While some people argue that the year has been a long one, I feel like it has been really short. Evenso, we’ve had pretty amazing tech announcements all through the year. And we know next year will be better. Before we talk about the big things to expect next year, I decided to do a post listing the devices I’ve loved most this year.

These are phones that I’ve used personally for long periods of time through the year. And they range from overpriced flagships to budget handsets. Each of them in someway impressed me while I used it. It could be something small that I liked that made it qualify on this list.

Samsung Galaxy S9+

This is my all time favourite phone of the year. This is for real the best device I’ve used all year. I loved it. I loved it. It is incredibly designed. It doesn’t hold in software, in cameras, in performance. It has all the features a flagship phone should have from wireless charging, to being waterproof, to having durable glass. I love it more than I have loved the phone I am currently using which is the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. If you’re wondering which one you should get between the Note 9 and the S9+, they have the same everything except for design and battery size. Oh and the S-Pen that I never use. Get this phone.

Infinix Note 5 – Android One:

I called it the best Note to date from Infinix. And I still stick with that. Running pure untouched Android, having an extra-large battery, good cameras, a Full HD Display, good design, and acceptable performance, this is the budget king for me. I know I wouldn’t have liked it much if it came with XOS Skin which is full of bloatware and ads. But that it came as an Android One phone, and that it is receiving Android 9 Pie in the next few weeks, makes me want to recommend it even more.

Nokia 7 Plus – Android One

I used this phone before I used the Infinix Note 5. I called it ‘Almost Flagship’ because it did everything so well and was wonderfully built. HMD’s approach to Nokia’s designs deserves recognition. This phone felt so good on the hand, and featured a really good display. Battery life was good, cameras were great, performance was great. My only issue was that in some ways being an Android One phone held it back. It also didn’t have a notification LED. Looking back, I feel its price needs a look into in the age of phones like the Pocophone F1.

TECNO Camon X Pro:

If you love the Instagram life, if you love slim good looking phones, if you want more than excellent battery life, if you want something that supports Faiba4G VoLTE. Here’s a device you should get. The X Pro was excellently done. It trimmed the bezels, came with an excellent display, and was well priced for its features. Sadly I cannot say the same of its successor the 11 Pro which comes with a 720p screen.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 AI Dual

This happened to be my very first interaction with a Xiaomi phone. MiUI got me. And probably that’s the reason I am planning on getting a Xiaomi Mi Max 3 soon. Battery life was great. Display was great. Performance great. It had an IR Blaster to control my devices at home. Its cameras weren’t that good. But it came well priced with a Snapdragon 636 chipset.

Huawei Y7 Prime 2018:

I know I should have the Y9 Prime 2019 here instead. But I have not used the phone. I am yet to personally experience its really good on paper specs. But still, I loved the Y7 Prime 2018. It was my first Huawei experience, and I digged their take on Android – and how they made Android customisable. The best feature was aperture mode that took really good portraits. I wished they gave it a Full HD Display, because I didn’t like the display. This was a phone I enjoyed using.

Infinix Hot 6 Pro 

Great phone this one. My only quarrel with it is XOS with its annoying ads. But that has a workaround. I loved the design. I loved the cameras. I loved the 720p display, but most of all I loved the battery life. I called it value for money, and I stick with that. If I had used the Xiaomi Redmi 6, it would probably take this spot because of the larger internal storage at almost the same price point.

Xiaomi Redmi 6A

It is top on my list of best under 10k phones. And it totally deserves that spot. Great specs, great build quality. Plus MiUI just makes it feel, and perform great despite being a 10k device.

and finally…

OPPO Find X

If you read my review of this phone, you’re probably asking yourself why I have it listed on my favourite phones of the year. It was. This was my first time interacting with an OPPO smartphone. And I was glad it happened to be their flagship device.

I am not listing it here because I think you should buy it, nope. I still believe it is overpriced, I still believe there’s better value for money than what OPPO is offering, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is the MOST BEAUTIFUL PHONE OF THE YEAR. No phone released this year looks as good, as futuristic and as beautiful as the OPPO Find X, and for that reason, plus for its cameras, it deserves a spot here.

Phones I wish were on this list:

These are phones I haven’t used that I wish I did so that I could consider them for this list:

• Huawei Y9 2019
• OPPO F9
• OnePlus 6 or OnePlus 6T
• Xiaomi Mi Max 3 – I really want this phone because of display size and battery
• and the great PocoPhone F1

What were your favourite phones this year? And why?