Forget your iPhone 12 Pro Max, ignore Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Fan Edition and Google’s Pixel 4a, this is my 2020 smartphone

In early 2021, it is time for my traditional retrospective of the past twelve months to decide my personal choice of ‘Smartphone of the year’ here at Forbes. It is fair to say that 2020 did not go as planned for everyone. The way the market has adapted to COVID-19 has changed what many were looking for on their phones.

My choice of smartphone is rarely about the bigger screen, bigger numbers or overwhelming specifications – although some of the options here come close to that. It’s about the device that reflects the world of 2020, that looks at the broader smartphone ecosystem and stands out for what it is and represents.

With that in mind, let’s look at a series of phones I considered, before revealing who I’m handing my rosette to.

iPhone 12 Pro Max

The iPhone 12 Pro Max arrived in late 2020, and Apple’s offerings come with a good deal of specifications and features.

On the one hand, this is everything you could wish for on a modern iPhone; two-day battery, an enhanced camera for photos and video, a large attached screen (finally) with support for widgets on the home screen, several years of operating system support and Apple’s fully integrated ecosystem (although, as always, this is very closed condominium lined with velvet).

On the other hand, since the iPhone 12 Pro Max has everything you could possibly want in a modern iPhone, you have to deal with two main problems. The first is size; this is a large device that is almost impossible to use all features with one hand and, for many analysts, it is simply too big to be “a phone”, although it is an improvement in terms of comfort compared to the iPhone 11 Pro Max .

The second issue of price. Although there are more expensive devices out there – usually those that exceed expectations with folding displays – the Pro Max is a big investment. You’re costing $ 1400 for the model with 512 GB of storage, the storage you really need, given the camera’s capabilities and the video capabilities available.

There is no doubt that the iPhone 12 Pro Max is a technological marvel. But the price, especially in an economy that has been severely weakened by the coronavirus pandemic, puts it out of reach for many. This is not an annual Top Trumps game of specs, my phone of the year needs to have a broader appeal than geekerati.

Google Pixel 4a

Google basically avoided the premium cell phone market this year, bringing the Pixel 5, Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 4 to the mid-market. Of the three, I think the Pixel 4a represents the best value for money in this space.

There is almost nothing that is flashy on this device. The battery will help you during the day, but it needs to be charged during the night; compared to other Android devices in 2020, the 5.8 inch screen is relatively small; and the design is unpretentious with a screen on the front and a polycarbonate rear.

Still, Google has increased the RAM and storage of the Pixel 3a. The lens of a single camera may not gain any trump card in the specs, but it does benefit from Google’s image processing to deliver great photos. And being a Google phone, it is one of the few devices that you can be reasonably confident that your Android updates and security updates will arrive in a timely manner.

If you need an Android device that offers a ‘this is good enough’ experience, it’s hard to ignore the Pixel 4a’s price, value and features.

OnePlus Nord

The launch of OnePlus Nord, after OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro the previous month, was a key device for OnePlus. The pace of a single model updated every six months to stay on top of specifications and offer a value-for-money device with the main specifications has changed to a smartphone with specifications and prices comparable to other flagships.

The OnePlus Nord had the value for money proposal along with a feature set that was close enough to the main specs. This was a turning point for OnePlus. Although the company branched out to supply devices with the Pro brand, there was always the feeling that they came from the same manufacturing stock and were essentially two views of the same device.

That was not the case with the OnePlus Nord. Here was a new device that was released separately from the main summer releases, which had a different point of view than what it meant to be a OnePlus device and managed to upset the fan base to the point that it literally redefined the OnePlus.

Whether this redefinition of what OnePlus offers will enable the company to be more successful in 2021, or if bridges with the community have been burned, will be one of the stories of the next twelve months. The Nord is a key device for OnePlus, but the impact on the entire smartphone ecosystem may be less.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition

Although the Galaxy S20 family launched in February, it took about six months for the favorite brother to arrive. Leaving aside the heavy nature of the name, Samsung has managed to find a great balance between price and functionality in the flagship Fan Edition, and much of it looks like a response to COVID-19.

The three models of the Galaxy S20 that led the attack arrived ‘in ancient times’. The Galaxy S20, S20 Plus and S20 Ultra, packing din features that were of great benefit to road warriors who were constantly on the move around the world, who needed power and were happy to pay a premium. 2020 ended this approach and, like many other manufacturers, Samsung had to look at its portfolio through a new set of circumstances.

The result is the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition, a device that eliminates fat from the S20 formula. The broad strokes are the same, but a watchful eye will notice the back of the glass replaced by plastic, a more square design around the flat panel and a camera with 3 12 megapixel lenses (telephoto, large and ultra large) that falls a little bit short of the flagships with higher prices.

However, this is a package that works. It offers Samsung’s software experience, the Qualcomm 865 Snapdragon has the performance and doesn’t feel particularly compromised. Whether you see $ 700 as the top of the middle range or the bottom of the main markets, the Fan Edition looks like the flagship for people. I wonder what the reaction would be if this version had been released along with the other three models? I suspect that Samsung would have seen much more unit sales, but with the lower associated turnover

Apple iPhone SE (2020)

2020 changed the dynamics of the smartphone market. The coronavirus pandemic has impacted the entire ecosystem, from supply and manufacture, to launch and commercialization, to consumer needs and demands. The priorities in 2019 have not remained constant.

Each phone was viewed from a slightly different perspective than expected. For me, a device was brought in great relief. 2020 update for iPhone SE. Carrying nearly the same specs as the then current iPhone 11, but at a much lower price, the SE looked like an iPhone made not for the Cupertino geekerati, but for everyone else.

Why not the iPhone 12 Mini? For me, there are two reasons. The first is that it simply didn’t get the public’s attention; a look at the Christmas day activation rate shows the iPhone SE in the top ten and the 12 mini not even placed.

The iPhone SE captures the weather much better than any other smartphone in 2020. Designed before the start of the pandemic, the launch and subsequent marketing have been changed to better reflect the mood in the world. The launch became one of the first notable virtual technology launches; it was one of the first smartphones to be sold to consumers who understood the impact of a lock and working from home would mean. He found success in a world that wanted power on a smartphone, in addition to accessibility and practicality.

That’s why iPhone SE is my 2020 smartphone.