Time passes quickly and the first month of 2020 is about to end. The time has therefore come to draw conclusions on the best top-of-the-range Android smartphones. The last few weeks have been interesting, thanks to the arrival on Amazon of Huawei Mate 30 Pro (which, however, does not have Google services, so we decided to exclude it, reluctantly, from the ranking) and the first folding device to "set foot" in our country, or Samsung Galaxy Fold. For the rest, we were overwhelmed by an avalanche of smartphone-related rumors that are expected to be announced in February. Let's go and take stock of the situation, reminding you that the prices taken into consideration are only those present on Amazon Italy or on the official websites of the manufacturers.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10+
Landed in Italy in the second half of 2019, Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ is one of the most convincing smartphones of the South Korean company's portfolio, obviously waiting for the upcoming Galaxy S20 range. It is a device that has been repeatedly defined, both by critics and by the public, as one of the most convincing South Korean company's smartphones in recent years. In particular, the device gives its best in the excellent display, in the good photographic sector, in the convincing autonomy and in the build quality, as you can read in our review of Samsung Galaxy Note 10+.
We could define it as a complete and versatile smartphone, which has its only flaws in the lack of the Dual SIM, the audio jack for the headphones and in very little else. In fact, the connectivity sector is also complete: NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, 4G LTE, USB Type-C 3.1 port, wireless charging and Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac / ax are in place. One of the aspects that keeps most users from buying is usually the price, given that Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ is currently sold at around 920 euros on Amazon Italy through resellers (model 12 / 256GB).
OnePlus 7T Pro
Arrived in our country in the last months of 2019, OnePlus 7T Pro is a solid and convincing smartphone. Of course, the "hard core" of the company's fans has a slightly crooked nose in the face of the generational leap not too marked compared to the previous model, we are still talking about a smartphone that deserves its place in the ranking. For all the details of the case, we recommend that you take a look at our OnePlus 7T Pro review.
The main strengths of the device are the excellent performance, the above average screen, the complete software sector, the good photographic sector, the excellent constructive solidity, the display with 90 Hz refresh rate and the fast charge Warp Charge, which allows you to reach 70% in about 30 minutes.
However, OnePlus 7T Pro is not a perfect smartphone: autonomy is not the best, the headphone jack and wireless charging are missing, the memory is also not expandable.
However, everything is in place in terms of connectivity department: there are Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type-C 3.1 and NFC.
OnePlus 7T Pro is found at 759 euros on the official website (8 / 256GB variant), but in our opinion it is worth taking into particular consideration the OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition, which this year is at around 830 euros on Amazon Italy through resellers (model 12 / 256GB).
ROG Phone 2
We wanted to look for a smartphone that has distinguished itself in the gaming sector, we could not fail to mention ASUS ROG Phone 2. It is the device that most of all has convinced mobile gamers, thanks also to the fact that the Taiwanese company has refined all aspects more "criticized" by the predecessor. For all the details of the case, please consult our review of ROG Phone 2.
The main strengths of the smartphone are the above average performance, the gaming side features (such as the Air Triggers), the excellent autonomy (6000 mAh battery) and the screen with 120 Hz refresh rate. In short, ROG Phone 2 could actually be suitable even for those who do not aim exclusively at game, given its characteristics.
Clearly, even ROG Phone 2 has its flaws: there is no waterproofing, wireless charging and expandable memory. However, the connectivity sector is all in all complete: USB Type-C 3.1 port, NFC, audio jack for headphones, Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac / ad. The smartphone is currently sold at a price of 699 euros on the official ASUS website (model 8 / 128GB). If you need more details, we have published an entire page dedicated to ROG Phone 2, where you can find details on all the various components of the smartphone.
Google Pixel 4 XL
Released in the last few months of 2019, Google Pixel 4 XL is one of the smartphones that has innovated more among the top of the range last year. We are in fact talking about a device that implements some rather interesting features, from astrophotography to Motion Sense, passing through Live Caption and instant transcription from audio to text. All news that can potentially be a revolution for a certain type of user. On the other hand, the spirit of Google has always been to go in constant search for innovation. For more information, we recommend that you take a look at our Google Pixel 4 XL review.
The main strengths of the smartphone are the excellent build quality, the software optimization made by the Californian company (remember that Android is from Google), the true top-of-the-range performance, the exceptional photographic sector and the excellent display with 90 Hz refresh rate.
The flaws are instead to be found in the lack of the audio jack for the headphones, in the internal memory that cannot be expanded, in the autonomy only in the medium, in the absence of the headphones in the package and in the fact that to obtain the Dual SIM you must necessarily go through a ESim.
The connectivity sector has everything that is expected of a top of the range: Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac, Bluetooth 5, USB Type-C 3.1, wireless charging and NFC. The Californian company has already announced that the software-side support will continue at least until October 2022. Pixel 4 XL is currently sold at a price of 899 euros on the Google Store (model 6 / 64GB).
Special mention: Samsung Galaxy Fold
Arrived in Italy on December 16, 2019, Samsung Galaxy Fold definitely deserves a mention among the top of the range. We are in fact talking about the first folding smartphone to officially arrive in our country. As with any self-respecting innovative technology, the price is still very high (2050 euros on the company's official website, 12 / 512GB), but it is precisely for these products that the future of the market passes. For more information, we recommend that you take a look at our Galaxy Fold trial. The critics have had the opportunity to test the device properly in recent weeks and have described it several times as a "forerunner", a not perfect smartphone that, however, begins the era of leaflets. The main strengths of Galaxy Fold are the excellent software, the convincing autonomy, the good photographic sector and of course the innovation due to the folding display, which allows you to store a smartphone in your pocket that becomes a 7 tablet if necessary, 3 inches.
The flaws due to the youth of technology are not lacking, from the "uncomfortable" external screen (a little too narrow) to the lack of the audio jack, passing through the weight that is not exactly contained. The main "deterrent" at the moment, however, is the price, but as mentioned above, we will still have to wait a little before this technology really breaks through the consumer market. In this regard, Galaxy Z Flip could soon be presented, a device that essentially seems to be the successor of Galaxy Fold. Our advice is therefore to wait in case you are interested in a leaflet, since more "mature" solutions may arrive soon.
Market choice: Samsung Galaxy S10 / Galaxy S10 +
Announced during MWC 2019, the Galaxy S10 range now has almost a year behind it, despite this Italians continue to purchase these devices non-stop. As you can see in the ranking of bestselling smartphones on Amazon Italy, Samsung Galaxy S10 is still the most chosen smartphone above 500 euros. We have had the opportunity to test the most powerful variant in detail, namely Samsung Galaxy S10 +. It is a solid device in essentially all its components, from the display to the performance, passing through the software side. For all the necessary information, we advise you to read our review of Samsung Galaxy S10 +.
The connectivity front is complete: audio jack for headphones, wireless charging, USB Type-C port and NFC. However, we are not talking about a perfect smartphone: autonomy is not the best and there are some other small smudges. Also, given the imminent announcement of Samsung's next range of devices, perhaps it is time to wait a bit. Galaxy S10 + is currently sold at a price of about 695 euros on Amazon Italy through resellers (8 / 128GB version), while the basic variant is instead found at around 580 euros on Amazon Italy through resellers (8 / 128GB variant).
Upcoming Arrivals: Motorola RAZR, Samsung Galaxy S20, Galaxy Z Flip and Xiaomi Mi 10
As for the next arrivals at the top of the range, we are still waiting for the interesting Motorola RAZR, folding smartphone with eSIM that has undergone several postponements. Maybe the month of February could be the right one for the arrival on the market. Recall that the price will be 1599 euros through TIM (it will also be possible to buy it in installments: initial contribution of 299 euros and 39 euros for 30 months). For the rest, the headlights are all aimed at February 11, the date on which both Samsung and Xiaomi should announce their top of the range. As for the South Korean company, they should arrive the Galaxy S20 range and the foldable Galaxy Z Flip. For all the details, we advise you to consult our study.
Moving instead to Xiaomi, the Chinese company could extract the interesting Mi 10 smartphone from the cylinder, which should "battle" precisely to Galaxy S20. In short, the next few weeks are shaping up to be particularly hot for fans of the smartphone world, also thanks to the arrival of the 2020 edition of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which will take place from 24 to 27 February and will be anticipated by the usual conferences.
