Phone reviews and tests. Smartphones

Meizu 16T smartphone: the cheapest model on the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 platform

At the time of publication of the review, Meizu 16T was not presented in Russian retail; it can be ordered from China for about 26 thousand rubles for the low-end configuration (with 6/128 GB of memory). And this is quite good, considering the power of the top Qualcomm hardware platform, the high quality of the display, the presence of stereo speakers and a 3.5 mm audio output, as well as very high battery life (and the dollar/ruble exchange rate). The traditional lack of NFC is disappointing, and the cameras here are by no means flagship ones - rather, they were added on a “just-so” basis.

Quick review of the Huawei P40 Pro smartphone: plus an excellent camera, minus Google services

Huawei has rolled out its new flagship P40 line, and these smartphones will be the best the Chinese company has at least until the fall, when Huawei traditionally releases new Mate models. The site editor was among the first to have the opportunity to study the middle of the new “pawns” - the Huawei P40 Pro model..

Smartphone Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro: an expensive almost flagship with good cameras and a large battery

The price of Xiaomi Mi Note 10 Pro in Russian retail is 44 thousand rubles. This is one of the most expensive solutions from the manufacturer; even Mi 9 did not cost that much at the start of sales. Moreover, there is not only the top-end hardware SoC Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 (or at least last year’s 855/855+), which even the cheaper Realme X2 Pro and Meizu 16T can boast of, but for that kind of money there is not even wireless charging! In short, the key factor is the cameras. And the smartphone’s cameras are really decent, although it’s not the marketing resolution of 108 megapixels that matters.

Huawei Watch GT2: a very advanced smart bracelet

Huawei Watch GT2 is a large, beautiful and expensive watch, which is, rather, a smart bracelet with very expanded functionality. Here you cannot install third-party applications, create or even respond to messages, write notes, synchronize contacts, or maintain a calendar. But you can train in them a lot and for a long time, so in essence this is a highly “pumped up” sports bracelet that looks like a watch. Compared to the previous Huawei Watch GT, the capabilities of the new model are really greatly expanded, and true fans of the Huawei Watch GT2 series will definitely like it.

Honor 20 Lite smartphone: an affordable model in an elegant body with four cameras

Honor 20 Lite is already offered in official Russian retail, the price is quite reasonable (15 thousand rubles), and they also give the Honor Band Running 4 smart bracelet as a gift when purchasing in the Honor brand store, which makes an average smartphone in all respects a very attractive purchase. Among the weaknesses of the Honor 20 Lite, we can only note the modest sound (but corresponding to the level of the model) and the platform of the previous generation. But at the same time, the smartphone has a good screen, quite high-quality shooting on the selfie camera (with a night selfie mode) and acceptable shooting on the main one, as well as extensive communication capabilities, including NFC support. And, of course, the ideal combination of ports: USB Type-C + 3.5 mm minijack.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G: the world's first smartphone with 8K video recording

Of course, this is one of the most technically sophisticated smartphones, definitely a powerful flagship with top-end specifications. But there are a couple of “buts”. Yes, this is the first smartphone on the market that can shoot 8K video, no one argues with that, but that’s basically it. In terms of photography, the device is good, but it doesn’t show anything that we haven’t seen in the latest Huawei and Apple products. In addition, for such an expensive device, which should have no disadvantages at all, the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G received a too faceless design with an ugly, bulging, rough and huge camera block. Autonomy is also slightly disappointing (with such and such a battery!).

Smartphone Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite: premium mid-level and a sonorous name from older comrades

Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite has already been officially presented in Russia; it can be bought at official retail for 45 thousand rubles. The price, of course, is the maximum for a device of this level, and it is clearly determined not by technical characteristics, but by its formal affiliation with the flagship line (in this case, Galaxy S). In fact, this device is not particularly superior to its counterparts from the A-series, for example the A70 or A80. This is just a good mid-level smartphone, the obvious advantage of which can only be called a powerful hardware platform (but it is formally no longer top-end, and the A80 is not much worse). The main camera (not the most price-determining component today) is weak here in comparison with its competitors. However, in general, the Galaxy S10 Lite is a decent model, just not for that kind of money.

Realme 5 Pro smartphone: the best mid-range device with good cameras, but without NFC

With its affordable price (and at the time of preparation of the review, the smartphone had dropped in price to 13 thousand rubles), Realme 5 Pro is worthy of the closest attention, since it has all the makings of that very “people's phone”, the laurels of which are constantly transferred from one market newcomer to another. Now is the time to purchase Realme products before the brand gets too greedy and raises prices, as happened with Honor. In the case of Realme 5 Pro, very decent technical characteristics are offered at a very reasonable price. Yes, this is not Realme XT, the new device is simpler, but overall, apart from the sad lack of NFC, this is one of the most worthy mid-level smartphones.

Push-button telephone Nobby 231: an advanced device on the KaiOS operating system

Despite a number of minor annoying shortcomings (address book without patronymics, voice input/search in Russian is not supported, the screen does not turn off when forced to lock, no camera at all), the Nobby 231 phone overall left a pleasant impression. It is suitable for those for whom the functionality and size of smartphones are excessive, but ordinary push-button phones are insufficient. Still, Nobby 231 has very advanced functions for working with contacts and a set of applications that are very limited in capabilities and are inconvenient to work with, but they can still be useful in some unforeseen situations. Unforeseen - because for everyday work with applications, for example, WhatsApp, it is better to use any, even the cheapest, Android smartphone. Among the suitable hardware, we note a bad but not the worst screen, a generally comfortable keyboard, good sound and the presence of a flashlight.

Vivo v17 smartphone: mid-budget model with decent battery life

The smartphone cannot boast of a powerful processor, high quality shooting or crystal sound, but it has a nice design, a high-quality large AMOLED screen and excellent battery life. Now almost all manufacturers have presented similar “four-chamber cameras” priced at about 20 thousand, and many of them have more powerful characteristics (certainly in terms of processor) - for example, the same Redmi Note 8 Pro. However, in this case, the smartphone of Vivo’s own brand cannot be called frankly overpriced, as has often happened before with the company’s products in Russia, but if you need something cheaper, there is the Realme brand created specifically for this task.

OnePlus 7T Pro smartphone: minor update

The smartphone itself is certainly good, has top-end specifications, although it is not affordable. Another question is why such an update was released at all. After all, with the exception of a slightly overclocked processor, a slightly larger battery and slightly faster charging, the OnePlus 7T Pro is essentially a complete copy of the OnePlus 7 Pro. On the other hand, the 7 Pro in a similar modification (8/256 GB of memory) now costs almost the same. So, as has already become clear, there is no point in upgrading from 7 Pro to 7T Pro, but saving a thousand rubles when purchasing in such a situation seems stupid.

Amazfit GTS smartwatch: an alternative to Apple Watch for 10 thousand rubles?

Huami, which produces wearable devices under the Amazfit brand for Xiaomi, has expanded its range of smartwatches with another new product. It was the Amazfit GTS - a model that almost exactly copies the shape of the world's most popular smart watch, the Apple Watch. At the same time, Chinese watches cost only 10 thousand rubles, which makes them, in the eyes of many, a very attractive alternative to smart watches from market leaders. But still, the functionality of the Amazfit GTS is simpler, the materials are cheaper, although the workmanship is very high. And record autonomy along with accessibility do their job.

Huawei Nova 5T smartphone: at least mid-level with an adequate price

Huawei Nova 5T is already offered in Russian retail at a price of 28 thousand rubles (the difference with the cost of uncertified devices is quite significant). For this money, the user receives a smartphone in a high-quality glass and metal case, with excellent performance screen without cutouts (but with a hole for the front camera), with a powerful hardware platform. The main and selfie cameras are quite decent, the sound and battery life are also not a failure. There is even NFC, plus convenient little things like a fingerprint scanner on the side. Some strange inventions like a separate 2-megapixel module for macro photography work poorly, and in general this is clearly a marketing component, but these little things are quite forgivable at an adequate price.

Honor MagicWatch 2: one of the most affordable and functional smartwatches

The Honor MagicWatch 2 smartwatch demonstrates perhaps the optimal ratio of price, functionality, design and battery life. Like the first generation Honor Watch, the new watch is not built on Android Wear, but on its own operating system. There is no app store or watch faces, but there is a full display of notifications, the ability to voice answer phone calls, personalization of information displayed on existing watch faces, sleep analysis and, of course, a wide range of fitness capabilities. But the main thing is that the new product promises 14 days of operation on a single battery charge, and this at an official price of 13 thousand rubles.

Realme XT smartphone: 64 MP quad camera for 20 thousand rubles

Very attractive in appearance and pleasant to use, Realme XT with good cameras for its level, a convenient AMOLED screen, a very powerful, although not top-end SoC, excellent communication capabilities and decent autonomy in official Russian retail is offered for either 20 or 21 thousand rubles And there is a feeling that it is at the mark of 20 thousand rubles that the border now passes, a psychological barrier for the average buyer, above which smartphones are rarely and meaningfully purchased. For 20 thousand, many people can afford a smartphone, and Realme XT with such excellent characteristics, including NFC support, looks like one of the favorites in this price category.

Samsung Galaxy Fold: the first production smartphone with a folding screen

Of course, technological novelty, the unobvious advantages of the folding form factor and fears about the fragility of the folding mechanism and flexible screen have discouraged many from trying to feel the future with their hands. But still, the main obstacle to widespread consumer recognition has probably been the price: in Russia today it is officially 160 thousand rubles. Overall, this is an interesting gadget that can brighten up a long journey by turning into a tablet - you get a powerful multimedia combine with good stereo sound. However, watching movies on it is not very convenient (due to the screen with an aspect ratio of 4:3), and not everything is obvious with games. Of course, the “filling” of the hero of the review is advanced, but in terms of technical characteristics it is no cooler, and in some ways even simpler than the Galaxy Note 10+, so there is no reason to talk about the Galaxy Fold as the most technically equipped flagship of the family .

OnePlus 7 Pro smartphone: the flagship of the beginning of last year

An uncertified OnePlus 7 Pro can be bought in Russia for about 35-40 thousand rubles (prices vary for modifications with different amounts of memory). It’s definitely not worth expecting a price reduction to the level of budget smartphones; OnePlus smartphones are now expensive - however, in terms of functionality, they also meet most of the “flagship” requirements. OnePlus 7 Pro has a top-end platform (although no longer the older SoC model), a high-quality screen, good sound, excellent cameras, and decent battery life. The design, with all these narrowed sides and curved edges of slippery glasses, is not for everyone, it is a strange tribute to an incomprehensible fashion, but at least the smartphone looks catchy. In general, quite expensive, but worth paying for.

Honor 9X smartphone: modification without a wide-angle camera, but with NFC

Honor 9X is offered in official Russian retail for 16,990 rubles - that is, two thousand cheaper than the Premium version with a wide-angle camera and more RAM (6 GB here, 4 GB here), but without NFC. Is this difference justified? We see that a person accustomed to the comfort of contactless payment will find it difficult to give it up in favor of the opportunity to occasionally take a wide-angle photo, especially for an additional 2 thousand. So there is approximate parity between the two versions of the same Honor 9X model, and everyone here can choose what they like best.

High-quality smartwatches for reasonable money: what Fossil Sport can do and what are their main advantages

In the smartwatch segment, the previous monopoly has not existed for five years now, although interest in the Apple Watch undoubtedly remains high. True, if you are not part of the Yabloko caste, you need to keep in mind that there are now plenty of cheaper alternatives on the market; In addition, some of them are already “trained” to synchronize with more than just one OS.

Tecno Spark 4 smartphone: a budget model, not without its advantages

The smartphone has a practical, albeit easily soiled body, a large screen, boasts high autonomy, as well as good sound and advanced software capabilities. The power of the Tecno Spark 4 filling is not impressive, but it is also quite inexpensive - 8 thousand rubles or even less. This entry-level device is quite suitable for the needs of undemanding buyers.

Vsmart Live Smartphone: Senior from Vietnam

Vsmart Live has a very good hardware platform for its price and good sound, as well as decent battery life. We also note the successful solution of installing the front camera in a narrow strip of frame above the screen, without any cutouts, holes or retractable modules. The smartphone has a successful combination of interface connectors (USB Type-C + minijack) and a fashionable under-screen fingerprint scanner. At the same time, the cameras here are weak at best, there is no NFC, and there is no way to install a memory card (with, in general, a small amount of built-in memory). With a price of up to 15 thousand, such a device may attract someone, but one must take into account that, for example, for 18 thousand, official retail offers another bestseller in the form of Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro.

Huawei Mate 30 Pro: the first Huawei smartphone without Google services

Huawei Mate 30 Pro came out as a rather interesting device. In this case, the manufacturer decided to reinforce the already usual high level of photography with progress in terms of video shooting, although, unfortunately, a “seamless” transition between lenses during zoom, as in the iPhone 11, did not work out. Among the completely unexpected shortcomings, we note the absence of hardware volume keys: this is an absolutely wrong move, and we hope that in the future developers will not take such liberties. The main issue is the notorious Google services.

Amazfit GTR smartwatch: attractive models with good battery life

The Chinese company Huami, which produces wearable devices under the Amazfit brand for Xiaomi, released a new smartwatch called GTR closer to the fall - in fact, a whole collection of devices not only with different designs, but also with different sizes. The new Huami smartwatch will have to compete with the recently launched Apple Watch Series 5 and Huawei Watch GT2. Let's figure out whether the decision of the Chinese company is capable of giving battle to eminent rivals.

The world of technology is constantly evolving, our needs are changing - all this is reflected in the research. Experts are modernizing test methods, improving categories, and changing their weight in the overall rating system. Based on consumer preferences, in 2019 the categories of indicators and their weight in the ranking were changed. In these changes, experts were guided by what was most preferable to users. Thus, the largest weight now belongs to the “Camera and Video” group of parameters. Experts identified display, battery, durability and ease of use as separate categories. The last group includes, for example, the convenience of typing text messages, which previously stood out as a separate category. Also, groups of parameters “Performance” and “Functionality” were added and “Phone Capabilities”, “Internet” and “Ergonomics” were gone, or rather changed. The weight of call assessments has decreased by 5%. The least changes occurred in the Music and Navigation categories. Thus, smartphones are now assessed according to the following parameters:

With the advent of new functions in smartphones, new tests have appeared. For example, regarding unlocking the device. Now experts are testing the facial recognition function and the iris scanner. In particular, they try to deceive them and test their performance in non-standard conditions (in the dark, against the sun, when a person is wearing glasses, etc.).

SMARTPHONE CAMERA: AN ALTERNATIVE TO A CAMERA?

Smartphone cameras once made a real revolution, practically displacing small digital cameras from the market. Moreover, an entire segment of smartphones began to be positioned as “camera phones”, the images of which surpassed the quality of cameras in the mid-price segment. Precisely because many users choose a smartphone based on camera quality, experts assigned the highest weight to this category of indicators - 25%.

“I often take pictures on my phone, because then I post the photos on social networks,” the photographer told Roskoshestvo Evgeniy Bibichev, great-grandson of the famous Yevgeny Khaldei, author of the legendary photograph “Victory Banner over the Reichstag”. – But professional photographs, of course, require professional equipment. And the differences here are not only in the quality and resolution of the cameras themselves, but also in the fact that in the case of a camera it is possible to set more flexible settings and use some tools that are simply not available in phones. Although phone cameras have certainly evolved a lot in recent times. Perhaps the breakthrough began with the release of the first iPhone. And although progress continues and does not stop, I don’t think that phones will ever become the main tool of work for a professional photographer... Even my great-grandfather, if he lived in our time, probably could have taken pictures with a smartphone, but in any case he would have given preference to a camera .

Read more about the battle for quality between a smartphone and a professional camera.

STRESS FOR DISPLAY

The display in modern smartphones is a key functional element, so experts gave 20% of the rating to this category of parameters. On the one hand, it must fully replace a computer monitor, on the other hand, it must not lose its mobility even under “stressful conditions”: in bright sunshine or in cloudy weather.

Display viewing angles were evaluated under different conditions: normal display settings and stable lighting, low light, and bright sunlight. Experts also looked at how easy it is to perceive information on the screen if the smartphone is positioned at an angle to the user. Finally, display size, resolution, and sensitivity were assessed.

IS YOUR SMARTPHONE SLOCKING? GET AWAY FROM THE TOP!

Experts identified a group of performance parameters only in 2019 and immediately gave it 15%. This clearly indicates that the “nimbleness” of smartphones is coming to the fore. Comments like “the phone slows down and freezes” are no longer relevant. A slow-moving smartphone will never receive high scores in the rating.

Essentially, smartphone performance is a combination of the processing power of the processor and the amount of random access memory (RAM).

By the way, page loading speed and download speed are all that remains from assessing the performance of a web browser. Previously, it was studied according to the algorithm for working on the Internet (typing an address, adding to “Favorites” or bookmarks, zooming, navigation, processing form, image of maps, presentation of large tables, etc.). Now all this has moved into the category of indicators of the usability of a smartphone and has turned into one parameter - “Web browser usability”.

SMARTPHONE AS PLAYER

Assessing a smartphone's "musical capabilities" is mainly an assessment of its sound quality. The smartphone included the same audio tracks in MP3 format. The listening took place in two settings – “pop” and “classical”; the devices reproduced works by Handel, Bach and Pink Floyd. Experts listened to music through a speaker and through headphones, both through those supplied with the smartphone and through high-quality “non-native” headphones. During the study, any sound deficiencies were recorded, which affected the rating points.

“I like to listen to music, and a variety of music, not just classical,” the famous Russian pianist admitted to Roskachestvo Denis Matsuev. – And, of course, with my schedule, downloading and listening to music almost always happens on the road, which means through a smartphone. I've tried dozens of phones and hundreds of different headphones from different companies and I can say that the quality of the music you play directly depends on what headphones you use. Several years ago, a Japanese company gave me their special, “limited edition” headphones. There is no comparison with the original headphones of the same iPhone, I have never felt anything close to this sound. They transmit even the oldest mono recordings in such a way that I have the complete feeling that I am present at that very concert. I hear the smallest details, the subtlest things between the notes that interest me, even in non-studio listening conditions. But if you compare the playback quality of the phones themselves, then there is almost no difference between the sixth and first iPhone. Perhaps some subtleties, but even for me, a professional musician, they are insignificant.

BATTERY THAT WILL NOT FAIL

Smartphones are becoming more powerful, displays are larger, applications are more power-hungry, and no revolutionary processes have yet occurred in the production of batteries. On the contrary, the battery began to run out faster, which, by the way, became the reason for the appearance of a new gadget - portable charging. Although it is worth paying tribute to the manufacturers: they are working to ensure that the devices remain operational for as long as possible or charge very quickly.

Since 2016, in laboratory conditions, the quality of device batteries has been studied under a wide variety of operating conditions: in “endless” telephone conversations, using the Internet or GPS navigation, and standby. Experts downloaded data, watched a cartoon and listened to music.

However, the battery quality test has now become more comprehensive. Separately, the actual time it takes to fully recharge a smartphone battery through the device that was included, as well as the operating time of the device after a 15-minute charge, are considered.

The time it takes for the phone to completely discharge is measured using a robot. Well, the robot repeats a certain algorithm of actions. This algorithm is a typical user interaction with a favorite gadget. So, what does it look like from the experts’ point of view:

• The smartphone spends 47 minutes in standby mode.
• 7.5 minutes are activities on the Internet (watching videos on YouTube).
• Now it's time for photos: 5 shots at three-second intervals.
• 1.15 minutes – navigator.
• 2.5 minutes – telephone conversation (alternating incoming and outgoing calls).
• Then two notifications arrive on your phone.

The screen brightness on the robot's smartphone is set to 100%. And the algorithm of actions is repeated every hour.

“I was probably one of the first among Russians, back in the early 90s, to have a mobile phone,” a famous hockey player, long-time captain of the Russian national team, who played over a dozen seasons in the NHL, told Roskachestvo. Alexey Yashin. – Since then, I regularly use this invention: first with a regular cell phone, now with a smartphone. And although I talk often and a lot, I practically never encounter the problem of quickly draining the battery. In this sense, I am happy with all the phones I have had. From experience, I can say that when choosing a smartphone, I first of all pay attention to the brand - then you don’t have to worry about the battery capacity, because almost all high-quality phones have a good battery.

NEW TREND: SMARTPHONE IS NOT FOR CALLS AND SMS

Back in 2016, while studying a smartphone, experts assessed its capabilities for receiving calls, the ease of dialing a number manually, from the phone book, and speed dialing. The main ones when studying SMS functions were the possibilities of archiving, sorting, and deleting a group of SMS. In addition, experts assessed the correctness and scale of the SMS image on the display immediately after receiving the message, the ease of entering the text of the message and the recipient’s name.

A 2017 study showed a new trend: manufacturers began to pay less and less attention to calls and messages, which were once the main functions of a mobile phone. Thus, during tests in 2018, the quality of calls was assessed for the quality of connection and voice transmission (without extraneous noise). And the only thing left in the SMS testing program is the ease of entering message text. In turn, in 2019, the weight of the call assessment decreased by 5%, and now it is an assessment of sound quality (with and without extraneous noise) and the convenience of calls. Evaluation of a set of text messages has completely disappeared as a separate category. This parameter is now included in the usability assessment.

“I myself notice that I use my mobile phone less and less for calls and SMS,” the famous science fiction writer told Roskachestvo Sergei Lukyanenko, member of the Supervisory Board of Roskachestvo. – This is understandable: modern phones are immersed deeper and deeper into the Internet. That is, new methods of communication - Skype, WhatsApp, Viber - are becoming an alternative to both SMS and standard phone calls. This is not only cheaper - especially if friends live somewhere in another country and it is completely unreasonable to communicate via regular telephone communication - but also more convenient: for example, you can immediately determine whether the interlocutor is ready to talk or is busy. But just as they used to say that television would kill the theater, but this did not happen, calls will remain with us for a long time as one of the options. In the end, a lot depends on the availability of good Internet reception at a particular point, and this is not so good yet.

DROP, STOKE, FLOOD – STRENGTH TESTS

No matter how careful a person is, most likely, sooner or later, he will drop his smartphone or spill something on it. In this case, the strength characteristics of the case will determine whether there will be a barely noticeable scratch on it or whether an impressive hole will form in the budget due to the need to replace the display. The strength test included three main stages.

STAGE 1. Mechanical strength of smartphones, that is, scratch test. The display and body of the smartphone had to pass the so-called “pencil” test. This device is equipped with a coil spring and a 1mm diameter carbide ball tip. This “pencil” intensively scratched surfaces. Smartphones whose displays and cases did not show scratches or cracks for the longest time received the highest score. The 2017 study also added a parameter for the strength of the rear chamber, which was scratched with a special fiberglass stick. The build quality of the smartphones was also assessed.

STAGE 2. Drum test. The strength of the devices was studied under powerful mechanical influences - impacts and falls. To do this, each of the presented smartphones was placed in a special drum pipe, which provided a drop height of 80 cm for the device. The smartphone was turned on, a call was made from it, and in this mode the pipe began to unwind. The test took place in two stages: specialists looked at how badly the screen and back panel were damaged after 50 rotations, and then ran the pipe for another 50 rotations. That is, during this time the smartphone had to survive 100 falls in a row from almost a meter in height.

STAGE 3. Checking the resistance of smartphones to moisture penetration, because “recessed” smartphones are one of the most frequent “clients” of service centers. To do this, each test participant was placed in a special stand, in which a rain effect was created using ordinary water and a system of diffusers. Each smartphone was under this flow for exactly five minutes. Then the experts assessed the performance of the devices one, two and three days after the test.

For smartphones whose specifications stated that they were waterproof, another “wet” test was carried out. During this test, smartphones were immersed in a large flask of water 1 meter deep. They lay there for 30 minutes. Afterwards, experts assessed how well the smartphone worked.

Read more about which smartphones you can safely forget in the rain, and which ones you can use to swim in the lake without killing you.

“Phones were dropped before, and they are still dropped, but now manufacturers are paying more attention to these problems,” he explained to Roskachestvo Eldar Murtazin, Lead Analyst, Mobile Research Group. – Almost all models of modern smartphones are prepared for falls. This is due to the material from which the body is made: high-strength aircraft aluminum (the so-called six- and seven-thousandth series, 6xxx and 7xxx), as well as a monolithic chassis in which the load upon impact is distributed evenly. Glass has also evolved. Gorilla Glass, which is not only “scratch-resistant”, but also has increased resistance to impacts, today “survives” in most situations. And of course, powerful protection against water appeared in the form of Gore-tex membranes on speakers and microphones. All these materials came to the world of mobile devices relatively recently, so the evolution is obvious.

By the way, almost every manufacturer conducts its own strength tests of its products. But the advantage of Roskachestvo’s research is that for the first time, devices from different brands undergo the same tests under the same laboratory conditions, and therefore can be objectively compared with each other.

EASE OF USE

Well, this category of parameters, highlighted in 2019, includes everything related to the ease of use of a smartphone. This is the convenience of initial setup of the device, menu, web browser, camera, typing text messages (SMS and e-mail), buttons, and turning off data loading (for example, when switching to airplane mode). In addition, experts also included the convenience and security of unlocking: how it works and how easy it is to deceive it.

HOW TO NOT GET LOST: GPS NAVIGATION IN YOUR SMARTPHONE

When assessing geopositioning functions, experts tried to use the same software on each smartphone (with the same OS), since the basic capabilities of the devices differed quite greatly in quality, which did not allow them to correctly assess the capabilities of receiving a signal from a satellite. The most convenient in this case was the Google Maps program.

Using specialized applications, the following evaluation of GPS receiver algorithms was carried out:

1) The programs showed the number of available satellites inside an office with closed windows.

2) “Clean” signals were recorded while an expert was riding a bicycle with his smartphone turned on. To do this, testers walked the same 4 km route with the phone.

In the laboratories, the information obtained at these two stages of the test was brought together, taking into account the accuracy of the recorded points, the correct display of the current location of the phone, and the “smoothness” of signal reception, especially in areas with a lot of trees. Navigation without and with voice commands was also assessed, both with and without an Internet connection.

“Generally speaking, I rarely use GPS; I can navigate perfectly well without it,” a famous traveler and TV presenter told Roskoshestvo Timofey Bazhenov. – But judging by what I still see, navigation in smartphones has degraded rather than evolved lately. Many areas either do not provide normal coordination or have become inaccessible altogether. And the point, in my opinion, is not that other functions of the phone come to the fore, but that GPS is the navigation system of our potential opponents, who deliberately change our geopositioning and confuse the coordinates in their, so to speak, favor. That is why I can’t wait until our Russian GLONASS is fully operational.

WI-FI, BLUETOOTH AND NFC– FUNCTIONALITY ASSESSMENT

A smartphone, unlike a telephone, is a device designed to work on the Internet. Experts studied two priority applications in smartphones - their pre-installed web browser and mail capabilities, as well as the capabilities of Wi-Fi and other interfaces (Bluetooth, NFC). Connectivity (LTE) was also explored.

Should you trust NFC technology? Read.

Read about what to do if your mobile operator has connected you to a paid service without your knowledge.

Our experts tested the most important characteristics of popular smartphones in laboratory conditions. We will help you decide on the most important parameters when choosing a phone and tell you which smartphones are the best at the beginning of 2019.

The site's experts tested more than a hundred popular phones, checking them on key characteristics: performance, battery, memory, screen, dimensions and weight, multimedia work, photo and video quality, and much more. We posted the results obtained in our constantly updated website, where in one click you can compare smartphones according to the criteria that are most important to you. There you can also read reviews of smartphones from experts, reviews of phones from ordinary users, and ultimately choose the best smartphone for yourself. All this is possible due to the fact that for the first time all phone models were tested using a single method for the greatest objectivity and ease of comparison. We have also written for you, which will help you understand the meaning of the most important device parameters and choose a good phone.

Smartphone test results

Based on the results of mobile phone tests, we received interesting results:

• The performance of a smartphone does not directly depend on the number of processor cores or the amount of RAM. A device with good optimization and modest characteristics may turn out to be faster in operation than a device with parameters twice as good. For example, the old one is not at all impressive with its characteristics (only two cores at a not particularly high operating frequency (1.8 GHz) and 2 GB of RAM), but this does not prevent it from working quickly and outperforming many eight-core new products.
• A large battery capacity does not guarantee high autonomy of the device. In this matter, the energy efficiency of the filling and system, the type and resolution of the display are also important. Thus, a popular one with a 4100 mAh battery loses for several hours in a video test to a small one with a battery of only 2350 mAh.
• The metal case gives status, but is not at all a guarantee of quality and durability. It has long been used not only by Apple and HTC, but also in a huge number of budget models. So, affordable and, as well as top-end and many others are made of metal. Metal increases the price and usually means a non-removable body. Like plastic, it also gets scratched over time. As for strength, it turned out that, in addition, the metal will not prevent the glass from breaking when the smartphone falls.
• Ultra-high resolutions are almost useless for a smartphone screen. The difference between a 4K display (3840x2160 pixels) and a Full HD display (1920x1080) cannot be seen except with a magnifying glass. In both cases, the screens are clear enough that the pixels are not noticeable. The only area of ​​application for such super-clarity is . But we noticed that such a resolution has a bad effect on operating time, which is what happened with, as well as with the same XZ Premium - in our tests of autonomy they are noticeably inferior to their competitors.
• The water resistance of many modern phones is not just a marketing ploy. During the tests, we actively bought such models (for example, or), and they actually showed that this is a really working option. By the way, if your smartphone is not protected from water, and you dropped it into water or spilled liquid on it, then all is not lost. For such cases, we have compiled.

• The quality of photographs does not always directly depend on the number of megapixels. Trust your eyes, not the numbers in the characteristics. For example, a 13 MP or 16 MP camera on the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro takes worse pictures than an 8 MP or 12 MP camera.
• Low cost does not mean poor quality. So, the optimal budget smartphones in terms of price and quality can be called, or. These are inexpensive phones with decent characteristics and a modest price tag (from 8 to 13 thousand rubles).
• An inexpensive and high-quality smartphone with top-end specifications is not a fantasy. To make sure of this, pay attention to or. Do you trust only well-known brands? You can buy one of the flagships of 2016 or 2015: for example, or. They are still relevant and in many ways superior to newer mid-range phone models, and can sometimes cost less.
• The main trends since 2016, still relevant in 2018, are the widespread use of fingerprint scanners and 3D/2.5D glass (curved at the edges). Scanners can be called useful; they have gradually come into fashion since the times of and. The curved screen is, rather, a design element and has become popular after the success of . Now both features are found in almost every smartphone, for example, in budget or . Although only glass can be called curved in them, and then only at the very edges.