Despite 2023 not bringing massive changes to the global stage, it’s been a great year for technology and smartphones in general. We’ve seen many new devices that came with lots of great new improvements, a shift from giants like Apple when it comes to charging ports, and numerous other enhancements that made standard smartphones, midrangers, budget phones, and even foldables even greater.

Now that we’re nearing the end of 2023, it’s time to look at how the smartphone market evolved over these past 12 months, and see what worked best, and what has become the new standard.

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Better and more AI-enhanced features

AI (Artificial intelligence) and ML (Machine Learning) were key trending topics from the second half of 2023. AI and ML have been thrown around in recent months, and we’ve seen many new startups, unique ideas, and new ways of interacting with our phones, as well as the content we capture and consume.

ChatGPT, Microsoft’s CoPilot, and Google Bard are some of the biggest names we have to mention when we talk about AI/ML, and perhaps Google is the one company that took it most seriously for its AI-enhanced Pixel smartphones that offer a completely new way of editing photos, videos, and even audio.

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Apple is changing

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Apple is changing, and no, not because it had a chance of heart and wanted to make it easier for its customers, but because it’s legally required to change its platform and key devices. In 2023, one of the biggest change to the iPhone 15 series is the new addition of the USB Type-C port. That’s not all, the European Union also forced Apple to allow third-party app stores on iOS.

iMessage has also been in the spotlight in recent months, and Apple announced not that long ago that it will finally add support for RCS messaging – which might not eliminate the blue and green bubble conspiracy, but it’ll certainly make messaging more modern, useful, and faster for all people, whether they’re using an Android device or an iPhone.

Big camera upgrades

Modern premium smartphones boast large sensors, capable of capturing beautiful images and videos in all lighting conditions. While these cameras are getting better every year, the 2023 generation devices saw big improvements to their night mode photography skills. Some high-end devices also improved their night videography abilities, and some companies decided to boost them by using data centers, such as Google’s Pixel 8 Pro.

Taking photos in low light and pitch black has never been clearer, and it’s a trend that’ll continue to improve as algorithms advance and AIs become better at figuring out the perfect balance between the shadows, details, colors, dynamic range, and many other factors.

More powerful chips

The new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and the Apple A17 Pro chips are the most powerful SoCs on the market right now, available for the latest and most powerful smartphones. We’ve heard from Apple that it wants console-level games to arrive on its platform, and we saw that Qualcomm is taking both the graphics and the computing power in its chips to the next level every year. The upcoming Snapdragon 8+ Gen 3 is anticipated to be even more efficient, while the future generation will likely offer even more significant upgrades across the board.

The present generation of chips enables manufacturers to improve performance for demanding games, multitasking, and AI-related tasks, analyzing and improving images and videos, user behavior and preferences, and much more.

Midranger and budget phones are getting better

Smartphones such as the Galaxy A54, the Pixel 7a, Galaxy A14, Motorola Razr (2023), Moto G Stylus (2023), and many other devices saw noticeable improvements this year regarding their performance, hardware, and features. We expect these more affordable and midrange devices to continue receiving substantial upgrades in the future, making them an even better option for those on a lower budget and fewer needs.

The camera has improved significantly in 2023, and the chips in these devices are now enough to play most modern games in high to medium settings, although there’s still a lot of room for improvement.

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Foldables are more durable

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Despite foldables not receiving a considerable upgrade in 2023, we saw manufacturers such as Google and OnePlus enter the field with their latest devices, such as the Google Pixel Fold and the OnePlus Open. While we’ve seen reports of some devices breaking, it’s fair to say that foldables have gotten a lot better in the past three years, and they’re more durable than ever. No company has managed to dethrone Samsung yet, but many are now attempting to take the crown and aim to offer the foldable experience at lower prices.

Competition is good, and we’re quite impressed with what we’ve seen from Google and OnePlus. We expect even more companies to join the race in 2024. Foldables are constantly evolving, and it’s safe to say that in 2023, we reached a point where most users could now use these unique devices, since many phones now offer at least one form of ingress protection, better hinge mechanisms, and more durable glass on the cover screens.

These are some of the best phones in 2023

• 

  iPhone 15 Pro Max

  The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the latest and the greatest smartphone in Apple’s lineup. The smartphone is powered by the latest Apple A17 Pro chipset, coupled with 8GB of RAM. It has a more refined Titanium chassis that makes it lighter and more comfortable, and it features a new periscope telephoto camera.

• 

  Google Pixel 8 Pro

  $799 $999 Save $200

  The Google Pixel 8 Pro, featuring the third-generation Tensor G3, is Google’s flagship phone for 2023. It introduces some small improvements overall, a brand-new processor to set it apart, a thermometer sensor, and promises an outstanding smartphone camera experience.

• 

  Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

  $790 $1200 Save $410

  The new Galaxy S23 Ultra is the go-to flagship from Samsung in 2023. It’s powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, carries the same price tag as its predecessor, and has improved gaming and camera capabilities to let you capture the perfect moment. 

• 

  Google Pixel Fold

  $1418 $1799 Save $381

  The Pixel Fold is Google’s first foldable smartphone offering some of the finest hardware and software on the market. The device features a 5.8-inch cover display and a big 7.6-inch foldable display. It is powered by the Tensor G2 chipset and is backed by a 4,821 mAh battery.

• 

  OnePlus Open

  $1500 $1700 Save $200

  The new OnePlus Open is powered by the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, and comes with an inward folding design. It houses a 7.8-inch main, and a 6.3-inch cover display with 120Hz refresh rate. It has a powerful triple camera setup, and support for 80W wired charging.

• 

  Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

  $1620 $1920 Save $300

  The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the latest foldable flagship in the lineup. It’s equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, a powerful triple rear camera, a large 6.2-inch cover and 7.6-inch main display, and a large battery that can last all day on a single charge.

• 

  Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

  $850 $1000 Save $150

  The latest Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 comes with a large 3.4-inch cover display, a 6.7-inch AMOLED foldable display with 120Hz refresh rate, upgraded Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, dual-12MP cameras, and much more.