My Three Favorite Smartphones of 2023

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I’ll be honest: 2023 was not the best year for smartphones. Sure, we had plenty of solid options, but the era of crazy year-on-year innovation seems to be behind us. However, that didn’t stop a few smartphones from standing out this year. Here are three of my favorites.

iPhone 15 pro max

When I reviewed the iPhone 15 Pro Max in late September, I called it Apple’s most boring phone. Thus, it would be a little surprising to see it on the list of my favorite smartphones of 2023. Even though it seemed to add little to the iPhone idea, the 15 Pro Max has been my daily driver for the past couple of years. months and I honestly don’t see that changing.

The feel of the phone is exceptionally good, and while I’m worried about how durable the switch to titanium will be in the long run, I find that I like the design much more than I expected. The iPhone 15 Pro Max features a 6.7-inch OLED display with a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. It’s great for gaming, watching videos, and video chatting with family. The A17 Pro’s processor and 8GB of RAM are more than fast enough to handle my daily tasks, while also offering plenty of power for gaming and everything else I use. Add to that a fairly large 4,422mAh battery, as well as the efficiency improvements Apple introduced with iOS 17, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max is a powerful battery that will last all day.

While Apple didn’t do anything amazing with the iPhone 15 Pro Max , the move from quick, silent switching to a customizable action button was actually one of my favorite features. The ability to customize various settings with a one-touch shortcut is really convenient and has actually become one of my most used features. I also find the versatility of Dynamic Island useful, although I know this feature was first introduced on the iPhone 14 Pro last year .

As usual, Apple’s Pro offering includes plenty of camera options, including new features like spatial video (though these only show up normally on the Apple Vision Pro headset). The included triple camera setup features a 48MP primary camera that takes clear photos even in low-light conditions.

Despite how boring it may seem compared to some of the more innovative options Apple has offered in the past, the iPhone 15 Pro Max remains one of my favorite smartphones of the year.

OnePlus Open

I’ll admit, I never saw the appeal of a foldable smartphone and, frankly, never thought about buying one. At least until I saw OnePlus Open . Despite the rather expensive price, the OnePlus Open was the biggest surprise for me this year. Not only does it give you a ton of reasons to love it for the hardware alone (the main 7.82-inch display is stunning), but it also looks better than other foldable devices on the market right now.

Apart from the massive internal display, the secondary display on the lid is also large, measuring 6.31 inches. You can do everything you need on this display, although the ability to fold the phone and use even more screen space is a huge plus. Both displays also offer dynamic refresh rates with a maximum of 120Hz for smooth use in games, videos, and more.

OnePlus didn’t skimp on the internal components here either. The included Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor is more than enough to run any games and apps you throw at it, and the 16GB of RAM means you won’t experience any crashes. There are also smaller RAM options available, but if you’re going to spend money on a phone like this, I’d still recommend going with 16GB of RAM. It also packs a massive 4,805mAh battery, so you can use that large internal display without worrying about being near a charger throughout the day.

The OnePlus Open camera suite is great, taking full advantage of the built-in Sony LYT-T808 Pixel Stacked sensor. The ultra-wide-angle and telephoto lenses also allow you to take fantastic photos, providing support for Dolby Vision HDR even when recording in 4K at 30fps. OnePlus highlighted camera company Hasselblad here, and OnePlus Open continues to demonstrate just how beneficial this partnership has been for the two companies.

OnePlus got a lot of things right with the Open, although it definitely could have been priced much better ($1,699.99 MSRP) and it’s missing some important options like wireless charging and full water resistance. Those issues aside, the OnePlus Open is a fantastic first foldable phone for OnePlus. If the company can do what it did right with the Open and improve it in the future, it might convince me to give its future foldable devices a chance as well.

Pixel 8 Pro

When Google first started putting its own chips into the Pixel 6, I admit I wasn’t very impressed. The company hasn’t given much reason to choose the Pixel line over other smartphones with better hardware, and while I’ve been a Pixel fan for years, I didn’t expect the Pixel 8 Pro to be as exciting as it is. . But somehow Google changed the situation.

Of course, the Google-built Tensor G3 for the Pixel 8 Pro still lags behind some other flagship models when it comes to pure performance. But where the 8 Pro really shines is in its use of artificial intelligence, which makes the G3 more efficient. Sure, there was some talk about the accuracy of Google’s Gemini AI demos, but even before those issues were called into question, the Pixel 8 Pro was already doing some impressive things.

The Pixel 8 Pro comes with a full complement of hardware, including a large 6.7-inch OLED display and a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. The maximum battery capacity of the device is 5050 mAh, which ensures operation without recharging throughout the day, even with constant use of the phone throughout the day. The pure stock Android included with the Pixel 8 Pro is still one of my favorite ways to enjoy Android. The flagship Pixel device has a maximum RAM of 12GB, which may not be as much as the OnePlus Open, but it’s still more than enough to run apps, games, and any other functions you might need on your smartphone.

One of my favorite features of the Pixel 8 Pro is its use of artificial intelligence to create wallpapers. It makes your smartphone more unique and personalized, and the use of AI in various video and photo editing features shows how useful machine learning can be. If you’ve ever used a Pixel smartphone, then you’re probably already well aware of how well Google has done in improving photos.

The included 50MP main camera is powerful and gives you a lot of options to customize the way you capture images. The Pixel 8 Pro continues Google’s long-standing reputation for delivering exceptional photos, and the AI ​​features I mentioned above only make it easier to find the best shot you took in that session. Add to that the new video enhancement feature, and there is literally no reason to choose another smartphone over the Pixel 8 Pro when it comes to camera functionality (at least in my opinion).

Ultimately, the Pixel 8 Pro with its amazing cameras and AI wasn’t good enough to lure me away from Apple and my iPhone 15 Pro Max (there’s something about it that keeps me hooked), but I seriously debated it. for a time.

These are just three of my favorite smartphones of 2023, but there were countless other options. Whether you’re an Android lover or someone who finds joy in using iOS devices, 2023 has been a good year for new phones. And while nothing seemed too innovative, the introduction of artificial intelligence into the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro is sure to lead to some impressive advancements in the next year that I’m very excited to see.

Below you can pick up any of my favorite smartphones of this year:

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