My Top Phones in 2023

For the recent run-down of my collections, I used varying methods. Prior to 2022, I just pick the phone I like the least and place them on lower ranks. There was no specific rule, except that I should prioritize usability and novelty.

In 2022, I made some rules. But still considering usability and novelty.

1. Every week, I have to use (if usable) or display a phone on my table for a week.
2. The sequence depends on the sequence I acquire the phone. That is, the first phone I acquired (Nokia 1100) should be the first one to be used or displayed.
3. Rank the phones along the previous used or displayed phones. For instance, on first week, there could only be one on the "list". On the second week, the phone 2 should be ranked with phone 1 - if 2 is better than 1, then phone 2 is ranked 1 and phone 1 is ranked 2. Otherwise, phone 1 will be at #1, while phone 2 will be at #2. So, at the end of week 10, I am going to compare phone 10 to each phones - 1 to 9 and rank it accordingly.

And so I came out with this, last year -

My Top Preferred Phones in 2022

This 2023, I came up with a bit more difficult, yet realistic ranking. It was also made to challenge myself to use less phones every week. So, what was the algorithm?

1. Before the week starts, I have to choose 3 of the weakest phones on my collection. I asked myself some questions when choosing. Like, which phones am I willing to let go?
2. Those 3 phones will be used within the week.
3. The weakest or less preferred phone among the three will be eliminated and be ranked lower. Rank 38 being the least, in 2023.
4. The eliminated phone will not be used until the entire ranking is complete (i.e. I can use them now, since we already have the result). This is where the "realistic" and "challenging" part is. It made me think more before "eliminating" a phone.
5. Repeat from step 1 until I only have 2 phones remaining (which will leave me comparing only 2 phones, obviously).

So, here are the contenders -

Despite being lost, I still include these 5 phones. And my bases are... the memories I had with them.

38. Firefly Mobile Aurii Secret 4G

37. Asus Zenfone 5

36. Cloudfone Thrill Plus

35. Nokia X2 Dual SIM

34. Nokia 1600

Some of the next phones are unusable while some are still working, but needs workaround or they already have limited functions.

33.  Alcatel OT-C552

32. Nokia N70 (b)

31. Nokia 1100

30. Nokia N70 (a)

29. Sony Ericsson Satio

28. HTC Desire 200

27. Nokia N9

26. Nokia N8 (a)

25.  Sony Xperia Z1 Compact (b)

24. Sony Xperia Z1 Compact (a)

23. Sony Xperia Z

22. Sony Xperia Z3 Dual

21. HTC Windows Phone 8X

20. Lenovo E156

19. Sony Xperia miro

18.  Sony Ericsson W980

17. Asus Fonepad Note FHD6

16. Sony Xperia SP

These next devices are still usable. Some with issues but are not deal-breakers. I can still use them and would not be surprised if some people are still using them at their fullest.

15. Sony Xperia Z Ultra

14. LG G4

13. Sony Xperia XZ Premium

12. Sony Xperia Z5 Premium Dual

11.  Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet

Then, here are the phones I am confident to recommend, depending on how a person uses a phone. I assume that this set will satisfy any type of user.

10. LG G8 ThinQ

9. Honor Magic3 Zhen Edition

8. Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact

7. Nokia Asha 202

6. Sony Xperia Z2

Finally, here are the phones that I considered the best. I considered my different use cases these phones provide as I go along with the run-down. This was also the part where I thought it was impossible for me to use less phones. I even thought of breaking my own rules and use these 5 phones until I get to the sole best phone.

But first, here is a short video of my top 5 phones in 2023 -

5. LG V50s ThinQ 5G

4. LG Wing

3. Nokia N8 (b)

2. Nokia Lumia 1020

1. Sony Xperia 1 II

Was it impossible, though? No, but it was difficult, especially when I have to stop using my other phone lines. But, in the end, I thought to myself - Ay, pwede pala. But being someone who generates personal joy out of this things (despite, some people claiming - di nabibili ang kaligayahan), it is fun time again since I can toss them on my bed and reminisce the memories they brought.

What is next? Reviews! Aside from the phone I acquired earlier, this year, I sense that my wallet will give me a signal, sooner or later. 😂 So, more reviews! And I am also thinking of improving my presentation with modified images and videos - at least for battery score card. Then, maybe some reviews focusing on benchmarks. Hopefully, I can still shoot for this year's #blindphotochallenge over facebook!

See you around, then!

My Top Preferred Phones in 2022

From 2005 to 2022, I have acquired 38 phones. Most of these are my collections. Eight were acquired for personal use or used as main phone, while three were for work. With this number of phones, it is tempting to compare them and rank them based on my preference for the sake of fun. Apparently, it is also a good way to assess which phones to keep just in case I have to dispose some. Worst case scenario is to maintain only five phones. Though, I really do not plan to.

In 2021, Sony Xperia 1 II was my most preferred phone. It was not an instant choice, since it was my third most preferred phone in 2020. Nokia Lumia 1020 comes second in 2021, dropping from number one in 2020. Third spot goes to Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact, which was at number two in 2020. LG V50s climbed to the fourth spot, from sixth. Finally, Nokia Asha 202 completes the top 5 of my most preferred phones last year, dropping from fourth in 2020. You can check the complete list of my ranking last year. My Top Preferred Phones in 2021

For this year’s ranking, I counted in all phones. Yep, including the phone I just bought this year. As usual, I placed the previous ranking in parentheses.

Just like in 2021, I will still list down the phones that are already lost. Least preferred, to the point that it was okay losing these.

38 (28)  Firefly Mobile Aurii Secret 4G

37 (27)  Asus Zenfone 5

36 (26)  Cloudfone Thrill Plus

35 (25)  Nokia X2 Dual SIM

These next phones were still good to keep, but not really to use. Some of them are unusable or my interests on them just faded as most of them are replaceable by other phones on higher ranks. Those on higher ranks offer more on usability and novelty.

34 (24)        Nokia 1600

33 (23)        Alcatel OT-C552

32 (22)        Nokia 1100

31 (21)        Nokia N70 (b)

30 (15)        Nokia N70 (a)

29 (19)        HTC Desire 200

28 (18)        Nokia N9

27 (20)        Nokia N8 (a)

26 (14)        Sony Xperia Z1 Compact (a)

25 (10)        Sony Xperia Z1 Compact (b)

24 (11)        Sony Xperia Z3 Dual

23 (17)        HTC Windows Phone 8X

22 (16)        Lenovo E156

21 (13)        Sony Xperia miro

20 (new)    Sony Xperia SP

19 (9)        Sony Ericsson Satio

18 (new)    Sony Ericsson W980

17 (new)    Sony Xperia Z

16 (new)    Sony Xperia Z Ultra

These next phones fall under my more preferred devices. These are usable and somehow unique. These phones might be weak in some areas, but are worthy to be kept on my drawer and also still be used. I might also recommend these to some people.

15 (12)        Asus Fonepad Note FHD6

14 (7)        Nokia N8 (b)

13 (8)        LG G4

12 (new)    Sony Xperia Z2

11 (new)    Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet

10 (new)    Sony Xperia XZ Premium

9 (6)            Sony Xperia Z5 Premium Dual

8 (4)            LG V50s ThinQ 5G

7 (new)        LG G8 ThinQ

6 (new)        Honor Magic3 Zhen Edition

Before listing down the top 5, here are the victors of two challenges I made this year.

First off, the Antutu challenge. As shown below, the highest Antutu score was recorded by Honor Magic3 Zhen Edition. It is just normal, as it has the most powerful SoC on my collection.

Second, which is not as simple as the Antutu challenge, is the Blind Photo Challenge. It consisted of seven rounds. The mechanics is simple. I just posted photos on social media and ask everyone interested to react on photos they liked. I have to eliminate some phones from the challenge every round – those that has the least accumulated reaction. The phone whose pictures has the most accumulated reaction wins. The result is as follows and is won by Nokia Lumia 1020.

Finally, here are the top 5 of my most preferred phones in 2022. I am confident to recommend these, depending on people and purpose.

5 (new) LG Wing

• -          Truth be told. Main reason to include this phone in my most preferred list is its form factor. It is the most unique form factor for a smartphone. Its form factor provides new experience in handling especially when recording and watching videos. This is recommended to people who wants novel experience on a smartphone.

4 (5)       Nokia Asha 202

• -          Going back to its rank in 2020, it holds a candle for an excellent battery life, good for those who need dependable phone.
• -          There is also a buzz going around about young adults shifting to “dumb” phones, whether for short term or long term, as a way to “get back their life” from excessive use of social media. Such idea makes me push it to a higher rank as I might need it in the near future.

3 (2)       Nokia Lumia 1020

• -          Slightly sliding down the rank, it is still worth keeping and using especially its camera, as the resulting photos are still likeable – the blind photo challenge I made this year gave me the hint.
• -          The audio side of this thing also makes it my third most preferred phone. The 3.5mm audio port and Dolby Atmos make it a treasure in a time where most phones do not have such port.

2 (3)       Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact

• -          There is still a demand for a compact phone. And since the market is dominated by large phones, keeping a compact phone that is still capable makes sense.
• -          This phone also has an excellent display. It is not an OLED panel that many people seem to prefer. But, this phone has one of the excellent IPS LCD panel ever put on a phone. It supports HDR and is dim enough to be eye-friendly when used in dark environment.
• -          It still has a good battery life to battery capacity ratio. Sony’s battery care is doing its job, it seems.
• -          The photos from its camera is also doing good, even in 2022. The first blind photo challenge I made was won by this phone. It lacks a lot of features compared to 2022 camera-centric phones but it still provides vivid photos that are likeable.

1 (1)       Sony Xperia 1 II

• -          Still an excellent phone for manual photography. HDR is still natural. It even improved on photos with brighter backgrounds as it minimizes clipping of highlights.
• -          Video recording is without compromise. If you specify it to shoot at 120fps, it does just that.
• -          Audio quality is excellent, but not that loud. Dolby atmos works on loudspeaker. Its 3.5mm audio port is a treasure to keep.
• -          Excellent display especially with Creator mode.
• -          Software updates come sparingly, but the system is already stable. Did not experience any lags and issues. Works generally better than the first time I used it – better as time goes.

There you have my personal ranking on my collections, and eventually my top 5 most preferred phones in 2022. What can you say about this list?

Again, here are my top 5 phones -

My Top Preferred Phones in 2021

Here is where my bias will be too obvious as I am going to rank my phones according to my preferences. This is subjective and fuzzy even when I consider two criteria – usability and novelty. Ranking them with these criteria and getting the average did not result to the ranking I made. When I did this ranking, it is as if I am going to let go of the phones ranked low - ranking by way of elimination. So, when I consider a phone as among the best or has a high rank on this post, it means it is harder for me to let it go, and thus my most recommended ones.

In 2020, Nokia Lumia 1020 was my best phone. This is apart from the excellent camera experience and results, it is also a reliable phone as it works as the first time I have it except for the unusable app market. So, it still does the things I usually do on a phone – music play, casual gaming, web browsing, photo shoots, video recording, video playback and the usual calls and text messaging. Next to it, is the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact. I am at home (comfortable) the moment I use it, from the user interface to the size of the phone. Making it to the third spot is the Sony Xperia 1 II. I think I need more time to really like the phone. Learning curve on the Photo Pro and Cinema Pro app are not as simple as on LG and some Nokia devices I owned. Nokia Asha 202 comes fourth due to its reliability on battery, best back-up phone especially on power outage. SonyXperia Z1 Compact (b) completes the top five of my best phones. I guess, it was just special to me.

For 2021, I will be ranking 28 phones out of 37 phones I owned for the reason that I still do not have enough time with the other phones. It is difficult to rank them against my other phones.

The following phones are already lost. But, still, ranked them anyway. Losing interest was the main reason it was lost, as I let others use them and not asking them back.

28 (27)  Firefly Mobile Aurii Secret 4G

27 (26)  Asus Zenfone 5

26 (25)  CloudfoneThrill Plus

25 (24)  Nokia X2 Dual SIM

 

These next phones were good. But, some of them are unusable or my interests on them just faded as most of them are replaceable by other phones on the higher rank. Those on higher rank even offer more on usability and novelty.

24 (23)  Nokia 1600

23 (22)  Alcatel OT-C552

22 (21)  Nokia 1100

21 (20)  Nokia N70 (b)

20 (19)  Nokia N8 (a)

19 (17)  HTC Desire 200

18 (18)  Nokia N9

17 (14)  HTC Windows Phone 8X

16 (16)  Lenovo E156

15 (8)     Nokia N70 (a)

14 (13)  Sony Xperia Z1Compact (a)

13 (15)  Sony Xperia miro

 

These phones are satisfactory even in 2021. These are usable and somehow unique. But, I have low confidence in recommending them to anyone.

12 (12)  Asus Fonepad Note FHD6

11 (9)     Sony Xperia Z3 Dual

10 (5)     Sony Xperia Z1 Compact (b)

9 (new) Sony Ericsson Satio

8 (11)     LG G4

7 (10)     Nokia N8 (b)

6 (7)       Sony Xperia Z5 Premium Dual

 

Then, these are my top 5 phones. These are the best phones under my collection that I can still recommend, even in 2022 – for various reasons and for different people.

5 (4)       Nokia Asha 202

• -          Its long battery life (longest one on my test, almost 4 days) makes this a go-to phone for emergency and back-up. It is also a good main phone for elderlies and anyone who only needs basic phone functions. Some features are also present that some may appreciate.

4 (6)       LG V50s ThinQ 5G

• -          Since this particular phone has the dual screen (has attachable second screen), I would recommend this to people who needs a phone for multitasking or those who wants to bring multi-display PC experience on their phones.
• -          The camera capability of this phone is also worth recommending. Manual controls are not only for photo shoots, but also for video recording – including controls on audio (gain, limiter and low cut filter controls).

3 (2)       Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact

• -          Powerful compact. I still know people who wants a small-sized android phone that is not compromised on performance and features.
• -          One uncompromised specification of this phone is the display. It has sharp 5 inches IPS display, a full HD+. It is also able to show HDR contents. The black may not be as deep as recent OLEDs, but, it is dim enough not to hurt your eye when used in dark environment. There is also a night light mode that turns the display into amber – so it gets more comfortable on the eye when used during bed time.
• -          It has good battery life to battery capacity ratio. Despite having a small battery capacity, my conservative battery testing gives almost 2 days of battery life (short of about 3 hours).

2 (1)       Nokia Lumia 1020

• -          It still has excellent camera outputs even in 2022. If you are into manual photo shoot, you can still appreciate what this phone can do.
• -          It has satisfactory video outputs as well – with its good color rendering, details and active stabilization.
• -          Satisfying audio on 3.5mm headphone jack. Dolby atmos will provide great audio delivery on your wired earphones and headphones. Yes, headphone jack. Something that is missing on most phones recently.
• -          The design is very human. J The seamless transition of curves from the display to the body feels good on hand and pleasing to the eye. Quite compact, too.

1 (3)       Sony Xperia 1 II

• -          Excellent photography controls and output. Despite being criticized by some people for having less of computational photography it still gives quality images. It does have HDR (image stacking), but not as artificial as others. There is a night mode (lowlight), but not as aggressive as most phones. And if you really want a bright night time shots, there is a manual control where you can push the ISO and shutter speed to its limit – or adjust it to your liking.
• -          Excellent video recording. With its Cinema Pro app and Video Pro app (sideloaded), you will be able to record quality videos. You can place color grading on Cinema Pro app for that cinematic output.
• -          Still, monthly security updates are coming – albeit, might end early next year, 2023. And if you are into near stock android, then this is worth recommending.
• -          Excellent audio quality via loudspeaker (not the loudest on the market), 3.5mm audio jack (yes, that ancient feature), and wireless audio. You get high resolution audio and a good surround sound, courtesy of Dolby atmos – even on the speaker. Yes, not the loudest on the market, but for near-your-face content consumption (like a phone usually is for), you will certainly appreciate the boosts on audio quality.
• -          It has an excellent display. The resolution is still an unrivaled 4k (21:9 type, not the UHD). Brightness might not be ideal on direct sunlight. Creator mode makes it usable outdoors – makes the display provide accurate colors, too.

There you have my personal ranking on my collections, and eventually my top 5 recommendations in 2022.

What can you say about it?

Battery Testing Ranking in 2021

Last year, 2020 there were 19 phones tested for battery charging duration. Sony Xperia Z1 Compact (b) [00:15 hour] topped the ranking, being the fastest to be charged. Followed by Sony Xperia Z1 Compact (a) [01:08 hours]. Though, both of these started having bad battery in 2019. Next are Lenovo E156 [01:49 hours] and Sony Xperia 1 II [01:54 hours]. Nokia N8 (a) [01:57 hours] completes the top 5. The slowest to charge spent 04:29 hours. You can always go back to this post for last year's ranking - Phone Reviews – Introduction and Benchmark Plans.

This year, 2021, I did not only rank the charging duration, but also battery life with conservative testing. It includes music playback (with the display on) [20 minutes], web browsing [10 minutes], casual gaming [10 minutes], photo shoot [5 minutes], video recording [5 minutes], and video playback [10 minutes]. That is a one-hour testing session. In a day, there are 5 testing sessions, while the remaining 19 hours are for standby session. This is also specified on the first post of this series. I will also include a ranking for screen on time which is essentially similar to the battery life, overall.

But, first, here are the untested phones.

·         Phone 1 – Nokia 1100 [unbootable]

·         Phone 2 – Alcatel OT-C552 [unbootable]

·         Phone 3 – Nokia 1600 [unbootable]

·         Phone 8 – Nokia N8 (a) [blank display] was #5

·         Phone 9 – HTC Desire 200 [unbootable] was #7

·         Phone 11 – Asus Zenfone 5 [lost]

·         Phone 13 – Nokia N9 [unbootable] was #12

·         Phone 14 – Nokia X2 Dual SIM [lost]

·         Phone 19 – Cloudfone Thrill Plus [lost]

·         Phone 20 – Firefly Mobile Aurii Secret 4G [lost]

·         Phone 23 – Nokia N70 (b) [unbootable]

Here is the rundown from the longest duration (slowest to charge) to the shortest duration (fastest to charge), with the following format: Current Ranking (Previous Ranking) Phone [Hours Charging]

26 (#17)	HTC Windows Phone 8X	[11:10 hours]
25 (#15)	Asus Fonepad Note FHD6	[07:38 hours]
24 (new)	Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet	[05:55 hours]
23 (new)	Sony Xperia SP	[04:40 hours]
22 (new)	Sony Xperia Z2	[04:16 hours]
21 (new)	Sony Xperia Z Ultra	[04:09 hours]
20 (new)	Sony Xperia Z	[03:55 hours]
19 (#16)	Sony Xperia Z3 Dual	[03:31 hours]
18 (#18)	Sony Xperia miro	[03:21 hours]
17 (#13)	Nokia Lumia 1020	[03:04 hours]
16 (new)	Sony Ericsson Satio	[02:58 hours]
15 (new)	Sony Xperia XZ Premium	[02:56 hours]
14 (new)	Sony Ericsson W980	[02:45 hours]
13 (#3)	Lenovo E156	[02:38 hours]
12 (#11)	Sony Xperia Z5 Premium Dual	[02:25 hours]
11 (#10)	Nokia N70 (a)	[02:25 hours]

Here are the top 10.

10 (#17)	LG V50s ThinQ 5G	[02:20 hours]
9 (#6)	Nokia Asha 202	[02:16 hours]
8 (#14)	LG G4	[02:10 hours]
7 (#9)	Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact	[02:07 hours]
6 (new)	LG G8 ThinQ	[02:03 hours]

And, here are the, best, top 5 (#5 faster, only, by 8 seconds to #6)

5 (#8)	Nokia N8 (b)	[02:03 hours]
4 (new)	LG Wing 5G	[01:57 hours]
3 (#4)	Sony Xperia 1 II	[01:55 hours]
2 (#2)	Sony Xperia Z1 Compact (a)	[00:37 hour]
1 (#1)	Sony Xperia Z1 Compact (b)	[00:30 hour]

From this ranking, I find around 2 hours to be good enough. The top two phones are outliers due to their deteriorated batteries.

Now, for the battery life and screen on time, with the following format: Battery Life Ranking [Battery Life] Phone (Screen on Time Ranking [Screen on Time])

26 [0 day 00:52 hour]	Sony Xperia Z1 Compact (b)	(#26 [00:52 hour])
25 [0 day 01:18 hours]	Sony Xperia Z1 Compact (a)	(#25 [01:00 hours])
24 [0 day 17:00 hours]	Sony Ericsson W980	(#21 [04:00 hours])
23 [0 day 21:27 hours]	Nokia N70 (a)	(#24 [03:27 hours])
22 [0 day 21:37 hours]	Sony Xperia Z3 Dual	(#23 [03:37 hours])
21 [0 day 21:44 hours]	Nokia Lumia 1020	(#22 [03:44 hours])
20 [0 day 23:40 hours]	Sony Xperia miro	(#20 [04:40 hours])
19 [0 day 23:56 hours]	Sony Ericsson Satio	(#19 [04:56 hours])
18 [0 day 23:59 hours]	Nokia N8 (b)	(#18 [04:59 hours])
17 [1 day 00:23 hour]	HTC Windows Phone 8X	(#17 [05:23 hours])
16 [1 day 00:26 hour]	LG G4	(#16 [05:26 hours])
15 [1 day 00:32 hour]	Sony Xperia Z	(#15 [05:32 hours])
14 [1 day 00:40 hour]	Sony Xperia Z Ultra	(#14 [05:46 hours])
13 [1 day 01:00 hour]	Sony Xperia Z5 Premium Dual	(#13 [06:00 hours])
12 [1 day 02:22 hours]	Sony Xperia SP	(#12 [06:22 hours])
11 [1 day 04:36 hours]	LG G8 ThinQ	(#11 [07:36 hours])

Here are the phones on top ten.

10 [1 day 04:49 hours]	Sony Xperia Z2	(#10 [07:49 hours])
9 [1 day 21:23 hours]	Asus Fonepad Note FHD6	(#9 [08:23 hours])
8 [1 day 21:32 hours]	Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact	(#8 [08:32 hours])
7 [1 day 22:27 hours]	Sony Xperia 1 II	(#7 [09:00 hours])
6 [1 day 23:28 hours]	Lenovo E156	(#6 [09:28 hours])

And, the top five phones. Exceeding 10 hours of screen on time.

5 [2 days 00:20 hour]	Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet	(#5 [10:20 hours])
4 [2 days 00:36 hour]	LG Wing 5G	(#4 [10:36 hours])
3 [2 days 02:18 hours]	LG V50s ThinQ 5G	(#3 [11:18 hours])
2 [2 days 05:14 hours]	Sony Xperia XZ Premium	(#2 [12:14 hours])
1 [3 days 23:22 hours]	Nokia Asha 202	(#1 [19:22 hours])

For a stress-free battery life, at least for me, a phone has to last more than a day, or at least 5 hours of screen on time. 17 phones satisfy this, making the top ten phone really good. Twice that, at least 2 days total standby time and 10 hours of screen on time, is already impressive. And there are 5 phones. Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet may be large, but the display resolution is Full HD. LG Wing 5G was just released last year, making its battery optimization on par with new phones. Though, take note that the smaller display was not used during the battery test. LG V50s ThinQ 5G was also tested without the second screen. Unexpectedly, Sony XZ Premium joins the top 5, despite of using the ultra hd resolution on some video playback sessions on my test. The top phone for battery life is, expectedly, Nokia Asha 202. It has a good battery performance since I bought it. Being a feature phone with the tried and tested BL-5C battery, it is anticipated to outlast other phones, especially smartphones.

You can always read the review of each phone by clicking on the corresponding link.

Do you have a phone with the same model from any of the phones I tested? How is the battery life doing?