Ranked: the top 5 smartphones of 2023, from the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Google Pixel 8 Pro to two foldable phones and the best camera phone money can buy
- 2023 saw exciting smartphone developments, with Apple’s iPhone getting a big upgrade and Samsung’s monopoly on the foldable market in the West ending
- Google brought generative AI to handsets and a Chinese phone maker teamed with Leica to take smartphone photography to a new level
To the casual consumer, 2023 may appear to have been a typical year for mobile phones. There was a new iPhone, a new Samsung foldable, and the usual Chinese handset roll-outs.
But for those who follow mobile phone developments closely, it was an exciting year that saw significantly improved zoom cameras on multiple devices, the first signs of generative AI on handsets, and the end of Samsung’s near monopoly on foldable phones in the West.
I have tested every single flagship smartphone released in 2023, and here are my top five.
5. Google Pixel 8 Pro
Google’s most recent flagship handset may look nearly identical to the previous- generation model, but it introduced a major feature that has been the talk of the tech industry and will have ramifications on most of our lives: the Pixel 8 series is the first to ship with generative AI capabilities on device.
The Pixel 8 series, comprising a standard and Pro model, packs a Google-engineered Tensor G3 chip that can handle a basic form of generative AI entirely on the device, without requiring internet connection.
