Android smartphones worth the iPhone 12 Pro challenge today
Apple's iPhone 12 Pro, like its brothers in the new line-up and the ones in the past years, has created a new allegiance with fanboys. This particular iPhone is not at the extreme ends of the range – but is one of the iPhone's you should be buying for its appealing design, LiDAR and telephoto upgrade, Dolby Vision HDR recording, stainless steel frame, and 5G capability at a competitive price tag. The iPhone 12 Pro is not just pushing boundaries with its captivating design but is also proving its mettle in testing waters.
The smartphone just recently outperformed Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra – the fastest reckoned Android phones on the market. A real-life smartphone speed test revealed the Galaxy S20 Ultra with 12GB RAM and Qualcomm's flagship Snapdragon 865+ chipset was unmatchable to the speeds of the iPhone 12 Pro's A14 Bionic SoC and half the RAM. Apple has been often criticized over memory management issues but it seems this time the Cupertino giant has done things right.
Some of us can argue, the new iPhones year on year are faster than the Android flagships, but the latter have always outfoxed the iPhones with their greater memory that facilitates multitasking. Speaking of Android options, there are many choices in this side of the smartphone hemisphere where some neat performers are equally stylish and dependable to compete with the iPhone 12 Pro. Here are some fierce opponents you can juggle between before nailing down the device you're going to land this Black Friday.
Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus
Surely, the Galaxy S20 Ultra is bigger and meaner in comparison to Galaxy S20 Plus but it also comes with a $1,400 sticker. It's therefore the latter that deserves a share of recognition as a better-fit substitute to the iPhone 12 Pro. Galaxy S20 Plus has been overshadowed by the colossal Ultra moniker on one side and the more affordable and better sized (6.2-inch) Galaxy S20 on the other in the trio of Samsung flagship S series. With its 6.7-inch AMOLED display and 5G mmWave support, the Galaxy S20 Plus retails at $1,199 for the starting 128GB variant – iPhone 12 Pro is $200 short of that figure for the same memory configuration.
You can scale up to 512GB on both the phones – additional $150 for that on the Samsung device. Galaxy S20 Plus has a larger (4,500mAh) battery than the iPhone 12 Pro and includes an impressive 120Hz screen, which is excellent for lag-free graphics-intensive gameplay and watching videos; word of caution – high refresh rates as these can lead to shallower battery performance. Just like the iPhone 12 Pro, the Galaxy S20 Plus has a triple rear camera setup with time-of-flight sensor for enriched low light photography, something the iPhone 12 Pro does fairly well.
OnePlus 8T
If you've been on the OnePlus 8 Pro, or wanting to have it, there is no big reason to overturn your decision in favor of the latest OnePlus flagship the 8T. It's arguable not a flashy upgrade but a good opponent to the iPhone 12 Pro for all the right reasons. Here you get a flat panel 6.55-inch Fluid AMOLED display with 120Hz image refresh rate. OnePlus 8T has a Snapdragon 865 processor under the hood, which by no means is as quick as the A14 Bionic but is amid the top-of-the-line chips available for Android users at the moment.
OnePlus 8T has 5G capability limited to low bands – no mmWave and it comes in two memory variants 8GB RAM + 128GB and 12GB RAM + 256GB (priced $749) – you get UFS 3.1 internal storage on both. Released with Oxygen OS 11 built on Android 11 right out of the box, the smartphone promises an ultra-smooth and feature-packed experience. OnePlus flagship camera setup is not impressive as on the iPhone 12 Pro but it's decent enough for everyday perfection you'd desire. The 4,500mAh battery with 65W fast charging is a facet that would bend some heads in this guy's favor.
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
If you're in the US, you're missing out on this one heck of a powerhouse that steals the show with its wonderful triple camera setup in the "space ring" – circular configuration. Topping the camera array with a 50MP primary snapper, the Mate 40 Pro is impressive with low-light photography and a choice unparalleled for wide-angle aficionados. Huawei's flagship comes in a 6.76-inch display, which lacks 120Hz refresh rates, topping out at 90Hz instead, but it sure has the company's best chipset inside. Powering the guts is a 5nm Kirin 9000 processor that definitely presents cut-throat competition to the iPhone 12 Pro's chipset.
Despite all the power and strength, software niggles really pull this one down to the ground for once – No Google Android apps and Play Store – but like a true warrior, Mate 40 Pro rubs the dust off and stands on its EMUI 11 that delivers no short of a fluid experience. To spice things up, the Huawei offering comes with M-Pen 2 and its 4,200mAh battery supports 66W SuperCharge. Mate 40 starts slightly expensive, in relation to iPhone 12 Pro, at $1,050 for an 8GB RAM + 128GB storage configuration and also comes in 256GB version.
Asus ROG Phone 3
iPhone 12 Pro has been ranking in most gaming phone lists in the tech circle, in fact, we had it in our gaming phones faceoff. So if you are willing to stretch your bounds and foray into the gaming phone arena, the mightier Asus ROG Phone 3 is worth a shot. Yes, there will be some compromises on the camera front but otherwise, the ROG Phone 3 is packed with best in class features and tops many Android flagships with its specs. It is powered by Snapdragon 865+ and has a 6.59-inch OLED display with 144Hz image refresh rate.
If that's not lucrative enough, it comes with 6,000mAh battery sporting fast charge – the phone is also 5G enabled. The squared-off rear camera module comprising a triple-lens setup doesn't have anything impressive or glamorous to show but as a gamer, you can bank on the AirTriggers on the edge of the phone. The ROG Phone 3 starts at $1,000 for 12GB RAM + 128GB UFS 3.1 ROM storage, which goes up to 16GB + 512GB configuration. It comes with a great collection of accessories and peripherals for gaming – excited?