As 2021 begins, it’s time for my traditional look at the last twelve months to decide on my personal choice of “Smartphone of the Year” here on Forbes. It is fair to say that 2020 has not gone to plans for everyone. The way the market has adapted to COVID-19 has changed what many were looking for in their phones.
My choice of smartphone is rarely related to the largest screen, the largest numbers or exaggerated specifications – although some of the choices here are close to that. It is about the phone that reflects the world of 2020, which looks at the wider ecosystem of smartphones and stands out uniquely by what it is and represents.
With that, let’s go through a few phones we’ve considered before revealing who I give the rosette to.
No spoilers for the winner, so here’s a photo of Edinburgh Castle.
PA Images via Getty Images
iPhone 12 Pro Max
The iPhone 12 Pro Max has arrived at the end of 2020, and Apple’s offers come with a large dose of specifications and capabilities.
On the one hand, it’s everything you could want in a modern iPhone; two days of battery life, an improved camera for pictures and videos, a large screen paired (finally) with support for widgets on the home screen, several years of support for the operating system and tight ecosystem Apple’s integrated (although as always, this is a velvety community).
On the other hand, because the iPhone 12 Pro Max has everything you could want in a modern iPhone, you have to face two major problems. The first is size; this is a big phone, which is almost impossible to use with every function with one hand, and for a number of reviewers it is simply too big to be “a phone”, although it is an improvement in terms of comfort compared to iPhone 11 Pro Max.
The second number the price. Although there are more expensive phones – usually the ones that push the envelope with foldable displays – Pro Max is a big investment. You are looking at 1400 USD for the model with 512 GB of storage, storage you need, given the capabilities of the camera and the video functions offered.
Without a doubt, the iPhone 12 Pro Max is a technological marvel. But the price, especially in an economy that has been severely weakened by the coronavirus pandemic, puts it within the reach of many. This is not an annual Top Trumps Specs game, my phone of the year must have a wider appeal than the top geekerati classes.
Google Pixel 4a
Google has essentially ignored the premium phone market this year, bringing the Pixel 5, Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 4 to the mid-range market. Of the three, I think the Pixel 4a is the best value for money in this space.
This phone has almost nothing shiny. The battery will see you during the day, but it needs an overnight charge; compared to other Android phones in 2020, the 5.8-inch screen is relatively small; and the design is modest, with a front screen and a polycarbonate back.
However, Google has increased the RAM and storage of the Pixel 3a. The single-camera lens may not gain any specification, but it does benefit from Google image processing to deliver great images. And, being a Google phone, it is one of the few phones on which you can be pretty sure that Android security updates and updates will arrive in a timely and prompt manner.
If you need an Android phone that offers a “this is good enough” experience, it’s hard to look at the price, value and capabilities of the Pixel 4a.
OnePlus North
The launch of OnePlus North, following the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro in the previous month, was an essential phone for OnePlus. The pace of a single model updated every six months to stay up to date with specifications and offer a phone with a quality / price ratio with iconic specifications has turned into a smartphone with specifications and prices comparable to other flagships.
OnePlus Nord had a value for money proposition, along with a set of features close enough to the iconic specifications. This was a turning point for OnePlus. Although the company focused on supplying Pro branded phones, there was always the feeling that they came from the same manufacturing stock and were essentially two opinions of the same phone.
This was not the case with OnePlus Nord. Here was launched a new phone separate from the main summer versions, which had a different view on what it means to be a OnePlus phone and managed to overwhelm the fan base to such an extent that it literally redefined OnePlus .
Whether this redefinition of what OnePlus offers will allow the company to find additional success in 2021 or whether the bridges with the community have been burned will be one of the stories of the next twelve months. The North is a key phone for OnePlus, but the impact on the entire smartphone ecosystem is probably smaller.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition
Although the Galaxy S20 family was launched in February, it took about six months for the arrival of the favorite brother. Aside from the difficult nature of the name, Samsung has managed to find an excellent balance between price and functionality in the Fan edition of the pilot ship, and much of this feels like a response to COVID-19.
The three Galaxy S20 models that drove the cargo arrived in “the old days”. Galaxy S20, S20 Plus and S20 Ultra, a package of functions from which they were of great benefit to the road warriors who were constantly moving around the world, who needed power and were happy to pay a premium. 2020 paid for this approach and, like many other manufacturers, Samsung had to analyze its portfolio through a new set of circumstances.
The result is the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition, a phone that removes fat from the S20 formula. The broad lines are the same, but a keen eye will notice the replaced plastic glass, a more square design around the flat screen, and a 12-megapixel 3-lens camera (telephoto, wide, and ultra-large) that falls just a little less in front. of flagship ships at higher prices.
However, this is a package that works. Offering Samsung’s software experience, the Qualcomm 865 Snapdragon has performance and doesn’t feel particularly compromised. Whether you see $ 700 as being at the top of the midrange or even at the bottom of iconic markets, Fan Edition feels like a flagship for people. I wonder what the reaction would have been if this version had been released along with the other three models? I suspect that Samsung would have seen much more unit sales, but with a lower associated turnover
Apple iPhone SE (2020)
2020 has changed the dynamics of the smartphone market. The coronavirus pandemic has had an impact on the entire ecosystem, from supply and production, to launch and marketing, to consumer needs and demands. Priorities for 2019 have not remained constant.
Each phone was viewed through a slightly different prism than expected. For me, a phone call was relieved. Update 2020 for iPhone SE. With almost the same specifications as the current iPhone 11, but at a much lower price, the SE felt like an iPhone put together not for Cupertino’s geekerati, but for everyone else.
Why not iPhone 12 Mini? There are two reasons for me. The first is that it simply did not capture the imagination of the public; a look at the pace of Christmas activations shows iPhone SE in the top 10 and 12 Mini does not even place.
The iPhone SE captures the mood much better than any other smartphone in 2020. Designed before the pandemic began, its launch and subsequent marketing have changed to best reflect the mood of the world. The launch became one of the first notable virtual technology launches; was one of the first smartphones sold to consumers who understood the impact of a blockage and would mean working from home. He found success in a world that wanted power in a smartphone, as well as accessibility and practicality.
That’s why the iPhone SE is my 2020 smartphone.