2020 marked yet another major year for smartphones. While the COVID-19 pandemic threw a few hiccups in the way, most OEMs still managed to get their fair share of devices out this year. From the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra to the iPhone 12 Pro Max, there were several standout performers this year. But today, we want to take the time to focus on some of the hidden gems of 2020, some of the phones that you may have never knew existed. So, without any further delays, let’s take a look at the five best smartphones you may not have heard of in 2020.
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Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra | The Xiaomi Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro were among the very first smartphones to arrive with the Snapdragon 865 chip and brought several upgrades over their predecessors. But the title of the best phone in the Mi 10 series was the Mi 10 Ultra, which arrived in the second half of 2020. The Mi 10 Ultra featured all the best features of its siblings with a few upgrades in the display and charging department. However, the biggest improvement came on the camera front, with the handset packing one of the largest camera modules we’ve seen on a smartphone.
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Asus Zenfone 7 Pro | The Asus Zenfone 7 Pro build on the success of the Zenfone 6. The Zenfone 7 Pro address every shortcoming of the Zenfone 6. Asus added a third telephoto camera module to the flipping camera module, replaced the LCD panel with a 90Hz OLED screen, and upgraded both the chipset and the charging speed to provide a full-blown flagship with the innovative flipping camera module.
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Lenovo Legion Duel | While Lenovo is not new to the smartphone game, the company unveiled its first gaming phone under the renowned Legion brand. But unlike most gaming smartphones, the Legion Phone Duel brought with it a unique smartphone experience. Flagship experience aside, the Legion phone was engineered to be used horizontally, with the pop-up selfie camera module tucked away on the side of the device rather than the top. Additionally, the two rear cameras were placed in the middle of the phone as opposed to the top. Apart from its unique design, the Legion Phone Duel certainly had a ton of standout features, although it was vastly overshadowed by a global ROG Phone 3 debut.
Vivo iQOO 5 Pro | While iQOO established itself as an independent brand outside China, it failed to make any headway in international markets. However, the brand still operates under Vivo in China, unveiling a ton of new gaming-oriented smartphones. But the most noteworthy iQOO launch that you may have never heard off goes to the Vivo iQOO 5 Pro 5G. The iQOO 5 Pro 5G packed a Snapdragon 865 SoC, a 120Hz OLED display, a 50 MP triple-camera setup with an ultrawide and periscope lens, and a 4,000 mAh battery with whopping 120Hz fast charging support.
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Royole Flexpai 5 | It almost seems like an eternity since Royole debuted the Flexpai at CES 2019. However, more than a year and a half after the launch of the first foldable smartphone, Royole launched a successor to the original Flexpai. The Flexpai 2 arrived with a new and improved screen and hinge. One of the biggest highlights of the Flexpai 2 was the new ‘Cicada Wing 3S’ technology, which allows you to use the device as a tablet or a dual-screen smartphone. The Flexpai 2 also arrived with all the pickings of a 2020 flagship, including a 1440p display, a Snapdragon 865 chip, and a quad-camera setup.
