Results of the MWC-2018 exhibition: the brightest smartphones

The design of the Apple iPhone X smartphone with a characteristic "monobrow" bothered to borrow many mobile gadgets originally from China. However, the first serious player who created a device in the image and likeness of the "Apple ten" was Asus.

The cutout at the top of the display of the Asus ZenFone 5 takes a quarter less space than the founder of this style of performance. At the same time, the smartphone screen stretched diagonally less than an impressive distance — 6.2". Because of the "monobrow", he had atypical proportions of 19:9, while the resolution of the displayed image is 2264 x 1080 pixels. When playing videos, the image is broadcast in FullHD+ format (2160 x 1080 pixels), and the cutout disappears.

The hardware on board the smartphone is represented by a mid-class Snapdragon 636 chip with 4 or 6 GB of RAM (depending on the specific modification of the device). If maximum performance is a priority, you can turn your eyes to the Asus ZenFone 5z, in the heart of which a Pro—845th "dragon" processor is installed. However, the usual version of the "five" does not graze the rear in terms of speed, coping with all everyday tasks at the proper level and providing an opportunity to play.

Following modern trends, the smartphone got a dual main camera at its disposal. A 12 MP module with an optical stub takes pictures with a standard viewing angle (about 83°), and an auxiliary 8 MP photosensor is equipped with wide-angle optics (120°). By analogy with the latter, a selfie camera with the same characteristics is made. The camera has not been spared the principles of machine learning — artificial intelligence is able to recognize 16 story scenes and automatically adapt the settings of the photo shoot to them.

Together with Asus ZenFone 5, the Taiwanese company has introduced its own version of animoji — animated ZeniMoji emoticons, which gives the smartphone even more similarity to the anniversary iPhone. Also, the model did not forget about the support of the 3300 mAh battery fast charging technology, a fingerprint scanner and a full range of communication modules, including an NFC chip for contactless payments.

Looking at the characteristics of the smartphone screen, namely its diagonal dimensions (5"), you can't say that we are talking about an ultra-compact solution. Nevertheless, this is true — the frameless design of the device is to blame, thanks to which it has dimensions comparable to 4.5-inch mobile gadgets.

A large-format display, the picture on which is displayed in a resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels, and even in an extended dynamic range (support for HDR technology), is not the only innovation implemented on board the smartphone. The XZ2 generation received a case with slightly smoothed corners, a convex back cover, and the fingerprint scanner in it moved from the right side face to the back panel.

The "Compact" still holds the laurels of the most powerful of the "kids". Confirmation of what has been said is a high-performance bundle of a top-end Snapdragon 845 chip, Adreno 630 graphics and 4 GB of RAM. She is able to turn all current applications at maximum settings, without worrying about possible frame rate subsidence even in the most "heavy" games. As an "operating system", the smartphone uses the latest version of Android Oreo with an index of 8.1.

Sony retains conservative views on the design of cameras in the equipment of its devices. Therefore, Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact got a single main photo module, which does not make it less interesting. In addition to high-quality photographing and recording 4K video in HDR, the camera can completely freeze motion in the frame (videos are written in FullHD format at speeds up to 960 fps). Also, both smartphone cameras (both the main one at 19 MP, and a modest front-facing camera with a resolution of 5 MP) can be used for 3D scanning of objects and subsequent creation of their virtual models.

The differences between the compact version of the smartphone from the classic Sony Xperia XZ2 are the lack of support for wireless charging technology and the advanced Dynamic Vibration System vibration motor (unfortunately, there was no place for it). Otherwise, the "kid" is completely identical to the older brother, including as for fast battery charging and IP68 protection. The model should be preferred, if only because there are simply no other mini-flagships on the market (with the exception of the Apple iPhone SE) and previous generations of the Xperia Compact series).

Putting the classic "eight" from Nokia and the model with the fashionable Sirocco prefix in one row, it will be impossible to determine the kinship between the two devices, because in fact two radically different smartphones appear in front of us in terms of appearance.

The frameless execution style gives the premium version of Nokia 8 a special charm. The limitless display is bent on the side faces of the body of the device, the thickness of which in the thinnest place is only 2 mm. In general, the thickness of the body of the model is 7.5 mm. Despite the frameless form factor, the proportions of the display remained the same (16:9), respectively, it retained the standard resolution (800x1440 pixels). The screen is built on the basis of a progressive P-OLED matrix, covered over with Gorilla Glass 5 protective glass.

Similarities with the firstborn of the eighth series are concentrated inside the smartphone. So, the heart of the Sirocco modification is the flagship Snapdragon 835 chip, supplemented with 6 GB of RAM and Adreno 540 graphics. Even if this is not the top bundle at the time of the announcement, however, its performance reserves will be enough for more than one year in a row. But the front camera, in comparison with an ordinary Nokia 8, was downgraded — instead of a 13 MP module, a photosensor with a resolution of 5 MP is installed in front (apparently in order to reduce the upper frame).

With the main camera of the Nokia 8 Sirocco, everything is at the highest level. It's not for nothing that Zeiss itself had a hand in it — an eminent German manufacturer of optics with a wealth of experience in the development of objects. The camera module combines under its wing a 12 MP matrix with the usual focal length and a 13 MP TV speaker (aperture f/1.7 and f/2.6, respectively). The first "eye" is affected by the optical image stabilization system. There was a place under the camera for a nimble fingerprint scanner.

This is not the end of the wide list of "goodies" that have found application on board the smartphone. In addition, the model has received support for technologies for fast and wireless charging of the battery with a capacity of 3260 mAh, as well as dust and water protection of the case according to the IP67 standard. However, for the sake of the latter, I had to sacrifice the presence of a 3.5mm audio jack. Against the background of the mass rejection of audio output by other players in the field of smartphone construction and the development of a detachment of wireless headphones, this shortcoming can be safely ignored.

The model with the S prefix, shown to the public as part of the MWC-2018 exhibition, has retained full continuity in design and technical characteristics with the usual LG V30 (only the volumes of RAM and permanent memory have grown to 6 and 128 GB, respectively). At the same time, the smartphone has received its share of significant updates related to the introduction of artificial intelligence into the device.

The LG V30S ThinQ uses Vision AI and Voice AI technologies. The first is responsible for expanding the capabilities of the camera, and the second is responsible for implementing new ways of user interaction with the gadget through voice commands. The Vision AI kit includes a trinity of functions: AI CAM analyzes objects in the frame and selects the optimal settings for photographing various subjects (portrait, landscape, city, sunrise, sunset, food, pets, flowers), Bright Mode — improves picture quality in low light conditions, and QLens — is used to scan QR codes. The latter function tells you where you can buy the item of interest cheaper and gives recommendations on its closest analogues.

The front panel of the device is occupied by a widescreen 6-inch display with a newfangled aspect ratio of 18:9. The picture on it is displayed in a high resolution of 2880x1440 pixels, support for the extended dynamic range of HDR10 is also announced. The screen is built on the basis of an OLED matrix, thanks to which date, time and notification icons are displayed on it in a locked state without compromising battery charge. By the way, its tanks with a total capacity of 3300 mAh are filled with energy both by wireless technology and by fast charging.

"Under the hood" of the smartphone, a powerful Snapdragon 835 processor, inherited from the LG V30, is working hard. In addition, the model with the letter S in the name inherited a paired bundle of 16 MP conventional and 13 MP wide-angle cameras. The front—end of the gadget is much simpler — a 5-megapixel photo module is assigned to its role. Another important plus is the water protection of the smartphone case according to the IP68 standard. In the sum of all the advantages, the LG V30S becomes a worthy rival to all current flagships that have something to draw attention to their person.

All the characteristics of the flagship of the 2018 model from Samsung were known long before its announcement, which does not diminish the importance of the smartphone and its superiority over the vast majority of peers.

The "Nine" with the Plus prefix is an uncompromising solution, on board of which almost all modern developments in smartphone construction are combined. Judge for yourself, a powerful "filling" based on the Exynos 9810 chipset is hiding under an external suit of metal and glass (in versions for some regions, the Snapdragon 845 performs the role of the processor), the device has acquired sufficient memory volumes (4/64 GB), and progressive ways of identifying the owner of the gadget by fingerprint are put on guard to protect personal data from unauthorized access fingers, the iris of the eye and the face.

The SuperAMOLED display of the device with beveled side faces deserves no less respect. The screen is notable for its huge resolution (2960x1440 pixels) and the ability to display date, time and notification icons on a regular basis. From above, the display is "under the cover" of Gorilla Glass 5 protective glass. The protection of the galaxy from dust and water is also marked IP68, which did not prevent the smartphone from being equipped with a 3.5mm audio output for connecting headphones.

Perhaps the strongest side of the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus are photo and video capabilities. For the first time in the line, the smartphone has got a paired main camera, and for each of the modules in its composition (conventional and portrait), its own optical image stabilizer is provided. The most interesting is a sensor with a traditional focal length (27 mm), the "chip" of which is a variable aperture — it can vary between the values of f/ 1.5 and f/ 2.4. An open aperture is better suited for shooting in low light conditions, and at a covered value it is possible to achieve maximum frame detail during the day. In addition, the model has learned to shoot super-slow videos at speeds up to 960 fps (as implemented in Sony smartphones). However, recording with such a frequency lasts only 0.2 seconds.

AR Emoji technology is integrated into the camera application — an analogue of the Apple iPhone X animoji, with the only difference that it is not an animated smiley, but a 3D character similar to a photo that is being created. In addition, the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus finally "brought" stereo sound. Other attributes of a modern smartphone — fast and wireless charging, NFC chip equipment and other "buns" — can not be mentioned at all, because they have long been taken for granted in a flagship smartphone.