Samsung defined the rules of the game in 2023 with the Galaxy S23 series and its Galaxy S23 Ultra marked the pinnacle of the smartphone's evolution with the mighty powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, a brilliant 6.78-inch immersive AMOLED display that came with its S-pen stylus. The Galaxy S23 Ultra covered all the crucial aspects. It even has a 200-megapixel main camera alongside its versatile multi lens setup and it’s safe to say it is one of the best camera smartphones we have seen this year. Hence, despite being almost a year old, the Galaxy S23 Ultra continues to be a highly recommended flagship phone and even after its successor drops in, this will continue to be a superstar in its segment.

Specifications:
Display: 6.1-inch, FHD+
SoC: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128/256/512GB
What we like about this product: The phone has a compact size offering a great inhand feel. Additionally, the display and the camera system are also great.

Users’ review: Users have liked the camera, and premium build quality of the phone as well as its compact form factor.
Pros:

• Solid performance
• Versatile camera
• Compact form factor
• Reverse wireless charging

Cons:

• The phone offers average battery life and slower charging than many of its competitors in this price range.

2. Best in performance: Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

In a year where Samsung pulled off an incredible job with its flagship Galaxy S23 Ultra, it was only expected from Apple to come up with a befitting reply. The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max introduced new trends in the industry and shattered expectations of what the most feature-loaded smartphone should be like. Although, titanium took center stage at the launch event, the iPhone 15 Pro Max assured into an era of 3-nm chips with its A17 Pro. Other than being fast, this chipset offers so much power that you can play console games (not console quality) directly on the device. The smartphone also improved its camera zoom performance with its brand-new 5X telephoto lens. It also replaced the iconic mute slider with a customizable action button. But the biggest reason why it may be pulling people to the showroom is because of the tiny new USB-C port liberating users from the shackles of the lightning port.

What we like about this product: iPhone 15 is a complete package. We like its lightweight, display, performance and of course the iOS interface.

Users’ review: Users liked its good battery life, dynamic island and lightweight.

Pros:

• Powerful A16 Bionic chipset
• iOS interface
• Impressive camera
• Great battery life

Cons:

• There are no cons

3. Best in multitasking: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

If the Galaxy S23 Ultra is Samsun’s best conventional flagship, you can consider the Galaxy Z Fold5 the same for the foldable segment. This year’s Fold 5 is all about refinements. While Samsung made it lighter as well as more practical, the smartphone retained the safest formula that Samsung has been using for this range since 2020’s Fold 2. Nonetheless, the 7.6-inch main display with its hidden video call camera and a peak brightness of 1,750 nits made it an immersive to consume regular smartphone stuff. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy offers fast and reliable performance and despite having an average capacity, it can easily last an entire day with moderate usage.

Specifications:
Display: 7.6-inch inner display and 6.2-inch cover display
Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
RAM: 12GB
Storage: 256/512/1,024GB
What we like about this product: We like the multitasking ability of the phone, and the immersive tablet like viewing experience. The support for S-pen stylus just add a cherry on top of the cake.

Users’ review: Users have loved its form factor and the expansive display. They also liked its performance.

Pros:

• Immersive viewing experience,
• Multitasking capabilities
• Good camera
• Support for S-pen stylus

Cons:

• Battery life could have been better.

4. Best in design: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 was an exact contrast to the Galaxy Z Fold 5. With an entirely new persona, courtesy of its larger and improved 3.4-inch cover display. This display also brought more functionality by allowing users to run apps in a smaller form. Hence, you have a Flip smartphone that you don’t always need to flip open. Featuring the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset, the smartphone is one of the fastest flip smartphones in the market and its superior ISP also gives a fresh breath of life with a slightly dated dual 12-megapixel cameras. Although it can barely last an entire day on a single charge, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 makes up for it with its styling.

Specifications:
Display: 6.7-inch FHD+ and 3.4-inch HD+
SoC: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 256/512GB

What we like about this product: We liked its stylish looks, handy form factor, and powerful and efficient chipset.

Users’ review: Users have loved the striking design of Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the 120Hz AMOLED display.

Pros:

• Striking design
• Great performance
• Decent cameras
• Clean UI experience

Cons:

• Though Samsung has increased the size of outer cover display on the Galaxy Z Flip 5, it offers access to limited apps on the cover display.

5. Best in features: OnePlus Open

The OnePlus Open, despite being a latecomer to the foldables’ party but ended up being the best of its kind. A familiar and conventional aspect ratio makes both the main and cover display comfortable to use despite featuring a complex hinge mechanism. It may not feature support for a Stylus like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, but it makes up for it with its well-tuned and more capable triple rear camera system tuned by Hasselblad. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip takes care of the flagship levels of performance expected from a big foldable. The efficient optimization allows for an all-day battery life and it even charges much faster than any other foldable smartphone with its 67W wired charging. But its biggest draw continues to be its unmatchable style. All in all, this is the best foldable smartphone we saw in 2023.

Specifications:
Display: 6.7-inch FHD+ and 3.4-inch HD+
SoC: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 256/512GB

Users’ review: Customers like the battery life, screen, sound quality and value of the cellular phone. They mention that it has an awesome battery life and decent battery optimization.

What we like about this product?

• This mini tablet offers great viewing experience
• Hasselblad lenses offer great quality pictures
• The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is a powerhouse enabling phone to handle the multitasking at ease

Pros:

• Hasselblad camera
• Fast charging support
• Great in-hand feel

Cons:

• The phone lacks wireless charging

6. Best in camera: OnePlus 11 5G

OnePlus went back to its roots of making splendid flagship killers with the OnePlus 11. Launched earlier this year as a reasonably priced, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 equipped Android flagship, the OnePlus 11 focuses on all the key aspects that its fans have been demanding for years. It features a brilliant 6.7-inch Quad HD+ AMOLED display, a reliable set of Hasselblad-tuned triple cameras at the back, and a massive 5,000mAh battery. All of which made the OnePlus 11 5G an easier-to-recommend premium Android smartphone. The ColorOS-inspired persona of OnePlus’ Oxygen OS may have not found favor with the brand’s loyalists but its ultra-fast 100W wired charging and unmistakably stylish design made up for any of these shortcomings.

Users’ review: Users liked its good battery life, fast charging and performance.

What we like about this product?

• OnePlus 11 5G offers a stand-out design
• It's premium features and a robust processor that can manage even the most demanding tasks at ease
• It supports 100W wired fast charging

Pros:

• Powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset
• 100W fast charging
• 4 years of OS updates and 5 years of security updates

Cons:

• Though there are no major cons, but the UI could have been more polished

7. Best in charging support: Xiaomi 13 Pro

The Xiaomi 13 Pro is a high-end smartphone that offers several impressive features. It stayed in the news for its critically acclaimed Leica-tuned camera system. Being the only phone to feature three 50-megapixel cameras for its main, ultrawide, and telephoto lenses respectively, Xiaomi made most of its partnership with Leica to give us a phone that does impressive photography. Other than the camera system, the Xiaomi 13 Pro also stood out for its unusual design complemented by its bio-ceramic back. Like all flagship phones of 2023, it featured the mighty Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and a 6.73-inch 120Hz QuadHD AMOLED display. It featured a 5,000mAh battery and ended up being one of the fastest-charging flagship smartphones with its 120W wired charging system.

Overall, the Xiaomi 13 Pro is a great smartphone with a lot to offer. It has everything that you would want from a flagship one including a powerful processor, a beautiful display, a versatile camera system, and a long-lasting battery.

Specifications:
Display: 6.7-inch FHD+ and 3.4-inch HD+
SoC: Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 256/512GB

What we like about this product: We liked its stylish looks, handy form factor, and powerful and efficient chipset.

Users’ review: Users have loved the striking design of Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the 120Hz AMOLED display.

Pros:

• Striking design
• Great performance
• Decent cameras

Cons:

• UI could have been better