The market might be dominated byAppleandSamsung — with an casual rippling of pursuit every time a newPixelarrives — but there are more companionship out there making earphone than you might have realized . Not only that , they ’re often doing more in terms of innovation and experimentation than the big names .
Atthe last enumeration , between the two companies , Apple and Samsung accounted for two - third of the smartphones ship in the U.S. : the top five earphone deal in the 2d quarter of 2019 were ( in order ) theiPhone XR , the iPhone 8 , the iPhone XS Max , the Galaxy S10 Plus , and the Galaxy S10 .
Look globally though , and it ’s a somewhat different report . Over the lastcouple of years , Apple ’s virtuoso has fallen , while the the like of Huawei and Xiaomi are on the raise .
Nubia Red Magic 3Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)
When it comes to the global market , as far as phones shipped in the 2nd quarter of this yearare concerned , it ’s Samsung out in front with 22.3 percent , with Huawei coming in 2nd on 17.2 percentage , and Apple cease off the top three with 11.1 percent . Xiaomi took 9.4 percent , Oppo managed 8.7 percentage , and then everyone else makes up the relaxation ( almost a third ) .
Whether you require to try something different for your next smartphone rising slope , or you just require to know more about the way the industriousness is heading , these are the earpiece companies you involve to be cognisant of .
Nokia
Founded : 1865
What is it ? Once the biggest name in Mobile River , it ’s now a brand owned by HMD Global .
late products of interest : The five - lensNokia 9 PureView , pushing the boundary of what ’s possible with telephone picture taking . Over the last twain of age , theNokia 7series earpiece have been standard - pallbearer for excellent value , and theNokia 7.2just made its debut at IFA 2019 .
Nokia 9 PureViewPhoto: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)
Why you should care : Nokia has long been associated with excellent phone cameras , a custom it ’s managed to continue ( HMD Global was formed by demode - Nokia employee ) . It ’s also continue to show how invoke a combination of low prices , substantial build tone , and near - stock Android can be — who knew ?
Realme
Founded : 2018
What is it : From one of the oldest earpiece company to one of the newfangled — a Taiwanese inauguration quick to take on the adult players .
late product of interest : TheRealme XTis the first smartphone to market with a 64MP tv camera detector , evidence it ’s not always the considerably - fuck manufacturer who claim the key first .
Cat S61.Photo: Bullitt
Why you should care : Spun out of Oppo , Realme wants to fuse top spec with forward-looking pattern , and from the twelvemonth or so that it ’s been in procedure , it seems to be make sound on that promise . Having begin surgical process in India and Asia , it ’s now pushing out to Europe and beyond .
Jolla
Founded : 2012
What is it ? Founded by ex - Nokia employee to carry on the growth of the MeeGo - derived operating system called Sailfish OS .
late products of interest : Jolla has only ever put out one speech sound , back in 2013 , to help build Sailfish OS .
Huawei P30 Pro.Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)
Why you should care : With Huawei ’s on-going woes in the US , the focus is back on alternative mobile operating systems , and the Linux - base Sailfish OS is one of the best alternatives around . It does n’t have the app selection of the Google Play Store of course , but it does have all the stock apps you ’re going to need — and in the current climate , you might be hearing a lot more about Sailfish OS in the futurity .
Bullitt
found : 2009
What is it ? A mobile sound maker that releases French telephone in partnership with brands like Caterpillar and Kodak .
Recent products of interestingness : consider rugged , outdoor phones — like theLand Rover Exploreor theCat S61that features a thermal imaging camera and an atmosphere calibre monitor lizard .
Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)
Why you should care : Plenty of modern speech sound total with waterproofing now , but if you require something that ’s really rugged , Bullitt can help — you definitely wo n’t want a case . The company is also labor features like the aforementioned thermal imaging camera , and battery life-time that lasts more than a 24-hour interval .
Wiko
ground : 2011
What is it ? A French smartphone company selling phones built in China .
Recent merchandise of interest : The View3 and theView3 Proare the most recent Wiko handsets of note , giving much more expensive phones a run for their money .
Vivo Apex.Photo: Vivo
Why you should care : Wiko telephone set do n’t of necessity break much ground in terms of innovation — though they were one of the first handset Maker tobuck the notch trend — but like a batch of the Taiwanese brand , the ship’s company manages to marry affordability with goodish design and execution .
Huawei
Founded : 1987
What is it ? Chinese giant currently finger the brunt of US - China trade sanctions , include its budget - focused Honor sub - brand .
late product of interestingness : TheHuawei Mate X , which together with the Galaxy Fold was one of the first literal folding phones to appear ( though it ’s still not on sale ) . TheHuawei P30 Pro , with a limited periscope genus Lens design that enable 5x optical camera zoom .
Nubia Red Magic 3.Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)
Why you should manage : With or without trade bans , Huawei struggle to trade speech sound in the US , but it ’s been one of the force military group behind some of the serious smartphone innovations of late years — not least cameras with multiple lenses and visual rapid growth . Thanks to the infrastructure side of its business , it ’s often early to commercialise with technologies like 4 G and 5 G as well . We ’ll have to hold off and see how well the approaching Mate 30 does if it does n’t have accession to Android or any Google apps .
Xiaomi
What is it ? Like Huawei , a juggernaut of a Formosan sound manufacturer , now expatiate outside of Asia .
Recent product of interestingness : TheXiaomi Mi 9is one of the best mid - range phones to have hit the market this year . The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 , meanwhile , was one of the first phones in Europe to amount with 5 G capabilities .
Why you should handle : Xiaomi does n’t have the same sort of visibility as Huawei in the US , but its impingement on the smartphone market could be even greater than its Chinese challenger . With the help of submarine - brands like Pocophone , it produces excellent mobile computer hardware across all the toll points .
Photo: (iFixIt)
OnePlus
Founded : 2013
What is it ? The party that wanted to pour down flagships originally , but now seems happy to live with them .
Recent products of sake : TheOnePlus 7 Prois just an all - round fantastic smartphone . Oh , and it ’s making amove into TVssoon . require the OnePlus 7 T Pro very shortly .
Why you should care : OnePlus originally made its name give rise very well specced headphone deal at a much lower price than other flagships . Over meter , its prices have gone up , but every year it still manages to put out smartly design , powerful French telephone that will cost you less money than the top Apple and Samsung telephone .
Oppo
base : 2001
What is it ? Like OnePlus , a subsidiary of BBK Electronics , which is why its phone technology is often similar .
Recent products of involvement : We ’ve been wowed by the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom this year — have a guess what its support - out feature of speech is , just from the name . It ’s also launched a 5 gram phone already , andrecently pushed outa phone with a ‘ shark cinque ’ pappa - up selfie tv camera .
Why you should care : You ’ll often see Oppo usher off next - generation technology onwards of time , even if it does n’t actually appear in a phone right aside — most lately , a selfie camera that canhide behind the front screen . If there ’s a way to experiment with smartphone design , Oppo isusually doing it .
Vivo
What is it ? Another BBK subsidiary with OnePlus and Oppo , but one that tends to follow its own path .
late mathematical product of interest : Vivo speech sound are n’t crossing the Earth like those from Huawei or OnePlus , but the Vivo Z1 Pro ( with a hole punch notch ) and the Vivo Nex ( with a bolt down - up selfie photographic camera ) are two of its dear recent efforts .
Why you should care : Vivo is another of the Chinese phone companies trying tokeep handsets weird(and interesting at the same time ) . While you might not be picking a Vivo phone over an Apple or Samsung machine anytime shortly , it ’s worth keeping up with the tech ( likebuttonless , interface - free phones ) that Vivo is developing .
Nubia
Founded : 2015
What is it ? Spun out of ZTE ( though still a partner company ) , now have phones in its own right .
Recent products of interest : TheNubia Red Magic 3is the best attempt at a gambling phone we ’ve seen yet . Last twelvemonth we also had theNubia X , which experiment with a second filmdom .
Why you should care : Nubialikes to try out , like the rest of its Chinese similitude , but it ’s also very good at building flagship devices too . You ’ll often see Nubia handsets described as “ the good phone you ca n’t buy”—and the second half of that sentence might finally exchange .
ZTE
base : 1985
What is it ? A communication behemoth that makes headphone too .
Recent products of interest : ZTE handsets have been fragile on the ground lately , because of issue with US suppliers , but there are signs of a resurgence .
Why you should handle : Like Huawei , ZTE has been around a long time , and has grown to a material sizing , and is call for with many aspects of telecommunications , and hashad its own problemswith trading in the US . After almost go under , the size of it of ZTE think its future influence on smartphones ca n’t be disregard .
TCL
institute : 1981
What is it ? A behemoth of a Chinese electronics fellowship .
late products of pastime : TheBlackBerry Key2was the most recent phone from a TCL marque that we ’ve been impressed by , but the best products that the company has been churning out this yearare Roku - powered TVs .
Why you should wish : With brands like Alcatel , Blackberry , and Palm to its name , and a Samsung or Sony level of interest in multiple electronics category , TCL is potential to shape the diligence for years to get along . At IFA 2019 , it even started launching phonesunder its own name .
Smartisan
What is it ? A smaller Taiwanese consumer electronics firm , notable because it could well behelping make a phonewith TikTok owner ByteDance .
Recent products of interest : The Smartisan U3 and the Smartisan R1 are the fellowship ’s most late mid - range and flagship phones , respectively .
Why you should deal : One to keep an eye on thanks to its partnership with ByteDance , rather than a troupe that ’s been have a dramatic impact on the smartphone market to engagement . It ’s also deserving mark that Smartisan is investing intemperately in software and swarm services .
Fairphone
What is it ? A spunky inauguration from the Netherlands focused on modular smartphones that are mere to remediate and a dreaming add up true for contrivance - lovers who have honourable concerns about waste .
late products of interest : TheFairphone 3is the company ’s latest Android - based model its line of “ long - lasting and sustainable phones . ” This week , repair outfit iFixit published a teardownof the newfangled twist and gave it a rare perfect score for repairability . And while most manufacturer appear to have decided that the public is uninterested in modularity , Fairphone is proceed the dream alive .
Why you should deal : While company like Apple climb up through more and more complex hoops to warrant why they need to make it difficult for masses to repair the devices that they grease one’s palms with their firmly - bring in money , you ’ll be hard - pressed to find a splash of mucilage in the bowel of the Fairphone 3 . And though the reviews of its latest DIY - dialer rank it asa serviceableif not mindblowing product , it should only get well as it gains adopters .
Smartphones
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