The 5 best smartphones of 2018

1. SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 9

For a few months last year, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 lived at the top of this list, eventually being knocked down by the iPhone X and then Huawei P20 Pro. With the recent launch of the Galaxy Note 9 and a few days of heavy usage it is time to put the Note 9 back on top as the best smartphone currently available.

The Galaxy Note 9 improves upon the Note 8 with a Bluetooth S Pen, more internal capacity and RAM, a massive 4,000 mAh battery, improved dual rear cameras with some software intelligence, enhanced audio capability, and new placement of the rear fingerprint scanner.

2. HUAWEI P20 PRO

While US consumers will have to resort to eBay to pick one up, the Huawei P20 Pro is one of the most exciting phones of 2018.

The unique triple camera design with 68 megapixel worth of shooting power should help you take some fantastic shots with a low light mode that beats out all the other smartphones available today.

Huawei has been including massive capacity batteries in its flagships and the P20 Pro is no exception with 4,000 mAh that is sure to get you through at least one full, busy day. It has a large 6.1 inch OLED with a notch you can show or hide, a powerful Kirin 970 processor with integrated AI, IP67 dust and water resistance, and more.

3. SAMSUNG GALAXY S9/S9 PLUS

Samsung launched the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus earlier this year. It's an evolution in the Galaxy S line, but one that leads as close to perfection as you can expect for a smartphone today.

Samsung's Infinity Display continues to take the top spot with every new release, trumping the Apple iPhone X that lived in that spot for a few months. There is 6GB of RAM, the fastest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 mobile processor, a rear dual aperture camera, another one with super slow motion support (S9 Plus only), the ability to add inexpensive microSD cards, improved Bixby assitant and a hardware button dedicated to its use, Samsung Pay payment technology, wireless and fast charging, IP68 dust and water resistance, a USB Type-C standard port, and traditional 3.5mm headset jack. It also launches with Android 8.0 Oreo. There is nothing missing from the Galaxy S9 Plus and it deserves the top spot.

4. APPLE IPHONE X

The Apple iPhone X has been available for several months now and regular readers may be stunned to know I still have one. It was the highest price mass market phone to launch with a starting price of $999 for 64GB and $1,149 for 256GB. Samsung has slightly higher prices for the Note 9, but we are likely to see even higher priced larger iPhone models in the near future.

5. SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 8

The Galaxy Note 8 was in the top spot for a couple of months because it was the most advanced smartphone on the market. The Note 9 is better so it pushed the Note 8 down, but it is still a very capable smartphone and may be available at lower prices soon with the Note 9 launch.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has all of the excellent Galaxy Foundation aspects found in the S9 and S9 Plus, but it uses the Snapdragon 835 processor and the camera does not have dual mechanical aperture. That said, it has the S Pen and if you enjoy using a stylus with your phone then the Note 8 cannot be beat.