When it is not Samsung, it is LG, and when not Xiaomi or Google itself, embarked on its Pixel line. But that means that there is more and more to choose from to buy, and to make the choice easier for you, we bring you this article on the best high-end Android phones.
Due to the tendency to make phones bigger and bigger, I have had to move away from including in this modest screen mobile phones and in phablets those with larger screens. Here I try to put phones more focused on Android phone that does not go much from 150-155 mm in height, and I leave those that are rather high-end phablets for a different article, but many times it is impossible.
We also have other listings of smartphones and phablets:
The best high-end Android phones, taking into account partly the quality/price but above all its quality, are the following according to our criteria and tastes. Keep in mind that the phones exposed here have high durability, either by using Gorilla Glass screens, or generally being resistant to use and passage of time. You will find cheaper phones, with features that will make them go fluid, but they tend to have more normal designs, more mediocre cameras, or a worse operating system update policy.
Since the technical characteristics are very similar, I am going to focus on the added value that differentiates this Android phone.
Things to keep in mind
When it comes to buying a high-end Android phone, you are paying for the best hardware on the market. They are the most powerful processors, which in many cases will serve to play with high quality and fluency -even if it is not the main use of a phone-, although the graphical power they have is currently redirected towards faster and faster data processing. Efficient. Processors like the Kirin 970 have a coprocessor for this, and the Pixel 2 has a visual processing unit to improve the quality of photographs, among other uses. Typically the high-end includes at least 4GB of RAM and 32 or 64GB of storage, which will lead to no problem for the average user.
It is also expected of a high-end Android phone, when you already put in prices of 500 or more euros, it is that they have a great camera. Although it is fashionable to have a double rear sensor – or front, for selfies – they do not necessarily provide better photo quality. They bring improved information in the captured image or telephoto characteristics, but ultimately the quality of the image taken depends on the post-processing performed by the phone, which depends on algorithms that vary greatly from company to company. Samsung has both its own high-quality sensors as well as patents and processing software that enable high image quality on its high-end Android phone
It is also common for these phones to have ultra-fast storage of the UFS 2.0 type (universal flash storage), compared to the eMMC (embedded multimedia card) of lower-end phones. The main difference is the speed of opening applications or reopening them if they have not been used for a long time. In addition, those that have a micro-SD card reader should be accompanied by micro-SD cards that have the qualification of suitable for use with Android phone, marked with A1 or A2 on their box.
It is also expected, at this point, that high-end Android phone have consumption-saving systems, batteries of 3000 mAh or more, and above all have fast charges. This will generally lead to recharging them with the wall adapter included with them so that they can be charged quickly, since the USB 3.0 sockets, except the special ones for this, cannot provide the necessary wattage, generally between 15 and 20 W for these systems of fast charge. The wireless charging is an equally interesting extra for the convenience of the user.
Finally, for the design of the phone, they usually opt for aluminum, or aluminum and glass, and many users will look for a model that is waterproof. In these cases, if the phone has them, it is necessary that the connector covers are in place. Keep in mind that this waterproof is especially against eventualities, but that they are not to submerge phones indefinitely. In addition, the screens are not adapted to be used underwater, so using them in the aquatic environment can be practically impossible.
Likewise, there is a tendency to eliminate the 3.5 mm audio connector to replace it with a digital audio output through a USB type C connector. It has the advantage that the digital-analog conversion (DAC) is done directly in the headphones. with sound quality advantages, but they have to be special headphones that integrate a DAC for it. Manufacturers usually accompany Android phone in these cases with an adapter from USB type C to a 3.5 mm jack/connector that already includes a DAC.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Series
The Galaxy S21 is a mobile similar to the Galaxy S20 Android phone, with some changes to make room for 5G connectivity as standard, although it refines the design of the device which gives it a better look and feel in the hand. It is also one of the smallest mobiles that are coming to the market, and that it is 151 mm high. But at a time when they tend to come in at 160-170mm, it’s a major cut. The design is also IP68 certified waterproof and dustproof.
It is of enormous quality, and it has a fingerprint reader integrated into its lower part. Of course, compared to the Galaxy S20 Android phone, its resolution drops to 1080 × 2400 pixels. The screen is flanked by stereo speakers.
It has an Exynos 2100 processor, although there is a version for the US and South Korea that has a Snapdragon 888. The battery is 4000 mAh, and that makes the autonomy somewhat lower than normal compared to those with 5000 mAh, but the screen size and resolution make it last at least 11-14 hours of web browsing or video playback. It can be improved by lowering the screen refresh to 60 Hz. The battery takes around an hour and a half to fully charge from scratch. It has 10 W wireless charging and 4.5 W wireless reverse charging (can recharge other devices).
Google Pixel 5
The Pixel 5 is Google’s flagship phone for the end of 2020. The company does not change the design of the previous Pixel much, being waterproof and dustproof and with a back that allows wireless charging. The screen is of high quality, 15.2 cm diagonal (6 in) with a resolution of 1080 × 2340 pixels and being of the OLED type. You can play high dynamic range (HDR) content. The phone is one of the smallest in the upper-mid-range market, at 144.7 × 70.4 × 8.0mm, and weighs 151g.
The processor is a Snapdragon 765G, with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage, without a micro-SD card reader. It has a 4080 mAh battery with an 18 W fast charging for a USB type C. It has an 802.11ac wife and Bluetooth 5.0, with 5G connectivity. Includes Android phone 11.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Series
The Galaxy S20 is a top-of-the-line mobile that shows that Samsung is not resting on the laurels of the high-end range. The base model is also the smallest high-end out there, at 151.7 mm in height and only 163 g in weight, and includes a good design with almost no screen frames, although it does have a bullet in its upper center part. The processor, depending on the country, is a Snapdragon 865 or an Exynos 990, with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of UFS 3.0 storage, with a micro-SD card reader. It charges via a USB Type-C port with up to 25W, which takes around an hour and a half to fully charge, and has 15W wireless charging.
The main camera of this Android phone is 12 Mpx with ƒ / 2.2 aperture and 120º wide-angle, the secondary one is 12 Mpx with optical image stabilizer and ƒ / 1.8 aperture and 79º angle and a third 64 Mpx telephoto with aperture ƒ / 2.0 and 76º. The front is 10 Mpx. The rear camera records video at 8K and the front one at 4K.
Motorola Edge
The base model Edge has a 17 cm (6.7 inches) OLED-type screen with a resolution of 1080 × 2340 pixels, compatible with HDR10 + and a refresh rate of 90 Hz. The processor is a Snapdragon 765 with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of UFS 2.1 storage, as well as a micro-SD card reader of up to 1 TB. It has 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, and 5G.
This model has a dual SIM slot. The design of the mobile is made waterproof and dustproof with an IP54 certificate, a fairly basic one for splashes. The battery is 4500 mAh with fast charging of 18 W through a USB type C port. The good screen is accompanied by stereo speakers.
The rear camera is with three sensors. The main one is 64 Mpx and aperture ƒ / 1.8 with optical image stabilization, the secondary is 16 Mpx wide-angle with ƒ / 2.2 and 117º, and the third is 8 Mpx for telephoto and ƒ / 2.4 with optical zoom of three increases. The front camera is 25 Mpx and ƒ / 2.0. Record 4K video.
Motorola Edge +
The more expensive Edge + model maintains most of the features and design, although it is a bit fattening to fit a 5000 mAh battery. The design is certified for IP68 waterproof and dustproof. It happens to have 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of UFS 3.0 storage, and a much more powerful Snapdragon 865 processor. You lose the second SIM slot. It also gains 15W wireless charging and 5W wireless reverse, 802.11ax Wi-Fi, and 5G connectivity doubles compatible antennas and bands for faster download speeds. The rear main sensor is 108 Mpx capable of recording video at 6K.
