How to Choose the Best Smartphone

Smartphones are displayed during a news conference announcing Lenovo's annual results in Hong Kong May 21, 2014. REUTERS/Bobby Yip/Files
Smartphones are displayed during a news conference announcing Lenovo's annual results in Hong Kong May 21, 2014. REUTERS/Bobby Yip/Files
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How to Choose the Best Smartphone

Smartphones are displayed during a news conference announcing Lenovo's annual results in Hong Kong May 21, 2014. REUTERS/Bobby Yip/Files
Smartphones are displayed during a news conference announcing Lenovo's annual results in Hong Kong May 21, 2014. REUTERS/Bobby Yip/Files

As 2017 nears its end, and with the vast number of phones rolled out, users are unsure what phone to choose. Some want the best design, others look for longer battery life, while others look for the best gaming phone and a number of users search for the least costly device that provides the best of technologies.

In this context, we highlight the best phones of the year based on design, camera, games, audio, screen, battery life, and price.

Premium Designs: The Best Design

The competition heated up in 2017 between leading companies to provide the best they have, and the general trend in design was to get rid of wide edges so that the screen occupies the largest possible space on the device.

This trend is credited to Samsung which made quite a leap in the smartphones world when it released Galaxy S8 in April.

Other companies followed suit and created their designs.

Perhaps the most notable phones are: LG V30, HTC U11, Essential Phone, OnePlus 5T, and iPhone X (10).

However, Galaxy Note 8 was the most distinctive with a 6.3” near bezel-less, full-frontal glass, edge-to-edge screen and almost non-existent edges while maintaining all traditional features users are used to such as fingerprint sensor, earphone jack and expandable memory. Let’s not forget that it is the only phone in the market with the SPen.

Futuristic design:

In 2017, several phones with futuristic designs were released as we had the Moto Z2 Play, which came with the idea of Modular Phone, a device where different pieces can be swapped for different kinds of functionality by attaching them to the back of the phone whether it is an extra battery, external earphones, camera, or projector. 

Meizu Pro 7 came with a secondary screen behind the device, enabling you to take selfies using the 12 megapixel dual-camera.

But the device that truly deserves to be called the phone of the future is "ZTE Axon M" with top-notch design dual-screens 5.2 inches each, one in the front and another folding in the back.

Imaging and Audio Capabilities:

Camera:

According to DXOMark.com website, camera of Pixel 2 phone was top ranked, followed by iPhone X’s 12-megapixels camera with an X2 optical zoom and an optical stabilizer for both cameras.

However, the thing about iPhone 10 is its stunning 4K video camera, where you can shoot HD videos even during fast motion, tipping the scales for Apple as the phone with the best camera currently in the market.

DXOMark.com is a leading website specialized in image quality measurements and ratings for smartphones, cameras, and lenses since 2008.

Audio:

One of the disadvantages of a bezel-less phone, which most leading companies adopted, was that there was not enough room to put a headset or speakers into the front of the device. We noticed that many phones came with one speaker.

Apple, on the other hand, managed to provide its iPhone X with two speakers, one at the top and the other below, but Google designed two speakers in one device at the front, giving the user a more satisfactory experience.

But, what sets HTC U11 apart from all these phones is its two speakers with HTC BoomSound, which provides clarity of sound and comes with Hi-Res technology to record high-precision sound, and let’s not forget the headset U Sonic provided by the company which now combines Active Noise Cancellation with the ability to tune audio to each user’s preference. 

Screen and Battery:

The Screen:

The screen typically occupies more than 75 percent of the device. Although Razer's screen has surpassed all phones with 120 Hz, its disadvantage is that you will not be able to enjoy it in bright, outdoor conditions.

This is where Samsung can be set apart for its super amolide screen, used on Galaxy S8. It came with the same technology, but with a larger 6.3-inch screen at 1440 x 2960 and 521 pixels per inch, which took 83.2 percent of the device. So it lies on top of the list of best smartphone screens in 2017.

Battery:

Despite the outstanding evolution of smartphones whether in design, screen or cameras, the biggest dilemma remains battery life. All of the leading phones share a battery life of up to one day, but according to the TomsHardware website, Asus ZenFone 3 Zoom is the phone with the longest battery life. It can be used for 16 hours and 46 minutes when fully charged. This is due to the powerful 5000 mA battery.

If you do not like medium-sized phones, Huawei Mate 10 Pro is the most advanced phone with a battery life of more than 14 hours and 33 minutes of constant use, which also features the amazing reverse charging feature.

Games:

There is no doubt that you can enjoy a better gaming experience with most leading smartphones. Phones like iPhone 8, iPhone 10 and Galaxy S8 all had huge specifications and powerful gear until Razer was released, breaking all records  with its most powerful hardware in the market.

Razer is known by gaming enthusiasts, where it manufactures the most powerful laptops and gaming platform accessories. But, the company decided to enter the smartphone market to focus on a new category: gaming.

The phone comes with a Snapdragon 835 processor, 8GB RAM and a 4000 mAh battery life. But the most important feature is a 5.7-inch QHD screen with a frequency of 120 Hertz for the user’s pleasure to enjoy an experience like no other. The majority of smartphones operate at a frequency of 60Hertz only.

Pricing:

Price has always been a key factor in buying any device. Users want the best device at the cheapest price. But, with the surge in prices, this has become more difficult to find.

Samsung, for example, priced its Galaxy 8Note at about $950 and then Apple announced that iPhone 10 is sold for $1,000.

Amid this fierce competition, OnePlus 5T phone emerged as one of the best phones in the middle class, but it came with the awesome capabilities, equipment and specifications.

The company supplied its phone with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processors, 8GB RAM, 128GB internal memory, 16-megapixel rear camera, 0.2-second fingerprint reader, face recognition, two SIM cards and a headset port.

The good thing is you can get all of this and more at just $500, half the price of the iPhone X! However, if you are a loyal Apple customer and not an Android fan, you have no choice but the iPhone SE. 



Video Game Actors Are Voting on a New Contract. Here’s What It Means for AI in Gaming

A picketer holds a sign for the SAG-AFTRA video game strike at Warner Bros. Games headquarters on Aug. 1, 2024, in Burbank, Calif. (AP)
A picketer holds a sign for the SAG-AFTRA video game strike at Warner Bros. Games headquarters on Aug. 1, 2024, in Burbank, Calif. (AP)
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Video Game Actors Are Voting on a New Contract. Here’s What It Means for AI in Gaming

A picketer holds a sign for the SAG-AFTRA video game strike at Warner Bros. Games headquarters on Aug. 1, 2024, in Burbank, Calif. (AP)
A picketer holds a sign for the SAG-AFTRA video game strike at Warner Bros. Games headquarters on Aug. 1, 2024, in Burbank, Calif. (AP)

An 11-month strike by video game performers could formally end this week if members ratify a deal that delivers pay raises, control over their likenesses and artificial intelligence protections.

The agreement feels "like diamond amounts of pressure suddenly lifted," said Sarah Elmaleh, a voice actor and chair of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists' interactive branch negotiating committee.

Union members have until Wednesday at 5 p.m. Pacific to vote on ratifying the tentative agreement.

Voice and body performers for video games raised concerns that unregulated use of AI could displace them and threaten their artistic autonomy.

"It’s obviously far from resolved," Elmaleh said. "But the idea that that we’re in a zone where we might have concluded this feels like a lightening and a relief."

AI concerns are especially dire in the video game industry, where human performers infuse characters with distinctive movements, shrieks, falls and plot-twisting dialogue.

"I hope and I believe that our members, when they look back on this, will say all of the sacrifices and difficulty we put ourselves through to achieve this agreement will ultimately be worth it because we do have the key elements that we need to feel confident and moving forward in this business," said Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the SAG-AFTRA national executive director and chief negotiator.

Here’s a look at the contract currently up for vote, and what it means for the future of the video game industry.

How did the current strike play out? Video game performers went on strike last July following nearly two years of failed negotiations with major game studios, as both sides remained split over generative AI regulations.

More than 160 games signed interim agreements accepting AI provisions SAG-AFTRA was seeking, the union said, which allowed some work to continue.

The video game industry is a massive global industry, generating an estimated $187 billion in 2024, according to game market forecaster Newzoo.

"OD," and "Physint" were two games delayed due to the strike during the filming and casting stage, video game developer Hideo Kojima wrote in December. Riot Games, a video game developer, announced that same month that some new skins in "League of Legends" would have to use existing voice-overs, since new content couldn't be recorded by striking actors. Skins are cosmetic items that can change the visual appearance of a player and is sometimes equipped with new voice-overs and unique recorded lines.

The proposed contract "builds on three decades of successful partnership between the interactive entertainment industry and the union" to deliver "historic wage increases" and "industry-leading AI provisions," wrote Audrey Cooling, a spokesperson for the video game producers involved in the deal.

"We look forward to continuing to work with performers to create new and engaging entertainment experiences for billions of players throughout the world," Cooling wrote.

Video game performers had previously gone on strike in October 2016, with a tentative deal reached 11 months later. That strike helped secure a bonus compensation structure for voice actors and performance capture artists. The agreement was ratified with 90% support, with 10% of members voting.

The proposed contract secures an increase in performer compensation of just over 15% upon ratification and an additional 3% increase each year of the three-year contract.

How would AI use change in video games? AI concerns have taken center stage as industries across various sectors attempt to keep up with the fast-evolving technology. It’s a fight that Hollywood writers and actors undertook during the historic film and TV strikes that forced the industry to a stop in 2023.

"In the last few years, it’s become obvious that we are at an inflection point where rules of the road have to be set for AI, and if they aren’t, the consequences are potentially very serious," Crabtree-Ireland said. "I think that really made this negotiation extra important for all of us."

SAG-AFTRA leaders have billed the issues behind the labor dispute — and AI in particular — as an existential crisis for performers. Game voice actors and motion capture artists’ likenesses, they say, could be replicated by AI and used without their consent and without fair compensation.

The proposed contract delineates clear restrictions on when and how video game companies can create digital replicas, which use AI to generate new performances that weren't recorded by an actor.

Employers must obtain written permission from a performer to create a digital replica — consent which must be granted during the performer’s lifetime and is valid after death unless otherwise limited, the contract states. The time spent creating a digital replica will be compensated as the same amount of work time it would have required for a new performance.

The agreement also requires the employer to provide the performer with a usage report that details how the replica was used and calculates the expected compensation.

Elmaleh, who has been voice acting since 2010 and had to turn down projects throughout the strike, said securing these gains required voice actors bring vulnerability and openness to the bargaining table.

"We talked a lot about the personal, the way it affects our displacement as workers and just the sustainability of our careers," Elmaleh said. "Our work involves your inner child. It’s being very vulnerable, it’s being playful."

What’s next for the video game industry? The tentative agreement centers on consent, compensation and transparency, which union leaders say are key elements needed for the industry to keep progressing.

As the contract is considered by union members, Elmaleh and Crabtree-Ireland said further work needs to be done to ensure the provisions are as broad as necessary.

"Even though there’s a deal that’s been made now, and we’ve locked in a lot of really crucial protections and guardrails, the things that we haven’t been able to achieve yet, we’re going to be continuing to fight for them," Crabtree-Ireland said. "Every time these contracts expire is our chance to improve upon them."

Elmaleh said she hopes both the video game companies and performers can soon work collaboratively to develop guidelines on AI as the technology evolves — a process she said should start well the proposed contract would expire in October 2028.

Leading negotiations has felt like a full-time job for Elmaleh, who took on the role in a volunteer capacity. As the efforts die down, she said she anxiously anticipates returning to video game acting in a landscape that is safer for performers.

Voice acting "is core to who I am. It’s why I fought so hard for this. I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t love what I do so much. I think it’s so special and worthy of protection," she said.