2019 has been a great year for technology, and smartphones in particular. Over the past few months – in what has become something of a tradition in the tech community – a number of exciting smartphones have been announced and released by the biggest names in the business. There has certainly not been a shortage of contenders for the best new phone released in 2019. Luckily, we’ve done the work for you by putting together a list of the best new phones of 2019.
Pixel 4 / Pixel 4 XL (£669 + £769)
The Pixel 4 was one of the most anticipated phones of the year. It represents the latest and greatest from Google’s Android operating system and gives other Android phone users a glimpse of things to come over the next few months. This year, Pixel 4 comes with the new Android 10 operating system.
The Pixel’s standout feature has always been its camera. Ever since the first Pixel was released back in 2016, Pixel cameras have generally been considered to be the best of any smartphone. This year, it’s rivalled by the iPhone 11, but still takes the crown in many people’s estimation. The Pixel 4 and 4 XL both have two lenses – one regular lens and one telephoto lens for better portrait shots. The Pixels always have a glorious 90Hz, which means the screen refreshes incredibly quickly, allowing for silky smooth transitions and animations. Going back to a 60Hz display after using this feels like a big step backwards.
Perhaps the biggest headline grabber from this phone is its inbuilt radar system. It’s called Motion Sense and allows you to use hand gestures to control the phone at a distance. You can control your music by swiping your hand above the phone, and snooze your alarm or dismiss calls with a wave. A nice little touch is that the phone will sense when you’re approaching it and quieten the alarm slightly to give your just-awoken ears a little respite. These features are fairly rudimentary for the moment, but it’s an exciting piece of technology that has tonnes of potential for the not-too-distant future.
There are only a couple of differences between the 4 and the 4 XL – aside from the obvious size difference – and they’re significant. The display on the 4 is Full HD (FHD) compared with it being Quad HD (QHD) on the XL. This means that the resolution is different: FHD displays are 1920 x 1080 whereas QHD displays are 2560 x 1440 – when it comes to screen resolution, higher is always better. This is probably related to the other key difference between the two phones – battery size. The Pixel 4’s battery is noticeably smaller at just 2800mAh, whereas the Pixel 4 XL’s battery is 3,700mAh. A QHD display is more taxing on battery life, and this is probably the reason why the 4’s display is toned down to being FHD instead of QHD. It’s slightly disappointing, but likely you won’t even notice the difference unless you’re really concerned with screen sharpness.
iPhone 11 Pro Max (£1149)
One of the best new phones for 2019 and the best that Apple have to offer: the iPhone 11 Pro Max. The biggest improvement from the previous generation of iPhones is in the camera. In an effort to compete with Google’s Pixel phones, Apple invested significantly in their cameras. The iPhone 11 Pro Max now has 3 cameras on the back: a regular lens, a telephoto lens for better portrait shots, and an ultra-wide lens for capturing more of your environment. Coupled with the improved battery life (five hours longer than last year’s iPhone XS Max!) and improved A13 bionic chip, this is arguably the best phone you can buy right now.
With the new iPhone, you’ll also enjoy the latest from iOS 13 – the excellent operating system that iPhone users have come to know and love. Increased security, a better Maps app, and a host of other little touches make this the most compelling iPhone experience you can get right now. If you’re a die-hard iPhone fan, it doesn’t get any better than this.
The big drawback? It’s by no means cheap. It’s certainly a device that’s aimed at power users or those who simply must have the best of the best.
Read our full breakdown of Apple’s latest product line-up here.
OnePlus 7T / 7T Pro (£549 + £699)
Two of the fastest and most fun-to-use phones you can buy today, the OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro push the envelope for silky-smooth performance. Their 90 Hz Fluid Display makes every animation and movement on the screen smoother than ever before. After using this 90 Hz display, all other phones (aside from the Pixel 4) with seem far less fluid in comparison. They’re by no means small phones either, with the 7T having a 6.55-inch screen and the 7T Pro’s being a 6.67-inch – plenty of screen space for you to enjoy!
As well as their rare 90 Hz displays (which we predict will be in most, if not all, phones in the next year or two), the OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro offer some of the fastest charging capabilities available. They call it Warp Charge, and it’s capable of providing 70% charge in just 30 minutes of being plugged in. Very handy if you’ve forgotten to charge your phone overnight and are in a rush in the morning. They both also boast an excellent ultra-wide camera (which the significantly more expensive Pixel 4 lacks), allowing photographers to capture more of their subject – great for landscape shots or photos of large groups of people. They both run on an operating system called OxygenOS, which is essentially a skin on top of Android 10 which some OnePlus features added in.
The big difference between these two phones is their selfie cameras. In one of the most innovative designs we’ve seen in flagship smartphones in recent years, the OnePlus 7T Pro has managed to remove all its bezels (the bars that surround the display) but having the selfie camera physically pop up out of the top of the device. You may worry about it snapping off if you accidentally drop the phone whilst trying to take a picture, but OnePlus have thought of that. The 7T Pro has a smart fall detection feature, so when the phone detects a drop – even a slight one – it quickly retracts the selfie camera to protect it. Smart, even for a smartphone. The 7T, by contrast, has its selfie camera in the form of a notch at the top of the screen, similar to many phones from the past few years, such as the iPhone 11 and Pixel 3.
As always with OnePlus, you get flagship specs without the eye-watering price tag.
Asus ROG Phone II (£829.99)
The Asus ROG Phone II is the most striking phone to come out in recent years. It’s a gaming phone through and through, and the qualities that make a great gaming phone also make for a great, powerful smartphone for regular users. On paper, this phone is the spec king of 2019, ticking essentially all the boxes: Snapdragon 855+ chip, 12GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, 6.6-inch 120Hz OLED display, 6000mAh battery, and two 48MP cameras. To many of you, these stats may not mean anything at all, but to the tech-heads out there, you’ll know that this is seriously impressive.
The 120Hz display (yes, even better than the Pixel 4 and OnePlus) is unbelievable smooth and vibrant. Right now, nothing on the market really compares – an excellent example of when a great gaming feature translates to a great general user feature. Also, the huge battery is the best we’ve ever seen in a smartphone and you may be able to go two days without having to charge it. It’s incredibly smooth to use, as you may expect from a device that’s designed to run high-end video games, so switching between apps and performing tasks are a breeze. Another nice little feature of this phone is that the charging port is on the side instead of the bottom as with virtually all other phones. The reason is it allows you to charge the phone whilst still comfortably holding it in landscape view to play games.
Visually, this phone has the most unique and daring design of any new phone for 2019. It has lights, icons, and cut-outs on the back which are incredibly bold. It’s also one of the heaviest phones in recent years as a result of these lights and the aforementioned huge battery. Overall, it’s probably not to everyone’s taste, but those who like it are really going to like it.
We know that you won’t be disappointed with any of the above smartphones. They’ve all been released in the past few months and are a shining example of what the best new phones of 2019 have to offer the world of tech. Something we like about all these phones is that they are all compatible with our SLYK smartphone stands. You can enjoy using your phone in ergonomic comfort from your bed with our floor stand or even use them to whip up a culinary creation in the kitchen with our table & wall stand. Be sure to check out our full product range to find the right SLYK stand for you.