The past year saw European customers have their pick of some of the best smartphones we have ever seen. With new screen technology, faster processors, more RAM and much better cameras, smartphones took another leap in the past year. Now it is time to look at the best smartphones of the past year, given we are about to see even more improvements in 2019!

iPhone Xs

The iPhone is always mentioned in a list of the best smartphones, for good reason. Apple did another stellar job on their flagship device, improving on the X they had released in the past year.

It has a high resolution OLED screen, delivering incredible blacks and great color contrast. It is also perfect for viewing in sunlight. And the camera is the best one we have seen on an iPhone, with a great portrait mode and other useful features.

iOS 12 is also an improvement on the software side, with many users reporting improved performance on their devices. If you have the latest iPhone and iOS 12, you can expect to have no issues or stutters where performance is concerned.

Galaxy Note 9

Samsung has outdone itself in the past few years. There was a time when enthusiasts would complain about the software being laggy and not providing good enough longevity. But Samsung phones are now the ones you would expect to last the longest, along with iPhones.

The Note 9 is a huge phone that requires two hands to use properly. But it also has a stylus, a gorgeous 1440p OLED screen, a battery that will last all day for heavy users, and other great features. You can get up to 8GB of RAM, giving you a future proof phone that will last for years.

OnePlus 6

Those who want a budget device but still desire flagship specs will love the OnePlus 6. It is a device that can be found for less than 500 euros in most instances, which puts it at significantly less money than Samsung and Apple’s best devices that we mentioned above.

The only downside to the OnePlus 6 is the camera. It is not as good as other flagship devices. In all other areas, you are getting battery life, performance and longevity that is a rival to phones that are a few hundred dollars more expensive.

Pixel 3

While Google did not impress with the specs for this device, only giving us 4GB of RAM and storage that is just about good enough, they did add some great features to their latest smartphone.

The camera is where the Pixel 3 wins over the competition. It has software that allows you to take wonderful pictures in the day and night time. It may be a single camera on the back, but it has a Night Sight mode that will blow away any other phone’s pictures when it is dark.