The best new 5G smartphones, tested and reviewed

The new iPhone 12 series has been talked about a lot mainly for its compatibility with 5G networks, a first-time experience for Apple, whose advantages we may not see in the immediate future for many reasons – the lack of practical applications (for now) and the network coverage above all – and for the new packaging – the boxes will be thinner and will contain neither earbuds nor wall chargers. Apple justified the choice by saying that it will reduce its impact on the environment, but many people on social media fiercely accused the company of greenwashing – they didn’t actually use this term, but that’s the idea. What we call iPhone 12 is actually a series of 4 models. Two are the extreme opposites of each other – the (tiny) Mini and the Pro Max, with a 5.4-inch and 6.68-inch screen respectively. In between, we find the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro. All of them have an OLED screen, use the Face ID facial-recognition technology, come with iOS 14 pre-installed, and use the brand new A14 Bionic processors, which make them, in a nutshell, extremely fast.
The iPhone 12, as we already knew from the many rumors and news leaks, looks quite different from all the other phones produced in the last years not only by Apple but also by the vast majority of smartphone manufacturers. While Eastern companies bombard us with phones with tapered shapes, rounded edges, and 3D glass screens, the Cupertino-based company is back with a square look that we haven’t seen since the first iPhone SE but was recently reintroduced in the iPad Pro, as told on Domus by Andrea Nepori.  

After using it for a few days, although it is quite thin, the phone feels very much there, whether it is in your hand or your pocket, as if it had regained a presence and materiality that was lost over the years. And if you hold the previous iPhone 11, with its rounded edges like all previous iPhones from the iPhone 6 onward, it feels almost “soapy”. Meanwhile, the new iPhone has a great balance, and it is well-performing, for example when you have to write a text while walking. To make a long story short, it passed the practical test. This greater solidity in the forms is also confirmed by the materials, with the new Ceramic Shield that promises to prevent a lot of screens from breaking.

The iPhone 11 was the first Apple phone to introduce a night mode – one of the best in phones not only when it comes to the final result, but also for the fluidity of the interface, and its wide-angle lens. In the iPhone 12, these improvements go hand in hand, allowing you to shoot wide-angle pictures in night mode. We tested it on iPhone 12 Pro, with excellent results – the typical “iphoneography” quality, where the pictures are extremely detailed, sharp, focused. In low light conditions, many people will find the portrait mode even more useful that the wide-angle night mode, but bear in mind that this only works on iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max – these two phones, in fact, in addition to a little more RAM, have a more refined photographic system than the two-lens system of iPhone 12 and 12 mini, with the addition of a telephoto lens that, in the case of Pro Max, reaches a 2.5x optical zoom against the 2x optical zoom of the Pro. This is another reason why the iPhone 12 Pro is, according to many reviewers, kind of “a grey area” - it doesn’t offer too much more than the basic model, which however costs less than 1000 euros (in Italy, the official price starts at 939). We are still a long way from the amazing optical zoom lenses offered by many oriental brands, but the technologies used by Apple for image optimization, such as Deep Fusion and Smart HDR 3, always provide amazing results. More trivially, the wide-angle lens distortion correction of this new model is quite something.
iPhones continue to be some of the best phones around when it comes to taking videos, although the introduction of Dolby Vision compatibility has been described by many reviewers as a gamble, for example by Roberto Pezzali on dday.it, who criticizes its performance on big screens.

But there is one camera feature in the Pro line, the same as in the iPad Pro camera presented a few months ago, that is the integration of the LiDAR sensor, which maybe should have been talked about more, and that actually someone was already expecting in last year’s iPhones. A technology already present on self-drive cars and drones, related to Microsoft’s FaceID and Xbox Kinect (developed in collaboration with a company, PrimeSense, not surprisingly later acquired by Apple), the LiDAR sensor allows the smartphone to measure distances in the surrounding environment through an infrared system, thus building a map of objects in an environment. This also enables the camera to focus much quickly. But when we use it as the smartphone’s eye on the world, the LiDAR sensor becomes very useful in Augmented Reality, because it allows better integration and interaction between real and virtual objects in space. This is a fundamental step for the creation of new and more advanced AR apps, to create a fertile ecosystem ready for the launch of the next big thing from Apple – those smart glasses that are increasingly talked about and that someone was expecting to see already this year. In short, what the developers needed to create a truly reliable augmented reality. So, dear developers, now it’s your turn.

The other innovation introduced by Apple, that could be almost more important for designers than for the end-user, at least at the moment, is the second life of MagSafe, a name that was born with the magnetic technology of MacBook charging ports, which had temporarily disappeared from the products because it was replaced by the now almost ubiquitous USB-C ports, but has now come back to designate a magnetic (but maybe not too safe) phone charging system, an evolution of wireless charging. In short, at the moment, it’s kind of a circular frying pan that hooks firmly to the back of the iPhone and recharges it, but among the many new official accessories presented by Apple, there’s a thin magnetic battery pack that should finally replace the hideous smart battery cases (which we hope never to see again unless they appear in a Chiara Ferragni’s selfie). Potentially, the variations of this technology could result in the creation of thousands of accessories, which will allow us to finally recharge our phone and sticking it to a surface, whether it be the handlebars of your electric bike or the bathroom mirror. Not to mention that this is probably the first step towards the disappearance of the charging ports on the iPhone. Too bad that for now, MagSafe recharges the phone extremely slowly. Which becomes a problem, if you consider that all iPhones 12, net of possible software “helps” coming soon, have a battery that lasts much less than last year’s models, and 5G is known to literally drain the battery.

Roughly beautiful. Wonderfully edgy. Complexly refined. And you could go on for a long time, trying to frame the reborn Razr of Motorola, now also in 5G version, making explicit the feeling that you try to use it. Something that probably does not pass through the many photos and videos that abound on the net for this phone that since its announcement has become a sort of cult. Because in this case the object overlooks the category to which it belongs and maybe even its own project. But let's go by steps. The new Motorola Razr looks like the phone of the future, but not our future. It looks rather like we would imagine today that they could imagine in the 90s an imaginative phone of the future. The shell is a tapered and shiny box, with sharp shapes, whose front surface is largely occupied by the display, which lights up when the device is picked up. It is wide, heavy, affirmative, layered to the point that the internal screen, the one that unfolds when you open the phone, seems to rest on the device, and in turn the frames overlap it, the upper arch that looks like a double lightning bolt, the lower one very thick. To the touch it caresses glass and metal in continuity, the round of the front camera with its flash, the fingerprint sensor on the back. The element that protects the hinge that holds the two halves of the device together, the most delicate part of any foldable smartphone, is brutal, it extends almost a thread beyond the width of the phone, it is an architrave, it looks like the nail in the neck of Frankenstein in his most classic representations. The choice of packaging is illuminating, an echo of the most maximalist Kubrick we have from memory: a black monolith. 

The Razr is in fact a monstrous object in the hyperbolic sense of the term, which with a very particular design language not devoid of a certain amount of arrogance, makes a good show of its rise above the normality of today's smartphones, their tendency to disappear behind the screen, the rounded corners and sinuous curves we are used to and all the rest of that uniforming tendency to immateriality that distinguishes today's technological design. It's a brave act, this phone from Motorola, a historic brand of telephony acquired by the Chinese giant Lenovo a few years ago. And perhaps he is forgiven for some dysfunctionality, such as the lower frame that makes it difficult to navigate when open, a screen that today is perhaps a little narrow for those with big hands, the not exactly effervescent colors of the display compared to many others of the competition, and the feeling that that screen is not in the end exactly straight, but slightly embarked. Excellent, however, on a functional level, the external screen, which allows access to many basic functions without having to open the phone and offers a wide range of possible customizations. Too bad instead that the device can not be used even when open but folded, like the direct competitor sold by Samsung, the Z Flip. But what is missing in functionality, the Razr gains in personality. A phone that we will remember even in several years, just like the predecessor that bore the same name.    Price: 1559 euros.

OnePlus did not start 2020 in the most convincing way. And not just because the flagship killer company had presented a series 8 that costs slightly less than the flagship models of more prominent companies. You grow and change, especially if you didn’t even exist ten years ago, and changing the price range could also make sense. However, the perplexity arose from a lineup, with 8 and 8 Pro, in which we had lost much of the extremely minimal design language with which OnePlus had always spoiled us, and at the same time gave up the futuristic push of a phone like the 7 Pro, which with the retractable camera and not even the slightest notch on the screen had represented in 2019 something a bit different from the competition (although it was not really the only one to use this solution). Things got better with Nord, the first OnePlus’ midrange phone, a serious but at the same time fun device (see the camera filters, for example). This 8T phone is convincing. It brings the same concreteness to a higher level of performance, without falling into the easy trap of rounded edges, uncomfortable in many ways, but often preferred by manufacturers because perceived as immediately “beautiful” by consumers. It’s got a 120Hz display – many brands seem to be obsessed with this now. Maybe Instagram will scroll too fast or there will be other interface problems, but the rendering on video and games is amazing.

This smartphone has three strong points. The first is undoubtedly the fact that it charges super quickly thanks to its dual battery system, able to reach 100% of charge within 40 minutes. In 15 minutes, it gets up to 58%, which is quite impressive. In the box, OnePlus provides a 65W USB-C adapter, which is also good for charging laptops, if needed (Apple, are you listening?). The camera is surprising, also because it has never been the strong point of OnePlus – a phone born for a decidedly “nerd” audience – that model after model, year after year, has however considerably improved its photo-video department, also thanks to a lot of work on the software. The 8T takes great photos in normal light conditions and has a good night mode, which is automatically activated and works for videos as well. Ultra-wide-angle distortion is minimized by the software, but a zoom lens is missing. The 4-lens module includes a two-megapixel monochrome lens, but it does not reach the same quality level as the Leica lens of the unforgettable Huawei P20. There is also a macro lens, but the results are not exactly exceptional. The last strong point is in the OnePlus DNA and concerns the latest update of the customization of Android, with OxygenOS 11 that renews the interface with a series of new animations, clearer controls, new color combinations, and a series of optimizations to use the phone with one hand. Some wicked people say, however, that now it seems to be using a Samsung. Certainly, the Zen mode, which helps you take a little break from your phone, now also with your friends (perfect for dinners or meetings), is a unique gem, along with the possibility to use the black and white screen to use the phone as an eBook reader.  

First, some caveats. The bump camera, i.e. the protrusion of the photographic compartment on the back of the phone, in this new Note is so bulky that it compromises its stability when placed on a flat surface, like a table or a desk. And second, the screen is huge, so much so that you’ll have to get used to writing on it, for example – or you can use a keyboard that adapts to the screen according to the user’s preferences like Swiftkey. On the other hand, a display of this size – 6.8inches – is so huge that you’d rather call it a phablet, as Dieter Bohn pointed out when reviewing it in The Verge. It’s great for reading an ebook, watching a movie on the train, or playing games, especially thanks to the compatibility with the cloud version of Xbox Game Pass, which allows you to play a huge variety of games even if you don’t own a physical console. But it is only compatible with Xbox – its Microsoft Office integration truly makes it one of the best smartphones on the market. This version is a refined and improved Galaxy S20, and it has the nib. Right, the nib!

For years now, the Galaxy Note has been a unique phone thanks to the presence of a built-in nib. In the beginning, the advantage was simply having it and being able to interact differently with the screen. Over the years, the nib has become an increasingly integrated part of the interface, and today not only allows you to write a note on the go but also to sketch in augmented reality, write on a screenshot or the calendar, translate portions of text, take selfies or manage web navigation without having to touch the phone – maybe this function is a bit useless, if not to impress friends. The power of the S Pen corresponds to the investment that Samsung has made in its Notes application over the years. These new features make Note the perfect notepad for the digital age, especially until Apple decides to turn the Pencil compatible with iPhone. Thanks to the S Pen, you can write on Samsung Notes however you like and then straighten the text, transform freehand handwriting into text, add and edit images, integrate audio recordings, and much more. And thanks to the Office integration, all your notes can be synchronized with OneNote, Microsoft0s beloved, and hated note application. Just one little thing – as it is a device so “full” of technology, Samsung’s development team only managed to store the pen on the bottom, on the left. Maybe some lefties will be happy. However, this will be an incentive for those who consider the Note a great phone, not only for its size, even without the need to use the nib.  

When talking about 5G, we can’t ignore the fact that Oppo’s Reno was one of the first phones to bring the ultra-fast network connection here in Europe. And with its fourth version of the phone, Oppo launched one of the thinnest and lightest 5G smartphones onto the market. And objectively, it’s also the most beautiful – as beautiful as a smartphone can be, of course. But the proprietary diamond cut technique used for the back truly makes all the difference. In fact, the back of the device has a “silky” finish, as Oppo calls it, which ensures that the smartphone is much less sensitive to scratches and fingerprints. It is a real shame, however, that the operating system of the smartphone – Oppo’s ColorOS customization –is still the old 7.2 version and not the new one, which was recently presented and thanks to which the Chinese manufacturer will finally abandon a graphic jumble that isn’t often seen as exciting, especially by westerners. Back to the finishes on the back, you’ll find an incredible “galactic” blue finish, that maybe is not suitable for everyone but is beautiful, and a more moderate black one, decorated with a pattern of Oppo logos that will be liked by... well, by those who like logos, and given the trend of recent years, it’s a lot of people. There will also be a green “glitter” finish created in collaboration with Pantone.

The camera is very good. It makes the most of its three lenses, without any particularly innovative aspects. But it is solid and it works well. What could really change our habits is the new ultra-fast recharge, which allows the battery to go from zero to one hundred percent in half an hour. It may not be a Tesla, but we’re slowly getting there.

Together with Rhine 4, the Oppo watch, already sold in Asia, is slowly getting to Europe. Aluminium frame, ceramic, glass, and – why not? – plastic are the materials used by the Chinese company for its first smartwatch, which with its rectangular shape is very similar to Apple’s watches. There is no digital crown, but two side buttons, one of which is a programmable shortcut key. The strong point of the device, which delivers an excellent build quality and is quite fast, is certainly the beautiful flexible dual-curved AMOLED display, and more in general the fact that it looks like a beautiful watch that is not too “geek”. Also, the interface is a good compromise between usability and aesthetic pleasantness. Among the weak points, however, we find the rubber strap available in different colors – it is not very comfortable and it doesn’t feel too secure, and let’s be honest, it looks too ugly compared to the dial – and, unfortunately, the operating system. Wear OS, which is Android’s version for wearable devices, although versatile, is years away from reaching the levels of Apple Watch. The sensor compartment also makes it good for fitness activities, with several integrated training modes, including swimming thanks to the fact that it’s water-resistant. And it also monitors your sleep. The fundamental quality of the Oppo Watch is to work and present itself well, it’s also extremely versatile, the battery easily lasts an entire day and it only takes 15 minutes to fully recharge it. And you can also customize the watch face according to the outfit you’re wearing.

In the variegated and increasingly crowded tribe of 5G phones, this Xiaomi has a special role: it is the cheapest of all, with its 239 euros price. And it' s 239 euros well spent: thanks to the brand new Snapdragon 750G processor, the phone is absolutely responsive; the screen is big, with a 6.67" diagonal, even if probably the LCD panel is the only real weak point of this phone; the camera is a bit slow on autofocus, but the shots are sharp and clean, with good colors, and Xiaomi does everything possible to enrich the photographic experience with a series of options and effects quite funny, like the one that clones a subject several times within a single shot. Also good is the new MIUI 12, and we know how much the interface is often the Achilles heel of Android coming from China. Integrating 5G on a phone of this kind means to emphasize how interesting and varied the mid-end of the smartphone market is, a context where you often see solutions and experiments to be envied to the flagship. Aesthetically it would be a "normal" phone, were it not for the camera on the back arranged in a circular module, which you can not fail to notice.

It's an almost paradoxical sensation when you hold the new Huawei flagship. On the one hand there is the pleasure aroused by one of the most beautiful devices released this year. The display is wide and wide, the rounded edges offer a good grip without compromising too much functionality. The color Mystic Silver is a milky gray and formal tones that then colors the back with a slice of rainbow when the phone is exposed to light. The new circular camera compartment, inspired by Huawei says a black hole, is elegant and well proportioned, and if you turn the phone upside down it almost makes it look like an old iPod. In addition, it's a more sustainable phone, with 90% less paper and 28% less plastic in the packaging, a move with which Huawei is playing a leading role in the latest smartphone sustainability narrative.  

On the other hand, however, you can not help but feel a certain nostalgia. There was a period, in the second half of the last decade, before the Trump administration ban, in which each launch of a new Huawei flagship pushed the idea of what could be done with a smartphone a little bit further. The Chinese giant, in its rise in the cell phone market, which brought it to the throne within a few years, has focused on two aspects, above all: the battery, both in terms of duration and charging speed. And the camera, on high-end models in partnership with Leica, pumped with machine learning strokes and capable, for many years, of night shots impossible for the competition, even if this was Apple or Samsung. A quality, the photographic one, that is also maintained in the new Mate 40 Pro, with that extreme sharpness of the shots that is a sort of trademark Huawei/Leica, with an ultra-wide-angle lens that makes sparks and a final result, especially if you like that tone a bit 'HDR, which remains a landmark. The smartphone is extremely high performance, thanks to the new "homemade" processor Kirin 9000 and the Mate has always been the phone with which in autumn Huawei officially launched its top-of-the-range processor. 

In short, we are in front of one of the best smartphones of this year. Or rather, that it would be, if there was not the famous ban of the U.S. Department of Commerce, as a result of which Huawei can install the Android operating system on its phones, but without Google services. Paradoxically, then, the experience of the Mate 40 Pro in the West is very similar to that in China, where in turn Google is banned. A big problem, however, for all markets far from Beijing, which Huawei has tried to overcome with its own system of services and especially with its own application store, which remains the real weakness of not having Google on board: the lack of the infinite choice of apps of the Play Store is obviously felt. The answer of the Chinese giant is App Gallery, a store that today is the third in the world, within which new applications continue to be integrated, looking both at the global and local market, for example in Italy with Helbiz, UCI Cinema and others. At the moment there are about 96 thousand applications. A great effort that is beginning to make sense also for the end user. Then, of course, the most crafty users know that there are many ways to install applications on Android and if you want also Google Maps. But that's another story.       From 1249 euros.