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PhoneArena 2019 Awards: Best phones of the year

By PhoneArena Team

Updated: Jan 17, 2020, 7:00 AM

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2019 is nearly over, and throughout the year, we've added more than 200 phones and tablets to our extensive database. Can you imagine? However, only few of all 2019 phones deserve accolades. The PhoneArena team assembled, sat at the round table, and after a brief discussion we determined which phones deserve some recognition at the end of the year. Without further ado, here's which phones got the 2019 awards.

Best Phone - Apple iPhone 11 Pro/11 Pro Max

PhoneArena 2019 Awards: Best phones of the year

By fune-tuning and perfecting the iPhone recipe, Apple came with a pair of truly excelling phones. With excellent battery life, matured design, and what's possibly the most versatile camera in 2019, the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max are two safe bets when it comes to getting a new phone in late 2019. These two are built to last, and while they might seem way too conservative when you compare them to the foldable and pop-out camera phones we saw throughout the year, they are a familiar product that doesn't need fundamental change or innovation in order to be reliable and succeed.

Runner-up #1 - Samsung Galaxy Note 10+

With its refined design, the more functional S Pen, the incredible display, the plentiful ultra-fast storage, and high-quality loudspeakers, the Galaxy Note 10+ is definitely up there with the great phones released in 2019. While it's excelling in many areas, it doesn't quite push the boundaries in certain aspects. While this somehow works for the iPhone, which can do just fine without any bleeding edge, first-gen generation innovation on deck, the Note 10+ has to compete with a large swath of Androids that match its features and even outdo Samsung's latest high-end flagship. Still, the Galaxy Note 10+ is an excellent all-around device that deserves recognition.

Runner-up #2 - OnePlus 7 Pro

OnePlus really blew up in 2019 with its OnePlus 7 Pro, which has a large and beautiful screen with an ultra-smooth 90Hz refresh rate, improved cameras, very good battery life, and a very competitive price that's still much lower than iPhones and Galaxies. There are just a few downsides to this flagship, but they can easily be overlooked by the great experience that OnePlus delivers here.