Santiago Bluguermann/GettyIt’s 2018, and there are simply too many great smartphones to choose from.
Smartphones have been around for a full decade now, with the first iPhone kicking things off back in 2007. But over the past few years, smartphone makers have really upped their game. The gulf in quality between the most expensive smartphones you can buy, and the least expensive ones, is shrinking all the time.
So if you’re looking to buy a brand-new smartphone that was made in 2018, here are your 5 best options:
OnePlus 6
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The OnePlus 6 is one of the best smartphones you can buy — and there’s no better Android phone at its price tag: $530.
The OnePlus 6 doesn’t have some of the features you’d find on more premium smartphones, like wireless charging, an OLED screen, or a killer camera, but it doesn’t need those things. The OnePlus 6 features a very good camera, but more importantly it offers plenty of power, with a fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and a whopping 6 GB of RAM, which is ideal for multitasking. It also features a great fast-charging system. It also runs a clean, near-stock version of Android, called Oxygen OS.
You can learn more about the OnePlus 6 in our full review.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
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The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is the latest smartphone from Samsung. It has a gorgeous 6.4-inch OLED display, a massive battery, a great camera, tons of storage (128 GB to start!), a fingerprint scanner and facial recognition, and the S Pen, which lets you take notes or control the Note 9’s camera remotely, among other things.
The Galaxy Note 9 also has some high-end features, like wireless charging, water resistance, and even a headphone jack — whoa! — and Samsung includes a fast-charger with the phone, which is a nice touch.
Of course, all of these premium features demand a premium cost: The Galaxy Note 9 starts at $1,000. Still, you’re getting a whole lot of phone for that price.
Learn more about the Galaxy Note 9.
Samsung Galaxy S9
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Samsung’s flagship phone of 2018, the Galaxy S9, has it all.
The phone features a large OLED display, a great camera, a built-in heart rate monitor, a fingerprint scanner and facial recognition, fast charging and wireless charging, and yes, even a headphone jack.
The phone’s design is very similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S8, but that’s not a bad thing. The Galaxy S9 is one of the best-looking smartphones you can buy, and it starts at just $720.
Learn more about the Samsung Galaxy S9.
LG G7 Thinq
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The LG G7 ThinQ looks like an Android version of the iPhone X, but is several hundred dollars cheaper at just $750.
The LG G7 features a 6.1-inch display, high-quality audio, and a great camera system that includes an ultra-wide lens that can capture more details in your shots. It also features the speedy Snapdragon 845 processor from Qualcomm, wireless charging, and water resistance.
Learn more about the LG G7 Thinq.
Moto G6
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The Moto G6 is the cheapest smartphone on this list. It starts at just $250.
But I’m not including this phone just because it’s so cheap; you’re actually getting a really good deal for that price.
The Moto G6 features a nice big 5.7-inch display, great battery life, fast charging, and a surprisingly decent camera, especially in well-lit conditions. And despite running on a Snapdragon 450 chip, which isn’t as snappy as the chips powering the Galaxy S9 and LG G7, it still gets the job done.
Read more about the Moto G6.
WAIT FOR IT: Apple’s big iPhone event in September
The iPhone 8 and iPhone X didn’t make this list because they weren’t made in 2018 — but their successors are about to be revealed in about a month’s time.
Analysts predict Apple will release three new iPhones this year: An updated version of the iPhone X, a larger “Plus” version of the iPhone X, and an iPhone sized between those two models that features the same LCD display technology as the iPhone 8.
Learn more about Apple’s upcoming iPhones.
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For months now, we’ve been seeing more and more alleged leaks of Google’s next phones, likely called the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. The latest leak looks like the real thing.
By all accounts, the biggest change between the Pixel 2 and Pixel 3 will be the phone’s design. Based on the leaks, it looks like Google designed its phone to look more like the iPhone X, with its own “notch” to house similar front-facing cameras and sensors. It also sounds like a big focus of this phone will be the camera: The Pixel 2 had the best cameras in any smartphone, so the Pixel 3 will likely look to one-up its predecessor.
Learn more about the Pixel 3.
