Top 10 premium mobile phones on the market

The smartphone market is a massive global industry and one of the most competitive in technology— with annual releases and regular phone system updates. The big players in the market are always vying for ways to one-up each other, as well as improve on their own designs and features to appeal to more customers.

So depending on whether you’re in the market for a more budget, mid-range or premium phone, it can feel like a job keeping up to date with what’s going on in such a fast moving industry. However, if you’re after a more high-end offering, this list of some of the best phones currently available will help move you towards making a choice on your new device.

The recently released S23 Ultra ups the ante on the S22 Ultra, with improved cameras, battery life and a powerful mobile chip for quick and efficient general use. Also featured is a crisp AMOLED display, conveniently usable even in direct sunlight. It's touted as Samsung’s most eco-friendly phone, with recycled glass PET film for the phones build.

Coupled with fast charging and a more than capable battery, you have enough power to keep you going throughout the day. The Ultra also comes with the S pen stylus for precision drawing and note taking, which is ideal for any artists or designers out there.

 

Apple only just recently released their iPhone 14 range with the features you’d expect—an improved battery and an improved display, though they have changed things quite a bit with the new dynamic island feature. The 14 Pro feels like a great mid-point between the 14 and Pro Max—with a 48MP camera, capable of taking crisp, high-resolution photos.

Plus, with up to 1TB of storage space, there is plenty of space space for even the most dedicated photo takers.

 

Google has been making waves with their Pixel phone series and the new Pixel 7 has been received well across the board, with a notably long battery and the Google Tensor G2 chip to make general phone use a breeze. Pixel phones are known for having vivid, bright displays, with standout cameras for taking stunning photos, and the Pixel 7 has improved on quite a few features from the previous Pixel 6.

With advanced features like real tone, face unblur and high quality zoom, you can confidently take photos in just about any environment and ensure you’ll leave with a dazzling end product.

 

As far as flagship phones go, the OnePlus 10 Pro is like the Ferrari of smartphones, because it’s so technically impressive. With a high-quality camera set-up and the ability to record video in stunning 4K resolution at 120 fps—not to mention its 6.7” AMOLED display.

Also featured is OnePlus’ largest ever battery—long lasting and capable of fast charging up to 100% in 32 minutes. It’s an appealing package for a phone that competes with other flagship phones, but still comes in at a lower price point than them to boot.

 

Apple’s latest iPhone has slight but not necessarily major improvements on features from the iPhone 13. Battery life has been amped quite a bit, capable of a reported 20 hours of video play back, and the new action mode allows for steady handheld video recording—in 4K resolution, at 30 fps.

And with Apple’s new A15 bionic chip now a feature in the phone and 5G connectivity, phone browsing lag should well and truly be a thing of the past.

 

You may be familiar with Sony’s Xperia phone range from years gone by and despite over 50 percent of the smartphone market being comprised of just Apple and Samsung, Sony has continued making solid android devices.

The Xperia 1 IV is premium in every sense of the word, with a 120Hz refresh rate for smooth video playback, as well as an OLED screen to deliver better colour contrast, as well as a brighter and sharper image. Notably, the phone is also capable of 4K and a high frame rate of 120fps on every one of its three cameras, making it a top tier choice for any vloggers or videographers.

 

The Xiaomi 12 Pro comes in at 6.73”, with a dynamic AMOLED screen and triple camera set-up, for taking shots in a variety of settings. It comes with 256GB storage and running on 12GB RAM as standard for overall smooth phone use.

With Corning Gorilla glass on the front of the phone, you’ll have peace of mind in case of the occasional drop or freak accident.

 

The P50 Pro is the best phone in the P50 series. It’s, a more rounded, minimalistic design and is equipped with a quad-camera system and a large 6.6” screen for a quality viewing experience.

Huawei phones are known for being straightforward to use, as well as for their high standard cameras, with the P50 Pro being no exception to the rule.

 

Foldable smartphones are a great innovation or a bit of a gimmick, depending on who you ask. Regardless Samsung has been enthusiastically pushing the technology and has made a great phone in the Flip 4. With a great camera and interesting use cases, the Flip 4 allows flexibility for free-standing photos and easier access to shots from unique angles.

It also has gorilla glass and is designed to last long, to alleviate any immediate worries on the phones’ durability from regular folding. It may be a somewhat niche choice but if a folding phone is of interest to you, this is the one to get.

 

Rounding off the list is the Reno 8 Pro. Oppo may not exactly be a household name in the West, but the Chinese electronics manufacturer has been making technically impressive android phones for a few years now.

The Reno 8 Pro is a high-performing phone with quality cameras, including a 50MP main camera and the ability to record video in 4K resolution. It's powered by 5G connectivity and runs with 8GB RAM, which is more than enough for lightning fast, lag-free phone use.

Read more: Top 10 mid-range mobile phones

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