Smartphones: we’re spoilt for

IT COMES DOWN TO COMPARISON OF FEATURES, BRAND PREFERENCE AND OVERALL DESIGN Three new namebrand phones mean anyone in the market for a mid-to-highend smartphone has something to suit them.

Afew months ago, only two phone brands were on the lips of consumers in the market for a new high-end smartphone. It seemed a straight choice between Apple and its iPhone X or 8 Plus, and Samsung with its Note 8 and Galaxy S9+.

But the rivals refuse to be written off. In the past month, three powerful new contendors have arrived in South Africa.

The Huawei P20 Pro, Sony Xperia XZ2 and Nokia 7 plus have all thrown their frames into the ring of high-end features, although not always at high-end prices.

This means customers are spoiled for choice, and it comes down to comparison of features, along with issues like brand preference and design appeal. The Sony XZ2 uses LTE-A, the ultimate 4G standard, and claims a 1.2 Gigabit per second maximum speed. However, this is purely theoretical, as no mobile network in South Africa allows for anywhere close to that. The Nokia 7 plus is also an LTE-A phone, but claims “only” 300 Mbps, which is theoretically possible on a network like RAIN. The Huawei P20 Pro is the slow-coach of the three, with basic LTE, offering a “mere” 150 Mbps, the theoretical maximum offered by Telkom Mobile.

Any of these speeds are, in reality, still blazing fast. The Huawei P20 pro has the largest display and screen-to-body ratio at 6.1 inches and 82% respectively. The Nokia 7 plus is close, with a 6.0 inch display and 77.2% screen-to-body ratio. In comparison, the Sony XZ2 is positively small, with a 5.7 inch display and 76.1% screen-to-body ratio, due to large bezels around the screen, despite similar body dimensions.

Because the phone is heavier despite a smaller display, this gives the impression of it being a lower-end phone than it really is.

In terms of display quality, the Huawei P20 Pro takes the lead