Best Flagship Smartphone in 2019

scrimshaw on 13/03/2019 - 08:46
Last edited 14/03/2019 - 13:04

Moderators at OzBargain are now running yearly polls to decide the best products in popular categories that get asked repeatedly in the forum. Our aim is to have a central thread where users can vote on the items, suggest options and also change their vote throughout the year. For more information on how these polls work, or if you want to suggest a new poll that isn't covered already, please refer to our announcement thread here.

Question

What is the best flagship Phone for the year 2019?

Flagship phone meaning: the best and most current, and often the highest end product has to offer in their product lineup.

2019 has been an interesting year for smartphones so far and we've seen new devices with all kinds of unique features: fingerprint readers in screens, pop-up selfie cameras, slider style phones and even foldable screens. But which one would you spend your hard earned dollars on? Let us know by voting for your choice.

This is also the part where we'd normally talk about last year's top suggestions from our community, which you can see here. However, closer to the end of the year the number of voters gradually tapered off and the poll quickly became outdated; with the number of votes skewing towards older phones that got suggested at the beginning of the year. To keep the poll fresh and continually updated with information you might get reminders to come back to rethink your vote and change it if neccessary.

Remember: You can change your votes at anytime, and suggest more than 1 product over the course of the poll.

How do I suggest products to What Should I Buy polls?

If you have a product that you would like to suggest for the poll (that is currently not in the Poll Options), you'll need to make a top-level comment (i.e. not replying someone else's comment) and fill up "Suggestions" text box just above your comment:

Suggestion box

Do try to make a sensible suggestion and include a brief argument as to why you would recommend the product. You can only suggest 1 product at a time.

Poll Options expired

This is part of What Should I Buy poll for 2019. Check out other recommendations from the OzBargain community.
Mobile Apple Google Huawei LG Mobile Phone OnePlus Samsung What Should I Buy Xiaomi Android

Comments

  • zrmx on 14/03/2019 - 16:55
    Suggested Samsung Galaxy S10e

    (need words)

    S10e is a very practical option among the 3 variant

  • 2jzzzz on 04/04/2019 - 08:15
    +1
    Suggested Huawei P30 Pro

    P30 Pro needs to be up there

  • yummypinacolada on 08/04/2019 - 13:30
    Suggested iPhone XR

    I'd say iphone XR should be on the list as well

  • echocae on 09/04/2019 - 12:30
    Suggested Nokia 9 Pureview

    Great Phone for Photography Enthusiast

  • sund00bie on 01/05/2019 - 09:44
    Suggested Xiaomi Mi 9

    For the price i believe it offers the best bang for buck

  • 1bug on 02/05/2019 - 17:09

    Handy Links for quick navigation (these should be included in the OP)…

    Best Budget Smartphone (Under $300) in 2019
    Best Mid-Range Smartphone ($300 ⇆ $500) in 2019
    Best Flagship Smartphone in 2019

  • WhyPayRetail on 05/05/2019 - 10:29
    +1

    I like my OnePlus 6. Outperforms most phones on the market, at half the price.

    Regular updates are available too (I'm running Android Pie already). Nothing wrong with the build quality. Camera app is good, but hardware performs better with Google Camera port, so OnePlus have some software development to do in this area, even if DXOMark (https://www.dxomark.com/category/smartphone-reviews/) has scored the 6T higher than iPhone X, and only marginally lower than Galaxy, iPhone XR, etc.

  • fatice on 10/05/2019 - 13:05

    Are we talking about the best flagship phone with a bottomless pocket? Or the best value for money?

    • scrimshaw on 10/05/2019 - 13:09

      the keyword is sensible so we are typically looking for things that are the best value for money. However feel free to suggest premium if you want, people have suggested the iPhone XS and the Max, both of which most people would consider very expensive.

      For some people, it doesn't matter how much it costs because they could be getting it as a work phone that's subsidized. Or they could be getting it on a plan and they have worked out how much they'd be willing to pay for it on a monthly basis.

      The focus is on flagship, so the suggestion needs to be something that fills the criteria. Xiaomi Mi 9 for example might not have the price of a traditional flagship phone, but it is highest end phone that Xiaomi produces with the latest processor, which means it fits the criteria.

      • jfbargain on 26/10/2019 - 15:46

        Midrange category is $300-$500. There are many flagships in excess of $1000 or even $2000 now, so that's a broad price range for the one remaining category. Should there be a "high-end" category or something, for non-flagship but more expensive phones?

  • steveray9a on 23/05/2019 - 11:08

    What is a decent ANDROID phone upgrade to an S7 Edge for under $600 ???

    NFC required / Aus bands / good camera are my main wants

    • scrimshaw on 23/05/2019 - 12:01
      +1

      The Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is coming down in price now. It's not under $600, but it's very close to.
      https://www.ozbargain.com.au/product/samsung-galaxy-note-8

      • steveray9a on 23/05/2019 - 12:02

        Thanks mate, i forgot to add i dont want curved screen, as cool as they are i want better drop protection.

        Been looking at the MI 9 maybe.?

        • fatice on 23/05/2019 - 12:53
          +1

          I bought a Mi 9 Global version for under $600 during eBay 10% off promotion + woolies eBay gift card 10% promotion. Happy with it.

          • steveray9a on 23/05/2019 - 13:00

            @fatice: Awesome, this looks decent except for headphone jack but i guess il live with it - now waiting for the next ebay code :)

            • fatice on 23/05/2019 - 13:22
              +1

              @steveray9a: Mi 9 does come with a USB-C to audio jack converter.

              One firmware bug that is annoying: Battery drains about 30% overnight.
              While I am waiting for the fix, I have a temporary solution:

              1. press ##4636## to go into test menu.
              2. Change both SIMs' network type to LTE/WCDMA or other network types that you prefer, instead of anything with TD-SCDMA, which mainly used in China.

              Overnight battery drain is now 4%.

              Note that, the setting will revert back to default after a reboot.

  • skelty on 03/06/2019 - 17:13
    +1
    Suggested ASUS Zenfone 6

    Zenfone 6 - A spec monster that costs less than a oneplus 7 pro (but about the same as oneplus 7 going off UK pricing £499.00). Feature packed with notification LED, headphone jack, FM Radio, B28, NFC, microSD, 5000maH battery, SD 855, notchless design.

    Toss Up Factors: Stock-ish android, mechanical flip camera, rear fingerprint sensor, Smart Key Button, not China

    Cons: LCD display, chunkier than other phones, no Aussie stock, ASUS not the fastest for android updates, custom ROM support may suck, no IR blaster? (ran out of cons)

    • skelty on 04/06/2019 - 17:54

      Thought of another con: no wireless charging (but supports Quick charge 4.0)

    • SDF05 on 08/06/2019 - 09:46

      This would be a good midrange phone Ina few months. Just costs a bit too much for us Aussies. Probably has the best camera out of most of the phones released this year.

  • Holty07 on 08/06/2019 - 00:29
    Suggested OnePlus 7 Pro

    Surely the one plus 7 Pro should be added to this list!

    • bunnybash on 15/07/2019 - 15:26

      Yeah I love mine, freakin fantastic device.

      • Holty07 on 15/07/2019 - 15:48

        Where did you get it? Looking at making this my next phone but don't want to pay Aussie tax.

        • bunnybash on 23/07/2019 - 13:20

          I went to America on holiday for 2 months :) I came back with a OP 7 Pro and a Google Pixelbook. The Pixelbook was the top of the line model and with the pen and I got it off Craigslist while I was there. The laptop cost me $650USD. So both were freakin bargains. The phone is amazing though - using any other screen on a phone feels like something is wrong with the other phone. I even ordered the Bullets 2 Bluetooth headphones as well, they just have some really cool features with the phone and they sound great and seal out the outside noise spectacularly. I read a review that said they felt like it had active and passive noise cancelling, but somehow it's only passive.

  • fatice on 11/06/2019 - 13:30
    +1

    If any phone that running with SD855 can be included, what about Redmi k20 pro?
    It has all the bells and whistles the Mi 9 has, + no notch (popup selfie camera) and headphone jack.

  • Nukkels on 31/08/2019 - 21:04
    Suggested Xiaomi Mi 9T Pro

    The Mi 9 has been superseded by the 9T Pro - the 9T is not a flagship phone as it's running a slower CPU and has a smaller battery.

  • s0144886 on 18/09/2019 - 07:55
    Suggested Huawei Mate 20x

    mate 20x sure is a monster with its 7" screen.

    • alphaai on 20/12/2019 - 16:16

      I believe if you change the minimum width on the Huawei mate x to a setting that makes text fairly small, the text will not be readable.

      The best phones for small text is the phones with WQHD+
      Huawei mate 20x screen resolution is not a suitable model for tiny text (more on the screen).

      Huawei mate 20x Max resolution is FHD+
      Samsung s10 or note 10 is WQHD+
      Big difference

      If you got excellent eyesight, get the note 10 plus 5g or the s10 5G. They are the biggest phones with the best screen resolution on the market.

      • pork chop on 27/12/2019 - 09:00

        There aren't many people who use tiny text on their phone. FHD+ on the Mate 20X is perfectly fine.

        By your argument, the Mate 20X 7.2" screen size dwarfs the Note 10+ 6.8"

        • Nukkels on 29/12/2019 - 08:14

          Higher resolution also means more battery usage. FHD still OK for phones, although at a screen size above 6.5", you do want a higher res… And that big screen is going to be draining the battery anyway.

  • Smokey010 on 20/09/2019 - 17:00
    Suggested Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus

    S10+ surely is one of the great smartphone out there in the current market.

  • ChatCPT on 25/09/2019 - 07:56
    +1

    iPhone 11 Pro Max!!!

  • Seven8Nine on 21/10/2019 - 23:56
    +1
    Suggested Pixel 4 XL

    Pixel 4 XL nomination here

  • NightCabbage on 24/10/2019 - 21:23

    I honestly don't know how or why people would put up with a Samsung phone with their crappy software you can't uninstall.
    The Pixel is so much better and more streamlined. It makes the Samsungs feel clunky and outdated.
    I could never even consider a Smasung phone, until they stop forcing their horrible software on you.
    I just don't understand why they do it.

    • dji1111111 on 18/11/2019 - 13:55

      Google phones are junks.
      Been there, done that.
      It is true that Google phones do run better in the long run because it has less complexities and less functionalities but there are quite a few features that Samsung phones provide that make it much more user friendly and convenient than plan vanilla android experience.

  • giventofly on 09/11/2019 - 09:40
    Suggested Google Pixel 3a XL

    I bought an S10+ and think it is absolutely superb, but the 3a XL should be up there. It's better than the Pixel 4.

  • taki on 09/11/2019 - 12:37

    Galaxy Note9, since Note10+ 5G is too expensive for now. No competition here in terms of functionality (S-pen etc) & best tech.

  • nuttapillar on 18/11/2019 - 12:33
    Suggested LG G8

    It has a lot of features that most of the other brands/models dont, and for lower cost than Samsung.

  • AlienC on 20/11/2019 - 21:51
    Suggested Asus ROG Phone II

    I am seriously considering buying this beast of a phone.

    Not only will it be up there with the top fastest phones but the 1TB storage means I can store a lot of offline videos and music for on the go and the gaming capabilities are just icing on the cake.

    I honestly wish they put a bigger battery or even removable as 6000mah in this day and age is barely a day with just normal day to day navigation usage and some Bluetooth music but yeah if you having a busy day out this might just make it until you get back home but just.

    Honestly I wish they made beefier phones because I find myself putting my phone on my bag anyways when not using it and with wireless headphones and earbuds you can pick up a call using that instead of picking up the call on your phone.

    Usually when you are walking somewhere you like to sometimes read on your phone but honestly I just reserve that activity for the train or bus nowadays.

    Yeah the perfect phone would have immense battery, immense ram and storage which the ASUS ROG Phone II has and maybe a smaller than 6" screen oh and super fast charging obviously to charge that massive battery within a day.

    I am indifferent to stuff like NFC (still don't trust it till this day but the convenience factor is very enticing and impressive but honestly I can live without it) or camera improvements for now as current camera technology is more than good enough and I'm not a film maker or photographer by any means I just use it to store information for later like documents, notes and stuff I see in my day.

    I don't really play games much any more albeit on my phone but the fact that they are pushing the boundaries on that still is cool side bonus no I'm after the every workers power house work house dream phone that is super small to fit in any pocket, super light so it doesn't weigh you down, super long lasting if not perpetual so it lasts forever and ever and you don't get stuck somewhere without access to the magic technology and if possible durable enough to be used without a second thought on its longevity so people can just focus on their task at hand.. I'm sure tradies would love this.. Some monster specced phone with a rugged exterior or cover to protect from any bumps or side swipes I know as a cleaner you want something light but still strong and something not too big because your work pants feel weighed down if they start reaching "is that a rocket in your pocket or are you just happy to see me" size limits.

    I know the industry mindset will reach there some day but man wouldn't it be nice if we had what we wanted tomorrow yesterday.

  • alphaai on 20/12/2019 - 16:10

    Great specs all round.

    • scrimshaw on 20/12/2019 - 16:11

      Galaxy S10 (both LTE and 5g) is already at the top of the poll.

      • alphaai on 20/12/2019 - 16:12
        +1

        The s10 5G is slightly different to the s10 and the s10 plus

        • ChillBro on 29/12/2019 - 20:26

          It definitely is different.

          The obvious inclusion is 5G but it also has a larger screen, a larger base storage (128GB vs 256GB, to make up for the lack of a microSD slot), a larger battery, faster charging, and a ToF camera.

          The last one is especially important to me especially since the upcoming update will allow face unlock to use the ToF camera significantly increasing security.

  • fossilgem on 29/12/2019 - 20:12

    The question should be slightly different. There should be “ what is the best iOs phone, what is the best android etc.

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