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Top 5 Smartphones of the Year 2019

Among all the years, 2019 was one of the recognisable years of innovation, especially in the world of smartphone technology. The year introduced some interesting and advanced technology at the time that such innovations were least expected. Talking from my own experience, I know that the need to have one of the most sophisticated smartphones is always there, but the options are endless these days. 

Regardless of what your priorities are when choosing a smartphone to buy; either the battery, performance, versatile camera, stylish display, or the eye-catching design, you name it, there is always that bit of hard choice to make. Well, that’s as a result of the ever-growing smartphone industry. 

In this article, I will be sharing my opinion with you in regards to the best and the top 5 most recommended smartphones of 2019, from Apple to Samsung, to Huawei, to One plus and others. This list is my top 5 and does not follow any particular order, and I quite understand that your choice might be in a different order. So, without wasting your time, let’s get started.

On the number one spot is a household name brand – Apple. They have added a new series of iPhone called iPhone 11 Pro Max.

Apple’s iPhone 11 Pro Max

Smartphones

If you love Apple’s ecosystem and you’re thinking of buying an iPhone with a bigger screen and an epic battery life, then the 11 Pro Max might be a good choice for you.
The Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max is one of the leading smartphones that was released in 2019, and definitely, Apple’s best for that year.
The iPhone 11 Pro Max is a complete power machine with an amazingly brilliant A13 Bionic powerful chipset and a trio camera setup that is unique.

With the 60Hz, refresh rate Pro Max 6.5-inch OLED screen, the phone still managed to grab big attention in 2019. It’s outstanding and amazing for video streaming and gaming.
At the time of this article, Apple 11 Pro Max offers the best battery life among other smartphones of its range. The triple camera of the iPhone 11 Pro Max is fantastic, and it’s an extraordinary feature that makes Apple’s iPhone 11 Pro Max stands out among others. Using it is a great experience that can get you addicted.
having said all that, every product does have his good side and bad sides. So, let me share with you some pros and cons you should expect with the 11 Pro Max.

Pros of Apple’s iPhone 11 Pro Max

  • Stellar triple camera with night mode
  • Good battery life
  • Gorgeous OLED brighter display 

Cons of Apple’s iPhone 11 Pro Max

  • Not updated design
  • Expensive 

Key Specs of the iPhone 11 Pro Max

  • Released Date: September 2019
  • Weight: 226g
  • OS: iOS. 13
  • Screen display: 6.4-inch
  • CPU: A13 Bionic
  • Storage: 64/256/512GB
  • Battery: 3,500 mAh TBC
  • Camera: Main: triple camera: 12 MP, f/1.8, 2.6mm (wide), 12 MP, f/2.4, 52mm (telephoto), 12 MP, (ultra-wide), Front: Dual 12 MP + TOF 3D camera, HDR video
  • RAM: 4GB TBC
  • Price: $1,400

My thoughts about the iPhone 11 Pro Max:     

With the huge upgrade on this series of Apple’s iPhone; from the improved camera, and magnificent performance, the Apple iPhone 11 pro max surely takes us to a completely new world of technology. 

Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus

Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus

Samsung has always been a top choice for everyone and is a strong competitor in the market among the other smartphones launched in the same year. If you want enormous features out of Apple’s ecosystem, this phone might be the one to consider.

It has a top-ranked trio camera, with an impressive 6.4-inch screen, and Snapdragon 855 chipset. The phone’s battery is noticeably bigger (4,100 mAh) as compared to the other phones by the same company. 

The Galaxy S10 Plus has a lot of battery saving features i.e. decreasing the brightness, enabling the power-save mode, switching the resolution from Full HD to QHD+ which can last the battery for 2 days approximately. 

The phone has a 12MP wide-angle, 12MP telephoto, and a 16MP ultra-wide cam, and with an awesome night vision mode. The thin bezels and stunning 93.1% screen-to-body ratio that gives the phone a slimmer look. The notch in the Infinity-O display is wide as compared to the notch in S10 and S10e, which can be irritating while using the phone. 

Pros of the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus

  • Very fast performance
  • Excellent cameras 
  • Superb battery life 

Cons of the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus

  • Not budget-friendly
  • Confusing gestures control
  • Punch holes in the display can be distracting

Key Specs of the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus

  • Released Date: May 2019
  • Weight: 206g
  • OS: Android Pie
  • Screen size: 6.4 inches
  • RAM: 6GB/8GB/12GB
  • CPU: Octa-core chipset
  • Storage: 128 GB/512GB/1TB
  • Battery: 4,000 mAh
  • Camera: Rear camera: 16MP (ultra-wide), 12 MP (wide-angle), 12MP (telephoto),
  •    Front camera: 10MP+8MP Depth Sensor,
  • Price: $999.

My thoughts about the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus:     

 The Galaxy S10 Plus is no doubt one of the greatest phones that were released in 2019; with fast performance, an ultrasonic thumbprint sensor, improved cameras, and unbeatable battery life. To be honest, it’s a good choice to consider if you intend to buy a high-end Android smartphone.

OnePlus 7 Pro

One Plus 7 Pro

The OnePlus 7 Pro has an exceptional design, a super-fast Snapdragon 855 chip with impressive software. It’s quite difficult to point out faults in this smartphone, but as I always say, no product is 100% perfect. 

The OnePlus 7 Pro does not provide you with much options in terms configuration. Also, the front camera’s results and the quality might not impress you if you have high expectation in terms of picture quality. 

The One Plus 7 Pro, has a big 6.67 Full HD AMOLED screen, with a small notch at the top for the front-facing camera. The phone has a stylish display with an eye-catching design and an amazing 90Hz refresh rate. 

One of the amazing thing about this phone is that it has no traditional front cam because of the horizontally placed 16 MP pop-up shooter that has come to replace the old style. The phone has a long-lasting battery with an 8GB of RAM and 128GB of fast UFS3.0 storage. 

Talking of the phone’s storage; one common question I often get asked about this phone is that; does the OnePlus 7 Pro have a micro SD card slot?

The answer is no, the OnePlus 7 Pro does not have any dedicated micro SD card slot. But the good news is that the phone comes with huge internal storage memory, 128GB and 256GB of sizes.

The phone feels good in the hand, is thicker but is not heavy. The 7 Pro has dual-SIM support with the fastest in-display identity verification sensor. 

Although the phone does not have wireless charging, the normal charging can charge your phone within an hour. It has a super battery capacity of 4,000 mAh. Also, the OnePlus 7 Pro has four cameras with improved night mode, and with that, you can be sure of better performance with a tripod. 

Pros of the OnePlus 7 Pro Smartphone

  • Long-lasting battery
  • Versatile trio-cameras
  • Fast performance and charging
  • The phone is quite stylish.

Cons of OnePlus 7 Pro

  • The camera is good but not the best,
  • No wireless charging,
  • Does not come with any official waterproof certification which means is likely, not waterproof,
  • Questionable pop-up camera durability.

Key Specifications of the OnePlus 7 Pro

  • Weight: 206g
  • OS: Android 9.0 Pie
  • Screen display: 6.7-inch
  • CPU: Octa-core 
  • Storage: 256GB
  • Battery: 4,000 mAh 
  • Camera: Main: Triple camera 48 MP, 16MP (ultra-wide), 8MP (telephoto)
  • Front: 16MP (Pop up camera)
  • RAM: 8GB/12GB
  • Price: $699

My thoughts about the OnePlus 7 Pro

The handset offers high-end specs and features at a price that is not too expensive if compared to other phones of its range. The OnePlus 7 Pro, beautifully designed and with amazing performance, solid cameras, and a stellar version of Android. 

In my opinion, I don’t think you can go wrong with this smartphone.

Huawei P30 Pro

Huawei P30 Pro

Huawei! I’m sure a lot of you will not agree with me on this, primarily because the company has been quite controversial lately! But that’s not the point I’m here to talk about. Regardless of the controversy, Huawei has always been a big name in the telecom and smartphone industry. 

The P30 Pro is one of the top range smartphones that were released in 2019. The phone has a large screen of 6.47-inch, with a drop size notch at the top. 

It has thin bezels at the bottom of the screen, with a sharp OLED front screen. The device has low resolution but it’s still considered as one of the best because of its camera results.

The P30 Pro has a reverse wireless charging feature that can charge other devices. It has a great 4,200-mAh battery capacity, which is enough for one day but can work longer with lighter use. 

It has a high-resolution cam, with a strong zoom and ToF (time-of-flight sensor) to handle the depth. The phone has a great overall performance with an upgraded software version. Although there is nothing that much to say about this phone because it speaks for itself.

Pros of the Huawei P30 Pro

  • Versatile cameras with multiple lenses
  • Impressive battery
  • Incredible performance

Cons of the Huawei P30 Pro

  • Lower resolution,
  • Slippery design with little grip,
  • Too expensive.

Key Specifications of the Huawei P30 Pro

  • Released Date: March 2019
  • Weight: 192g
  • OS: Android Pie
  • Screen size: 6.47 inches
  • RAM: 8GB
  • CPU: Kirin 980
  • Storage: 128GB/256GB/512GB
  • Battery: 4,200 mAh
  • Camera: Rear camera: 40MP (ultra-wide), 20MP (wide-angle), 8MP (telephoto), ToF Depth sensor, Front camera: 32MP
  • Price: $1,140

My thoughts about the Huawei P30 Pro

The phone has a great battery, camera, and handy extras such as Qi charging, and improved water-resistance rating. 

In my opinion, the Huawei P30 Pro features are good enough to consider when thinking of a good phone that is worth buying.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10

Samsung Galaxy Note 10

The exciting thing about this phone is its S Pen stylus. It supports a gigantic 6.8-inch OLED display, super battery, and overall, the phone performance is amazing. The phone simply takes far less time to charge if compared to other phones with quick charging.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10’s S Pen can be used as a magic wand by performing air gestures and converting the writing into text. 

Its video feature has a Live Focus effect to give your photos and phone a bokeh effect. The Galaxy Note 10 has four rare cameras that can take crisp photos and has an amazing night mode. 

 The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 is one of the smartphones to lead the way in the 5G compatibility. It’s available in 5G version, with nice battery life, fasters UFS3.0 storage, and triple camera at its back. 

However, its fingerprint scanner can be a bit frustrating as it is slow. And from a design perspective, the placement of the power and volume buttons on the left side can cause you pressing the buttons unintentionally.

The phone is really packed with lots of features and reasons to consider buying one. The phone has high rated IP68 water-resistant and Samsung is offering AKG headphones in the box that use USB Type-C. Also, Samsung has brought a huge change in its software user interface (UI).

Pros of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10

  • Compact design with a huge display
  • Live focus for video 
  • Impressive performance
  • The S-Pen can now perform the Air Actions

Cons of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10

  • No headphone jack or micro SD card
  • Mediocre battery life 
  • Only one storage option

The Key Specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10

  • Weight: 168g
  • OS: Android Pie
  • Screen size: 6.3 inches
  • RAM: 12GB
  • CPU: Snapdragon 855
  • Storage: 256GB/512GB
  • Battery: 3,500 mAh
  • Camera: Rear camera: 16MP (ultra-wide), 12MP (wide-angle), 12MP (telephoto)
  • Front camera: 10MP
  • Price: $949

My thoughts about the Samsung Galaxy Note 10

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 is surely a good smartphone to consider if you’re a fan of Samsung phones. The phone has a class of its own, although it’s not the best among Samsung smartphones, but it’s a unique phone in his own little way.

Conclusion

Now that I’ve shared the list of my top 5 best smartphones of 2019 with you, I’ll really love to read your opinion in the comment box below.

Hope this list makes sense to you? And thanks for reading.

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Zeeshan Yousaf

Zeeshan is the founder of the Tech Guru Guy blog. He writes articles about the latest technology gadgets such as laptops, smartphones, home security, tablet devices, headphones, and much more. He has been at the forefront of technology for the past 10 years, working diligently to create quality content for his audience. He is addicted to reading books and watching movies, but not as much as he loves posting content on his blog. He loves playing cricket and table tennis. You can always contact Zeeshan via Tech Guru Guy's contact page.

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