The current situation is certainly not the brightest, even for the smartphone market. However, the industry is showing a great show of strength, continuing to churn out new devices also for the high end, and offering fans of the ads to talk about. Just to give you a concrete example, among the "new entries" this month we can include names of the likes of OnePlus 8 Pro, Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro and Huawei P40 Pro, not to mention the announcement of interesting smartphones like OPPO Find X2 Neo. In short, even this month there is a lot to talk about. Let's go, therefore, to see which are the most valid models currently on the market, reminding you that the prices taken into consideration are only those of Amazon Italy and the official sites of the manufacturers.
OnePlus 8 Pro
OnePlus this year wanted to go all-in and not to compromise with its top of the range OnePlus 8 Pro. We can define 2020 as the turning point, given that the Chinese company has decided to implement a once and for all the much requested IP68 certification (users have continued to "stress" the company for this specification for years), as well as the arrival of the 120 Hz refresh rate screen, 30W wired and wireless charging and the latest standards, including up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM , 5G, Wi-Fi 6, NFC and USB Type-C 3.1 port. In short, it is the year in which the Chinese company did not want to miss anything (except the audio jack, which has now disappeared for a while). In summary, we find a high-caliber hardware, an exceptional screen, a photographic sector that does not disappoint expectations and a complete software.
However, the main flaws are to be found in terms of autonomy (which is not bad, but the implementation of the new standards is felt), in the non-expandable memory and in the price that rises particularly. In fact, OnePlus 8 Pro is sold at a starting cost of 919 euros on Amazon Italy (8 / 128GB). If you are interested in staying on OnePlus, but want to spend a little less, we invite you to consult our review of OnePlus 8 (which has a starting cost of 719 euros in the 8 / 128GB variant, but renounces different aspects of the variant more expensive).
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S20 range certainly needs no introduction. S20 Ultra is the spearhead of the South Korean company's portfolio: that smartphone on which the most demanding users put their eyes. Galaxy S20 Ultra gives its best in the exceptional screen with 120Hz refresh rate, in the software experience guaranteed by One UI 2.1, in the excellent photographic sector (even if the night performance has some limitations), in the excellent performance and in the complete connectivity sector (there are also 5G and Wi-Fi 6). For more information on the device, please take a look at our Galaxy S20 Ultra review.
It must be said that the autonomy offered by the 5000 mAh battery, despite being good, is not exactly what we expected. Another flaw is found in the release sensors, which occasionally lose some detection, and on the software side, with some "grain" relating to night photography. For the rest, at the price of 1281 euros on Amazon Italy through resellers (12 / 128GB) you can take home a smartphone that represents, in many ways, one of the best high-end solutions on the market.
OPPO Find X2 Pro
OPPO Find X2 Pro is a smartphone that has convinced particularly critical and public, especially thanks to its exceptional screen with 120 Hz refresh rate and ColorOS 7.1, software customization that has finally solved many of the flaws of the last version, meeting a taste more western. For the rest, the smartphone is concrete in many ways, from constructive solidity to performance, passing through autonomy, for the good photographic sector and for the complete connectivity department (which includes USB Type-C 3.1, NFC, 5G, Wi-Fi a / b / g / n / ac / ax and Bluetooth 5.1) .
In any case, even here there are obviously flaws: there is some smearing on the video side and the absence of the Dual SIM (not even eSIM) and wireless charging is felt. The audio jack is also missing. If you want to learn more, we have explained everything in detail in our review of OPPO Find X2 Pro. In any case, it is certainly one of the most valid solutions on the market. The price is set at 1199 euros. Unfortunately, at the moment the start of sales has been postponed to a future date, but we can still tell you that it is an excellent device.
Google Pixel 4 XL
The experience offered by Google's smartphones, the so-called "Pixel Experience", is one of the main "killer features" of the Californian company's devices. Pixel 4 XL represents the most developed embodiment of Google's way of understanding mobile devices: think that many have compared this device to the late Nexus series, which enthusiasts remember with a tear on their faces. The key points of the vision of the Californian society are innovation and software support. Pixel 4 XL brought with it features such as astrophotography, Motion Sense, Live Caption and instant transcription from audio to text. All possibilities that represent a potential revolution in everyday life and go to experiment in fields where other companies have so far only pursued. On the other hand, behind Android there is Google and it is clear that the Mountain View company can do "magic" with the code better than anyone else.
To give you an idea of how much Google cares about its top-of-the-range experience, it has already been announced that software-side support will continue until October 2022 as regards Pixel 4XL. In the meantime, work is already underway during the next major release Android 11. For all the details on the smartphone, we invite you to take a look at our review of Google Pixel 4 XL.
Having said that, in addition to the software sector, the device has been praised mainly for its excellent build quality, top performance, excellent screen with 90 Hz refresh rate and exceptional photographic sector.
However, a bit like all smartphones, Pixel 4 XL also yields its side in some aspects: the audio jack for the headphones is missing, the internal memory is not expandable, the autonomy is only average and to take advantage of the Dual SIM you must go for an eSIM (this decision is much discussed, some see it as an advantage, others don't).
For the rest, the connectivity sector is complete: there are Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, Bluetooth 5, USB Type-C 3.1, wireless charging and NFC. Pixel 4 XL is currently sold at a price of 899 euros on the Google Store (model 6 / 64GB).
Special mentions: Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro, Huawei P40 Pro and Samsung Galaxy Note 10+
The high end of the smartphone market is giving us multiple interesting devices and therefore there are also models that deserve a mention in this ranking, since they could be very interesting for a certain type of audience. We mainly refer to Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro, smartphone with high-caliber hardware arrived in Italy in early April 2020 and sold at a price of 999.90 euros on the official website (8 / 256GB). We have been testing it properly in recent weeks and we can assure you that it is a valid device, which also supports 5G and the latest market standards. There will be a way to talk about it in more detail during the review phase, so stay "tuned" on these pages.
A device that we have already told you about, however, is Huawei P40 Pro (here you find our review). It is a smartphone valid from many points of view, from autonomy to the photographic sector, passing through hardware. Its main flaw is clearly the absence of Google services, but those who manage to pass over this "obstacle" will find a concrete device, in pure Huawei style. The price is set at 1049 euros on Amazon Italy (8 / 256GB). Finally, one device to mention is definitely Samsung Galaxy Note 10+, a top of the range very valid still today, also by virtue of its cost of 799 euros on Amazon Italy through resellers (12 / 256GB). In the editorial office we even have someone who just can't help it.
Folding smartphones
In a ranking linked to the best top-of-the-range smartphones, it is unthinkable not to mention folding devices, which have now become a reality also in Italy. The most recent device is Huawei Mate Xs, smartphone sold for € 2599.90 on Amazon Italy (8 / 512GB). It is a device with an important cost and with a limitation to be taken into account, i.e. the lack of Google services, but it is a smartphone that clearly targets a very limited target, which greatly appreciates technological innovation and has available a certain budget. For all the information on the device, we invite you to consult our review of Huawei Mate Xs.
Moving on to the other available devices, among the main foldables launched in our country we find Samsung Galaxy Fold (1999 euro on Amazon Italy, 12 / 512GB). For more details on the smartphone, we refer you to our Galaxy Fold test.
We can not fail to mention the Motorola RAZR, which has arrived in Italy for a few months. The smartphone is sold for 1599.90 euros via TIM (6 / 128GB). We remind you that it is a device that only supports eSIM (therefore no physical SIM). According to many it is one of the unfortunately less successful leaflets, among the main flaws we find an autonomy that does not reach expectations and a hardware that does not stand the comparison with other solutions. For more information, we invite you to take a look at our Motorola RAZR test.
Very interesting the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, folding arrived in Italy in February 2020 at a price of 1520 euros on the official website (8 / 256GB). It is a model that has intrigued fans a lot, especially thanks to its form factor, excellent hardware and the presence of a small external screen that serves to display basic information, from the hour to the notifications relating to the calls. For more information, we recommend that you take a look at our first contact with Galaxy Z Flip.
Market choice: OnePlus 7T
Following the arrival on the market of the OnePlus 8 smartphone range, of which we spoke earlier, it seems that the Italians are focusing on the "basic version" of the previous model, namely OnePlus 7T, device released in 2019. The latter is the best-selling smartphone in this range, according to the ranking of Amazon Italy's BestSeller devices. On the other hand, we are talking about a valid smartphone, which convinces mainly thanks to the excellent hardware (the Snapdragon 855+ still does its job very well), to the good display with 90Hz refresh rate and autonomy that does not disappoint expectations.
There are obviously several flaws, from the absence of the audio jack to the non-expandable memory, passing through the photographic sector not exactly the best. The connectivity department is quite complete: NFC, Bluetooth 5.0 and USB Type-C port are in place. One of the aspects that is convincing the user most is probably the price, since it has gone from the 599 euros of the launch to the current 539 euros on Amazon Italy (8 / 128GB), a cost that comes closest to the OnePlus prices of a few years ago compared to the € 719 required to take OnePlus 8 home.
Upcoming Arrivals: OPPO Find X2 Neo, Red Magic 5G, LG Velvet, Motorola Edge +, Honor 30 Pro and Lenovo Legion Phone
We already told you at the beginning: the Android smartphone market has no intention of stopping, despite the not exactly rosy period. Among the most interesting devices that are about to arrive there is certainly the newly announced OPPO Find X2 Neo, device that it enters the 5G era on an equal footing and it seems to want to represent a valid alternative for those who want to aim for a high-end smartphone but do not have the budget to take Find X2 Pro. Surely you will hear about it shortly.
Also interesting Red Magic 5Ggaming smartphone recently announced that it is also the most "cheaper" Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor on the market, given that it is sold at a starting price of 579 euros on the official website (8 / 128GB). It is, therefore, a smartphone already released on April 21, but we can consider it among the "next arrivals", as critics have not yet had the opportunity to test it properly. Remaining in the gaming field, the next launch of Lenovo Legion Phone, a device that will support 90W charging, is not to be underestimated. Also interesting is LG Velvet, smartphone that will be announced on May 7, 2020.
For the rest, you should take a look at the announcement news of the Honor 30 range, which has been unveiled in China and could also prove interesting in Europe. In addition, the reveal of Motorola Moto Edge +, the top of the range smartphone that will be sold in Italy to, should not be underestimated 1199.99 euros from May 2020.
