Best Waterproof Smartphones

Note 13 Pro Plus is the most advanced smartphone in the history of the Xiaomi Redmi sub-brand, boasting a couple of interesting features more usual for smartphones costing over 20 thousand hryvnias. We're talking about a 200-megapixel camera with an optical stabilization system, a high-end 120 Hz OLED display with rounded edges, gaming hardware, and a quality body with IP68 water resistance, as well as Gorilla Glass Victus protective glass.

Xiaomi has created a truly interesting smartphone at the intersection of the mid-range and premium segment, easily handling heavy games (thanks to the Dimensity 7200 Ultra processor, 12 GB RAM, and GameTurbo mode), it looks modern, impresses with screen quality and charging time. The 120-watt charger can charge the smartphone from 0 to 100% in just 18 minutes. The triple camera is also at the level, and optical stabilization greatly helps in low light conditions or when shooting with long exposures. Compared to market leaders, the camera lacks detail even in good lighting, and on zoom shots, graininess is clearly visible.

As for the cons — the familiar Xiaomi interface, cluttered with ads and pre-installed software, and quality issues, as even the company's most expensive smartphones can start to glitch and break down after a couple of years. Almost 17 thousand hryvnias is not a small amount; in this price segment, there are usually sub-flagships like Google Pixel, OnePlus, Motorola Edge. Add a couple of thousand hryvnias on top and you can find an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy S from past generations.

Introduced in autumn 2023, the Google Pixel 8 runs on the new Tensor G3 processor, which received mixed reactions from reviewers. On one hand, it significantly lags behind flagship processors from other manufacturers in terms of speed: 4048 points in Geekbench benchmark versus 5244 points for Galaxy S23 and 6224 points for iPhone 15. On the other hand, Pixel 8 is cheaper than the iPhone and Galaxy S23, and its performance is sufficient for most everyday tasks, including "heavy" games, so it's a question of necessity.

Speaking of hardware, it should be noted that in recent years, Google has stopped chasing virtual scores and focused on smart features. For example, the Pixel 8 camera with AI algorithms can remove unnecessary objects from the frame, change facial expressions, and choose the best takes. The Video Boost feature can retrospectively make videos smoother. The built-in assistant learned to summarize, voice, and translate web pages. And these are far from all the AI innovations. Some of them will appear in future versions of Android, some will remain exclusives of the Pixel 8.

An excellent but not perfect smartphone from Google. Considering the overall picture, Google has managed to create a successful smartphone with an excellent 6.2-inch OLED screen, quality stereo speakers, wireless charging, and a modern dual camera. Against the backdrop of the iPhone 15 and Galaxy S23, the Pixel 8 camera stands out with its AI features and image quality in good lighting; plus, it's worth noting the enhanced optical stabilization system when shooting video. The metal and shatter-resistant glass body is water and dust-resistant to IP68. Only LTPO support is missing, which would allow the screen to automatically adjust the refresh rate, thereby using battery power more efficiently. And the main charger could be more powerful.

Initially, Samsung Galaxy A smartphones were positioned as solid budget devices aiming to offer as much as possible for their price. However, in recent years, the Korean giant has upped the stakes, elevating the A series almost to flagship level. For example, the Samsung Galaxy A55, presented in early 2024, in terms of specifications, resembles the Galaxy S of the prior generation: fast hardware, shatter-resistant glass of the iPhone 15 level, a modern triple camera with optical stabilization, improved night shooting, Samsung Knox Vault data protection, and IP67 waterproofing.

Galaxy A55 is equipped with a 6.6-inch Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 2340x1080 pixels and a refresh rate of 120 Hz. This ensures smooth scrolling and improved content perception. The screen supports HDR10+. The cameras provide good photo quality in bright lighting and acceptable results in low lighting due to the improved night mode. The 32 MP front camera takes quality selfies with good detail and natural colors. The Exynos 1480 processor with 8 GB of RAM easily handles any work tasks and games, although it lags behind flagship processors from Apple and Snapdragon in terms of performance.

On this background, the price is somewhat confusing. After competing with Xiaomi, OPPO, and other Chinese brands, Samsung has raised the price again, setting the Galaxy A55 price tag at almost 19,000 hryvnias. Yes, it's an excellent smartphone, but it doesn't offer anything extraordinary compared to competitors, doesn't stand out visually, and can't boast advanced AI features of the Galaxy series. In general, for 19,000 hryvnias, it's clearly overpriced; if the price drops to 14,000 - 15,000, then Motorola, Xiaomi, Poco, OnePlus, and others will have a serious competitor.

The Poco X7 Pro smartphone (256 GB / 8 GB version) shows a high level of performance and can compete with flagship models based on Snapdragon 8. It is based on the Dimensity 8400-Ultra chipset with impressive energy efficiency and smart load distribution between cores. Both the processor and the phone hold a worthy place in the top, allowing tasks of any complexity to be performed without any hint of delay. The gadget is complemented by 8 GB of progressive LPDDR5X RAM and built-in solid-state storage of the UFS 4.0 standard. The component interaction is provided by Xiaomi HyperOS 2 in conjunction with the WildBoost Optimization optimizer, which guarantees high performance in various scenarios (games, video, audio, surfing, communication). The stability of work under prolonged loads is ensured by the liquid cooling system LiquidCool Technology 4.0 in combination with intelligent algorithms POCO 3D IceLoop system.

Poco X7 Pro is equipped with proprietary solutions that make usage simple, comfortable, and safe. The phone received a battery with a capacity of 6000 mAh, which on average will last about 14 hours, but the main feature is the charging process, which is controlled by the Surge P2 chip. It guarantees maximum fast energy replenishment taking temperature indicators into account, which prolongs battery life. It is worth separately highlighting the ability to use it in ambient temperatures down to -25 °C. For content display, the company developed a virtually frameless AMOLED CrystalRes screen with 1.5K resolution, support for HDR 10+ and Dolby Vision, as well as Gorilla Glass v7i protective glass. The display has high peak brightness, cinematic quality, and has no negative impact on vision, which is confirmed by triple TÜV Rheinland certification. Due to improved Wet Touch technology, the accuracy of touch processing with wet, greasy hands, when soap foam gets, and in other non-standard conditions is guaranteed. The IP68 body is fully moisture-protected and withstands immersion in water, expanding the usage boundaries. Among other things, it has the latest version of Bluetooth 6.0 with the possibility of Hi-Res Wireless audio transmission.

The main 50 MP camera with an f/1.5 aperture opens up good prospects for work in low light conditions and supports shooting in 4K format. The proprietary software stands out with a variety of functions and competent processing of each frame with subsequent intellectual enhancement of all parameters. It is worth noting that the RAW standard was taken as a basis, which allows you to get a wide range of possibilities for professional post-processing in editors. The slow-mo mode with a frequency of 960 fps deserves special praise. The additional wide-angle camera will come in handy for panoramic shooting, and the 20 MP front module will create quality portraits and group collages.

The Motorola brand has grown significantly over the past couple of years: the company's smartphones have appeared more often in reviews with good ratings, people started to pay attention to them, and many budget models gained a foothold, actively pushing out inexpensive Chinese models. But it wasn't working out well with more expensive smartphones. At least until now, when the sub-flagship Motorola Edge 50 Pro was released at a price of around 20,000 hryvnias, which fixed all the shortcomings of its predecessor Edge 40 Pro.

To begin with, the 6.7-inch OLED screen with 144 Hz and Pantone certification looks impressive, although some users unaccustomed to it complain about an excess of colors. Motorola boasts that Pantone specialists tweaked both the camera and display to strictly match the color palette of the same name, which has been used for decades in graphic design, clothing design, printing, etc. The triple main camera has also improved. The main camera (50 MP, f/1.4) provides detailed and bright photos with a good dynamic range and without the excess sharpness of the Edge 40 Pro, and the wide-angle (13 MP, f/2.2, 120 °) performs much better in daylight but has difficulties in low light.

In terms of hardware, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 processor and 12 GB RAM match their category, but the storage would benefit from faster UFS 3.1 memory instead of UFS 2.2. Though it's not to say the smartphone is slow at working with files. Apart from the screen and camera, the almost perfectly refined HelloUI interface based on Android 14, the water-resistant body (IP68), USB C 3.2 gen1 port with DisplayPort support, and 125-watt charging that will be enough for a full cycle within 18 minutes, deserve praise. Plus, the combination of a rounded display and an ultra-thin 8-mm body looks solid, and different texture and color options for the back panel expand the choice possibilities.