After 2020’s disappointing Galaxy S20 Ultra, Samsung has finally earned the name with a follow-up that delivers almost everything you could want from an Android flagship – admittedly at a price that only a few can afford, and in a form factor that will simply be too big for some.

The camera is now probably the best in any phone, with a 108Mp main shooter backed up by an ultrawide and two telephoto lenses at different zoom levels.

The expansive 6.8in display delivers both high WQHD+ resolution and adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz, and with new S-pen stylus support it comfortably fills the productivity niche of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra too.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review

The Oppo Find X3 Pro is a phenomenal phone by any measure. The 6.7in 10-bit 120Hz QHD+ panel is one of the best displays in any phone right now and Oppo backs it up with 65W wired and 30W wireless charging, a 4500mAh battery, and a top-tier camera that boasts 50Mp sensors on both the main and ultrawide lenses.

You’ll have to live without a periscopic zoom lens – the telephoto here is a measly 2x zoom – but Oppo instead includes a novel microlens camera capable of microscopic super-closeups. That’s not the only oddity, as the design itself is utterly unique thanks to a seamlessly sloped camera module built right into the glass of the phone’s body.

For pure performance the Find X3 Pro is also hard to beat, with all of the above plus a Snapdragon 888 chip, 512GB storage and 12GB RAM. You just have to be willing to pay the price, as it doesn’t come cheap.

Read our full Oppo Find X3 Pro review

Don’t think of the S21 as a poor man’s S21 Ultra – Samsung has used its regular flagship to strike the same superb balancing act that it struck with last year’s Galaxy S20 and updated the hardware.

As a result, you get some of the best performance found in an Android phone currently, a fresh new design, great battery life, the latest Android 11 (dressed in Samsung’s own One UI 3.1, at launch) and integrated 5G – all in a compact form factor.

Best of all, all this comes in a more affordable package than its predecessor, though you can always pay a little more for the larger S21+ if you prefer.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S21 review

The Xiaomi Mi 11 is a rock-solid performer thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset, which comes paired with 8GB RAM and plenty of storage.

Throw in a WQHD+ 120Hz AMOLED display (quad-curved, no less), 108Mp rear camera, and 55W fast-charging paired with 50W wireless charging, and you can see that the Mi 11 won’t be beaten for specs at its price.

There are minor downsides – you won’t get an IP rating, there’s no telephoto camera, and Xiaomi’s MIUI software still has room for improvement. But if pure performance is what you’re looking for, then look no further.

Read our full Xiaomi Mi 11 review

OnePlus’s affordable phone is an absolute treasure, powered by Qualcomm’s solid mid-range 5G-capable chip, the Snapdragon 765G.

The Nord also totes a 90Hz AMOLED display, a great primary 48Mp camera and solid 30W fast charging.

Software-wise, the company’s OxygenOS user experience is also a major highlight – bringing responsive interactivity and a clean interface to the table that lends itself to the phone’s powerful, premium feel.

Read our full OnePlus Nord review

Google’s first 5G flagship walks a different path to its predecessors, showcasing Android 11 to the best of its abilities but also shedding the more experimental features of previous generations and opting for more conservative hardware at the same time.

Its clean design and user experience are supported by a set of superb – and now more feature-rich – cameras, as well as an incredibly compact design and battery life that’s actually usable.

Read our full Google Pixel 5 review

Xiaomi’s Poco X3 NFC packs in an absurdly impressive spec sheet for such a low price, giving the most power per pound of any phone out there.

You get a 120Hz LCD display, 2-day battery life, and top-tier gaming performance from the Snapdragon 732G chipset. Even the camera is unexpectedly decent, with a solid 64Mp main lens joined by a 13Mp ultrawide and 20Mp selfie shooter.

It’s only 4G, and you’ll have to put up with the fact that it’s big and bulky, with a design that’s sure to be divisive. But when you get this much power for this little, you can’t really complain.

Read our full Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC review

The Galaxy Z Flip isn’t a perfect phone. It’s expensive, there are only two main camera lenses, and the fingerprint sensor sucks.

Price aside (especially since you can find it for less now), these are minor quibbles, however, and even while this may not be the best phone we used in 2020, it’s still one of our favourites. With the Z Flip, Samsung has nailed the compact foldable form factor, and by comparison, every other 2020 flagship felt ungainly and oversized.

This phone looks great, offers solid performance and flagship features, and is just plain cool. Most people probably shouldn’t spend this much on a phone, but if you can afford to then nothing else right now can match the Z Flip.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Flip review

The Redmi Note 10 Pro is one of the best phones you can buy at its price point, with Xiaomi delivering exceptional value for money.

Highlights here start with the stunning screen, offering AMOLED technology and a 120Hz refresh rate, and continue with an excellent set of cameras. The headline is a 108Mp whopper which is backed up by a reasonable ultra-wide and a surprisingly decent telemacro.

Core specs are decent, hinging on the Snapdragon 732G to ensure smooth performance. However, the Redmi Note 10 Pro doesn’t support 5G, which might be a deal breaker.

MIUI is also a downside with its overly complex interface that’s simply not as stylish or easy to use as many rivals – even if you can make it a lot better than default with some tweaking.

Read our full Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro review

The OnePlus 8T is no longer the company’s latest core phone, but we’d still recommend this older model over the more recent OnePlus 9, which admittedly offers a stronger chipset and faster charging, but costs more, is bigger and bulkier, and suffers from an inconsistent camera.

The 8T is cheaper than its follow-up, yet still sports a smooth 120Hz refresh rate display and blisteringly fast 65W fast charging.

Perhaps most importantly it runs OnePlus’s OxygenOS 11 user experience, still the best Android software out there.

Read our full OnePlus 8T review