This Synopsis
Many users just care about the best of the best smartphones. This Best Smartphones synopsis stays up to date with the most feature-packed, quality, and usually most expensive smartphones you can find today.
The Short List
| Samsung Galaxy Note 8 | Apple iPhone 8 Plus | LG V30 | Google Pixel 2 XL |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
The Rundown
#1 – Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Without the iPhone X in the mix, the Note 8 undoubtedly takes the #1 spot for the best smartphone overall.
Advantages:
- Super-AMOLED screen capable of 1,200 nits of brightness
- IRIS retina scanning security option
- Fast wireless charging
- OIS on secondary, telephoto camera sensor
- Speedy Dual Pixel auto-focus
- Well-implemented stylus
- Bluetooth v5.0
Downsides:
- Awful fingerprint scanner location
- Nearly $1K price tag
- Huge size
#2 – Apple iPhone 8 Plus
The “new” iPhone 8 Plus looms in the shadow of the superior iPhone X, but it’s still a powerhouse smartphone.
Advantages:
- Fastest processing power with A11 bionic hexa-core chip
- Top class dual camera and robust Portrait capture
- “True Tone” adaptive display
- Stereo speakers
- Bluetooth v5.0
Downsides:
- Yesteryear bezels
- LCD screen (instead of OLED)
- Secondary telephoto sensor only has a f/2.8 aperture and no OIS
- No headphone jack
- Big and heavy
#3 – LG V30
LG has made strides with the V30 but is still playing catch-up with Samsung.
Advantages:
- Phone size sweet-spot – 6.0″ P-OLED (2:1 aspect ratio and 82% screen-to-body)
- Secondary wide-angle camera
- Largest camera aperture on a smartphone – f/1.6 on primary sensor
- Most comprehensive set of manual camera controls
- HiFi-capable headphone jack, powered by newest dedicated ESS SABRE mobile DAC
- Higher fidelity Bluetooth audio streaming with Aptx HD
- Support for 600 MHz LTE cellular band (T-Mobile only)
Downsides:
- Display color accuracy and brightness is significantly behind Samsung
- Camera often overexposes (washes out)
- Quality of front camera is mediocre
- LG’s user interface looks dated now
#4 – Google Pixel 2 XL
Google cuts the bezels with the Pixel 2 XL and maintains the best camera crown.
Advantages:
- Latest and best software experience for Android
- Highest rated smartphone camera
- Large battery
- Front, stereo speakers
- Bluetooth v5.0 and Aptx HD
Downsides:
- Display quality a step behind Samsung
- No wireless charging
- No headphone jack
- No microSD expansion
- Verizon exclusive
Final Thoughts
The year’s not over! There’s a couple more big hitters coming, such as the HTC U11 Plus and OnePlus 5T (both of which are slated for a November release). We also can’t forget about the colossal iPhone X launch!
See Also: Moto Z2 Force + Moto Mods Synopsis
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