Let’s begin by acknowledging that having access to various phones is a privilege that few people enjoy and even fewer can do regularly. As reviewers, we are certainly spoiled in this regard, which is one of the best parts of the job.
However, as the year 2023 comes to a close, it is evident that this has been one of the worst years for smartphones. Plagued by trade wars, patent disputes, territorial conflicts, and a global recession, it was only natural for the entire industry to slow down and play it safe. Consequently, all major manufacturers played it safe, with minimal improvements and mostly incremental updates.
So, to put it simply, there wasn’t a single phone that amazed me this year. However, there were a few devices that stood out, and those are the ones I am going to list here.
Xiaomi 13 Pro
This is one of the first smartphones I reviewed in 2023, and it still holds up well. The 13 Pro offered exceptional design and build quality, display, performance, stability, and an outstanding camera!
The Xiaomi 13 Pro is arguably the perfectly flawed cameraphone as it not only had the best imaging hardware on the market but also offered the best image and video quality. However, it had a dated selfie camera, which continues to bother me to this day.
OnePlus Open
I wasn’t a fan of foldable phones, mainly due to their thickness and discomfort when folded. That was until the OnePlus Open came along.
The Open had it all figured out – proper size, superb design, excellent performance, lovely camera, good battery life, and fast charging. It was notably better than the Fold5, even classier, and managed to impress me throughout its review process and in the weeks thereafter. That’s why it made it to this list.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
This is the phone I use as my daily driver. While the iPhone 15 Pro Max may not be the perfect phone due to limitations in iOS, it is my phone, and I have to love it because I am married to the Apple ecosystem.
Fortunately, the iPhone 15 Pro Max got lighter this year, thanks to the switch to titanium and aluminum. Beyond the material change, the USB-C port was a long overdue update.
Overall, the iPhone excels in design, display, performance, camera hardware, and numerous little features. However, it still has flaws, such as the large notch and limitations of iOS, not to mention Apple’s messy image processing.
Nothing Phone (2)
I was initially skeptical about the Nothing Phone, but I was pleasantly surprised by the excellent Nothing Phone (2). It was one of the very few unique phones on the market that offered something others don’t have – Glyph UI. It was a gimmick in the development phase, but it was incredibly fast and fluid, similar to the fastest smartphones on the market, which impressed me.
The Nothing OS is perfect – fluid, clean, and straightforward. If I had to choose an OS for my phone, that would be it.
Huawei P60 Pro
I love Huawei phones for their cameras, and the P60 Pro is no exception. It offers a variable aperture main camera and natural image processing, making it one of the best phones for photography. Additionally, it features an appealing design, a great screen, powerful hardware, and super-fast charging.
However, the P60 Pro has no Google apps and services, no 5G, and concerns about potential surveillance through Huawei phones. Despite these drawbacks, I used it after reviewing and was quite happy with the photos it produced.
Honorable mentions
There are two honorable mentions – the OnePlus Nord 3 and the vivo V27 Pro.
The Nord 3 impressed me with its well-rounded specs and affordable pricing. It is one of the best mid-range phones, and I’ve recommended it to numerous friends, many of whom are very happy with it. If you aren’t after cutting-edge technology and expensive phones, the Nord 3 is a solid choice.
The vivo V27 Pro may not be the best phone out there and has limited availability, but it shines in design, OLED display, fast hardware, great battery life with super-fast charging, and superb camera quality, including the selfie camera.
In conclusion, it was a lackluster year, but it still brought us a few noteworthy smartphones. Let’s hope for more interesting and innovative devices in 2024, although it may be a long shot.
