In this day and age, life isn’t going to be convenient without a powerful smartphone. You will need a smartphone for just about everything in your life, from navigating through an unfamiliar street to keeping in touch with your loved ones and even for work. Also, for most of us, smartphones double as the go-to cameras that make it easy to share moments of our lives with our loved ones! With the rise of social media, having a smartphone with a powerful camera is all the more important. So, in 2023, it makes good sense to invest in a powerful phone that won’t slow you down and will keep up with all your needs and even beyond! So, as it is the beginning of a new year and the right time to upgrade your smartphone, we have put together a list of the best smartphones you can get today in UAE to help you decide to choose your next phone!
HUAWEI Mate50 Pro
Huawei really pushed the boundaries of smartphone aesthetics with the HUAWEI Mate50 Pro. The phone combines the iconic symmetrical Space Ring design with an elegant touch of Clous de Paris step-patterned embossing, which creates an intricate yet subtle texture. Looking past the style, there are plenty of futuristic innovations under the hood as well. For one, the Ultra Aperture XMAGE Camera system on the HUAWEI Mate50 Pro brings some groundbreaking upgrades. The multi-size variable aperture design of its optical system features a 10-size adjustable physical aperture that uses six aperture blades. Given that the camera has a large F1.4 aperture, coupled with the XD Fusion Pro, the HUAWEI Mate50 Pro gives you unmatched low-light capability.
The front of the HUAWEI Mate50 Pro is protected by the Ultra-reliable Kunlun Glass that boosts the drop resistance of the phone by 10 times. The Kunlun Glass coating with its 10 quadrillion-level nanocrystals significantly boosts durability and makes the HUAWEI Mate50 Pro the first smartphone ever to garner the five-star glass drop resistance certification from Switzerland’s SGS. Underneath the Kunlun Glass is a stunning display with 2K resolution that supports the P3 wide colour gamut and a refresh rate of 120 Hz.
HUAWEI Mate50 Pro packs a 4700 mAh battery and supports 66W wired and 50W wireless fast charging to strike an optimal balance between battery life, fast charging, and portability. While the battery is large enough to sustain heavy usage, the innovative low-battery Emergency Mode gets activated when the battery level falls to 1% to extend the battery life further. In the low-battery Emergency Mode, the phone can support 3-hour standby or 12 minutes of calling.
iPhone 14 Pro
Except for the slightly larger camera module and the new pill-shaped cut out on the front, the iPhone 14 Pro looks almost the same as the iPhone 13 Pro. However, the pill-shaped cutout that houses the front-facing camera and Face ID is a refreshing update. Along with the new design comes the Dynamic Island interface, which is basically a new way to view and interact with notifications. The iPhone 14 Pro features a 6.1-inch 120 Hz ProMotion display that supports always-on display and is protected by Apple’s Ceramic Sheild. The implementation of the always-on-display on the iPhone 14 Pro is a bit unique.
Another big change is in the camera department. This year, the main camera comes with a 48MP sensor instead of the 12MP sensor that has been the standard for iPhones for the past six years, starting with the iPhone 6s. That being said, the images snapped by the main camera are still 12MP by default, although it lets you take 48MP ProRAW images if you fancy more flexibility during editing. The ultrawide and telephoto cameras continue to use 12MP sensors. And you might find the 3 times optical zoom of the telephoto camera helpful when taking portraits.
Unlike the non-pro models, the iPhone 14 Pro features the new A16 Bionic chipset. Interestingly, the A16 Bionic is only available in the Pro models this year. As always, Apple doesn’t advertise the battery size of the iPhone 14 Pro. Nor does Apple advertise the wired charging speeds of iPhones. However, the iPhone 14 Pro supports 15W MagSafe wireless charging and 7.5W Qi wireless charging.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 follows a more traditional folding design with a 7.8” main screen that folds inwards like a book. However, the crease in the middle is quite visible as a result. There is also a second smaller 6.5” screen on the outside with a tall 23.1:9 aspect ratio. The phone takes advantage of its large screen with some cool multitasking features, like the Taskbar that helps switch between apps easily. Compared to last year’s Galaxy Z Fold3, which weighed 271g, the Galaxy Z Fold4 is lighter at 263g.
Samsung Galaxy Fold4 has a 50MP main camera, a 10MP telephoto camera, and a 12MP ultra-wide. The telephoto lens gives you a 3x zoom. It also has a 4MP under-display camera as well as a 10MP selfie camera on the cover display. Besides, you can also take selfies with the 50MP main camera using the outside screen as the viewfinder.
Galaxy Z Fold4, on the other hand, has a battery with a capacity of 4400mAh and a wired charging speed of 25W. It also supports 15W wireless charging. Here, the HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 clearly dominates with a bigger battery and faster wired charging speed.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4
The fourth generation of Galaxy Z Flip has seen some refinement over its predecessor. Although it is still simple and functional, there are some new colours to choose from this time around. The 6.7-inch main display is just as good as any other Samsung flagship, with a refresh rate of 120Hz. The 1.9-inch rectangular cover screen is great for glancing at your notifications. You can also use the cover screen for simple tasks like controlling music and smart home devices, accessing Samsung Wallets, and the like.
Speaking of cameras, there are two on the rear and one in front. The rear cameras consist of 12MP wide and 12MP ultrawide shooters. And there is the 10MP selfie camera. The phone’s folding form factor allows for some interesting use cases for the front-facing camera, which Samsung calls the FlexCam. Besides, you can shoot selfies with the primary camera using the cover screen as the viewfinder.
The Galaxy Flip4 comes with a 3700mAh battery that supports up to 25W wired charging. Even though This is a considerable improvement from the previous year’s model, there is still room for improvement.
HUAWEI MateXs 2
HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 has raised the bar for folding phones with its unique Double-rotating Falcon Wing Hinge Design. The key benefit of this is that the screen stays flat and smooth as a mirror when opened, bringing you an immersive experience without any crease to take your attention away. The phone is also incredibly light at just 255g. The use of a Composite Screen helps absorb shocks and improves the phone’s resistance to impact, crushing or drops.
From a flagship of this calibre, one would naturally expect flagship-level cameras. Well, the True-Chroma Camera System of the HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 is arguably one of the best sets of cameras you can find in a foldable phone. It comes with a 50MP True-Chroma Camera for capturing true-to-life colours. The unique Mirror Shooting smart function also allows you to preview shots in real time through the digital viewfinder of the camera on both screens simultaneously.
Besides the improvements in physical design, HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 also brings a more refined user experience. It adopts the brand-new dynamic folding visual effect. The upgraded Smart Multi-Window function brings easier interactions and higher efficiency, whereas the Split-screen function supports using two applications in parallel to improve efficiency and free operation. Furthermore, You get an expansive 7.8-inch True-Chroma Foldable Display with an aspect ratio of 8:7.1 HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 when unfolded. When folded, the HUAWEI Mate Xs 2 looks and feels like a regular phone and is easier to grip with a much more modes display area of 6.5 inches with a 19:9 display ratio, which is a familiar size and form factor.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
The Galaxy S22 Ultra is different from the rest of the Galaxy S22 Series in many ways. Most importantly, the Galaxy S22 Ultra marks the merging of the Galaxy Note Series and the Galaxy S Series. Another major difference from all the other Galaxy S series phones is that Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with a built-in S Pen that the Note Series was known for. The shift is also visible in the aesthetics of the phone with curved sides and a gently curved display in contrast to the boxier designs of Galaxy S22 and S22+.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra features a vivid and bright 6.8-inch display with a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate for fluid scrolling. The screen has also gotten brighter, with a new peak brightness level of 1750 nits. This will make it easier for users to use the phone under strong sunlight. Additionally, gamers would appreciate the 240Hz touch sampling rate.
The Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with a 108MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide, a 10MP 3X telephoto, and another 10MP 10X telephoto. Samsung has made some improvements to its image processing system. The new night mode, which Samsung calls Nightography, promises improved low-light performance. Featuring a flagship chipset and Samsung’s One UI interface, Galaxy S22 Ultra offers some productivity tools that take advantage of the built-in S Pen.
The phone packs a large 5,000 mAH battery that should last you more than a day under normal use. Moreover, it also supports 45W charging, an improvement over the 25W charging in the Galaxy S21 Ultra. According to Samsung, you can charge it up from 0 to 50% in 20 minutes, which is around 10 minutes quicker than the S21 Ultra. But keep in mind that the charger does not come with the phone.
HUAWEI P50 Pocket
The HUAWEI P50 Pocket is a stunning, foldable phone. It employs a Multi-Dimensional Hinge that allows the phone to achieve a seamless fold in an ultra-slim form factor. Moreover, this allows the phone to stay lightweight and have a durable build. The immersive 6.9-inch fully flat screen that has a 120Hz high refresh rate is as good as it sounds. The phone comes in two dreamy colourways: White and Premium Gold. On the back of the white version is an elaborate 3D micro-sculpture pattern giving it a shimmer when light hits it.
Its camera system comprises a 40MP True-Chroma Camera, a 13MP Ultra Wide Angle Camera, a 32MP Ultra Spectrum Camera, a 10-Channel Multi-Spectrum Sensor and an Ultra Spectrum illuminator. Pictures taken with the phone are true to life and rich with details. The HUAWEI P50 Pocket also has exceptional low light capabilities. The rear camera portrait selfie algorithm allows you to take full advantage of its folding form factor and take superior, more atmospheric selfies with the primary camera.
The Ultra Spectrum Camera lets users capture images with accurate colours as they see with their eyes, while the Ultra Spectrum Fluorescence Photography feature allows them to capture details that are even unseen by the human eye. The HUAWEI P50 Pocket also introduces Sunscreen detection. Using the Mirror app, you can see the spread of sunscreen over the skin and find out any spots that you missed to avoid getting sunburnt. Last but not least, the phone packs a 4,000 mAh battery and supports the 40W HUAWEI SuperCharge for effortless, high-speed charging.
Conclusion
The HUAWEI Mate50 Pro has broken new ground in terms of design and camera performance. Therefore, it is the phone to go for if you are looking for a flagship camera experience. The iPhone 14 Pro is a great choice for those already in Apple’s ecosystem. Currently, the Galaxy S22 Ultra is the greatest of the Galaxy S series. It also comes with the added benefit of a stylus. When it comes to foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Flip4, Galaxy Z Fold4, and HUAWEI P50 Pocket have their own unique strengths. While the Galaxy Fold4 provides a large screen, the HUAWEI P50 Pocket and Galaxy Z Flip4 are much easier to carry around. The HUAWEI P50 Pocket is also a milestone in smartphone design featuring stunning and intricate patterns making it look like a work of art.
