take advantage of the latest version of Android.

With these changes, Google wants to encourage developers to use latest versions SDK with increased performance and maintain the latest improvements in energy savings and security.

For new applications, the new mandatory requirements for the target API level will become effective from August 2018, and for updated versions of existing applications - from November 2018.

Google also mentions limitations on the API level in the future. Android versions, but what kind of restrictions it will be, does not specify.

In addition, also developers who have not yet bothered to switch to 64-bit versions will have to do this anyway. More specifically, from August 2019, without exception, all Android applications will need to support 64-bit processors. Note that a complete end to support for 32-bit applications is out of the question at the moment, but it will definitely happen in the future. Apple has already completely switched to 64-bit applications with the release of the latest iOS versions 11, but Android with its high fragmentation needs a little more time. Recall 64-bit android apps started supporting with the release of Lollipop in 2015.

The Android Authority portal summed up the results of the outgoing year, naming smartphones worthy of being called the best of the best. Winners in various categories were identified through detailed testing involving experts in various fields.

The best smartphone

Winner: .

techstage.de

The winner was determined based on the results of all tests, from photo comparison to benchmarks. At the same time, it was not at all necessary to take first place in each test - it was important that the smartphone did not fail in any of them. With which the Galaxy Note 9 did quite well, entering the top five in four of the five key tests.

The best innovations in smartphones

If the performance and autonomy of smartphones can be somehow assessed and measured, then with innovation this approach is fundamentally wrong. That is why, choosing the most unusual and interesting technologies, Android Authority relied on a simple survey of the entire editorial staff, which is over 30 people.

At the first stage, the experts offered their options, and at the second stage, a general vote was held for the best applicants. As a result, three truly innovative technologies of 2018 were named:

• Google's Duplex is an AI-powered technology that allows a voice assistant to make calls to book coffee tables, buy tickets, and order pizza, for example.
• Foldable devices from Samsung and Royole - we are talking about the first folding smartphone and similar Samsung, which was recently demonstrated at a special presentation.
• Vivo's in-display fingerprint scanner - such sensors, according to Android Authority, will be the first step towards technology that allows fingerprints to be recognized on the entire area of ​​​​the screen panel.

Best Display

Winners: Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Razer Phone 2.

variety.com

To determine the best displays, experts from Spectracal were involved, who helped to give a correct assessment of color reproduction, temperature, brightness and other parameters of smartphone screens. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is recognized as the best in the aggregate of all ratings. Huawei Mate 20 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S9 are slightly behind it.

Separately, the experts highlighted best screen for games. Its owner was the gaming flagship Razer Phone 2, which received an IPS IGZO panel with a frequency of 120 Hz and a brightness of up to 580 nits. The picture on such a display looks really alive.

Best Sound

Winner

cnet.com

Define best smartphone for audiophiles, representatives of the SoundGuys resource helped. They conducted many different tests, evaluating the most diverse components of high-quality sound. The LG V40 ThinQ, equipped with a 32-bit Hi-FI DAC and powerful speakers, was recognized as the best in the aggregate of all tests.

In addition to him, Asus ROG Phone, Nokia 7.1 and Samsung Galaxy S9 + were awarded flattering reviews. The RED Hydrogen One, Huawei P20 and Huawei P20 Pro deserved a negative rating for sound quality.

Best Performance

Winner

websawa.com

The performance of the devices was evaluated by a whole range of different benchmarks, including AnTuTu, GFXBench, Geekbench and 3DMark. According to the results of all evaluations, the Mate 20 Pro from Huawei was recognized as the best, which received the latest proprietary Kirin 980 processor.

In fact, in terms of performance, many modern flagships turned out to be almost equal. Asus ROG Phone, OnePlus 6T, Huawei Mate 20, Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Samsung Galaxy S9+ demonstrated the minimum gap from the leader. All of them can be called the most powerful smartphones on Android.

The best battery

Winners: Huawei P20 Pro and Huawei Mate 20 Pro.

androidauthority.com

Here, experts evaluated autonomy in various usage scenarios, ranging from simple web browsing over Wi-Fi to mixed use of the gadget in applications. The leader of all tests was the Huawei P20 Pro, which is equipped with a 4,000 mAh battery. The Oppo R17 Pro, Vivo V11 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Note 9 are not far behind.

Separately, the charging speed of smartphones was noted, the importance of which is also difficult to overestimate. All smartphones were tested with original adapters. The winner is Huawei Mate 20 Pro, which charges 40% in just 15 minutes, 76% in 30 minutes, and 99% in an hour.

Best Camera

Winners: Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Pixel 3/3 XL.

androidpit.com

This year the best camera selected in two categories. Within the framework of the first, the best solution was determined for the so-called traditional shooting, when detail, natural color reproduction, a minimum of noise and artifacts are important. In this regard, the leadership for the Galaxy Note 9, which has a dual camera with 12 megapixel sensors.

HTC U12+, Samsung Galaxy S9+, LG G7, Huawei Mate 20 Pro and Sony Xperia XZ3 were noted as alternative solutions. All of them are slightly behind the leader.

The second nomination took into account image processing algorithms, the use of artificial intelligence functions and additional shooting modes. Here, the undisputed leaders are the new flagship Google Pixel 3, equipped with identical single 12-megapixel cameras.

The Huawei P20 Pro, Huawei Mate 20 Pro, Xiaomi Mi A2, LG V40 and Vivo Nex came closest to the capabilities of the Pixel 3.

The best smartphone for gaming

Winner

gadgetmatch.com

When testing gaming devices, first of all, their performance was taken into account in the 3DMark benchmark, which most accurately characterizes the gaming capabilities of smartphones. Maximum amount points in it scored Asus ROG Phone, equipped with an overclocked version of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor with a frequency of up to 2.96 GHz.

The same smartphone has one of the best displays for gaming - a six-inch AMOLED panel with FHD + resolution, displaying 108.6% of the gamut. color profile DCI-P3 and 90Hz refresh rate. In this regard, it is second only to the Razer Phone 2 with a 120Hz screen.

The third component of the test is support for gaming accessories. Here the victory was also awarded to Asus ROG Phone, for which a number of peripherals, including a convenient dock with an additional screen and controllers that turn the device into a kind of Nintendo Switch.

Best price

Winners: and OnePlus 6T.

manchikoni.com

Xiaomi's Pocophone F1, which has a flagship processor, 6 GB of RAM and impressive battery life, was the best deal for the least amount of money at around $300.

The more expensive OnePlus 6T was also highlighted. Starting at $550, it offers a more modern design, a bezel-less waterdrop display, and an in-display fingerprint scanner built into the AMOLED panel.

Android Authority Readers' Choice

Winner

Readers of the resource made their choice not in one general vote, but in a whole set of "duels". It was necessary to vote in them only for one of the two smartphones. As a result, two models reached the final: Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Huawei Mate 20 Pro. The first flagship won with a score of 63% (1,216 votes).