Along with the quietus of 2020 , it ’s been a angry and unpredictable year for smartphones . Samsung start the class by embark its most expensive earphone ever in the S20 Ultra and finished with one of its good steal in the Galaxy S20 FE . Google expend its flagship Pixel 5 to the mid - range and delivered its adept design ever , while a OnePlus phone clear a grand for the first time . Plus Apple send its minuscule iPhone since the iPhone 5 . And everything amount with 5 G on board .
But amid all that , which phone emerge from the topsy-turvydom as the sensation of 2020 ?
The phones
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra : The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is Samsung ’s best telephone set to day of the month even if it has a slenderly inferior camera and a little battery than the S20 Ultra .
OnePlus 8 Pro : OnePlus went all out on its phones this year , attacking both the high ending and the low end with more models than ever before . Even with the 8 T arriving months later , the 8 Pro is my pick of the bedding , especially at its freshly boil down price shred .
Google Pixel 5 : Google did an about - face with its smartphones this class , but the Pixel 5 is still among the best Android phone , thanks to Android 11 .
iPhone 12 : you could make an literary argument that the $ 999 iPhone 12 Pro is worth the extra money , but unless you ’re learn a destiny of zoomed snap , the iPhone 12 is the sweetened spot .
Note : The Android phones here present the near in North America . That means Huawei , which stay to innovate with its tv camera and speed , and Xiaomi , which had an impressive entry with the Mi 10 Ultra , are out of the running .
iPhone vs Android: Design
The phones here might not fold or swivel , but that does n’t entail they do n’t each have their own unique identities . Their several wheels most certainly have n’t been reinvent , but each telephone has enough picayune touches to both branch it from the others and raise it above the residuum of the camp .
The iPhone 12 , far left , has a gorgeous figure .
First , let ’s look at the size and screen proportion .
Dimensions(listed from largest to smallest)Note 20 Ultra:164.8 x 77.2 x 8.1mmOnePlus 8 Pro:165.3 x 74.3 x 8.5mmiPhone 12:146.7 x 71.5 x 7.4mmPixel 5:144.7 x 70.4 x 8.0 mm
Screen to trunk ratio(listed from eminent to lowest)Note 20 Ultra:91.63%OnePlus 8 Pro:90.79%iPhone 12:87.45%Pixel 5:86.75 %
The Note 20 Ultra is remarkably Samsung , with a giant twist Infinity show , hole - punch selfie cam , and very scrawny bezels above and below the screen . Like previous Notes , it has a very square - off aesthetic that makes it seem much tall than it is , while the camera bump in the leftover corner is quite a turn large and manner more bulbous than the other earphone here .
The Note 20 Ultra look middling in Mystic Bronze .
The best colour is the new matte Mystic Bronze that ’s a cross between atomic number 79 and rose gold . But you ’ll probably want to put it in a case . For one it ’s made solely of shabu , and for another , its sizing shit it guileful to keep back even with two hand . The squared corners , mat bottom , and camera hump wait good , but they combine to create a very awkward and ill-chosen traveling bag . It ’s also highly heavy liken to the other phones here .
Weight(listed from heaviest to lightest)Note 20 Ultra:208gOnePlus 8 Pro:199giPhone 12:164gPixel 5:151 g
The Pixel 5 is n’t just the lightest in this mathematical group , it ’s also one of the nicest . Google did a groovy task with its latest Pixel phone , delivering the first design that does n’t have tremendous bezels . In fact , it ’s the only Android phone that I ’m aware of that has universal bezel all around , give the Pixel 5 a balanced , symmetric aesthetic like to the iPhone 12 .
The Google Pixel 5 has another quirky color : Sorta Sage .
Otherwise , it ’s very much a Pixel . The silhouette is the same as it ’s been since the original role model , and the straight camera regalia is very much cribbed from the Pixel 4 . With very little bezel , the selfie Cam River is in the remaining - hand recession of the screen and mostly gather out of pot .
Read more
iPhone 11 vs Android ’s in effect at PCWorld
iPhone 12 follow-up at Macworld
OnePlus 8 Pro review at PCWorld
Galaxy Note 20 Ultra reassessment at PCWorld
Google Pixel 5 impressions at PCWorld
Why 1080p displays are just enough
The Pixel 5 is the only phone here that is n’t made of methamphetamine , but it ’s not quite aluminum either . The back is covered in a plastic bio - rosin that give the phone a strange texture and a less - than - premium feel . The Sorta Sage color is nice though and the chrome - wrapped power bottom is a nice touch .
The OnePlus 8 Pro is probably the least recognizable of the group , but that ’s not to say it ’s a plain or boring speech sound . It has a fantastic curved display and is the only speech sound in this clustering that does n’t have a distractingly large camera regalia . The corners of the display utterly check the phone ’s frame , and the bezels above and below the screen are extremely skinny , giving it a near edge - to - border aesthetic that feel great to hold .
The OnePlus 8 Pro Ultramarine gamey color is a beauty in its own right .
The back is made of meth but it ’s frosted so it does n’t pick up fingerprints as well as the Note 20 and iPhone 12 . The two novel colors , Glacial Green ( 8 GB RAM ) and Ultramarine Blue ( 12 GB RAM ) , wrap around the side of the display and look fantastic .
At first coup d’oeil , the iPhone 12 looks a spate like the iPhone 11 it replaces , but the subtle changes Apple has made are meaningful . The most obvious is the bezel size . On the iPhone 11 , bezel were quite large at 5.57 mm all around , but on the iPhone 12 , they ’re just 3.47 mm . The iPhone 12 is also thinner and light than the iPhone 11 , and since Apple has returned to a “ bland ” design for the sides and the concealment , the phone has an esthetical that seem and feels even minor than it is .
You do n’t even necessitate to rupture a pic to see that the Note 20 Ultra ’s camera raiment is more muscular than the iPhone 12 ’s .
It ’s also a plenty lighter than the other all - glass phones here . Granted , it has a humble screen than the Note 20 and OnePlus 8 professional , but the difference in both weightiness and dispersion is palpable when you ’re holding it . By contrast , the Note 20 is very top - gruelling and while the Pixel 5 is significantly lighter , sense less like a bounty headphone and more like a credit card budget one . The iPhone 12 strikes a nice balance wheel between balance wheel and build timber .
The rather gravid pass remains as does the attention - grabbing camera regalia , but the iPhone 12 ’s overall design is the nice Apple has produced in year . It ’s solid , symmetrical , and stylish , and easily stands out in a crowded field of rounded rectangle . As phones become homogenous with elephantine screens and photographic camera , Apple continues to bump a way of life to lead the way with sassy iterations and fictional character .
Our pick : iPhone 12
iPhone vs Android: Display
Premium smartphone displays have reached the full stop where they basically all get A+ military rank from DisplayMate , so no matter which phone you get , you ’re getting one of the good displays ever made .
The phones here have unlike sized screens but all of them are arresting .
Before we get into size , luminosity , and pixel density , the independent difference between the Android phones and the iPhone 12 is display speed . While the iPhone 12 is stuck at 60Hz , the Pixel 5 operates at 90Hz , and the Note 20 Ultra and 8 Pro have 120Hz refresh charge per unit . Higher refresh rates signify scrolling should be faster and gambling and video smoother on those headphone , especially when you switch between 60Hz and 120Hz on the Note 20 Ultra and OnePlus 8T. But Apple does such a tremendous job with its video display standardization and OS optimization that the iPhone 12 does n’t experience noticeably slower than the 120Hz phones .
The same conk out for the resolution . The iPhone 12 and the Pixel 5 both have Full HD+ 1080p displays while the Note 20 Ultra and OnePlus 8 Pro have Quad HD+ 1440p displays . ( One caveat , however : you need to lour the Note 20 Ultra ’s resolution to 1080p to employ the 120Hz refresh rate . ) The difference is negligible . While the Pixel 5 has disjoined government issue with color chroma and brightness , both presentation are as crisp and pixel - slow as the QHD display , and the iPhone 12 is every morsel as copious and vibrant . If I did n’t see the spec sheet , I ’d never know the iPhone 12 has fewer picture element .
Apple might not have change the resolution for its “ Super Retina XDR display , ” but it did lend a pocket-size change that elevates it even further above the other phones here . Apple calls it Ceramic Shield and it ’s designed to keep your phone ’s sieve from cracking when dropped from a high distance . I thankfully did n’t have a chance to test that , but after a month of enjoyment without a projection screen guardian , I could n’t see any micro strike on my headphone ’s screen like on other earphone , including the most recent iPhones .
While all of the phones here decrease into the “ large ” family , there ’s nigh an inch between the smallest and the large . That might not seem like much on paper , but it makes a huge difference when using them .
Screen size(listed from smallest to largest)Pixel 5:6 - inchiPhone 12:6.1 - inchOnePlus 8 Pro:6.78 - inchNote 20 Ultra:6.9 - column inch
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is n’t just the biggest among the headphone here , it ’s one of the nicest displays I ’ve ever used . Colors are vivacious without being too saturate , photos are rich and bright ( with a peak that touched 1,600 nits ) , and videos are dynamic and quiet . It ’s hard to retrieve a ill , except perhaps it ’s a bit too big .
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra ( left ) has a stunning 120Hz exhibit .
The say , the OnePlus 8 Pro is n’t all that small than the Note 20 and it , too , is visually arresting . Like the Note 20 , the sides are curved , and its Quad HD+ 3168 x 1440 is vivid and vivid . It ’s bright and crisp , but I found the white balance to be a bit off at times and I point out a slight purplish shade when compared to the other show .
And as I said above , the iPhone 12 ’s display is remarkable as well . But for velocity , clarity , brightness level , and depth , the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra stands alone . Even with 1080p resolution , Apple is very near to the Note 20 Ultra , and if the iPhone 13 gains a 120Hz ProMotion display as rumored , it will more than likely catch up .
Our choice : Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Next page : functioning , battery life , and OS comparisons
iPhone vs Android: Performance
The phones in this annual competition always symbolise the top of the communication channel when it comes to processor and specs , and as such you ’ll find the Snapdragon 865 + in the Note 29 Ultra , the 865 in the OnePlus 8 Pro , and the A14 Bionic in the iPhone 12 .
But you ’ll find a well slow cow dung on the Pixel 5 . To keep costs down , Google has opted for the slower 765 G C.P.U. , which is plenty capable but in an entirely dissimilar league . It ’s not a spoilt chip , but it ’s more consanguineal to the Snapdragon 835 in the Pixel 2 than any of Qualcomm ’s newfangled phone chips .
The iPhone 12 ( left ) and OnePlus 8 Pro both reckon beautiful in blue .
So bench mark are going to be a small skew . They do n’t tell the whole story , as Google ’s Android optimizations aid a lot , but the message is pretty clear : If you want the fastest phone in 2020 , the Pixel 5 is n’t it . It ’s the iPhone 12 .
Geekbench 5 CPU Single - nitty-gritty / Multi - core(in social club of performance)iPhone 12:1599/4107Note 20 Ultra:973/3252OnePlus 8 Pro:868/3165Pixel 5:601/1599
Geekbench 5 Compute(in order of performance)iPhone 12:9439Note 20 Ultra:3564OnePlus 8 Pro:3221Pixel 5:1010
BrowserBench Speedometer 2.0(in guild of performance)iPhone 12:192Note 20 Ultra:46.2OnePlus 8 Pro:72.3Pixel 5:26.9
you may argue all you want about the veracity of Geekbench ’s results on iOS versus Android , but the fact of the topic is the iPhone 12 is head - spinningly fast . Apps fly exposed , scrolling is fantastically smooth even without a 120Hz display , and the system never palpate sulky in the slender . And while I ’m not sure what ’s going on with the Note 20 Ultra in BrowserBench ’s Speedometer 2.0 mental testing , it does n’t really weigh when compared to the iPhone 12 , which is nearly three times faster than the OnePlus 8 Pro . And somehow , the disconnect is even more unmistakable with 3DMark ’s unexampled cross - platform Wild Life art benchmark .
3DMark Wild Life Unlimited(in order of performance)iPhone 12:8659Note 20 Ultra:4177OnePlus 8 Pro:3855Pixel 5:1025
The Pixel 5 might be able to get away with a lackluster chip for vulgar undertaking , but it shows its lower rank when it comes to its GPU . Once again , the iPhone is the readable achiever here , with more than double the mark of its close contender , and the real - earth results bear that out . Where I experience occasional stutter and immure with all of the other phones here , the iPhone never dropped a inning or bumble a transition . Case in point : Wild Life value the median frame pace on the iPhone 12 at 51fps , where the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra only reached 25fps .
All shapes and size are defend with the phone here .
The iPhone 12 ameliorate on kicking time as well . While you ’re not going to need to restart any of these telephone set very often , you ’ll be able to start using it in no time at all . Last year , Apple brought up the rear with the iPhone 11 with a lengthy 21 seconds , the iPhone 12 nearly cut that metre in half :
Boot speed(in order of performance)iPhone 12:11 secondsPixel 5:11 secondsNote 20 Ultra:13 secondsOnePlus 8 Pro:14 bit
As far as 5 G goes , all four earphone feature sub-6GHz 5 G modems on all three major networks , so if you ’re in a nationwide coverage area , you ’re good . If you happen to also live near one of Verizon ’s super - rapid millimeter - moving ridge hub , you ’ll be able-bodied to get at it on the iPhone 12 , Note 20 Ultra , and Pixel 4 , which all have the required n260 and n261 bands to tap into the ultra - wideband spectrum , but not the OnePlus 8 professional . The speeds are spectacular , but it ’s not all that necessary now , when sub-6GHz 5 chiliad has only just begun to take off .
iPhone vs Android: Battery and charging
The four phones all deliver when it comes to battery life , even with immensely different capacities . Apple uses a ridiculously smaller capacity compare to the others here but still cope to deliver all - day battery living and then some .
stamp battery capacity(listed from enceinte to smallest)Note 20 Ultra:4,500mAhOnePlus 8 Pro:4,510mAhPixel 5:4080mAhiPhone 12:2,815mAh
I ca n’t think back the last prison term I used an Android phone with a barrage fire under 3,000mAh , and there ’s a reason for that . If any of the ones here had a assault and battery that modest , they would almost certainly contend to make it through half a twenty-four hour period . But the iPhone 12 seldom complete a 24-hour interval with less than 20 percent remaining and somehow manages to eke more out its 2815mAh battery than Samsung or OnePlus with 4500mAh ace .
The colors and finishes on these phone are among the best I ’ve ever seen .
Here ’s how much battery was drained after playing a 1 - hour - and-49 - bit 4 K HDR movie ( Birds of Prey ) on each phone at full cleverness and auto - brightness .
barrage loss ; full brightness(listed from low to highest amount lost)iPhone 12:13%OnePlus 8 Pro:13%Pixel 5:18%Note 20 Ultra:19 %
Battery departure ; motorcar - brightness(listed from broken to highest amount lost)iPhone 12:11%OnePlus 8 Pro:13%Note 20 Ultra:14%Pixel 5:16 %
It ’s quite remarkable . Even with such a small battery , the iPhone 12 sip tycoon while the others imbibe it . All four phones are basically undertake to get you through the Clarence Day , but the iPhone 12 and OnePlus 8 Pro are as close as you ’re go to get to completely worry - gratuitous . No matter what you ’re doing , neither telephone will make you extend to for a charge at any point throughout your day and should comfortably make it the end of it . But none of the phones here will need much in the way of life of charging .
You ’ll get USB - coke on all of the earphone here except the iPhone 12 ( bottom ) , which of class has a Lightning port .
speak of charging , all four phones boast libertine charging , but they ’re quite different . For starters , the iPhone 12 does n’t admit a great power arranger in the boxwood , so you take to bring your own 20W or higher plug . The other telephone set all let in everything you need to get peak charge out of the loge .
Fast charging rateiPhone 12:20WOnePlus 8 Pro:30WNote 20 Ultra:25WPixel 5:18W
All of the phones will fill up tight enough , but the OnePlus 8 Pro fills up the fast without needing any additional equipment . But if you postulate a immobile direction in less than a half - time of day , any phone will match the banker’s bill .
You ’ll also get wireless charging with each of the phones and again , it varies quite a snatch even when using the same stock charge launchpad .
Wireless charge rateOnePlus 8 Pro:15WPixel 5:12WNote 20 Ultra:10WiPhone 12:7.5W
You ’ll evidently necessitate to bring your own battery charger , but the right one can actually increase your speed . OnePlus sells a Warp Charge 30W wireless charging viewpoint that ’s a little bulky and has a built - in buff for cooling , while Apple has a charismatic MagSafe battery charger that ups the speeds to 15W. MagSafe has the potentiality to be a game - changing characteristic and if you ’re on the fencing , could be the thing that crowd you over . There ’s nothing like it on any Android earphone and could direct to some pretty nerveless supplement beyond just chargers and stands .
iPhone vs Android: OS and security
I ’m not about to launch into a treatise on the benefits of Io over Android , but I ’ll say this : the changes in iOS 14 , particularlythe App Libraryandhome screen widgets , play the iPhone ’s customization that much nigher to what you could do with Android . Apple even let youset nonpayment web browser app and mail appsnow .
The App Library in iOS 14 ( right ) is very closelipped to Android ’s app drawer .
On the impudent side , Android is still a bit hit or neglect . While the Pixel 5 obviously ships with Android 11 out of the box and the OnePlus 8 Pro rapidly experience its Android 11 update , the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is still wait for One UI 3.0 to make it out of genus Beta testing . Samsung has n’t argue when a stable release will roll out to the U.S. , but it likely wo n’t make it until early 2021 .
The good news is the Note 20 Ultra is finally guaranteed to get updates beyond the most recent one . While Samsung ’s premium telephone have generally been good for two acquittance update and possibly a third , Samsung now assure buyers that they ’ll be getting updates to their phone for years to derive .
oxygen update cycleNote 20 Ultra:3 generationsPixel 5:3 yearsOnePlus 8 Pro:2 yearsiPhone 12 : Not specified
The difference between coevals and years is important . While the Note 20 Ultra free in tardy August , it ’s only guaranteed to get Android 11 , 12 , and 13 , even if Android 14 Land before the third twelvemonth is up . Google , on the other hand , promises three age of update , giving it a little wiggle way on earpiece that unloose on the house of cards , like the 4a . At any charge per unit , you ’ll emphatically get Android 14 on your Pixel 5 . OnePlus continues to be exceedingly disappointing with updates , with its recentNord N10 phone not guaranteedto get an update past Android 11 .
The iPhone 12 might hold fast out , but Apple ’s non - guarantee is a feature , not a bug . The iOS 14 liberation that just landed in September supports all iPhones going back to the 6s , which launched in 2015 . Even if Apple put down support with iOS 15 as rumored , that ’s five versions and six years of update , which bollix away anything you ’ll get from Android .
Samsung ’s new update guarantee is kind of a big deal .
And even if you do get three full Android versions with the Note 20 Ultra , it ’s in all likelihood blend to be missing some features . Along with Assistant and camera features , Google has started to limit entree to Android feature to non - Pixel phones , including app suggestion , smart text pick , and extreme battery saver in Android 11 . They ’ll get eventually , but with the country of updates , who have it off if you ’ll ever get them on your OnePlus or Galaxy earpiece .
Plus , Google ’s Android optimizations make the Pixel experience advantageously than any other phone here . The Pixel 5 is n’t quite on the level of the iPhone 12 , specially with a far slower C.P.U. , but like Apple , Google is doing more with less on the Pixel 5 . Even with a dim mainframe , the UI feels raffish and responsive in a way no other Android earphone does .
It ’s not that the OnePlus 8 Pro and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra experience slow by any stint , but there ’s something about the Pixel experience that feel natural . It ’s difficult to put into word and inconceivable to show , but there ’s a certainsimpaticobetween the hardware and the software that make the whole thing feel pleasurable .
After this year ’s motion , I ’m not sure where Google ’s go with the Pixel , but if it adhere with a mid - range processor , it ’s going to be harder to justify speech sound that be well over a thousand bucks when the Pixel perform so swimmingly at a fraction of the price .
The Pixel 5 ( leave ) uses an old - school fingermark sensing element .
When it comes to surety , the iPhone 12 still stands alone with Face ID , its super - secure 3D face identification biometric tech . Google tried something interchangeable with its Soli camera on the Pixel 4 , but it ’s gone here ( belike due to price and want of widespread reinforcement ) in favor of an old - fashioned rear - mounted fingerprint sensor .
The Note 20 and OnePlus 8 Pro both have in - display fingermark sensors , and while they ’ve certainly improve with each release , they ’re finical and frustrating . unlock routinely assume several attempts , and even when it works , the method is very calculated . With the iPhone 12 , the system is much faster , more good , and more reliable , and I even prefer the Pixel 5 ’s old - schooltime fingerprint sensing element to the newfangled ultrasonic and ocular ones .
Our picks : iPhone 12 and Pixel 5
Next Sir Frederick Handley Page : Camera , price , and decision
iPhone vs Android: Camera
While each phone here has multiple tv camera , the ironware is quite different . The Note 20 Ultra offers a 50X “ Space Zoom ” lens of the eye while the OnePlus 8 Pro has a consecrate color filter camera . The Pixel 5 has an radical - wide lens for the first fourth dimension and the iPhone 12 offers dark style on both the wide and ultrawide cameras as well as the selfie cam .
The camera on the ( clockwise from top remaining ) Pixel 5 , iPhone 12 , Galaxy Note 20 Ultra , and OnePlus 8 Pro are all marvelous .
But no matter which speech sound you choose , you ’re getting an fantabulous camera . There are surely pernicious divergence between them , but smartphones in 2020 have reached astonishing heights when it come to picture taking , to the point where we have the luxury of nitpicking .
Take nighttime or low - sparkle shot . Just two years ago , it was a detriment for most of these phones , but ever since Google introduced Night Sight on the Pixel 3 , everyone has scramble to entrance up . And they have . In the trope below , which was taken in a room where I could barely see what I was shooting , all of the speech sound capture color , detail , and clarity that the middle just can not see .
In this extremely low-spirited - light shot , all of the phones produced telling color and lucidness , with the Pixel 5 ( bottom right ) and OnePlus 8 Pro ( bottom left over ) , besting the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra ( top right ) and iPhone 12 ( top left-hand ) .
In the photo above , the Pixel 5 , bottom right , enchant an incredible level of limpidity to the point where you could easily read all of the words , even the one way in the back . The OnePlus 8 Pro ( bottom left ) also does a antic Book of Job with conveyancing item , though the exposure is a bit amped up . The Note 20 Ultra ( top right ) also nail the color and contingent , while the iPhone 12 ( top left over ) , which is still very good , is n’t as sharp as the others .
The iPhone 12 ( top go away ) conquer the color and detail in this view better than the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra ( top right ) , OnePlus 8 Pro ( bottom remaining ) , and Pixel 5 ( bottom right ) .
In good firing , all four headphone do an admirable job capturing a tantrum , as you could see above . The colour , contrast , and profundity on this officious aspect are all preserved incredibly well , with only the OnePlus 8 Pro ( bottom left ) croak a bite too hard on the impregnation in the leave . The iPhone 12 ( top left ) catch really nice contingent on the leave while the Note 20 ( top right ) leans too heavily into focusing on the front leaf . Once again , the Pixel 5 ( bottom right ) gets it all veracious .
While the OnePlus 8 Pro ( bottom left ) and Galaxy Note 20 ( top right hand ) struggled a morsel with clarity in this colored shot , the iPhone 12 ( top left ) and Pixel 5 ( bottom rightfulness ) nailed it .
It ’s the same story with color . Each of the phones here does a tremendous job of parse unlike and diffused colour above , but you’re able to see a small effeminateness in the OnePlus 8 Pro ( bottom left ) and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra ( top right hand ) . The iPhone 12 ( top left ) and Pixel 5 ( bottom right ) get the color and the clarity about perfect , but Google once again gets a flimsy edge .
The Galaxy Note 20 ( top right ) uses its zoom lens system to its advantage , with better detail and pellucidity than the iPhone 12 ( top left over ) , OnePlus 8 Pro ( bottom left ) , and Pixel 5 ( bottom right field ) .
There ’s a bit more separation when it comes to zooming . The Note 20 Ultra has 5X optical zoom versus 3x on the OnePlus 8 Pro and pure digital zoom on the iPhone 12 and Pixel 5 . So the Note 20 is clearly ahead of the other telephone set here when zooming , whether at 5X or 30X. It ’s an area where the iPhone 12 ( top leave ) shows its lower rank and where even Google ’s incredible processing on the Pixel 5 ( bottom right ) ca n’t compensate . The OnePlus 8 Pro surprisingly struggle as naughtily as the non - telephoto phones , which shows how hard it is to soar up with a fixed smartphone lens . But if you ’re going to be taking a circumstances of shots from further away , the Note 20 is definitely the one to buy .
When it comes to picture , all four phones offer impressive video stabilization as well as 4 K at 60fps . The Note 20 Ultra can shoot in 8 green at 24fps as well and the iPhone 12 records in 10 - turn Dolby Vision HDR 4 K at 30fps . On the front , the selfie cams are all fairly adequate , even with different ironware .
Front cameraPixel 5:8MPiPhone 12:12MPOnePlus 8 Pro:16MPNote 20 Ultra:40MP
But you ’re not going to want to make a decision based on the front camera . And when it comes to the rear tv camera , any phone will fork out the good , but there ’s one that ’s just a footling ahead of the mob , despite its lack of a zoom lens .
Our plectrum : Pixel 5
iPhone vs Android: Price
Before we get down to the price , we want to let the cat out of the bag about storage . The iPhone 12 starts at 64 GB , while the Note 20 Ultra , OnePlus 8 Pro , and Pixel 5 have 128 gilbert . So to save things fair , I ’ve chance the iPhone 12 to the next storage level when comparing cost .
Prices ( 128GB)Pixel 5:$699OnePlus 8 Pro:$799iPhone 12:$879Galaxy Note 20 Ultra:$1,300
The Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is for sure in the conversation for the phone of the yr , but its price is a major detriment . Even Apple ’s most expensive iPhone , the 6.7 - column inch iPhone 12 Pro Max , is $ 200 cheaper than the Note 20 Ultra with many of the same feature film , including a 2.5X telephotograph lens . Samsung needs to seriously rethink its prices now that 5 G is pretty much universal .
The iPhone 12 is the sound to beat ( and buy ) this year .
At the other last , the Pixel 5 need to be cheaper to contend with the iPhone 12 and more specifically , the iPhone 12 miniskirt , which starts at $ 729 . The Pixel 5 seems to be in something of a transitional full point and there ’s a lot to like about Google ’s moves , but the value just is n’t quite there .
Apple increase the terms of the iPhone 12 by $ 130 as compared to the iPhone 11 , which is no small hike , but you ’re also getting much more for your money : namely , 5 G and an OLED showing . And it ’s still more than $ 400 sleazy than the Note 20 Ultra and just $ 80 more than the garish OnePlus 8 Pro with 8 GB of RAM .
iPhone vs Android: Conclusion
As I said at the start , these are four of the best headphone of the year , and they all have their strengths . The Note 20 Ultra has a gorgeous display . The OnePlus 8 Pro work hard , lasts long , and bearing in a flash lamp . The Pixel 5 has great package integration and the best photographic camera I ’ve ever used in a $ 699 Android phone .
The well telephone of the year are , clockwise from left , the Pixel 5 , OnePlus 8 Pro , Galaxy Note 20 , and Pixel 5 .
But only the iPhone 12 brings it all together so well . The aim , show , C.P.U. , OS , and photographic camera are all at the top of their game , and even if it is n’t the best in every class , it ’s at or near the top in most of them . Not since the iPhone X has there been such a generational leap in performance and features , and even with the same camera hardware , the iPhone still improves over the iPhone 11 . lend in the guaranteed OS updates and unbelievable shelling life and you ’ve got the phone of the yr — and likely most of next year too .
It ’s so good , there ’s only one other earpiece I might advocate : the iPhone 12 Pro .
