Following my recent blog on my shortlist of phones in the running to be my next phone, I’ve cut this list down even further to just the following devices:
- Samsung Galaxy S9
- Samsung Galaxy S9+
- Huawei P20 Pro
- Nokia 7 Plus
- Nokia 7.1
- Sony Xperia XZ3
- Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
- OnePlus 6T
You’ll notice the omission of the LG G7 ThinQ. Well, as much as I’d love to get that phone, it’s just not available on contract. Never was, probably never will be. Disappointing because it really was, I thought, the device for me…
Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+
I’ve had a few thoughts on these two, and here goes: last time around, back in December 2016, while I was choosing between the Huawei P9 and LG G5, I had the much-revered statement from phone reviewers, about the Galaxy S7 being the best all-round Android phone at the time, in the back of my mind.
After being left disappointed by the LG G5’s quality issues, and the Huawei P9’s poor quality video capture (especially slow-motion video), I remember thinking that the best phone with the best camera and video capture, that wasn’t too expensive, was the Galaxy S7.
And that’s my way of thinking this time around, too. As much as the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are too expensive for my budget, they are 2 of the best Android phones out there right now, and form a benchmark (shared by the Pixel 2/XL and recent Pixel 3/XL) for everything else to either surpass, or fall way short.
The standard S9’s camera (set at a focal length of 26mm) is nothing to write home about, but thankfully, and I don’t know this until recently, it does have the much-touted/marketed variable, dual-aperture feature, meaning I’d have the choice between f/1.5 or f/2.4, depending on light conditions. This was a feature I’d previously thought was only available on the more expensive S9 Plus.
The Galaxy S9 also comes with micro SD card support, a 3.5mm headphone jack, 32-bit audio DAC (which is superior to the 24-bit DAC on my Galaxy S7), and comes with a bigger screen – but with less bezels and a higher screen-to-body ratio on the front.
The S9 Plus, while being the more expensive sibling with a bigger screen and body, comes with that 2nd lens on the rear – a telephoto shooter set at 2x optical zoom (or 52mm focal length), with both lenses supported by Optical Image Stabilisation. This brings it into direct competition with the Huawei P20 Pro, so it will be interesting to see how it fares in reviews.
Nor forgetting, of course, that both phones would be an improvement in terms of video capture – 4k/60fps support, plus 720p/960fps super slo-mo (similar but slightly inferior to the 1080p/960fps slow-motion capture of the Sony Xperia XZ2, XZ2 Premium, and XZ3).
Not to mention 1080p/240fps – whereas, my S7 can only shoot 720p/240fps at a maximum, with no super slo-mo at all.
Internal memory would also be boosted, from 32GB in my S7, to 64GB on the S9 and the S9 Plus starting at 128GB – with an even more expensive 256GB model available as well.
Huawei P20 Pro
I love this phone. 3x optical zoom, more than any other smartphone, plus support for a 5x hybrid zoom (3x optical + 2x digital zoom).
Comes with 128GB internal storage, Twilight colour is superb, but also lacks micro SD card support and there’s no 3.5mm headphone port. For a phone with an impressive [on paper] triple rear camera setup, that’s a lot of compromises for me, and too much to swallow.
BUT, I do believe the curse of the Huawei P9 has returned. I’ve just checked out video capture, and to say I’m appalled is an understatement! The touted 960fps super slow-motion video is awful, with signs of interpolation and possibly frame fill-in going on. Plus it’s only at 720p, but even then I’m concerned – from what I’ve seen, it’s more like 240p or 480p blown up to look like 720p, because the 720p/240fps that my S7 shoots isn’t anywhere near as choppy or blocky or pixelated or clunky, as what I’ve seen from the examples of 720p/960fps on the net. Excusing the video conversion and optimisations that Youtube performs when uploading a video, it’s still pretty poor for a phone that touts a best in class camera setup.
EMUI. A lot of people don’t like it because it’s Android with the visual flair of iOS, but I like it, especially now that the App Drawer is supported.
But the compromises – awfully poor video capture quality (in very stark contrast to my 2yr old Galaxy S7), no 3.5mm port, no Micro SD slot/expandable storage, and poor construction & build quality (as evidenced by a recent JerryRigEverything bend test review) – far outweigh the positives.
Unfortunately, and for the second time in 4 years, the P20 Pro will not be my next phone. I’m thoroughly disappointed in Huawei.
Nokia 7.1
As I’ve said previously, the 7 Plus seemed like the perfect phone for me, but as everyone’s stopped stocking it now, I can’t get it anymore.
So, now for the newer 7.1. Looks solid, great durability (it’s a Nokia after all), dual camera setup (with 2nd lens as a depth sensor for portrait modes) is impressive, with the Zeiss smarts and pro camera UI I’m used to with Windows Phone (or in other words, the same UI I used to use within the camera app on my Nokia Lumia 820).
Android One (= feature & security updates for 2 years), micro-SD slot, 3.5mm jack… looks to be a great phone. But, there was no mention of the audio DAC quality on the GSMArena spec sheet, so I did some digging around on forums on the net – Reddit, Nokia, etc. Turns out, audio quality is quite poor despite there being a capable onboard DAC, with some suggesting the issues could be with the software – and therefore the onus on HMD, to improve the audio quality of their Nokia device lineup.
One forum user even suggested installing an app like PowerAmp to solve the audio issues. That means the music-listening experience would be very similar as with my HTC Desire Eye: although Boomsound improved the exterior audio via the stereo front-facing speakers, the audio quality via the 3.5mm port was very poor, producing flat and tinny sound woth no low tones or bass. (I found that upgrading my headphones did nothing to improve the situation with my Desire Eye, so installed PowerAmp, which thankfully did sort this out.
Sony Xperia XZ3 / XZ2 Premium
Loving Sony’s offerings. XZ2 Premium has an unmatched 4K HDR screen with more PPI than any other phone I’ve seen – over 700 in fact – despite it being an LCD panel, and 4K HDR dual camera setup – one colour lens, & one monochrome (similar to Huawei’s old setup).
Xperia XZ3, on the other hand, has a P-OLED screen, so blacks will be deeper and colours more vivid. One rear camera.
While both phones lack a 3.5mm headphone port, they both support 24-bit audio – the same as my Galaxy S7, but inferior to the 32-bit audio experience on the LG G7 ThinQ, Huawei P20 Pro & Samsung Galaxy S9/S9 Plus.
Both the XZ3 & XZ2 Premium also support expandable storage via a Micro-SD card slot, and can shoot 1080p/960fps super slow-motion video. That’s impressive from any phone, especially given that Samsung and Huawei can only shoot 720p/960fps on their Galaxy S9 and P20 Pro phones respectively.
Still, considering I can get a Galaxy S9 for the same price, that also comes with 32 bit audio, I’m not sure either of the Xperia’s are really worth it.
OnePlus 6T
Okay, let’s get the elephant out of the room: yes, it comes with 128GB or 256GB internal stage, but there’s no support for Micro SD cards, and unlike the no-longer-available OnePlus 6, there’s no 3.5mm headphone port, which was sacrificed in favour of the in-screen fingerprint sensor (much to the annoyance and shock of the OnePlus community).
That said, the OnePlus 6T offers an iPhone-beating experience for half the cost of an iPhone, it runs on Android and according to the community of fans, users and tech bloggers, you can’t fault Oxygen OS – their ever-customisable Android UI skin.
But, and I have to say it, it’s not as good a phone as my Galaxy S7 – which still runs like a charm. The camera hasn’t impressed me, and slow-motion video capture is the same as my S7 (not superior, but perhaps more importantly, also not inferior).
£500+ is still a bug asking price, however. I can think of quite a few budget/mid-range phones that are both cheaper and offer more features with less compromises for me – 3.5mm port, micro SD support, etc. Examples include the Moto G6 Plus, Nokia 7.1, Huawei P20 Lite, Huawei Mate 20 Lite, Sony Xperia XA2, Xiaomi Pocophone F1, iPhone SE, iPhone 5S (pre-owned), and the Honor Play.
Conclusion
Maybe I should get with it, get some Bluetooth headphones and be done with expandable storage. But, my current Sony headphones are brilliant, with no need to replace them, and I love the hassle-free experience that comes with ejecting a micro SD card from one phone, and inserting it into another, with no need to hook up my phone to my laptop and wait for the long transfer of my 40GB+ music library to finish. Eject, insert, done: music, photos and videos all transferred over to the newer phone in an instant.
Therefore, the only phones I’m primarily looking at now are:
- Samsung Galaxy S9
- Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus
- Sony Xperia XZ3; and,
- Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium.
-Chris JK.
KPH tech blog 
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