2019 certainly had its fair share of powerful new smartphones.
All the biggest players – Samsung, Huawei and Apple – came to the table, while smaller manufacturers and old favourites also weighed in with unique and interesting devices.
The mid-range segment showed extensive growth, with Samsung and Huawei exchanging blows via their A-series and Y-series devices respectively.
New flagships boasted bigger and better cameras, with improvements in performance and battery life optimisation also making their way to top-end handsets.
Foldable craze
The hype over foldable displays, meanwhile, was met with the reality of the developmental challenges presented by this new technology.
Samsung had to delay the release of its Fold after various design issues caused malfunctions.
Huawei finally released the Mate X, although it has so far only been launched in China with no support for Google services or apps.
The foldable Motorola Razr was also launched, but will only be available from January 2020.
Until these devices become more widely available, we can appreciate the more traditional flagship smartphones which headlined the past year’s releases.
The following is a list of five of the best smartphones from 2019.
Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus – R21,999
| Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus | |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.4-inch 1,440 x 3,040 OLED |
| OS | Android 9.0 |
| Processor | Exynos 9820 octa-core |
| RAM | 8GB/12GB |
| Internal storage | 128GB/ 512GB/ 1TB |
| Camera | 16MP + 12MP + 12MP |
| Front camera | 10MP + 8MP |
| Battery | 4,100mAh |
| Charging | 15W Fast Charging |
| Biometrics | In-display fingerprint sensor |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Dimensions | 157.6 x 74.1 x 7.8 mm (198g) |
| Price | R21,999 |
Huawei P30 Pro – R17,999
| Huawei P30 Pro | |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.47-inch |
| OS | Android 9.0 |
| Processor | Kirin 980 octa-core |
| RAM | 6GB / 8GB |
| Internal storage | 128GB / 256GB / 512GB |
| Camera | 40MP + 20MP + 8MP + 3D TOF |
| Front camera | 32MP |
| Battery | 4,200mAh |
| Charging | 40W wired, 15W wireless |
| Biometrics | In-display fingerprint |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Dimensions | 158 x 73.4 x 8.4 mm (192g) |
| Price | R17,999 |
iPhone 11 Pro – R22,299
| iPhone 11 Pro | |
|---|---|
| Display | 5.8-inch 1,125 x 2,436 OLED |
| OS | iOS 13 |
| Processor | A13 Bionic |
| RAM | 4GB |
| Internal storage | 64GB / 256GB / 512GB |
| Camera | 12MP + 12MP + 12MP |
| Front camera | 12MP + 3D camera |
| Battery | 3,046mAh |
| Charging | 18W Fast Charging |
| Biometrics | Face ID |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Dimensions | 144 x 71.4 x 8.1 mm (188g) |
| Price | R22,299 |
Huawei Mate 30 Pro – Not available in South Africa
| Huawei Mate 30 Pro | |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.53-inch 1,176 x 2,400 OLED |
| OS | EMUI 10 based on Android 10 (no Google services) |
| Processor | Kirin 990 octa-core |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Internal storage | 128GB / 256GB |
| Camera | 40MP + 40MP + 8MP |
| Front camera | 32MP + 3D TOF sensor |
| Battery | 4,500mAh |
| Charging | 40W Fast wired, 27W wireless |
| Biometrics | In-display fingerprint sensor |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 ac, Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Dimensions | 158.1 x 73.1 x 8.8 mm (198g) |
| Price | Not available |
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus – R21,499
| Samsung Galaxy Note 10 | |
|---|---|
| Display | 6.8-inch 1,40 x 3040 OLED |
| OS | Android 9.0 |
| Processor | Exynos 9825 |
| RAM | 12GB |
| Internal storage | 128GB/ 512GB |
| Camera | 12MP + 16MP + 12MP + 3D TOF |
| Front camera | 10MP |
| Battery | 4,300mAh |
| Charging | 45W fast Charging |
| Biometrics | In-display fingerprint reader |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Dimensions | 162.3 x 77.2 x 7.9 mm (196g) |
| Price | R21,499 |
source : https://bit.ly/2F4Hm50