2020's Best Smartphones

The average person checks their phone 58 times a day. With so much use, many users want to know that they have a powerful smartphone that will give them the best chance of having the proper tool when they need it. The flagship smartphones (the best devices each manufacturer releases each year) usually give users all the bells and whistles they need to be successful. Listed below is a look at some of the best smartphones available right now.

People rely on mobile computing. Whether that comes in the form of content creation, app usage, or some other reason, people want a device that can handle everything they throw at it. Here are a few of the very best smartphones available right now.

Samsung Galaxy s20 Ultra

Samsung’s annual contribution to the smartphone market tends to be taken for granted, but they generally are some of the best devices on the market each year. The Galaxy s20 Ultra is no exception. Made on an aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass 6 front and back and featuring a ridiculous 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display, it runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865. The Galaxy s20 Ultra comes with either 12 or 16 GB of RAM and features an in-screen fingerprint reader for security. 

On the Galaxy s20 Ultra, the camera profile is elite. The rear-facing cameras include a 48 megapixel telephoto lens that zooms up to 10x, a 108 megapixel wide angle lens, a 12 megapixel ultra wide angle lens, and a DepthVision Time of Flight camera. The device can record 8K video on Android 10. It comes with a 5,000 mAh battery and 45 watt fast charging with the plug and 15 watt charging with a Qi wireless charger. 

It is available in Cosmic Grey, Cloud White, and Cosmic Black and is available on all major carriers.

Samsung Galaxy s20 Ultra
Body: Aluminum with Gorilla Glass 6 Front and Back
Display: 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x (~511 ppi)
OS: Android 10
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
Memory: 12-to-16 GB RAM
Expandable Memory: Yes (microSDXC)
Cameras: Rear - 108 MP (wide), 48MP (periscope telephoto) 10x, 12 MP (ultra wide), .3 MP( Time of Flight). Front - 40 MP wide.
Sounds: Stereo Speakers, No Headphone Jack
Battery (endurance rating): 5,000 mAh (87 hours)
Security: In-screen fingerprint reader
Miscellaneous: Accelerometer, Gyrometer, Proximity, Barometer, Compass, Bixby assistant, IP68 dust/water resistant
Other versions: Galaxy s20, Galaxy s20+, Galaxy s20 FE

iPhone 12 Pro Max

Apple has been at the top of the smartphone market each year with its new iPhone. This year’s best version, the iPhone 12 Pro Max, has the same stainless steel construction as recent iterations of the iPhone with Gorilla Glass 6 front and back. This one comes with a huge 6.7-inch Super Retina OLED display with a screen resolution of 1,284 x 2,778.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max features Apple’s A14 processor, the first 5 nanometer processor in any smartphone, 6 GB of RAM, and up to 512 GB of onboard storage. Alas, there isn’t an option for expandable memory, but carries an efficient 3,687 mAh battery and comes with 20 watt fast charging plugged in and 15 watt wireless Qi charging. It currently runs on iOS 14.1.

The cameras on the iPhone 12 Pro Max are much the same as they were in the iPhone 11 Pro Max with three 12 MP lenses, but Apple has added a Time of Flight sensor for better depth in photos. Available in Silver, Graphite, Gold, and Pacific Blue, the iPhone 12 Pro Max will be released this week in November 2020.

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
Body: Stainless Steel with Gorilla Glass 6
Display: 6.7-inch Super Retina OLED (~458 ppi)
OS: iOS 14.1
Chipset: A14 Bionic
Memory: 6 GB RAM, up to 512 GB onboard storage
Expandable Memory: No
Cameras: Rear: 12 MP (wide), 12 MP (ultra wide), 12 MP (telephoto) 2.5x Front: 12 MP (wide)
Sounds: Stereo Speakers, no headphone jack
Battery (battery endurance rating): 3,687 mAh (~100 hours)
Security: Face ID
Miscellaneous: Accelerometer, Gyrometer, Proximity, compass, barometer, Siri assistant, IP68 dust/water resistant
Other versions: iPhone 12 Mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro

One Plus 8 Pro 

OnePlus 8 Pro is the first real flagship from a Chinese device manufacturer that has continued to expand its market share in the west. The OnePlus 8 Pro is built on an aluminum frame, with Gorilla Glass 5 front and back. The more curved design helps it feel good in the hand and with its 6.78-inch Fluid AMOLED display, it competes nicely with the other flagships currently on the market. 

The OnePlus 8 Pro runs Android 10 and is eligible for an upgrade to Android 11. It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chip and is available with either 8 GB or 12 GB of RAM, depending on the model. The camera set up is high-end too, with a 48 megapixel wide angle main lens, an 8 megapixel 3x telephoto lens and an amazing 48 megapixel ultra wide angle lens. It also comes with a 5 MP color filter lens to help get the colors just right. 

The OnePlus 8 Pro enters the flagship category by upgrading to some of the options that OnePlus phones have lacked in the past such as wireless charging. It has an in-screen fingerprint reader for security as well and with a 4510 mAh battery, the device stacks up well with many of the other high-end devices of 2020. It is available in Glacial Green, Ultramarine Blue, and Onyx Black and can be found on many major carriers in the U.S. and U.K.

OnePlus 8 Pro
Body: Aluminum with Gorilla Glass 5 Front and Back
Display: 6.78-inch Fluid AMOLED (~513 ppi)
OS: Android 10, upgrade available to Android 11
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
Memory: 8-to-12 GB RAM
Expandable Memory: No
Cameras: 48 MP (wide); 8 MP (telephoto) 3x; 48 MP (ultra wide) Front: 16 MP (wide)
Sounds: Stereo speakers, no headphone jack.
Battery (battery endurance rating): 4,510 mAh (103 hours)
Security: In-screen fingerprint reader
Miscellaneous: Accelerometer, Gyrometer, Proximity, Compass, IP68 dust/water resistant
Other versions: OnePlus 8, OnePlus 8T

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra 

The last phone that we will discuss here is from a repeat manufacturer. How can that be? If a flagship is supposed to be the best phone a company makes, how can there be two flagships? Samsung, who admittedly has an option for nearly every price point in the smartphone market, makes several high-end phones, but no phone is as high-end as the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. 

Built from stainless steel with Corning’s best Gorilla Glass called Victus front and back, the Note 20 Ultra is one of the most durable phones on the market. It runs Android 11 with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor and 12 GB of RAM, but the real stand out on the new Note is the ridiculous 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display. 

Samsung has upgraded the battery to 4,500 mAh and has put a series of cameras that are massive updates to last year’s Note 10. Now the Note 20 Ultra has a 108 megapixel wide angle lens, a 12 megapixel telephoto lens that is capable of 50x zoom and a 12 megapixel ultra wide angle lens. 

Available in Mystic Bronze, Mystic Black, and Mystic White, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is now available on every major carrier.   

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Body: Stainless Steel with Gorilla Glass Victus
Display: 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X 
OS: Android 10, One UI 2.5
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 865
Memory: 12 GB RAM
Expandable Memory:  Yes
Cameras: 108 MP wide, 12 MP (periscope telephoto) 50x, 12 MP (ultra wide) Front: 10 MP wide 
Sounds: Stereo Speakers, no headphone jack
Battery (battery endurance rating): 4,500 mAh (88 hours)
Security: In-display fingerprint reader
Miscellaneous: Accelerometer, Gyrometer, Proximity, Compass, Barometer ,IP68 dust/water resistant 
Other versions: Samsung Galaxy Note 20

These aren’t the only flagship devices, but most of the other great phones that you could call “flagship” devices have some kind of problem that would keep them from being an option for most people in the west. The honorable mention includes: Huawei Mate 40 Pro, Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro, Sony Xperia 1ii, and even the Google Pixel 5. 

What type of phone do you use? Are you in the market for a flagship phone? Leave your thoughts below in the comments and stop back next week when we talk about how new smartphones don’t always have the same form factor.