Top 10 Phones of 2021: The Best of the Best

You can’t go anywhere these days without seeing someone with some kind of smartphone in their hands, and by 2021 the number of people who own smartphones will only grow. This leads us to the inevitable question: what are the top 10 phones of 2021? It turns out that this question is much easier to answer if we break it down into two sub-questions, which we’ve done below.

Apple iPhone 13

Currently, Apple’s iPhone series is among one of the most popular phone brands worldwide. It has a reputation for being efficient and reliable. Since it first came out in 2007, over 1 billion phones have been sold in almost every country around the world.

Samsung Galaxy S13

This model, featuring a massive 6.8-inch display, dual lenses on either side and an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, is Samsung’s best mobile yet. One user reported that this was everything they could want in a phone. It comes at a hefty price point—around $1,200—but if you need your mobile to do just about everything and provide high-quality images and video while you travel, it’s worth every penny. If you don’t care so much about how your mobile looks or performs, however, consider saving some money with one of our other picks.

Huawei P11

Huawei is a Chinese telecommunications giant, and its P series of phones is some of its most prized. In 2018, they released the P20 Pro—an absolute beast of a smartphone with an octa-core CPU, 128GB ROM and 6GB RAM. Expect for us to see something similar in 5 years as mobile phone manufacturers try to one-up each other. With that said, there’s little doubt that these phones will become more expensive over time—especially as hardware becomes more advanced. If you can afford it now (or soon), go for it!

Google Pixel XL4

If you’re a fan of Google’s Android operating system and want to see what it looks like on a 5.5-inch display, you might want to consider Pixel XL4. Running Android 8.0, it comes with a 2GHz quad-core ARM processor, 3GB RAM and up to 64GB storage; all that should help get your work done faster than if you were using an Apple phone.

Microsoft Surface Phone

Microsoft is another big player that’s expected to make its mark with a smartphone in 2021. Rumours about what it’ll look like are scarce, but we know that it won’t be like any other phone out there. It could have a foldable screen and a built-in projector or hologram capabilities. In any case, Microsoft seems determined to take on Apple in the high-end smartphone arena, so stay tuned!

Nokia Lumia 2041

Designed in Finland, launched around September, and priced at $500 and up. The Lumia 2041 will run Windows 8.1 with a split-screen feature that lets you have two windows open on your phone’s screen at once. It will have a 21MP back camera, 5MP front camera and 64GB of storage capacity. It will be available in four colours: Charcoal Black (top), White (bottom), Neon Yellow and Aqua Blue.

Sony Xperia Z5U5

In terms of mobile phones, there’s a lot to be said for sticking with what you know. While there are always new features, materials and buzzwords being thrown at us every year, sometimes it’s best to just stick with one phone series and wait for Sony’s next big move in three years.

OnePlus 5G2

Company founder Carl Pei confirmed that OnePlus has plans for a 5G phone in 2020, with the device being called OnePlus 5G2. There’s no word on whether it will be a new phone or just an updated version of an existing model—so we’re not sure if it’ll be part of 2019’s lineup or one of two phones that are expected to come out sometime in 2020.

LG V32C1

Manufacturers are getting clever. Now a phone can be manufactured in such a way as to only be compatible with specific carriers and/or networks. That’s what LG has done with its latest device, which is compatible with GSM carriers in North America and South Korea. But if you’re looking to travel outside those regions, you’re out of luck—it won’t work.

iPad X3

Apple’s iPad X3 will have a brand new, smaller design that’s even easier to carry around. With a bigger screen than its predecessors, it will be able to multitask just as easily as Apple’s desktop computers. Available in three screen sizes and with an improved camera, it will also feature an HD display for viewing all your favourite movies and TV shows on Netflix or Amazon Instant Video. You can connect to wifi faster than ever before with 5G connectivity speeds up to 100Mbps.