The year 2020 was a mixing ball for smartphones as the world witnessed many hits and flops. Almost all the major companies dropped their flagships devices and competed for supremacy in the smartphones market. The annual competition between Apple, Samsung and OnePlus devices took no hit from the coronavirus pandemic as every company released their top-end smartphones and went neck to neck. Even though Apple delayed its iPhone launch, it did not hamper its likeability in the smartphone world. Some phones tried to excel in a particular field while some provided an overall balance. Here are some of the phones which specialised and outshone other phones in a few fields:
Best camera phone: iPhone 12 pro max;Launched in 13th October 2020, the iPhone 12 pro max comes with a three-camera set-up. It carries a 12 megapixels primary camera with an f/1.6 aperture. The second camera, called the ultra-wide boasts an aperture of f/2.4 with 120-degree field of view and 12-megapixels. Meanwhile, the third telephoto lens comes with f/2.w aperture. It has many other cameras features such as 2.5x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out; 5x optical zoom range, Digital zoom up to 12x, Night mode portraits enabled by LiDAR Scanner, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and Depth Control, Sensor-shift optical image stabilisation etc.
Best compact phone: iPhone 12 mini; The iPhone 12 mini-packs the idea of perfect small phone amalgamated with high-end specs. All the aspects of this phone ranging from the camera set-up to the finish and its processing system are top-notch. With a height of 5.18 inches, the width of 2.53 inches, depth of 0.29 inches and weighing just 133 grams, it serves as the perfect candidate to take away the best compact phone.
Best battery phone: Asus Rog phone III; Pitched as a gaming phone, the Asus Rog phone III offers an all-around package in terms of quality and features. But what sets apart this phone is its gigantic battery which is specifically designed from a gaming perspective and can last for over a day. It boasts a 6,000 mAh battery and the basic version of Rog III starts from Rs46,999.
Best design: Surface Duo; The best design has to go to the innovative Microsoft Duo, which comes with a two-screen set-up and a classy hinge design. It looks and feels premium all-around from the hardware to the screen. It has 360-degree flexibility and passes compatibility with multiple modes. The drawback of this phone was its software which was trumped by other dominant platforms like android and iOS. It comes with a fancy price tag of Rs1,49,990.
Flop of the year: Samsung Galaxy Note 20; The Samsung Galaxy Note 20, unlike its big brother Note 20 Ultra shot way below its weight in the smartphone market. Samsung’s flagship phone for 2020 failed to clinch and compete with other premium smartphones like the iPhone 12 pro and OnePlus 8 pro. It was launched at an overpriced Rs99,000 but since its downfall, the price has fallen to Rs77,999.
Best phone: OnePlus 8 pro; The undoubted all-around winner of the 2020 best phone has to be OnePlus 8 pro. It boasts 120Hz Fluid Display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 5G, Warp Charge 30 Wireless and 48 MP Quad Camera set-up which competes with the best in class in the smartphone world. However, the one thing that sets OnePlus 8 pro apart is the price point it comes at. The basic version of the phone starts from Rs54,499.
