The best smartphones with waterproof housing

People who are not too often interested in the news of mobile gadgets may be slightly confused by the presence of Sony products in the tops of the best smartphones. The fact is that at the turn of the decade, things were not going well for the company, and only the most devoted Sony fans wore angular Xperia smartphones at the price of an iPhone. However, in recent years, the Japanese have returned to the game, releasing several interesting flagships, sub-flagships and strong mid-rangers. Released in May 2023, the Sony Xperia 10 V falls into the latter category.

This is a modern smartphone costing around 14,000 hryvnia with almost top-level equipment. It is equipped with an OLED screen with HDR support and Gorilla Glass Victus protection, the smartphone supports fast charging, the camera is equipped with optical stabilization, and the body weighs only 159 grams and boasts IP68 water resistance. As for hardware, fast UFS 3.0 class memory is used as storage, and the Snapdragon 695 processor, although not top-level, will not be so easy to slow down.

The phone is IP68 water and dust resistant and has a 3.5mm audio jack, something you don't see often these days. Also worth noting is Sony's minimalistic interface, based on Android 13, with some additional features such as Side Sense for improved multitasking. Despite the standard 5000 mAh capacity, the battery unexpectedly surprised with its endurance, lasting almost 30 hours in web surfing mode and 16 hours in video mode. On the downside, the camera is worth noting: video shooting is clearly not the Sony Xperia 10 V's strong point, and the camera suffers from a lack of detail and exposure in low light conditions.

Note 13 Pro Plus is the most advanced smartphone in the history of the Xiaomi Redmi sub-brand, which has a couple of interesting features that are more common for smartphones costing more than 20 thousand hryvnia. We are talking about a 200-megapixel camera with an optical stabilization system, a high-quality 120 Hz OLED screen with rounded edges, gaming hardware and a high-quality body with IP68 water resistance, as well as Gorilla Glass Victus protective glass.

Xiaomi has created a really interesting smartphone at the intersection of the mid-class and premium segments, which can easily handle heavy games (thanks to the Dimensity 7200 Ultra processor, 12 GB of RAM and GameTurbo mode), looks modern, and impresses with the quality of the screen and charging time. The 120-watt charger can charge a smartphone from 0 to 100% charge in just 18 minutes. The triple camera is also on point, and the optical stabilization helps a lot in low light conditions or when shooting with long shutter speeds. If we compare the camera with market leaders, photographs even in good lighting lack detail, and graininess clearly appears in photographs taken with zoom.

In terms of minuses, Xiaomi’s usual shell is loaded with advertising and pre-installed software, as well as quality issues, since even the company’s most expensive smartphones can start to glitch and break down in a couple of years. Almost 17 thousand hryvnia is a considerable amount; sub-flagships of the Google Pixel, OnePlus, Motorola Edge level are usually located in this price segment. Add a couple thousand hryvnia on top and you can find an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S of previous generations.

The Motorola brand has grown noticeably over the past couple of years: the company's smartphones began to appear more often in reviews with good ratings, people began to pay attention to them, and many budget phones and mid-level models began to actively crowd out inexpensive Chinese models. But with more expensive smartphones it didn’t work out very well. At least until now, until the sub-flagship Motorola Edge 50 Pro was released, costing around 20,000 hryvnia, which corrected all the shortcomings of its predecessor Edge 40 Pro.

For starters, the 6.7-inch 144Hz OLED screen with Pantone certification looks impressive, although some users are unaccustomed to complaining about an overabundance of colors. Motorola boasts that Pantone specialists have adjusted both the camera and the display so that the color rendering strictly matches the color palette of the same name, which has been used for decades in graphic design, clothing design, printing, etc. The triple main camera has also improved. The main camera (50 MP, f/1.4) provides detailed and bright photos with good dynamic range and without excessive sharpness like the Edge 40 Pro, and the wide-angle (13 MP, f/2.2, 120 °) feels much better in daylight. but has difficulty in low light.

As for hardware, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor and 12 GB of RAM correspond to its category, but for the drive I would like faster UFS 3.1 memory. instead of UFS 2.2. Although it cannot be said that the smartphone works slowly with files. In addition to the screen and camera, the HelloUI shell based on Android 14, polished almost to perfection, a waterproof case (IP68), a USB C 3.2 gen1 port with DisplayPort support and 125-watt charging, which will be enough for a full cycle, will be enough for 18 minutes, deserve praise. Plus, the combination of a rounded display and an ultra-thin 8mm body looks solid, and different textures and colors for the rear panel expand the choice.

Initially, Samsung Galaxy A smartphones acted as strong state employees, striving to offer the most for their money. However, in recent years, the Korean giant has upped the ante, pumping up the Series A to almost flagship levels. For example, the Samsung Galaxy A55, presented at the beginning of 2024, is similar in characteristics to the Galaxy S of the generation before last: fast hardware, impact-resistant glass at the level of the iPhone 15, a modern triple camera with optical stabilization and improved night photography, Samsung Knox Vault data protection and IP67 water resistance.

Galaxy A55 features a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2340x1080 pixels and a refresh rate of 120Hz. This ensures smooth scrolling and an improved content experience. The screen supports HDR10+. The cameras provide good image quality in bright light and acceptable results in low light thanks to the improved night mode. The 32 MP front camera takes high-quality selfies with good detail and natural colors. And the Exynos 1480 processor with 8 GB of RAM easily copes with any work tasks and games, although it is inferior in performance to flagship processors from Apple and Snapdragon.

Against this background, the price is somewhat confusing. After competing with Xiaomi, OPPO and other Chinese brands, Samsung raised the price again, setting a price tag of almost 19,000 hryvnia for the Galaxy A55. Yes, it's a great smartphone, but it doesn't offer anything extraordinary compared to its competitors, doesn't stand out visually, and doesn't boast the advanced AI features of the Galaxy series. In general, for 19,000 hryvnia this is clearly too much; if the price drops to 14,000 - 15,000, then Motorola, Xiaomi, Poco, OnePlus and the rest will have a serious competitor.

Unveiled in the fall of 2023, Google Pixel 8 is powered by the new Tensor G3 processor, which has caused mixed reactions among reviewers. On the one hand, it is noticeably inferior in speed to flagship processors from other manufacturers: 4048 points in the Geekbench benchmark against 5244 points for the Galaxy S23 and 6224 points for the iPhone 15. On the other hand, the Pixel 8 costs less than the iPhone and Galaxy S23, and its performance is sufficient for most everyday tasks, including heavy games, so it’s a matter of pure necessity.

Speaking of hardware, it should be noted that in recent years Google has stopped chasing virtual points and focused on smart functions. For example, the Pixel 8 camera, using AI algorithms, can remove unnecessary objects from the frame, change facial expressions and select the most successful takes. The Video Boost feature can make videos smoother after the fact. And the built-in assistant learned to summarize, voice and translate web pages. And this is not all the new AI products. Some of them will appear in new versions of Android in the future, while others will remain exclusive to Pixel 8.

An excellent, but not perfect smartphone from Google. If we look at the whole picture, then Google has created, although not ideal, a very successful smartphone with an excellent 6.2-inch OLED screen, high-quality stereo speakers, wireless charging and a modern dual camera. Compared to the iPhone 15 and Galaxy S23, the Pixel 8 camera stands out for its AI functions and image quality in good lighting, plus it is worth noting the upgraded optical stabilization system when shooting video. Made of metal and impact-resistant glass, the case is protected from water and dust according to the IP68 standard. The only thing missing is LTPO support so that the screen can automatically adjust the refresh rate, thereby using battery power more efficiently. Well, I would like the main charger to be more powerful.