In the fifth of our comparison articles, I've decided to compare the various flagship phones from all the major manufacturers. In this, part 1 of that fight, we have Google, Apple, LG & Samsung. The winner is quite interesting, (as is the outright looser), so read on to find out what the numbers tell us...
Comparing phones is always a somewhat emotive opinion on the part of the person doing the comparison, so I have tried to keep this one based upon facts rather than feelings. Some may argue with some of the decisions and some may need explanation. The winning phone in each category is shown in dark green and gains 2 points. Where no obvious winner exists, "highly commended" scores are in light green and gain 1 point)
| Feature | Google Pixel 2XL | iPhone X | LG V30 | Galaxy Note 8 |
| Construction | Candybar, aluminium & glass | Candybar,stainless steel & glass | Candybar, aluminium & glass | Candybar, aluminium & glass |
| Size | 157.9mm x 76.7mm x 7.9mm | 143.6mm x 70.9mm x 7.7mm | 151.7mm x 75.4mm x 7.3mm | 162.5mm x 74.8mm x 8.6mm |
| Weight | 175g | 174g | 158g | 195g |
| Screen | P-OLED 6.0" 2280x1440 538ppi | AMOLED 5.8" 2436x1125 458ppi | P-OLED 6.0" 2800x1440 538ppi | AMOLED 6.3" 2960x1440 521ppi |
| Screen / Body Ratio | 76.4 % | 82.9 % | 81.2 % | 83.2 % |
| Battery | 3520 mAh | 2716 mAh | 3300 mAh | 3300 mAh |
| Processor | Snapdraggon 835 | Apple A11 Bionic | Snapdraggon 835 | Exynos OctaCore |
| RAM | 4GB | 3GB | 4GB | 6GB |
| Storage | 64GB /128GB | 64GB / 256GB | 64GB / 128GB + MicroSD | 64GB / 128GB / 256GB + MicroSD |
| Camera (rear) | 12.2Mpix f/1.8, IOS, Phase Detection autofocus, HDR | Dual 12Mpix f/1.8 & f/2.4, Phase Detection autofocus, IOS, 2x Optical zoom | Main: 16Mpix f/1.6 (71deg)& Wide: 13Mpix f/1.9 (120deg), IOS, HDR10, Assisted Zoom | Tele: 12Mpix f/2.4 (45deg) & Wide: DualPixel 12Mpix f/1.7 (77deg), IOS, 2x Optical zoom |
| Camera (front) | 8Mpix f/2.4 | 7Mpix f/2.2, HDR, panorama | 5Mpix f/2.2 (90deg) | 8Mpix f/1.7 |
| Connectivity | 3G, 4G, LTE, WiFi AC, NFC, GPS, Bt 5.0, USB 3.1 | 3G, 4G, LTE, WiFi AC, NFC, GPS, Bt 5.0, USB 2.0 | 3G, 4G, LTE, WiFi AC, NFC, GPS, Bt 5.0, USB 3.1 | 3G, 4G, LTE, WiFi AC, NFC, GPS, Bt 5.0, USB 3.1 |
| Operating System | Android 8.0 | iOS 11.0.2 | Android 7.1.2 | Android 7.1.1 |
| Biometrics / security | Fingerprint (rear - middle), face detection | Face ID | Fingerprint (rear - middle), face detection | Fingerprint (rear - left), iris detection, face detection |
| Protection | Waterproof (IP67) | Waterproof (IP67) | Waterproof (IP68), Shockproof | Waterproof (IP68) |
| Charging | QuickCharge 3.0 | Fast Charging, Wireless Charging | QuickCharge 3.0, Wireless Charging | QuickCharge 3.0, Wireless Charging |
| Price | £ 799 | £ 999 | £ 799 | £ 869 |
| Availability | Now | Now | Now | Now |
| Total points | 5 | 4 | 10 | 10 |
...So there we have it; a newly altered scoring card produces a different result. Whereas the LG V30 had walked away with the "best phone" prize on our previous scoring matrix, now we've included screen / body ratio and a couple of other changes, the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has jumped up to claim joint first place. Pop over the page to see how the next 4 andsets alter the landscape, and to find out the ultimate winners and loosers.
| Feature | Huawei Mate 10 Pro | Mi Mix2 | HTC U11+ | Sony ZX Premium |
| Construction | Candybar, aluminium & glass | Candybar, aluminium, ceramic & glass | Candybar, aluminium & glass | Candybar, aluminium & glass |
| Size | 154.2mm x 74.5mm x 7.9mm | 151.8mm x 75.5mm x 7.7mm | 158.5mm x 74.9mm x 8.5mm | 156mm x 77mm x 7.9mm |
| Weight | 178g | 185g | 188g | 195g |
| Screen | OLED 6.0" 2160x1080 402ppi | IPS LCD 5.9" 2160x1080 403ppi | SuperLCD 6.0" 2880x1440 538ppi | IPS LCD 5.4" 3840x2160 807ppi |
| Screen / Body Ratio | 80.9 % | 80.8 % | 78.0 % | 68.4 % |
| Battery | 4000 mAh | 3400 mAh | 3930 mAh | 3230 mAh |
| Processor | Kirin 970 (AI Engine) | Snapdraggon 835 | Snapdraggon 835 | Snapdraggon 835 |
| RAM | 6GB | 6GB / 8GB | 4GB / 6GB | 4GB |
| Storage | 128GB | 64GB / 128GB / 256GB | 64GB / 128GB + MicroSD | 64GB + MicroSD |
| Camera (rear) | Main: 20Mpix f/1.6 & Wide: 12Mpix f/1.6, 2x Lossless Zoom, Leica optics, Phase Detection autofocus | 12Mpix f/2.0, Phase Detection autofocus, IOS, HDR, Panorama | 12Mpix f/1.7, Phase Detection autofocus, IOS, HDR, Panorama | 19Mpix f/2.0, Predictive Phase Detection & Laser autofocus EIS, HDR, Panorama |
| Camera (front) | 8Mpix f/2.0 | 5Mpix f/2.0 | 8Mpix f/2.0, HDR | 13Mpix f/2.0 |
| Connectivity | 3G, 4G, Gigabit LTE, WiFi AC, NFC, GPS, Bt 4.2, IR, USB 2.0 | 3G, 4G, LTE, WiFi AC, NFC, GPS, Bt 5.0, USB 3.0 | 3G, 4G, LTE, WiFi AC, NFC, GPS, Bt 5.0, USB 3.1 | 3G, 4G, LTE, WiFi AC, NFC, GPS, Bt 5.0, USB 3.1 |
| Operating System | Android 8.0 | Android 7.1 | Android 8.0 | Android 7.1 |
| Biometrics / security | Fingerprint (rear - middle), face detection | Fingerprint (rear - middle), face detection | Fingerprint (rear - middle), face detection | Fingerprint (side), face detection |
| Protection | Splashproof (IP53) | None | Waterproof (IP68) | Waterproof (IP68) |
| Charging | QuickCharge 3.0 | QuickCharge 3.0 | QuickCharge 3.0 | QuickCharge 3.0, Wireless Charging |
| Price | £ 799 | £ 520 | £ 799 | £ 650 |
| Availability | Now | Now | November 2017 | Now |
| Total points | 8 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
...The winners from page 1 were the LG V30 and Samsung Galaxy Note 8, both with 10 points. Adding in the results from this round, it seems we have a 3-way tie at the top of the table, along with a shock defeat at the bottom.
Without further ado; the winners of the Mobile & Gadget best smartphone of 2017 (this week) award are:
LG V30
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Sony ZX Premium
...and the looser (by 1 point)
Apple iPhone X