PhoneArena Readers' Awards 2023: Samsung triumphs in multiple categories, but loses one it pioneered
Which are the very best phones in 2023?
Who said smartphone design was boring? Well, everyone kind of, but we do have a few companies pushing the boundaries. Interestingly, though, it's not the crazy ones that won, but the familiar (but slightly tweaked) design of the Galaxy S23 with those distinct cameras on the back. The sleek Motorola Razr Plus was the runner-up, and the Pixel 8 Pro ended up third.
Old phones don't have to be boring: they are cheaper now in 2023, and often times a 1-year old phone is the best deal around! This one was so close that it's really hard to name just one winner, but if we had to, that would be the iPhone 14 series, which had a very narrow lead over the Galaxy S22 series. But really, it was a tie between these two.
Okay, Genshin Impact/Call of Duty/Fortnite lovers! This is your time to select the best phone for your gaming needs, and unsurprisingly, the Asus ROG Phone 7 series won this round.
Good phones don't have to cost a small fortune in 2023, so which were the best affordable options? This was a relatively easy win for the Google Pixel 7a and we can certainly see why: it's a great phone with an impressive camera, and it now finally supports a fast refresh rate too.
Flip phones have had a big moment in 2023, but which one stole the show? Well, the popular vote went to the tried and true Galaxy Z Flip lineup, and more specifically, the latest Galaxy Z Flip 5.
Similarly foldable phones have seen a ton of innovation this year, but do we have one winner? Coming late in the year and stealing everyone's hearts was the OnePlus Open with an impressive camera system, almost no crease and a very innovative multitasking interface.
Cameras were the biggest focus of all smartphones makers as that is what sells new phones the best, so which one was the best camera phone on the market? Most of you voted for the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which stands out with the longest 10X native zoom camera on any smartphone.
There is a whole other world of exciting smartphones outside of the three popular brands we all know about, so let's give these phone makers some well-deserved recognition!
The battle for a true "flagship killer" camera system heated up in 2023, and these are the most impressive names.
It's hard to name just one, of course, there are the with outstanding design, then the fast and powerful ones, then the ones that flip and the ones that fold, the crazy ones that charge fully in under 20 minutes, the ones that you can carry as a purse, and the ones with a stylus... there were many!
So last week, we asked YOU to vote for your favorite devices of 2023 across various categories, and now the results are in! Let's take a look at the votes and see which were the big winners!
BEST INNOVATION of 2023
The most innovative new feature
This award is about innovative features rather than one particular device, and it was a heated battle, but ultimately the majority of the votes went to "flip phones with big cover screens". This was a brand new trend in 2023 and made these modern day flip phones so much more useful.
But you can see that having AI like ChatGPT on your phone was a very close second, and another runner-up was the trend of super bright phone screens that make using your phone outdoors much easier.
BEST DESIGN of 2023
The new trend setter?
BEST AGING PHONE of 2023
Last year's phones, revisited
BEST GAMING PHONE of 2023
The best one for the gaming crowd
BEST BUDGET PHONE of 2023
The budget phone that gives you most value for your money
BEST FLIP PHONE of 2023
Flip it!
Flip phones have had a big moment in 2023, but which one stole the show? Well, the popular vote went to the tried and true Galaxy Z Flip lineup, and more specifically, the latest Galaxy Z Flip 5.
BEST FOLDABLE PHONE of 2023
Fold it!
Similarly foldable phones have seen a ton of innovation this year, but do we have one winner? Coming late in the year and stealing everyone's hearts was the OnePlus Open with an impressive camera system, almost no crease and a very innovative multitasking interface.
BEST CAMERA PHONE of 2023
Camera phone of the year was...
Cameras were the biggest focus of all smartphones makers as that is what sells new phones the best, so which one was the best camera phone on the market? Most of you voted for the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which stands out with the longest 10X native zoom camera on any smartphone.
BEST SMARTPHONE of 2023
The ultimate award: best overall smartphone
Only one phone can win this award, so it's time to decide which one it is in 2023! And again, it was the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra that most of you favored. The iPhone 15 Pro series were a runner-up, and not too far behind we also had the Pixel 8 Pro at third place.
BEST INNOVATION outside the mainstream in 2023
Some very exciting things happening
The one most of you were impressed by was the trend of foldable phones with no crease, and we can certainly appreciate the innovation there too!
BEST CAMERA SYSTEM outside the mainstream in 2023
Camera systems became bigger and bad-der! Yes, we just made up that word.
It was a heated battle between the Xiaomi 13 Ultra and the Huawei P60 Pro, but ultimately, it was the Xiaomi that prevailed and gets this award.
BEST FOLDABLE PHONE outside the mainstream in 2023
Can we call this the year of the foldable?
Non-mainstream foldable phones were particularly exciting and we really enjoyed testing these devices, but which one should win the best of 2023 award?
With a big advantage over all others, it was the Oppo Find N3 Fold that won this award.
BEST SMARTPHONE outside the mainstream in 2023
Best for those who prefer the traditional form factor
Finally, it's time to recognize the ONE true "flagship killer" non mainstream phone to rule them all!
With a big lead over all others, it was the Xiaomi 13 Ultra that won this title. Well deserved and now we can't help but wonder what 2024 will bring to us!
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