Top 10 smartphones for Media Consumption #2

Another month is about to end, and we are here to bring a new edition of our “Top 10 smartphones for Media Consumption” listing. Nowadays, media consumption is basically one of the reasons that move forward the smartphone market. Especially in these days of pandemic when people are forced to stay at home. We’ve been passing countless hours watching movies through online streaming services, we’ve been navigating through social media feeds or we’re playing games with our handsets to kill boredom. If you need a good smartphone for media consumption’s sake, then you will need to look at – Display, Battery Capacity, and certain aspects of the hardware. Through this list, we can help you to get a good smartphone that will meet your needs in this particular department. Today, we’ve elaborated a list of the top 10 smartphones for media consumption you can get in March 2021.

Top 10 Smartphones for Media Consumption – Disclaimer

The devices in the list are, in our opinion, the best devices for watching Netflix and other streaming platforms such as YouTube, Twitch, etc. Moreover, they also deliver great performance and are ideal for trending apps such as TikTok, Instagram, and even Clubhouse. So if you’re needing a device that will meet all your “multimedia needs” check out our list with good recommendations.

POCO X3 Pro

The POCO X3 / NFC marked its presence in our February list, while the device still deserves a place as one of the best phones for media consumption, it has been replaced with a new, better contender. The POCO X3 Pro as the name suggests improves the base smartphone in several aspects including performance. Considering the specifications, the smartphone brings excellent performance for its offered price. It certainly is one of the best value-for-money smartphones you can get in this list.

The POCO X3 Pro is the first smartphone coming with the Snapdragon 860 SoC. As the name suggests this chipset is between the Snapdragon 855 and Snapdragon 865 family. In the end of the day, you will get a flagship-like performance in all tasks. You can play any game on the Play Store with this phone without any hassle, watch movies for several hours and navigate seamlessly through social media apps.

The POCO X3 Pro retains the 6.67-inch LCD screen with a 120Hz refresh rate of its predecessor. It also packs HDR10+ support, and this time around brings a cutting edge Gorilla Glass 6 technology. The phone is available in variants with 6GB and 8GB of RAM with 128GB and 256GB of Internal Storage. It draws power from a huge 5,160mAh battery equipped and has support for an excellent 33W fast-charging. The phone also has stereo speakers to provide an immersive and loud audio experience.

The big difference is that the phone has a 48MP primary camera down from 64MP in the original smartphone. However, you can still capture decent photos that are great for social apps like Instagram. It will also allow you to capture your TikToks with great quality. One thing to notice is that the POCO X3 NFC lacks 5G connectivity just like its vanilla sibling.

Redmi Note 10 Pro

The second device in this list also comes from Xiaomi, it’s the recently released Redmi Note 10 Pro. The new smartphone leads the Redmi Note 10 series with excellent performance and a gorgeous display. Once again, the device brings Xiaomi’s favorite display size of 6.67-inches. It’s an FHD+ display and the big plus here is that this is an AMOLED display. To make things even better it has a 120Hz refresh rate. Other features include HDR10 support, 450 nits brightness, and 1,200 nits peak brightness. If you want to experience the deep blacks of an AMOLED display, with all the saturation and enhanced contrast, the Redmi Note 10 Pro is a great choice.

Under the hood, the phone packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G chipset paired with 6GB or 8GB of RAM depending on your choice. It also has 64GB or 128GB of storage depending on the variant. The Redmi Note 10 Pro has a massive 108MP camera that can capture photos with stunning details. This camera is enhanced with a lot of software features present in the Mi Camera application, there is even an ultrawide camera with 8MP for group shots. Xiaomi also states that the 5MP macro camera is one of the best equipped on a Redmi Note smartphone. This camera comes with Auto-Focus which isn’t common for Redmi Macro units.

The Redmi Note 10 Pro draws power from a 5,020mAh battery with 33W fast-charging support. The device also has Stereo Speakers making the audio experience way more immersive than on single-speaker smartphones.

iPhone 12 Pro Max

If you’re in the market for an Apple smartphone and also want a great experience when consuming media, the high-end iPhone 12 Pro Max certainly is the best update at this point. The new Apple flagship comes with a Super Retina XDR OLED display with a 6.7-inches diagonal. The resolution is 2,778 x 1,284 pixels and the phone comes with HDR10 support and outstanding 800 nits of brightness. This can reach 1,200 nits at peak brightness. The display also comes with Dolby Vision for an enhanced experience. If you want an Apple smartphone for watching movies, this is the best phone you can get right now.

Talking about performance, the iPhone 12 Pro Max has an Apple A14 Bionic chipset. This is a 5nm-based Hexa-Core Soc with 2x 3.1 GHz Firestorm + 4 x 1.8GHz Icestorm cores. It also has an Apple GPU Quad-Core GPU. This is enough to handle everything available on Apple Store without any hassle.

The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max has a 12MP wide camera with dual Pixel PDAF and sensor-shift stabilization. The phone also packs a 12MP telephoto with OIS, 2.5x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide camera. The phone also packs a ToF 3D LiDAR scanner that also works for depth sensing. It also has a capable 12MP selfie camera for taking your selfies for Instagram. Worth noting that due to app-specific optimizations, the results of pictures captured with the iPhone tend to be better than on Android smartphones when using Instagram.

The iPhone 12 Pro Max also has stereo speakers and is available in variants with 6GB of RAM and up to 512GB of Internal Storage. Unfortunately, the battery capacity is below Android standards with just 3,687mAh. Thankfully, the phone supports 20W fast-charging which promises 50% in just 30 minutes. The phone also comes with Qi magnetic fast wireless charging at 15W.

Just like most iPhones, the 12 Pro Max lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack. For hearing your audio individually you’ll need Bluetooth earphones or a USB-C to 3.5mm dongle. The Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max may be costlier, but if you’re in the iOS side of the coin, it stands as the best option you can get and for that reason deserves a place in the Top 10 smartphones for media consumption list.

Moto G100 / Motorola Edge S

The Motorola Edge S was unveiled today in global markets as Moto G100. It’s a cost-effective flagship that also has a lot to offer when you’re looking for a device that delivers in the media-consumption department. The Moto G100 packs a 6.7-inch LCD with a 90Hz refresh rate. This display has 560 nits of brightness and HDR10 certification. The resolution is 2,520 x 1,080 and the phone has a 21:9 aspect ratio. The phone has two punch-holes for a dual-camera setup. We have a 16MP main camera and an 8MP wide camera allowing you to take selfies with your group of friends.

iQOO 7

The iQOO  7 was the first smartphone released by iQOO this year. Worth noting that this is a flagship, costlier smartphone, but as you might expect, it’s one of the best phones for media consumption in this list. The iQOO 7 packs a 6.62-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 2,400 x 1,080 (FHD+) resolution, and HDR10+ support. The phone has a center-aligned punch-hole which isn’t very intrusive.

Under the hood, the iQOO 7 shines in this list thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset. This is the high-tier chipset offered by the US-based chipmaker this year. It brings cutting-edge technology like 5nm process, Cortex-X1, and Cortex-A78 cores. It can handle everything you throw in this smartphone without stress. The Adreno 660 GPU can run all games with high-settings.

The iQOO 7 is available in variants with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of Internal Storage, or 12GB of RAM and 256GB of Internal UFS 3.1 storage. Vivo’s Android 11-based OriginOS also brings a virtual memory feature that simulates 3GB of extra RAM using ROM storage. So in the end, you can have 11GB in the base and 15GB in the high-tier variants. Of course, this feature has its limitations and will not work as “real” RAM.

The handset has a 48MP wide camera with PDAF and Optical Image Stabilization. The phone also has a 13MP portrait camera with PDAF and 2x optical zoom. Last but not least it brings a 13MP ultrawide camera. For selfie purposes, the phone has a 16MP selfie camera.

The iQOO 7 draws power from a 4,000mAh battery. This capacity may not be on par with many devices in this list. However, the phone comes with a cutting-edge 120W fast-charging. You can fill up this battery in a couple of minutes, so having to charge it after long hours of usage will not be a problem at all.

iQOO Z3

The second iQOO smartphone in this list is the iQOO Z3. The handset is a premium mid-range smartphone offering a lot for those who search for a good smartphone that will deliver in the “media consumption department”. Unfortunately, the iQOO Z3 is a fresh smartphone and is only available in China right now. But we assume it will reach more markets in the coming months.

The iQOO Z3 offers a 6.58-inch LCD with HDR10 support and a 120Hz refresh rate. The handset also has 2,408 x 1,080 pixels of resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio. The LCD is here to cut costs, but at least it comes with a high refresh rate.

Under the hood, the iQOO Z3 brings a Qualcomm chipset that has been forgotten until now. The Snapdragon 768G was released last year but never appeared in a smartphone until now. As the name suggests it is a tweaked Snapdragon 765G offering extra performance and the 5G connectivity of its vanilla sibling. It’s based on the same 7nm architecture of the Snapdragon 860 series. It can handle most apps in Google Play Store without any issue.

In the camera department, the iQOO Z3 will not let you down with a 64MP main camera with PDAF. It also has an 8MP ultrawide camera with 1.12um and a 2MP macro camera with f/2.4 aperture. It also comes with a 16MP selfie snapper that supports HDR.

The iQOO Z3 has OriginOS with the same virtual RAM feature that will give 3GB of extra RAM no matter the variant you’ve chosen. The phone draws power from a 4,400mAh battery with a super-fast 55W charging. The phone has enough goodies to be considered a titan in the Top 10 smartphones for media consumption list.

iQOO Neo 5

The last iQOO addition to our list is the recently released iQOO Neo 5. For starters, this handset offers a cost-effective flagship experience for those who can’t afford the iQOO 7. There are some aspects where Vivo has cut some corners to make it more affordable. However, it’s pretty much excusable, and the phone will still offer stellar performance in the media department.

The iQOO Neo 3 packs a 6.62-inch AMOLED display with HDR10 and 120Hz refresh rate. The handset brings an AMOLED panel which is an upgrade over the LCD on the iQOO Neo 3. However, the refresh rate is down from 144Hz, but 120Hz is still truly enjoyable. It has an FHD+ resolution and a 20:9 aspect ratio.

Vivo decided to stick with the Snapdragon 870 chipset here. The phone comes in variants with  8GB of RAM, and a whopping option with 12GB of RAM. Storage-wise, we have 128GB and 256GB to select. The phone comes with FuntouchOS 11 based on Android 11, but it still has the virtual memory feature.

Realme GT 5G

The Realme GT 5G was released earlier this month by Realme. The handset is the company’s first flagship for 2021 and stands as a “performance flagship” in the company’s “dual-flagship” strategy. It’s the company’s first smartphone to sport the Snapdragon 888 chipset. And surprisingly, it’s quite cheap with a starting price of $465 in China. This handset, unfortunately, is still limited to the Chinese market. But it’s just a matter of time to see it reaching other countries.

The Realme GT 5G flagship chipset is paired with 8GB of RAM in the base version and 12GB of RAM in the high-tier variant. These variants are paired with 128GB and 256GB of Internal Storage respectively. The phone certainly does not come to impress in the camera department, but this camera setup will surely be enough for your social media applications, especially with all the fancy features provided by Realme UI 2.0 camera application. The phone has a main 64MP camera with PDAF and an f/1.8 aperture. It also packs an 8MP ultrawide camera and a 2MP macro shooter.

Redmi K40 / POCO F3

Samsung Galaxy A52 5G