Since I’m a long-time user of Google phones, some months back, I was looking forward to buying the (then unreleased) Google Pixel 4. But I haven’t done so because I stumbled upon a great deal – I found a Motorola Moto G7 Plus offered for the equivalent of just around $200 (in Europe). I knew that this phone was good even for its regular price of around $300, so I bought it.

I am currently using the Moto G7 Plus as my daily driver and I’m a bit amazed at how good it is – that is, for a $200 phone. This handset looks nice, feels good in hand, and performs well in pretty much any scenario. Granted, the cameras on the G7 Plus are nothing spectacular, but still quite good for a non-high-end phone. When I use manual mode (including RAW), I can actually take some impressive photos.

Battery life on the Moto G7 Plus could be better. On the bright side, the phone came with a Moto TurboCharger in the box, and this thing charges like crazy, going from 0% to 100% in about 45 minutes. In real life, since I almost never let the battery go down to 0%, or even under 10%, my phone usually needs half an hour or so to be fully charged. Beat that, Pixel 4!

I still plan to purchase a Google Pixel 4 at some point, because it is an impressive piece of tech – at least when it comes to photography. Until that happens, I think I’ll consider the Moto G7 Plus to be a nearly perfect mobile companion.

Georgi: OnePlus 5T

“Newer phones seem to be moving further away from perfection rather than towards it”

Aside from the month I spent using the iPhone XS and a few weeks here and there testing other phones, I’ve been using the OnePlus 5T as my daily driver. For my needs, the 5T has been as close to a perfect phone as possible and unfortunately, newer phones seem to be moving further away from perfection rather than towards it.

Here’s what I like about it:

The display. A big screen that’s not too tall, doesn’t have any notches or holes, doesn’t have any curved edges or rounded corners. In 2019 it’s pretty hard to find a phone that has just a boring rectangular as a screen.

The LED light. Different colors for different apps and even some dedicated to specific people mean that with one glance I have a pretty good idea what I’m about to find when I unlock my phone. I still don’t understand why something so small but so useful is removed from smartphones.

The headphone jack. Yes, I use it regularly.

The slim and durable body. Sure, having a large battery is nice, but with its slim profile and metal back, the OnePlus 5T feels good in the hands and is very durable.

The software. Despite being a 2017 phone, I don’t have any complaints about the performance of the 5T. It’s snappy, bloatware-free and will even receive Android 10 next year.

The fast charging. That’s nothing unique to the 5T, of course, but its fast charging has saved me from dealing with battery anxiety more than once and I’ve started to greatly appreciate this smartphone feature.

And here are some things I’m not happy about having to deal with.

The selfie camera. Yes, the main camera is also not something to rave about, which is why it’s not on the list above, but my gripe is with the selfie camera. Even though I’m not a big selfie taker, when I do have to use it, I always end up taking a few shots because they don’t come out great.

The vibrations. The vibration motor of the 5T is too weak, often causing me to miss notifications when I’m on the go. Additionally, the haptic feedback feels crude and tinny. The sensation is hard to explain with words but it’s something that you do notice in a bad way when you compare it against newer phone with better haptics.

The battery life. This has only recently become an issue for me and it’s like due to the age and use this phone has seen. The diminishing battery life is likely the reason I’ll be switching phones soon and I’m not happy about it.

Joshua: Huawei P30 Pro

“In many regards, the Huawei P30 Pro provides what several 2020 flagships are going to bring to the table”

The past twelve months have been pretty great for smartphones across all segments but the one that stands out to me is the Huawei P30 Pro.

Although I’m far from a professional photographer, I value smartphone cameras a lot because I enjoy taking photos of almost everything I see. The Huawei P30 Pro offers one of the most versatile photographic experiences out there, which is why I love it so much.

Its primary camera can shoot some amazing pictures during the day and, when the sensor’s high megapixel count is combined with Huawei’s software wizardry to enable Night Mode, this is also the case in low-light scenes. The smartphone’s ultra-wide-angle shooter is also pretty decent and the accompanying Time-of-Flight sensor helps with portrait photos. My main highlight, however, is undoubtedly the zoom camera.

Most mainstream manufacturers have settled for the usual 2x telephoto camera on their devices this year but Huawei hit the ball out of the park with an amazing 5x optical zoom implementation. It allows you to get closer than ever to buildings or objects and the results really are amazing.

In many regards, the Huawei P30 Pro provides what several 2020 flagships are going to bring to the table – a high megapixel count, an impressive Night Mode, and 5x optical zoom – despite being released a year earlier.

These days, the second most important thing in a smartphone for me is probably battery life, which is another area where Huawei’s phone excels. It easily lasts a full day on a single charge and can sometimes even be stretched to double that with light usage.

This is all backed up by an impressive 40W fast charging technology, wireless charging support, and reverse wireless charging. The latter has saved me a number of times by allowing me to charge up another device.

My final highlight has to be the phone’s performance because, like many other premium phones, it just feels nice and snappy. This aspect of things recently received a boost with the arrival of Android 10 and its accompanying gesture-based navigation system.

Milen: Samsung Galaxy S10