Surprise Top 5: Best Smartphones for 2024

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Picking the best smartphone each year gets harder and harder and the top 5 is not always about outright feature sets. When announcing my Top 5 I needed to take into account features, price and operating system.

There’s no way I could have five Android phones or five iOS phones (Apple don’t make enough models). The platform user base needs to be considered when giving a list of the best devices.

So on Sunday I announced on Sky News Weekend Edition with Tim Gilbert my Top 5 phones for 2024.

5. iPHONE 16 PLUS

Djuro Sen with iPhone 16 Plus on Sky News Australia – Weekend Edition

The 6.7-inch iPhone 16 Plus makes the top five this year because it’s the best value of the entry phones Apple has ever produced. At A$1,599 the iPhone 16 Plus, like the smaller iPhone 16 brings a lot of features to the game you also get in the pro models.

You get Apple Intelligence, Camera Control Button, two-in-one 48MP Fusion camera that includes a 2x optical-quality zoom and ultra wide camera for close-up macro photos or wider, more expansive pictures.

I’m happy with that. I use it a lot.

The iPhone 16 gives iOS users a choice that doesn’t feel like compromise. Of course there is when compared with the 16 Pro but I’m happy to recommend for the first time – a base model iPhone. Good stuff Apple.

4. OPPO FIND X8 PRO

Djuro Sen with OPPP Find X8 Pro on Sky News Australia – Weekend Edition

From here each of these phones could be number one. The OPPP Find X8 Pro was a late release this year but it didn’t disappoint. Check out the camera specs.

  • Four 50MP back cameras with including a 135mm (6x) periscope camera and a larger 23mm wide-angle sensor
  • Triple prism periscope camera with a flagship 50MP Sony LYT600 sensor
  • Dual periscope cameras
  • Hasselblad Portrait Mode – optical 135mm portraits
  • Burst photos at up to 7 fps
  • Quick Button – a touch-sensitive strip used to launch the camera and control zoom (similar to iPhone)
  • Dolby Vision HDR video at up to 4K resolution and 60fps from all cameras, including the front camera

On top of that, the Find X8 Pro has a mammoth 5910mAh silicon-carbon battery and 6.78” Infinite View Display. But the best part – it’s only A$1,799.

Quality and value from OPPO here.

3. iPHONE 16 PRO MAX

Djuro Sen with iPhone 16 Pro Max on Sky News Australia – Weekend Edition

The iPhone 16 Pro Max is my daily driver. So why isn’t it number one? Good question.

You’ll get Apple Intelligence, the new camera button, longer battery life and a display that is the best in the business. Siri is getting better but it won’t be until next until we see it really improve with Apple Intelligence.

It’s a great phone, especially for video, and I mean pro video. There are brilliant apps from Blackmagic Design and Apple itself that unleash the full potential of the three-camera system on iPhone 16 Pro and Max. The 5x telephoto is good but I wanted more this year. And I also wanted the same improvements on the Ultra Wide as the Main Camera. It’s not a cheap device so I think it should be going all out to give us the best on each camera.

My ‘wants’ do not take away from the quality of the iPhone 16 Pro Max – as I said – it’s my daily driver thanks to the entire Apple ecosystem. This includes the unmatched file sharing system – AirDrop. So if you’re already an iPhone user – this is the ultimate device.

But I think its full feature set is narrowly pipped by the next two phones.

2. SAMSUNG S24 ULTRA

Djuro Sen with Samsung S24 Ultra on Sky News Australia – Weekend Edition

As I said in the video above, the Samsung S24 Ultra is an unsung hero for 2024.

Samsung is the first out of the blocks each year with its flagship camera and this year it was all about AI. It was our chance to see how well Google’s AI worked on a phone. Circle to search and many other AI features added a new way to use the device.

Like the iPhone above, the physical changes were minimal. There was an interesting change to the telephoto zoom which is the phone’s best feature. It was upgraded to a 50MP sensor from 10MP but the optical zoom was reduced from 10x to 5x. The results are pretty spectacular as you can see by the Taylor Swift concert examples below.

Samsung S24 Ultra wins the photo battle at Taylor Swift concert

It’s also tough. I’ve dropped the S24 Ultra several times and it hasn’t sustained a crack thanks to its Corning Gorilla Armour. Throw in the S-Pen and excellent selfie camera and you have a brilliant phone which is on special right now.

1. GOOGLE PIXEL 9 PRO FOLD

Djuro Sen with Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold on Sky News Australia – Weekend Edition

The number one phone is a surprise.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the company’s best execution of a smartphone to date. Folded up, it very much looks and feels like a standard phone. This is something that Google nailed this year with its new 9 series. The hardware looks slick and mature.

The Pixel 9 Pro is a fantastic phone but the Fold is next level thanks to Google’s blending of software with hardware for a wonderful experience. The front screen is so good you could use the Fold without actually unfolding it forever. I used the Pixel 9 Pro Fold on several overseas flights, using the front display as the movie screen. You’re able to adjust the angle to suit and it looks fantastic.

Djuro Sen with Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold on Sky News Australia – Weekend Edition

But it’s only when you unfold the device to reveal an 8-inch internal screen that you really appreciate what Google has done. The seamless integration of apps from one display to the other, makes this phone a joy to use.

The cameras are some of best you’ll see in a foldable device but they fall way short of the Pixel 9 Pro. They are still excellent so the compromise is worth it.

The Pixel 9 Pro Fold is currently selling for A$500 off, so if you look around you can pick it up for A$2,197.

CONCLUSION

While this list is partly based on specs and features, it’s also a top 5 that takes into account the operating system and ecosystem. A phone cannot exist on its own anymore.

Like I said, any of the top four could be number one so you’ll be more than happy with any of them.

More best-of-the-best to come, so stay tuned.

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