Mobile phones are found in almost every country in the world. Customer preferences change very quickly, and therefore the mobile market is a world of constant innovation. High resolution camera, fast processor, ease of use, stylish design - these are the important differences between the devices leading smartphone manufacturers 2018 and new developing companies. We bring you the top 10 time-tested brands that offer well-assembled, attractive-looking and highly functional devices at an affordable price.
The distribution of seats was based on the statistics of sales of smartphones in Europe and the Russian Federation for the first half of 2017 according to the International Data Corporation and customer satisfaction with product quality, research by J.D. Power.
Vendors Oppo and Vivo are not included in the list, since they are not officially sold in Russia and the CIS. However, we have included them in our ranking of Chinese smartphone manufacturers.
10. Meizu
The flagship mobile phone is the Meizu Pro 7.
The ranking of smartphone manufacturers is opened by the Chinese company Meizu, whose history began with the production of MP3 / MP4 multimedia players. Its models such as Meizu MX, Meizu E3 and MiniPlayer (M6) were quite popular due to their strong, clear sound and low price. However, since 2008, the portable player market began to experience a recession and Meizu switched to promising smartphones.
In February 2009, Meizu announced the M8 smartphone with Windows CE 6.0, but with a redesigned interface. And in 2011, the Meizu M9 entered the market with Android OS and Flyme proprietary shell. This shell was subsequently used on all Meizu devices.
In 2015, Meizu became interested in the Chinese giant Alibaba Group, which invested $ 590 million in the company. This allowed Meizu to significantly expand the lineup of smartphones, including budget M-series devices and music flagships from the Pro line.
Users appreciate Meizu smartphones for their intuitive and beautiful interface, durable body, long-lasting battery and excellent technical characteristics.
Popular modern models:
- Meizu M5 Note;
- Meizu MX6;
- Meizu M3 Note.
9. Nokia
The flagship is Nokia 8.
In ninth place in the rating of the best smartphone manufacturers in 2018 is the creator of the legendary "unkillable" model Nokia 3310 (in 2017, its updated version was released). As for smartphones, the Finnish company has not released one since 2014, having sold its mobile division to Microsoft, along with temporary use rights for the brand. However, in 2016 Nokia decided to return to the mobile market, with stylish, powerful devices running the latest version of Android OS. They are produced by the Chinese company Foxconn.
Popular models:
- Nokia Lumia 640 XL;
- Nokia 5;
- Nokia 6.
8. Xiaomi
Best Smartphone - Xiaomi Mi 6.
Xiaomi is one of the most famous smartphone manufacturing companies based in China. It was founded in 2010 and has firmly established itself in the mobile phone segment due to its high quality devices and low prices. We even prepared a separate rating of the best Xiaomi smartphones, including the top models of 2017.
Xiaomi has an established and extensive sales market in countries such as India, Singapore, Malaysia (in addition to China).In addition to mobile phones, the company also has a significant global market share in segments such as tablets, smart home devices and laptops. The Xiaomi logo is spelled MI, which stands for Mobile Internet. However, due to the complexities of the mobile market, the company also jokingly decodes its logo as "Mission Impossible", as it managed to overcome serious difficulties in this competitive environment and stay "afloat." Here are some of the most famous smartphones:
- Redmi Note 3 Pro;
- Mi5;
- Redmi 4;
- Mi Mix - best bezel-less smartphone of 2017.
These are all extremely popular phones as they have all the features offered by the leading mobile phone manufacturers and are cheaper than many competitors. Xiaomi always puts the interests of customers first and develops its technologies according to their needs and requirements.
7. Huawei
The flagship smartphone is the Huawei P10.
Which smartphones should you choose if you are primarily interested in camera quality and a high-performance processor? The answer is Huawei smartphones. This Chinese company was founded in 1987, but the mobile phone division came into being in 2003. Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG) is the group responsible for the production of smartphones and its products are present in 170 countries around the world.
Popular suggestions include:
- Huawei P9;
- Huawei Honor 8;
- Huawei Honor 6A.
Huawei is renowned for its sponsorship activities and supports various sports clubs such as Arsenal, Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Indian Royal Challengers Bangalore. These sponsorship services strengthen the brand's reputation and help it respond quickly to the consumer market in Europe and Asia.
6. Lenovo
The flagship smartphone is Lenovo P2.
The company was founded in 1984 and is a leader in consumer electronics. In 2013, Lenovo entered the mobile and smartphone segment and has been stepping up sales since then. In 2014, it bought handset maker Motorola Mobility from Google to further strengthen its position in the mobile market.
The company has factories that make 40 million phones a year. Lenovo gained a significant share of its sales in China thanks to a new range of smartphones, which were very aggressively advertised. Some of the most popular Lenovo models:
- Lenovo Vibe;
- Lenovo K series;
- Lenovo Z series;
- Lenovo Phab Series.
Lenovo is currently focusing on large-scale marketing strategies, advertising its products on TV, on the Internet, in magazines, and more. In addition to POS sales, the company has increased its presence on e-commerce platforms through its own website. This has allowed her to be on par with all the other top brands when it comes to using different sales channels.
5. Asus
Top novelty - Asus ZenFone 3 Zoom.
Taiwanese manufacturer Asus has firmly established itself in the global market over the past few years. The brand is known for its impeccable workmanship devices based on Intel and Qualcomm SoCs (all with Android platform) and expects an audience that is attracted by stylish design and wide functionality of smartphones. Another distinguishing feature of the brand, production smartphones with good battery, capable of providing battery life up to 2 days of active use.
The most famous models:
- ZenFone Go;
- Asus Zenfone 3;
- ZenFone 4 Max.
4. LG
The flagship of 2017 is the LG G6.
LG Electronics ranks among the leaders in the production of consumer electronics and appliances, mobile phones, and many other devices. The LG Group employs over 80,000 people and can be found in 80 countries around the world.
Users praise LG smartphones for their excellent long-lasting batteries, user-friendly interface, beautiful design and reliability.
The company's most popular smartphones include:
- LG Optimus series.
- LG G Flex.
- LG Nexus.
- LG Tribute.
LG is strongly focused on developing innovation in the mobile industry. This brand was the first to introduce such an innovation as the modular design of a smartphone, it was the LG G5.Thanks to it, the device can be equipped with various replaceable modules, for example, a camera control module (you get an analogue of a digital camera) and an audio module that can play super high-definition audio.
LG is associated with popular sporting events such as Formula 1 and football clubs across Europe. These associations have allowed the company to build a solid, positive reputation and give it a competitive edge over other quality smartphone manufacturers.
3. Sony
The flagship is the Sony Xperia XZ Premium Dual.
The company, formerly known as Sony Ericsson, has conquered the market with its stunning Xperia series, packed with unrivaled features such as a two-day battery life, an easy-to-use, high-performance camera with amazing selfie mode features. All this, combined with the trust and loyalty that the brand has built up over the years, keeps Sony in the top three smartphone sellers.
Popular smartphones:
- Sony Xperia XZ Premium;
- Sony Xperia XA1;
- Sony Xperia E Dual.
2. Samsung
The flagship is the Samsung Galaxy S9.
One of the best smartphone firms in 2018, with offices in 80 countries.
Currently, Samsung is in a tough competition with Apple in the smartphone segment, opposing the pretentious iPhones with its Samsung Galaxy series. More recently, the Samsung Galaxy S8 went on sale, and if you are looking for a smartphone of which company is better to buy from reviews, then you will not pass by the Galaxy S8. This is one of best camera phones with 4K video recording, a fast Exynos 8895 chipset, a 3000 mAh battery (3500 mAh for the S8 Plus version) and useful options like fast charging, a fingerprint sensor and an iris scanner make this device a new standard for flagships of the best smartphone companies and worthy of opponent of the newest iPhone 7 Plus.
Popular Samsung mobile phone models are:
- Samsung Galaxy S7;
- Galaxy A3;
- Samsung Galaxy C5.
1. Apple
The flagship of 2017 is the iPhone 7 Plus.
If you ask users about which smartphone firm is reliableMany will first name Apple - the American company that produces the famous iPhone. It was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne as a computer firm, but today its main income comes from mobile devices.
Apple has built a complete ecosystem of its products and services, which includes:
- iPhone smartphones;
- iPod players;
- operating system iOS;
- iTunes media player;
- Apple Music Music Service
- and the Apple Online Store.
Thanks to the iPhone, Apple is perceived as a prestigious and high-quality brand. We can say that the iPhone is not only a phone, but also a symbol of prosperity and success in many countries, which from year to year occupy prestigious places in smartphone rating of the year... However, many smartphone firms breathe in Apple's back, the quality of their products does not differ much from the "girl's best friend after diamonds." For example, Samsung, LG and Chinese manufacturers - Xiaomi, Huawei, Vivo, etc. are strong competition for "apple" products. But so far Apple has managed to retain the title of the king of the mobile world. And the company has a huge advantage - a loyal community that can help it develop even more successfully.
The latest phones released by Apple are:
- iPhone 7;
- iPhone 6S;
- iPhone 6S Plus.
It is impossible to say which smartphones are the best in 2018. Each of the brands presented in the rating has models with their own "zest". For example, Xiaomi has a large screen and a capacious battery, Asus and Lenovo have an energy-efficient processor and displays with a large margin of brightness, Apple has an exquisite design and excellent application optimization, Samsung, Sony and Huawei have great cameras, Meizu - the most user-friendly interface, LG has a solid appearance and durability, Nokia has excellent sound and a lot of RAM.
To paraphrase the famous lines of V. Mayakovsky “All smartphones are good, choose the taste”.