Halfway through this fiery 2024, many of the most anticipated smartphones have come to light. We've put the spotlight on the absolute best.
(Last
updated: June 2024)
Halfway through the year, we can say that a
good part of the best top smartphones expected over these 12
months has already seen the light.
Barring surprises, there are few heavyweights left on the horizon to wait for -
those of Apple and Google above all; on the other hand, most brands have
already played their ace.
The last one was Motorola, which with its Edge 50 Ultra has fielded a powerful, balanced, and versatile device like few others.
The gadget has to contend with fierce opponents - recent ones like those proposed by Honor and Samsung or older but still combative like the iPhones and Pixels from the aforementioned Apple and Google.
The result of this royal rumble among top smartphones is
in our updated ranking from
month to month.
The trends that guide the sector also for June are
the same ones that dominated the rest of 2024: in addition to user experiences
flawless, design increasingly risky, and cameras spectacular, in the high end
of the market, we will talk more and more often about artificial intelligence
functions and generative artificial intelligence. In particular, over time, on
this year's top gadgets, we will see more intelligent voice assistants, more
advanced photo and video editing functions, and much more.
After all, heavyweight smartphones are a category in
themselves, characterized by a limited number of annual releases and prices
that are not exactly affordable. In exchange, in addition to what is present on
the technical specification sheet, these gadgets offer the guarantee of staying
in top form also in the coming years.
What a top smartphone should be like
In this case, the name says it all: the best top
smartphones stand out not only in terms of power and reliability but also in
terms of user experience and extras. Above them, little or nothing.
The price of the rest invites us not to accept
anything less: these are devices whose price now almost always starts above the
1000 euro threshold, and which in their maximum configurations can require even
more than 1500.
In the list of features, value for money is not a
priority; these are exceptional products where the technological solutions used
are often cutting-edge and expensive.
The fact remains that when a smartphone manages to charge a few tens of euros
less than its opponents, it is still worth underlining.
From the point of view of performance hard and pure,
slowdowns are not allowed in any area, overheating is not welcome and even bugs
must be reduced to a minimum; in most cases, the processors used are top of the
class in the latest generation, accompanied by memories in step with the
rhythms imposed by the CPU and GPU.
System updates must be long-lasting, timely, and if
possible frequent, to keep the device in top shape even years after purchase.
Wireless and fast charging are taken for granted, as is a high-quality display,
brightness, resolution, and refresh rate.
Biometric recognition, whether digital or facial,
must occur instantly and without errors.
What distinguishes the products that pass this
selection from each other are some very specific characteristics. From the user
experience guaranteed by the operating system and its interface up to product
design, through audio playback and photographic sector — the most difficult to
implement successfully.
Furthermore, this year the challenge will be played in
the field of artificial intelligence, with more advanced digital assistants and
advanced visual recognition and content generation features.
The top smartphones of June 2024
Our selection of top smartphones has been updated to
June 2024 and continues to equally blend the best of the latest releases with
the most desired devices of the past year.
On the one hand, in fact, in ours top new
products are added that meet the requirements to be defined as top smartphones
and which at the same time deserve to be taken into consideration compared to
others; on the other hand, the prices of the proposals that have been in the
rankings for the longest time are updated.
Positions also shift with quality-price ratios that change over time, with the
alternation of physiological but different offers and price drops for each
gadget.
After a substantially unloaded month of May, in June
we finally welcome one of the most interesting and balanced devices of recent
months to the rankings, namely Motorola Edge 50 Ultra.
The latest phone from the group is a combination of
balance and power, a smartphone that is pragmatic to use and beautiful to look
at, characterized by impeccable technical specifications, and blessed with an
open ecosystem from the point of view of fast charging, and wireless connectivity.
The rest of the
ranking includes smartphones that have already been popular for weeks or months
but are still on the crest of the wave.
This opens the iPhone
15 Pro of Apple which, in addition to continuing to play in a league of its
own, is continuing to lower in price as the successor approaches the horizon,
and is now below the 1000 euro threshold.
Next comes the inimitable and in some ways elusive Galaxy S24 Ultra – fully
equipped and with a stylus included which all other gadgets lack, but still
quite expensive.
The excellent Pixel 8 Pro from Google resists thanks to a camera that takes phenomenal portraits and noteworthy updates that have improved it further compared to the days of its debut, and in recent weeks it has dropped even further in price.
He drops to the last position Honor Magic6 Pro, an exaggerated proposal from the Chinese group that makes most of its opponents pale but which has not suffered any particular reductions in recent weeks.
For those who prefer
to spend a little less on their next smartphone, there is no shortage of
alternatives, even at a certain level. We have collected them all in our list
of best smartphones of 2023,
and the rankings of the hottest of the moment in fascia media in
price and range below 300 euros.
Finally, those looking for gadgets for the phone can instead point to the best power banks
and you have the best smartphone accessories of
the last few months.
01
Apple update (the iPhone 15 Pro)
- The charm of the iPhone remains unattainable,
especially if it is the latest model of the moment. Last year in
Cupertino, for example, was not a complete revolution, yet the iPhone 15
remains an object of desire not only for those who are passionate about
technology.
- In concrete terms, the design is enriched with
a titanium frame and one USB Type-C port replaces the old Lightning for
charging and faster data transfer.
The new A17 Pro processor keeps every operation incredibly fast and continues to give superpowers to the photo and video sector. From this point of view, the 48-megapixel camera sensor (in addition to being larger) can now shoot at full resolution in any situation, simulating three different focal lengths which are added to the ultra-wide angle and zoom lens.
- The plus of these weeks is the price; now fallen
below the psychological threshold of 1000 euros after starting from over
1200.
Everything you need to know about the phone is in our insights, while for those who want to spend less while remaining in Apple's orbit basic model of iPhone 15 is still phenomenal and now available starting from less than 800 euros.
02
Google Pixel 8 Pro
- Arriving at the end of last
year, it earned the attention of critics through its phenomenal photography
department and unique artificial intelligence functions (above all the
magic editor for editing photos in just a few taps).
At the base, there is a broad 6.7-inch display among the best on the market. In addition to the user experience, they also affect the 7 years of software updates expected, which together with an internally co-designed processor should make the gadget competitive for a very, very long time.
- We don't have a crystal ball
to see until 2030, but in our review Pixel 8 Pro
revealed one of the best phones of 2023.
The price is not low, but a few months after it arrived in stores it has become much more interesting compared to the days of its debut and in recent weeks it has been the shortest among those listed in these lines - compared to a product that is still worth at least as much as the others.
- For those who prefer anyway spend a little
less, The Pixel 8 base loses the surface temperature sensor and skimps slightly on
displays and cameras, but with a 6.2-inch diagonal it is easier to handle
and put in your pocket.
03
Motorola Edge 50 Ultra
- Few smartphones reach the
market so balanced, and Edge 50 Ultra has the advantage of doing so in a
segment where hitting the mark in all areas is complex.
The Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 processor has nothing to envy of its rivals, and for the first time, the triple camera system (main, zoom, and wide angle) also competes with the best on the market.
Excellent support for standard fast charging, which means that the system works with all fast chargers and not just those of the brand.
The curvature on the sides of the 6.7-inch screen is a matter of taste, but from a technical point of view, the display is impeccable for speed of update and brightness.
- Anything else to say?
With the essential customization from Motorola, Android 14 is a joy to use and will stay up to date for a guaranteed 3 years.
And what he lacks in terms of wow effect on the spec sheet it gets back thanks to Crazy colors and finishes – with the Peachy Fuzz version in an irresistible peach shade, the Forest Gray which highlights the vegan leather finish, and the Nordic Wood in real wood.
- The price is the icing on the
cake: part in line with that of its opponents already on the market for
months and is likely to decline over the weeks.
04
Honor Magic6 Pro
- Honor's latest flagship
smartphone stands out as the most massive effort done to date by the
Chinese company to earn the title of the most advanced device of its
generation.
And the effort certainly pays off: the unrivaled specs behind Magic6 Pro translate into one spectacular performance in all areas, from the fluid user experience to a curved display which, although colossal (the diagonal is 6.8 inches), is a pleasure to see.
- In particular, the triple
camera competes with the best in every situation, thanks also to a 2.5x
zoom on a 180-megapixel sensor which allows you to get closer to subjects
without losing details;
The front capsule hole behaves like the iPhone's Dynamic Island and houses a sensor for quick face unlock;
Autonomy is guaranteed by a 5600 mAh carbon silicon battery and in terms of robustness the device defends itself with ultra-resistant Nano crystal glass.
- The look is particular (from the central mega
circle dedicated to the cameras to the heavy customization of Android) and
the price is now that of the most desired products on the market, even if
in recent weeks it has dropped significantly and has made the gadget
competitive as never before.
05
Samsung
Galaxy S24 Ultra
We can define it as
the first smartphone to focus almost entirely on the functions of next-generation
artificial intelligence:
from
the transcription that transforms voice recordings into text to the summary of
the day's activities taken from the calendar, through the translation of live
phone calls and the now increasingly widespread advanced photo editing
features.
Full details of the
Galaxy S24's AI prowess are in our
review, where the Ultra variant was confirmed an all-round
champion: photography continues to have few (very few) rivals, the stunning
6.8-inch display now boasts 2600 nits peak brightness,
the processor is an absolute sliver, and the S-Pen stylus remains more unique
than rare for its versatility and comfort.
Like its
predecessors, the S24 Ultra remains over the top also in size and above all in
a high price that remains high over the months: at the moment it is the only
one in our top 5 to exceed 1000 euros.
In exchange, the basic
variant loses something in terms of screen resolution and
photographic quality but is decidedly more pocketable and affordable.
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