At the end of the year, many bloggers and media outlets traditionally summarize the events of the past 12 months. One of the most famous bloggers in the tech industry, YouTuber Marques Brownlee (MKBHD), published a video with his own results, noting the best (and one worst) smartphones of 2023.
Traditionally, a quite long video has several awards, each of which determines its own winner and several alternatives with some interesting details or features.
The blogger started with the “Best Large Smartphone” award. Mr. Brownlee noted that manufacturers have most likely reached the peak of smartphone sizes, which is “up to 7 inches.” Indeed, anything larger is unlikely to be convenient and comfortable in everyday use. And the best in this competition was the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
In this block, the blogger also mentioned the new OnePlus Open foldable smartphone, the gaming ROG Phone 7, and OPPO Find X6 Pro.
In contrast, the next category, “Best Compact Smartphone,” brought some balance, because not every user wants or can even comfortably use a large smartphone. And the winner here is ASUS ZenFone 10. Conceptually, this is not a new, but an updated device, but its predecessor was also praised primarily for its small size and very good performance.
However, this niche also includes some folding smartphones, which, despite the large internal display, fold in half and become much more compact at the same time. There are still quite a few of these options, and MKBHD noted the best among them is the Samsung Galaxy Flip5.
This year’s “Best Cameraphone” is the iPhone 15 Pro. According to Mr. Brownlee, the cameras of this smartphone are not the best in all their capabilities, especially when it comes to zoom. However, in terms of all its advantages, the iPhone is the most versatile option of all.
Another powerful option is the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. At the same time, MKBHD recalled the results of its own blind comparison of cameras, which noted Google Pixel 7a, iPhone 15 Pro та Google Pixel 8 Pro.
This time, the blogger’s prize for the “Best Price/Quality Ratio” was awarded to Samsung Galaxy A54. Motorola Moto G Play and Google Pixel 7a are also worthy options in this category.
For Best Battery, the prize predictably went to the iPhone 15 Plus, which may not have the largest battery, but thanks to optimization and a 60Hz display, it can work for a long time. The ROG Phone 7 was also mentioned for its 6,000 mAh battery capacity. However, in the same category, the blogger also noted the ASUS Zenphone 10, which, despite its compactness, is also able to work for a couple of days.
The Best Design award went to the folding smartphone Honor Magic V2. When folded, it is less than a centimeter thick, has small bezels around the display, and boasts a 5,000 mAh battery capacity, fast charging, three main cameras, and more.
The new prize this year is the “Best Folding Smartphone”, among which there are really more interesting options this year. The winner here is the new OnePlus Open, which is close to the OPPO Find N3 Fold. However, the new Google Pixel Fold is also a good option in this standings, and it is for the external display. The Honor Magic V2 is also in this standings, although only because of its design.
But the Samsung Galaxy Flip5, which is still fundamentally different from the options just mentioned, still falls into this category and is recognized as the best in this form factor.
The prize for “Best Improvement” went to Nothing Phone 2. Still a new player in the market, this year it launched only its second smartphone, which, of course, had room for improvement. Many of them still rely on software, where the company has interesting solutions.
It’s quite funny, but the iPhone 15 line also made it into this category for… USB-C.
The “disappointment of the year”, even though it is hard to find a really bad smartphone nowadays, was the “crypto smartphone” Solana Saga, which some may like only for its design and ceramic body.
And finally, the Best Smartphone of the Year is G Google Pixel 8. Despite the price increase, it still has good cameras, a well-designed display, the same processor as the more expensive Pixel 8 Pro flagship, and many software solutions, and it promises seven years of updates.
The blogger mentioned ASUS Zenfone 10, iPhone 15 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, and OnePlus Open as equally interesting alternatives.
It would be equally interesting to know what our readers think about this. So I invite you to share them in the comments. You can also tell us about your current smartphone, what you like/dislike, and what smartphone you plan to buy next.
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