It is that point once more after we at GSMArena discuss our favourite telephones of the 12 months. My colleagues already talked about theirs, and now it is my flip. However earlier than I proceed, I might like to say that, as all the time, I’ve compiled the checklist of smartphones from those I bought to make use of myself right here in India for an prolonged length, so there’s all the time an opportunity that you could be not see some telephones within the checklist, irrespective of how good they’re and the way a lot of a excessive reward they obtained from us. We’re speaking about our private favorites, in any case. With that disclaimer out of the way in which, these are my high 5 telephones of 2024, in no explicit order.
vivo X Fold3 Professional
The vivo X Fold3 Professional, launched in India and Indonesia in June, was the primary folding smartphone from vivo to launch exterior China. It was powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC and had 16GB RAM and 512GB of storage onboard, so efficiency wasn’t a problem.
Nonetheless, what impressed me essentially the most in regards to the vivo X Fold3 Professional was its design. It was fairly smooth and light-weight for a foldable, and I discovered it very comfy to make use of in each folded and unfolded states. The compact design appears extra spectacular if you discover out the X Fold3 Professional has a 5,700 mAh battery beneath the hood, supporting 100W wired and 50W wi-fi charging. It went from 1% to 100% in about 45 minutes with 100W charging in my utilization – that is a lot quick.
The vivo X Fold3 Professional’s screens had been vibrant, and we had two 3D ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanners – one every for each screens. These weren’t solely quick and correct, however a fingerprint registered with one scanner allowed you to unlock the telephone with the opposite scanner as effectively, which was very handy.
The vivo X Fold3 Professional sported three rear cameras – 50MP main, 50MP ultrawide, and 64MP periscope telephoto. Whereas the primary digicam was nice, it was the periscope unit that I used more often than not, which powered the Portrait Mode and Tremendous Macro Mode. These allowed me to click on some good product photographs. In actual fact, all of the product photographs I included in my iQOO Z9s Professional assessment had been clicked with the vivo X Fold3 Professional.
The vivo X Fold3 Professional stays my favourite foldable of 2024, and it made the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 look pale as compared with its specs sheet. Even after launching six generations of book-style foldables, Samsung continues to make use of side-mounted fingerprint scanners on its Fold collection, whereas the measly 25W charging velocity is simply unacceptable to me. It stays to be seen how way more time it can take Samsung to get up from its deep slumber and transfer to the current century to truly supply a aggressive book-style foldable that does not make it look cussed and complacent.
vivo X Fold3 Professional
So far as vivo is worried, I hope its future foldables may have wider world availability and higher software program help. vivo has promised three years of OS upgrades and 4 years of safety updates for the X Fold3 Professional’s Funtouch OS mannequin, which is offered exterior China. In my view, that is the one division the place Samsung earns a degree.
iQOO 13
The iQOO 13 arrived as a successor to 2023’s iQOO 12, launched in India because the nation’s first Snapdragon 8 Gen 3-powered smartphone. That wasn’t the case with the iQOO 13 because it was the second smartphone in India to have Qualcomm’s newest flagship Snapdragon chip on the helm.
Whereas the iQOO 13 got here with a brand new, highly effective Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, it regarded just like the iQOO 12, which is not essentially a nasty factor since I appreciated the iQOO 12’s design as effectively and located it comfy to carry, which was additionally the case with the iQOO 13.
Nonetheless, what’s new this time is the RGB lights across the digicam module, an IP68/69 score, an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner, and an even bigger, brighter LTPO AMOLED display screen with the next decision. The iQOO 13 additionally packed an even bigger battery (6,150 mAh vs. 5,000 mAh) with out considerably growing thickness.
The Indian mannequin – which is the one my HQ-based colleagues and I examined – comes with a 6,000 mAh battery, and it supplied a pleasant battery life. In actual fact, the iQOO 13’s Indian model ranks second in our new battery life assessments desk and is the primary on the Android aspect for the reason that Apple iPhone 16 Plus bought the primary spot. You possibly can examine the entire checklist right here. I additionally admire how iQOO did not scale back the charging velocity on the iQOO 13, citing battery capability enhance as the explanation, like some manufacturers do.
One other improve the iQOO 13 got here with is within the software program updates division. It’ll get 4 years of Android model upgrades and 5 years of safety updates. It could not look that spectacular in comparison with the Samsungs and Apples and Googles of the world, however its closest competitor in India proper now – the Realme GT 7 Professional – comes with three years of OS upgrades and 4 years of safety patches.
vivo iQOO 13
My greatest grievance is in regards to the iQOO 13’s digicam division, and once I say that, I am referring to the downgrade from the iQOO 12’s 3x 64MP periscope telephoto digicam to the 2x 50MP telephoto unit. Certain, it did take some good portraits in daylight, however that additionally meant the Tremendous Macro mode now relied on the ultrawide digicam for macro photographs, and that does not sit effectively with me as somebody who’s workforce Tele Macro. The iQOO 12’s telephoto macro was completely enjoyable to make use of, and I hope it can return with the iQOO 14 (or no matter iQOO decides to name the 13’s successor).
Realme GT 7 Professional
The Realme GT 7 Professional arrived in India because the nation’s first Snapdragon 8 Elite-powered smartphone, and it was the primary telephone after the Realme X50 Professional launched in 2020 by Realme exterior China that felt like a flagship to me.
The Realme GT 7 Professional has Qualcomm’s newest flagship silicon, oodles of RAM and storage, boots Android 15, and options an extremely vibrant LTPO AMOLED display screen with Dolby Imaginative and prescient help. I used the telephone beneath sturdy daylight and by no means confronted any legibility points. The ultrasonic fingerprint scanner embedded within the display screen was additionally quick and correct.
Furthermore, the Realme GT 7 Professional is constructed effectively and feels sturdy, and we additionally get an IP68/69 score. Then there’s 120W charging and 6,500 mAh battery. In India, we get a 5,800 mAh battery, which, although smaller than the iQOO 13, is large enough. It is also value mentioning that whereas iQOO informed me the precise cause behind launching the iQOO 13 with a smaller battery in India, Realme failed to try this.
I’ve no complaints in regards to the Realme GT 7 Professional’s battery life, but it surely’s value mentioning that the mannequin I obtained right here in India had a 6,500 mAh battery because it was the non-Indian model. For sure, the mannequin with a 5,800 mAh cell may have much less endurance, however the 120W charging velocity ought to make up for it. My unit, with a 6,500 mAh battery, went from 1% to 100% in about 40 minutes, which is spectacular. The Indian mannequin ought to take much less time for a full cost as a result of smaller battery.
The Realme GT 7 Professional supplied a really clean, lag-free expertise, and whereas it is not a correct cameraphone, it clicked some good footage. Nonetheless, my greatest gripes with this smartphone are: 1) The ultrawide digicam has a measly decision of 8MP, which is not acceptable to me in 2024 for a telephone of this worth; 2) Realme ought to have supplied longer software program help.
Realme GT 7 Professional
Realme’s blunt response to my question in regards to the not-so-competitive software program help in comparison with the iQOO 13 was that “nobody makes use of a telephone that lengthy.” Properly, I would really like the oldsters studying this to hold forth within the feedback part and inform me how lengthy you utilize your smartphone and what is the excellent software program help interval for a telephone in any vary – each when it comes to OS upgrades and safety patches.
Oppo Discover X7 Extremely
The Oppo Discover X7 Extremely, unveiled in January, is one thing you do not name a smartphone with cameras however a digicam with a smartphone’s options. It’s the first Extremely telephone from Oppo, and it sports activities 4 50MP rear cameras: a main digicam utilizing a 1″ sort sensor, an ultrawide unit with 123˚ FOV, and two periscope telephotos – one with 2.8x optical zoom and one other with 6x optical zoom. You additionally get Hasselblad Coloration Calibration.
The Oppo Discover X7 Extremely is one spectacular cameraphone. Its main digicam clicked nice footage, and the 2 telephotos did a pleasant job of capturing close by and distant topics. The macro mode makes use of the telephoto digicam as a substitute of the ultrawide for close-up photographs.
Nonetheless, I most well-liked vivo’s X collection telephones over the Oppo Discover X7 Extremely when it got here to portraits and macro photographs. I discovered vivo’s multi-focal portrait lens bundle extra helpful, and I like how I can manually change to the telephoto macro mode – known as Tremendous Macro – once I need as a substitute of ready for the default Digital camera app to routinely change to the macro mode just like the Discover X7 Extremely did.
Not having a devoted macro mode toggle on the Oppo Discover X7 Extremely was a bummer. I might like Oppo to repeat vivo’s manner of dealing with telephoto macro and in addition present a guide focus slider to assist customers get higher outcomes. It helped me click on superb product photographs of smartphones with the vivo X100, X100 Professional, X Fold3 Professional, and X200, and that is the explanation why I most well-liked these vivo telephones over the Oppo Discover X7 Extremely when it got here to portraits and macro photographs. To not point out the pleasing bokeh that vivo’s periscope telephoto-enabled Tremendous Macro mode produces.
The Oppo Discover X7 Extremely did effectively in different departments, too. It has the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC beneath the hood, comes with as much as 4 years of Android OS upgrades and 5 years of safety updates, and has an IP68 score. I additionally just like the Discover X7 Extremely’s design. The fake leather-based panel stays one in every of my favourite options on a smartphone, and so far as the Discover X7 Extremely is worried, its blue coloration mannequin regarded fairly cool to me.
The Discover X7 Extremely’s display screen is not the brightest I’ve seen, and its 5,000 mAh battery might’ve supplied higher endurance. Thankfully, the 100W charging makes up for it. The smartphone additionally runs Chinese language ColorOS ROM, which did not present the identical expertise as its world counterpart, thus limiting my telephone utilization to taking footage and recording movies.
The Oppo Discover X7 Extremely is a China-only machine, however seeing how the Discover X collection returned to the worldwide markets with the Discover X8 duo, I hope the Extremely fashions will even come to world markets finally.
vivo X200
vivo’s X200 collection consists of three telephones – X200, X200 Professional, and X200 Professional mini. The Professional mini stays unique to China, however the different two telephones made their worldwide debut in November. I did not get my arms on the Professional mannequin this time. Nonetheless, I did obtain the X200. I have never used it as a lot as different telephones on this checklist, however based mostly on my expertise with it thus far, it deserved to be on this checklist.
The vivo X200 has MediaTek’s flagship Dimensity 9400 SoC on the helm – the identical chip that powers the dearer X200 Professional. The X200’s AMOLED display screen is smaller than the X100’s and is non-LTPO this time, however is fortuitously brighter. It is also a quad-curved sort and supplied a snug expertise. I used to be skeptical in regards to the X200’s flat frames, however the again panel with curved edges made the X200 ergonomic sufficient for extended utilization.
The show’s smaller diagonal resulted in a smaller footprint, making the X200 fairly compact. Nonetheless, that did not result in a lower in battery capability. We truly bought an even bigger battery (5,800 mAh vs. 5,000 mAh), which lasted me a complete day on a single cost with none gaming. And since it is a silicon-carbon sort cell, a rise in battery capability did not enhance the telephone’s thickness. Nonetheless, vivo traded the charging velocity for the next battery capability because it dropped from 120W to 90W, resulting in elevated charging time. Whereas the X100 went from 1% to 100% in 29 minutes, the X200 took 44 minutes. It is not blazing quick, however quick sufficient.
vivo X200
That mentioned, along with an even bigger battery, we get an IP69 score, and vivo is providing 4 years of OS upgrades and 5 years of safety updates for the X200. The periscope telephoto’s decision dropped from 64MP to 50MP, but it surely clicked good macro photographs with the Tremendous Macro mode, and I like these.
I might have appreciated to see the vivo X200 Professional mini launch in India, however the X200 can also be fairly compact, and thus far, I’ve loved utilizing it.
And that is just about it. These are my high telephones of 2024. Thanks for studying via! Should you, too, used any of the aforementioned smartphones, let me understand how your expertise was within the feedback part under. Additionally, be happy to share your high 5 telephones of 2024 and what you count on from smartphones in 2025. I’ll see you once more subsequent time.
