We all covet those little rectangles in our pockets. Smartphones play a massive part in our day-to-day lives, but buying the perfect smartphone for you can be an arduous task. But don't fret - we're here to help you buy the best smartphone that's perfect for you. Here are the best smartphones you can pick up in 2018.
But before that, have a read of our definitive list of the top ten smartphones you can buy in 2018.
The best smartphones to buy from just £160 in 2018
1. OnePlus 6: The best smartphone of 2018 (so far)
Price: £469
Yet again, the OnePlus 6 is the definitive flagship killer. Launching just a few months after its 5T branded counterpart, the 6 offers up some much-needed, if subtle, improvements over its predecessor.
In keeping almost the same cost as last year's 5T (it's only £20 more expensive) the firm has managed to plonk a 6.3in edge-to-edge AMOLED screen on the front, complete with an iPhone X-like notch. It now has Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845 processor running things from the inside and has seen some improvements to its dual-camera setup on the rear – particularly when it comes to low-light photography.
It's still a bargain, despite the slight price jump and OnePlus has created one of the most well-rounded devices on the market in 2018. It's as fast as those flagships that'll cost you a good £300 more, and its swish new look is excellent. Get the OnePlus 6 if you're a little wary of forking over piles of cash for the latest and greatest. The OnePlus 6 will serve you well for the years to come.
Key specs - Processor: 2.8GHz Snapdragon 845; Screen: 6.3in 2,160 x 1,080; Camera: 16-megapixel, 20-megapixel; Storage: 64/128/256GB; Operating system: Android 8.1
2. Samsung Galaxy S8: Still the definitive Android smartphone
Price: £500
Despite hitting its first birthday, Samsung's Galaxy S8 is still the best Android phone you can buy right now. The Galaxy S9 may have been warming up store shelves – adding a handful of improvements, such as a new low-light camera – the Galaxy S8 is still a much better purchase. Why's that? Well, it offers better value for money of course.
See, while the Galaxy S9 may be the most impressive handset ever made, it's wallet-shakingly expensive – the (slightly better) plus-sized variant is relegated to position six on this list for that very reason. The Galaxy S8 looks just as good, performs exceptionally and the rear camera, despite being slightly pipped at the post by its newer alternative, is still top notch. And, given the Galaxy S8 is fluctuating below the £500 mark these days, this is a superb smartphone purchase you can make in 2018.
Key specs - Processor: 2.3GHz Samsung Exynos 8895; Screen: 5.8in 2,560 x 1,440; Camera: 12-megapixel; Storage: 64GB; Operating system: Android 7.0
3. Google Pixel 2: Pixel perfect
Price: £629
Google's pair of second-generation Pixel phones are both excellent in their own right, but it's the camera that really sets these Android smartphones apart from the competition. Its 12.2-megapixel sensor on its rear is superior to the camera on the iPhone 8 and last year's efforts, and it's capable of taking some truly stunning pictures. It doesn't have an extra lens like the Note 8 or OnePlus 6, but if you're an avid photography fan, then the Pixel 2 certainly won't disappoint.
The Pixel 2 is also as fast as every other Snapdragon 835-equipped handset, and battery life is long-lasting, too. The only real sticking point is the price. Starting at £629 for the 64GB variant on launch (with contracts for both starting at around £50 per month, on top of a hefty upfront fee), the Pixel 2 is a very tricky sell, despite its greatness.
And just to be clear: we're recommending the regular-sized Pixel 2 over its plus-sized XL alternative. Why? Well, the 2XL is stuck with an atrociously bad display when it comes to viewing angles. Tilt the phone a bit to the left or right, and the screen produces this awful blue-tinge, rendering it almost unreadable. The screen also flickers when the auto-brightness mode is engaged which, for a 2018 flagship, is inexcusable.
Key specs - Processor: 2.45GHz Snapdragon 835; Screen: 5in 1,920 x 1,080; Camera: 12.2-megapixel; Storage: 64/128GB; Operating system: Android 8.0
4. Huawei P20 Pro: Triple threat
Price: £799
Hauwei's P20 Pro is certainly one of the more interesting smartphones to launch in the last few years. Huawei believes that adding another camera to the mix is precisely the thing to get futurists hot under the collar. Equipped with a total of three rear-facing cameras, the Huawei P20 Pro is far from your bog-standard smartphone flagship, and it's a near-perfect execution from the long-standing smartphone firm.
But how does that intriguing camera get-up work? Well, the standard 40-megapixel RGB camera and 20-megapixel monochrome camera work together to deliver images of greater dynamic range with lower noise than would otherwise be possible with a single camera, while the monochrome sensor captures detail-rich black and white photographs. The third camera – an 8-megapixel 3x telephoto lens (80mm equivalent focal length) – adds optical zoom. This makes for an incredibly well-equipped smartphone in the camera department, capable of producing some of the best-quality images we've ever seen.
Elsewhere, the phone is powered by Huawei's latest octa-core HiSilicon Kirin 970 chip clocked at 2.4GHz, paired with 6GB of RAM and a generous 128GB of on-board storage. There's also a fancy edge-to-edge display, with an iPhone X-like notch at the top (although it's slightly smaller than Apple's). In all, this is one of the smartphones to beat in 2018 and I expect other manufacturers will follow suit with a similar camera arrangement.
Key specs - Processor: 2.4GHz Hisilicon Kirin 970; Screen: 6.1in 2,244 x 1,080; Camera: 40-megapixel, 20-megapixel, 8-megapixel; Storage: 64/128GB; Operating system: Android 8.0
5. Apple iPhone 8 Plus: Bigger is better
Price: £800
The iPhone 8 and its Plus-sized counterpart are the most expensive iPhones yet, but it's the Plus that makes this list due to its dual 12-megapixel camera. The normal iPhone 8 doesn't have a dual sensor, and thus misses out on the Plus' 2x optical zoom feature. It also has a better battery life than its little brother, making it more reliable over the course of the day.
Elsewhere, Apple's made several improvements to the phone's speed and overall build quality, but it's not quite as big a leap forward as you might expect from a next-generation smartphone. The iPhone 8 Plus is still the best iPhone ever made, but iPhone 7 Plus owners should probably hang on to their handsets for a little while longer before they upgrade.
But wait – why not the iPhone X? Well, as much as it probably is the best phone 2018 has to offer, we're never going to recommend a smartphone at such a high price. After all, this is a helpful buying guide, and I'd never encourage anyone to hand over four figures for the latest smartphone, no matter how great it actually is. To quote our review:
"The iPhone X is many things: it’s Apple’s best ever phone, it has an unbelievably good display, but there’s no way I could recommend it to someone when there’s a phone that’s just as good, if not better in some ways, and will cost you nearly half as much. Sorry Apple, but that’s just the way it is."
Key specs - Processor: Hexa-core Apple A11 Bionic; Screen: 5.5in 1,920 x 1,080; Camera: Dual 12-megapixel; Storage: 64GB/256GB; Operating system: iOS 11
6. Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus: Pricey Android perfection
Price: £869
Why is Samsung's Galaxy S9 Plus so far down this list I hear you so brazenly cry? Well, Samsung's fresh-faced flagship may be setting the benchmark for the next generation of Android handsets, but there's one rather wallet-fearing flaw attached to it. Despite its near-perfection, the Galaxy S9 Plus is ludicrously expensive.
Okay, so Samsung's latest plus-sized handset may look similar to last year's efforts, but internal upgrades to Samsung's latest Exynos 9810 processor (or the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 if you live in the US) make this the fastest smartphone we've ever tested. Not only that, but the new f/1.5 camera breaks new grounds for low-light smartphone photography, which is made even better with the added 2x telephoto zoom lens.
Make no mistake, this is an unrivalled smartphone, but it's a very difficult package to recommend at its current going rate. £869 is a heck of a lot to pay for any phone. No matter how good it is.
Key specs - Processor: Octa-core Samsung 2.7GHz Exynos 9810; Screen: 6.2in 2,960 x 1,440; Camera: Dual 12-megapixel; Storage: 128GB; Operating system: Android 8.0
7. Huawei Mate 10 Pro: The unexpected phablet
Price: £699
Never mind Samsung's Galaxy Note 8, there's a new phablet king in town. Yep, this is Huawei's Mate 10 Pro, a – rather unexpected – contender for the plus-sized smartphone crown.
Complete with a gorgeous, bezel-less 6in 2,160 x 1,080 screen and a stunning design, this is a smartphone that looks great in your palm. Likewise, Huawei's previously naff smartphone processors – the Kirin series of chips – are significantly better than before, and give Qualcomm's efforts a proper run for their money. Pair all that with an exceptional set of dual rear cameras, and you're looking at smartphone perfection.
But best of all, Huawei's (slightly better) Mate 10 Pro is cheaper than Samsung's Galaxy Note 8. What more could you want?
Key specs - Processor: 2.4GHz Kirin 970; Screen: 6in 2,160 x 1,080; Camera: Dual 12-megapixel and 20-megapixel; Storage: 64GB; Operating system: Android 8.0
8. Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact: Size doesn't matter
Price: £500
Sony’s Xperia XZ2 Compact successfully proves that a 5in smartphone has some relevance in 2018. With displays getting bigger, phones getting larger and trouser pockets bulging, small-screened phones are likely to be a relic of the past, but not here.
Despite its palm-friendly size, the XZ2 Compact is packed with the same flagship internals as its plus-sized competitors, with a Snapdragon 845 and an excellent 19-megapixel rear camera. Sony certainly didn't scrimp on performance, and its dinky display is one of the more colour accurate screens we've seen so far. For just £529, the XZ2 Compact is generously priced, just don't use the 3D image scanning feature, it's naff.
Key specs - Processor: 2.7GHz Snapdragon 835; Screen: 5in 2,160 x 1,080; Camera: 19-megapixel; Storage: 64GB; Operating system: Android 8.0
9. Motorola Moto Z2 Play: The modular wonderphone returns
Price: £379
The Moto Z2 Play is an incredible smartphone for £379. It faces strong competition from the slightly more expensive OnePlus 6, but the Moto Z2 Play has a couple of fancy party tricks to make it stand out. Chief among these is its modular design.
Unlike the LG G5, the Moto Z2 Play's extra attachments can simply snap onto the back of the phone, allowing you to slap on a speaker, optical zoom, battery pack or miniature projector as and when you please. It's a brilliant bit of design, and the so-called Moto Mods themselves are infinitely superior to those you could buy for the G5.
The Moto Z2 Play's real boon, however, is its stonking battery life. Lasting almost 20 hours in our continuous video-playback test, this is one of the best battery-life scores I've ever seen, even outstripping Samsung's colossal Note 7 (when it wasn't exploding). If you want a smartphone that can go the distance without breaking the bank, the Moto Z2 Play is the smartphone for you.
Key specs - Processor: 2.2GHz Snapdragon 626; Screen: 5.5in 1,920 x 1,080; Camera: 12-megapixel; Storage: 64GB; Operating system: Android 7.1.1
10. Motorola Moto G6: A flagship beater
Price: £219
Motorola's sixth-generation budget handset is a welcome return to form after the disappointment of the G5 – and its G5S replacement for that matter. Again, the Moto G6 is equipped with the best budget phone camera in the business, capable of capturing excellent Instagram-worthy shots for its super-low price.
But that's not all that's exciting about the Moto G6, either. The design is fabulous (with an 18:9 display no less) and the software is chock full of extras, despite the look and feel of stock Android. The Moto G6 rights the wrongs of its predecessors and is a spectacular smartphone if money is tight.
Key specs - Processor: 1.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 450; Screen: 5.7in 2,160 x 1,080; Camera: 12-megapixel, 5-megapixel; Storage: 32GB; Operating system: Android 8.0
Hello, My Name is Muhammad Abid. I live in Pakistan. I am 18 years old.
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