Shoemakers with boots: which smartphones experts choose for themselves

    It was always interesting which smartphones are purchased or chosen by those who have been engaged in testing them in specialized media for years. We asked six experts from w3bsit3-dns.com, Mobile Review, Hi-Tech.mail.ru, iXBT, 3DNews and Ferra to tell about their current handsets and to argue their choice.



    Interesting too? Welcome under cat.

    It is worth to make a reservation right away that what sophisticated pros choose for themselves is not a universal choice for everyone else. After all, they are also people, they have different requests and requirements for a personal electronic assistant. And the motives are also different. Someone needs the entire office in the palm of their hand, and someone just got deep into the infrastructure of the platform. Nevertheless, one can draw a number of interesting conclusions from their choice!

    Dmitry Ryabinin, head of Hi-Tech Mail.ru


    Smartphone: Samsung Galaxy S8 +



    - I travel a lot and prepare travel materials for my Instagram right on my smartphone (full cycle: shooting-processing-publishing). In parallel, it is necessary to control all Hi-Tech Mail.Ru processes seamlessly in 24/7 mode, since we are noticeably growing and already occupy quite good positions in the world chart . Therefore, it is often necessary to solve many non-trivial tasks in the mobile-only mode, i.e. without access to the computer. This makes me not just a demanding user, but a tough geek who needs to have everything in one device at once. I have a Samsung Galaxy S8 +. Moisture protection, wireless charging, memory card, two SIM cards, audio jack and much more - all in one. The camera is still one of the best, as it shoots - you can see here .

    Among other things, it is incredibly convenient that there is a possibility of payment through old terminals. The last two trips (Argentina and Portugal) showed that Samsung Pay is out of competition - where Android Pay and Apple Pay fail, it works. Now I think that more memory is needed and the zoom in the camera would not hurt, but the “nine” disappointed with minimal differences, therefore I am waiting for the next releases.

    This year, Samsung is not happy yet, but the next S10 may turn out to be really interesting after the expected stagnation in sales. The Chinese have been great lately (especially Huawei), this should encourage Koreans to develop after a successful S8 +. The last after the price cut is now almost the best choice for their money for demanding users like me.

    Arsen Simonyan, editor in chief w3bsit3-dns.com


    Smartphone: Apple iPhone X



    - I really like the latest Android smartphones. Everything is wonderful in them: both the hardware and the operating system have matured. For example, the smartphone Huawei P20 Pro perfectly photographs and lives for a long time without recharging, Samsung's Note is ideal for work, a lot of other manufacturers who can surprise and hook with some kind of chip, but for personal purposes I still use Apple products. Only now is this iPhone X.

    In addition to the fact that I spent a certain amount on software, I also added the fact that I have grown up children who want to watch cartoons and play games on smartphones. Therefore, I set up a "family access" and gave them to the slaughter of old vehicles. Of course, it would be possible to do the same and even cheaper with Android, but Google, unfortunately, does not allow mail to be reached by people who have not reached a certain age, so I did not completely move to another ecosystem. However, when I go to the next press tour, then my right hand and first mate is a smartphone with Android OS. Just because it is much easier to do the work that can be done on an iPhone too, but it will require certain conditions or crutches.

    I can't say that the iPhone X has a lot of merit. He impresses with the fact that it is a simple and reliable dialer that can entertain. If I’ve been asked what I’d choose without having an iPhone, I’d definitely consider Android. But unlike the Apple line, I would have to suffer with a choice.

    Eldar Murtazin, analyst and creator of Mobile-review


    Smartphones: Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S9 +



    - I have Galaxy Note 8 and S9 +, as they are very similar in cameras. And this is probably the best camera from those that are. I tried the Huawei P20 Pro, a very worthy and interesting device, but a number of trifles still does not make it the main one.

    Of course, I take them with me on trips. A big plus is that they have screens that are equally good in the sun and indoors. In airplanes it is convenient to watch movies, because the picture is large and lively. And so I can say that in these devices there is simply everything that exists in this area, nothing more complex and advanced has yet been created.

    Dmitry Shepelev, editor-expert of mobile devices, iXBT


    Smartphone: Apple iPhone 7



    - Recently, several models of smartphones on Android OS have appeared, which are really ready to compete on equal terms with the latest iPhones. This is definitely the gorgeous Huawei P20 Pro, as well as Pixel 2, HTC U12 + and, of course, the top Samsung Galaxy ...

    However, some moments in the latest creation of Apple - iPhone X, many pushed. For example, this stupid "fringe" that no one needs - a cutout in the screen, as well as inconvenient control in the form of a very low-lying virtual control bar, and the lack of a TouchID. The 3.5mm headphone audio output will probably never return Apple to their mobile devices either. And iOS itself from the legendary 10 to the 12th version has turned into a jumble of glitches and bugs ... Many users I know prefer to hold on to their iPhones 7 and 8 without seeing the possibility of updating to more recent models, such as the iPhone X. The incredibly overpriced price of 60 thousand and more also seems wild to many, and an inadequate investment of money against the price of mobile flagships from other manufacturers.

    Those, however, also do not lag behind: what is the latest presentation of the new flagship SONY, for which 60 thousand also ask for? Pixel 2 XL and HTC U12 + are very expensive too ...

    In general, in the typical segment some bright prospects are not seen from any side, these products are simply not available to many. People are looking at Honor 10, Meizu 15 and the mass of Xiaomi of the same type, which even specialists are hard to understand, so there are a lot of them in the family.

    As for my personal preferences, I still use my old iPhone 7 out of habit. I’ll look at the “budget” iPhone 6.1 in September, and if there’s nothing to compare with the iPhone X for the better (or, most likely, all new products will copy in one degree or another), I will move to the side of Android. It will be something from Huawei. There, I have practically no complaints except the OS itself, but, as mentioned above, iOS with its countless glitches and “innovations” for me personally ceased to prevail over Android, and even for irony, everything suits us, especially in such creations like the Huawei P20 Pro.

    Valery Kosikhin, Head of Test Lab, 3DNews


    Smartphone: Apple iPhone 7



    My main single phone is the iPhone 7. To be honest, I have quite limited requirements for the capabilities of a smartphone: correspondence in mail and instant messengers, photos for some purely utilitarian purposes, contactless payments, and in general, that's all. The main thing is to work as simply as possible, quickly and not distract from work tasks. And if I don’t need any function in a smartphone, then I prefer that it simply doesn’t exist in it - neither in hardware nor in preinstalled software. Invaluable for me, iOS capabilities are tight integration with Mac and transferring absolutely all user data from one device to another, so if I break and replace, I will lose a minimum of time. For all these reasons, no device on the Android OS will suit me as Apple. But, on the other hand, the reason to buy a new iPhone is still not very soon.

    Evgeny Kharitonov, Ferra Chief Editor


    Smartphone: Huawei P20 Pro



    Now I use the Huawei P20 Pro - I most appreciate the best night shooting mode among the modern flagships. It works about the same as HDR, but lasts four seconds and produces very high-quality and detailed images with a wide range. The 5x hybrid zoom also helps out when you need to take a picture at a considerable distance. Autonomy is good, because 4000 mAh at 6.1 "AMOLED lasts a day of very intensive use, or 1.5-2 days of moderate use. The speakers are quite good, the sound in the headphones, in comparison with the flagship Samsung / LG / Sony, is just“ tolerable ".

    With performance, everything is in order, but only because I do not use a smartphone for games - in them Kirin chips manifest themselves not in the best way. Upsetting the detail of the display - Full HD + at six inches does not seem to be clear enough after Korean smartphones with Quad HD-matrices. The stability of the software also leaves much to be desired - there were also massive problems with the integration of Google services into applications (a map in Uber, for example), and spontaneous errors in software that worked without problems for competitors. The sensitivity of the navigation is also puzzling, the fast charging of the Huawei Super Charge is a rare sight, and the Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 standard chargers charge the Huawei very slowly. But other flagships will have to put up with either lower-quality photos on the rear camera, or with a level of autonomy lower, so I'm more satisfied with my choice than not.

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