While there are few people who think that most smartphones look boring these days, there are some others who think phones now have a design that is utilitarian and does not need to get any better. We all have our own perspective on the design, the processing capability, and battery backup of the ‘perfect’ handset, so we decided to take the opinion of our in-house reviewers to find out what would be a perfect handset. Surprisingly, we received a lot of different opinions in certain areas. Let’s see which aspect of which smartphone was considered a perfect fit for the ‘Perfect’ smartphone by our reviewers.
Table of Contents
Features and specifications we would want to see in the perfect Android smartphone
Taking all the opinions into account, the perfect Android phone should have:
- Foldable design similar to that of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2
- 120Hz QHD+ Super AMOLED display from Samsung
- 12MP triple cameras from Apple
- 6,000mAh battery from ASUS
- OxygenOS or One UI as custom skin over Android
- Price between Rs 42,000 and Rs 50,000
How we decided on these specifications
In order to determine the specifications of the perfect/ ideal Android smartphone, we decided to ask our reviewers to give us their choice of the best smartphone in different areas. We also asked our reviewers to give reasoning for their choices. As a result we figured out the most preferred smartphones in some of the key areas, i.e. cameras, display, battery life, design, custom skin, and even ideal price point for a flagship phone. Without further ado, let’s find out who voted for which smartphone.Cameras
- Deepak Dhingra (Editor-in-chief)
Choice: Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
Reason: Most versatile set of cameras, tons of useful camera features.
2. Sanket Vijayasarathy (Senior Reviewer)
Choice: iPhone 11 Pro
Reason: I feel the iPhone 11 Pro offers the best true-to-life photos that look consistently good across all three camera sensors. Night mode also helps capture some excellent low-light shots.
3. Kshitij Pujari (Senior Reviewer)
Choice: iPhone 11 Pro
Reason: Most colour accurate photos with best-in-class dynamic range and exposure handling.
4. Ashish (Reviewer)
Choice: iPhone 11 Pro
Reason: Software doesn’t try to overdo anything. The shots you get are closer to reality with good dynamic range.
5. Keshav Khera (Senior Reviewer and Anchor)
Choice: Galaxy S20 Ultra
Reason: I like the 100x zoom used in the phone.
6. Nitansh Rastogi (Associate Editor)
Choice: Combination of Pixel’s imaging, Samsung’s flexibility and iPhone’s video capabilities
Reason: Taking the best part of cameras from flagship phones.
Verdict: iPhone 11 Pro received the most amount of votes in the camera performance section as the phone is said to provide good dynamic range, excellent low-light photos, and great shooting capabilities.
Display
- Deepak Dhingra (Editor-in-chief)
Choice: Samsung Super AMOLED
Reason: Samsung’s super AMOLED panels are the best in the business.
2. Sanket Vijayasarathy (Senior Reviewer)
Choice: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Reason: The Note 20 Ultra has one of the best OLED + 120Hz implementations in the market right now in my opinion.
3. Kshitij Pujari (Senior Reviewer)
Choice: OnePlus 8 Pro
Reason: QHD+ at 120Hz
4. Ashish (Reviewer)
Choice: Samsung’s Dynamic AMOLED display on S20 series and Note20 Ultra
Reason: Samsung Dynamic AMOLED display has been rated AA+ by benchmarking site Display Mate, and you feel the same thing while using the device. Everything from contrast ratio to colour accuracy is to the point and the content you watch on the screen looks very lifelike.
5. Keshav Khera (Senior Reviewer and Anchor)
Choice: Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Reason: Bezel-less, high refresh rate, and AMOLED.
6. Nitansh Rastogi (Associate Editor)
Choice: OnePlus 8 Pro
Reason: OnePlus lets you enjoy the display in its full potential – 120Hz at 2K resolution.
Verdict: Samsung’s latest Super AMOLED QHD+ 120Hz panels managed to get most amount of votes as they have described to be the “best in business.”
Battery life
- Deepak Dhingra (Editor-in-chief)
Choice: ASUS ROG Phone 3
Reason: Highest capacity on a mainstream smartphone
2. Sanket Vijayasarathy (Senior Reviewer)
Choice: ASUS ROG Phone 3
Reason: Any phone with a high refresh rate deserves a large battery to last a full day
3. Kshitij Pujari (Senior Reviewer)
Choice: ASUS ROG Phone 3
Reason: 6,000mAh cell which is incredibly long-lasting
4. Ashish (Reviewer)
Choice: ASUS ROG Phone 3
Reason: With high refresh rate and our heavy usage of smartphones, I think anything above 5,000mAh battery is good enough to last at least a day.
5. Keshav Khera (Senior Reviewer and Anchor)
Choice: ASUS ROG Phone 3
Reason: Massive 6,000mAh battery
6. Nitansh Rastogi (Associate Editor)
Choice: ASUS ROG Phone 3
Reason: It’s impressive how ASUS has been able to pack a 6,000mAh battery, while ensuring that the phone isn’t too thick/ heavy
Verdict: The only unanimous winner in any category, the 6,000mAh battery on ASUS ROG Phone 3 managed to impress entire team.
Design
- Deepak Dhingra (Editor-in-chief)
Choice: Galaxy Z Fold 2
Reason: Foldable is said to be the future, so if we’re conceptualising the perfect phone, I think it should be foldable. And I find the Galaxy Z Fold 2 to be the best implementation of the foldable design yet
2. Sanket Vijayasarathy (Senior Reviewer)
Choice: Oppo Reno4 Pro
Reason: The Reno4 Pro is an incredibly sleek and lightweight phone that makes it a delight to use everyday.
3. Kshitij Pujari (Senior Reviewer)
Choice: Galaxy Z Fold 2
Reason: Unreleased as of now but the design showcases in teasers is definitely unique
4. Ashish (Reviewer)
Choice: OnePlus 7T
Reason: The circular camera module at the back makes it slightly unique
5. Keshav Khera (Senior Reviewer and Anchor)
Choice: Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
Reason: Feels like a perfect blend of premium design and durable quality
6. Nitansh Rastogi (Associate Editor)
Choice: None
Reason: Would want to see more innovation in the foldable phones and other such futuristic designs
Verdict: This was perhaps the most divisive category but foldable phones seem to be the future and Galaxy Z Fold 2 seems to be the only choice that had some sort of consensus in this category.
Custom skin
- Deepak Dhingra (Editor-in-chief)
Choice: OxygenOS
Reason: Clean interface with no bloatware and lots of customisation options
2. Sanket Vijayasarathy (Senior Reviewer)
Choice: One UI
Reason: One UI looks clean and is designed for easy one-handed usage. It’s not close to stock Android, but neither is it a very cluttered skin.
3. Kshitij Pujari (Senior Reviewer)
Choice: OxygenOS
Reason: Clean and simple with a focus on users’ needs.
4. Ashish (Reviewer)
Choice: Stock Android on Pixel phones
Reason: I like the assistance that you get with Pixel devices
5. Keshav Khera (Senior Reviewer and Anchor)
Choice: Mix of Oxygen OS and Samsung’s One UI
Reason: Clean interface in both cases
6. Nitansh Rastogi (Associate Editor)
Choice: Samsung’s One UI
Reason: While I don’t like custom skins, if I’ve to pick the One UI is now quite good and not as bloatware heavy as Samsung’s skins used to be.
Verdict: Again, the reviewers were divided between both OxygenOS and One UI as custom skin. Both these interface were described as clean and easy to use by the team.
Pricing
- Deepak Dhingra (Editor-in-chief)
Choice: Should be similar to OnePlus 8
Reason: Justified for a flagship phone
2. Sanket Vijayasarathy (Senior Reviewer)
Choice: Should be similar to POCO F1
Reason: Great specs but lowest possible price
3. Kshitij Pujari (Senior Reviewer)
Choice: Should be similar to IQOO 3
Reason: Considering specs, this should be a reasonable price tag
4. Ashish (Reviewer)
Choice: OnePlus 8
Reason: That’s a decent price for a flagship
5. Keshav Khera (Senior Reviewer and Anchor)
Choice: Should be similar to OnePlus 8 series
Reason: Price should be between Rs 42,000 to Rs 55,000
6. Nitansh Rastogi (Associate Editor)
Choice: Around Rs 50,000
Reason: This is a reasonable price point for a flagship
Verdict: Although everyone would ideally prefer to have the phone’s cost as low as possible. In realistic terms, most team members agreed that the price point of OnePlus 8 series, between Rs 42,000 to Rs 55,000 seems ideal for a flagship phone that does not come with any compromises.
