In certain situations, we live in an unprecedented rush. There is so much to do, little time to solve problems or work-related stuff. We live with the need for multi-tasking, we live with the need for capable hardware that can expand our productivity and help us to reach our goals without much hassle. Smartphones have become our everyday life companions and they help us to solve a lot of problems. The multitasking features available nowadays are here to ease our life and help us to extract the best of our limited time. If you need a good smartphone to expand your multi-tasking prowess and help you to be more productive here is our list with our best 10 picks. There are the top 10 smartphones for productivity.
Worth noting that the below-listed smartphones aren’t exactly the best smartphones available in the market. After all, this is a list of the best smartphones for productivity needs which involves multitasking, good battery life, a lot of connectivity options, etc. Without further ado let’s dive into the list of top 10 smartphones for productivity.
Top 10 Smartphones for Productivity
Galaxy S20 FE 5G
Samsung unveiled a new affordable member for the Galaxy S20 families in October last year, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G. The smartphone is a fan edition variant that is more affordable than the other devices in the trio. The device quickly became a success after its release due to its pricing appeal and a good package of specifications. It’s certainly a smartphone with a premium pedigree, and we’re pretty sure it has enough prowess to make you more productive and serve you a lot while on the go.
The Galaxy S20 FE 5G packs a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display that has a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support. It also has 2,400 x 1,080 pixels of resolution. The display is bright and you will have no problem using it under direct sunlight. Under the hood, the Galaxy S20 FE 5G boasts the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 and is available in variants with 6GB of RAM, 8GB of RAM. Storage-wise there are options with 128GB and 256GB of RAM. When it comes to productivity, we certainly recommend the option with 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. After all, you’ll be able to open a lot of applications and will not have to care about possible restarts. The Galaxy S20 FE 5G also supports Samsung DeX which allows you to place it in a dock or hub with HDMI and USB ports to have a Desktop Like experience.
The phone does not disappoint in the camera department. It has a 12MP camera with Dual Pixel PDAF, OIS, an 8MP camera, and a 12MP ultrawide camera. The phone has stereo speakers to enhance the audio experience. Moreover, it comes with microSD card support, Bluetooth 5.0, and Dual-band Wi-Fi. There is a 4,500mAh battery keeping the light on with 25W fast-charging. The phone already received a stable update for Android 11 which brings One UI 3.1 and a lot of goodies on top.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro
Xiaomi joins the list with the Mi 11 Pro. The device was released last month to complement the Mi 11 family which was introduced in December. If the Mi 11 already deserves a place on this list, we’re pretty sure its Pro variant also does well in the list of top 10 smartphones for productivity. The handset has a 6.81-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, Dolby Vision, and high 1,500 nits of brightness. The handset offers 3,200 x 1,440 pixels of resolution.
The phone runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM depending on the variant. Storage starts on 128GB and goes all the way up to 256GB in the higher-tier variant. The 12GB RAM variant certainly has more than enough to perform every single productivity-related application in Play Store. The phone runs Android 11 straight out of the box, and we get MIUI 12 on top with all its goodies to enhance the experience over stock Android.
The phone packs a 50MP camera with f/2.0 aperture, Dual Pixel PDAF, and OIS. It comes with an 8MP periscope telephoto camera with PDAF, OIS, and 5x optical zoom. Lastly, it gets a 13MP ultrawide snapper. The phone comes with a massive 5,000mAh battery with 67W fast wired charging. Its wireless charging capabilities are equally fast with 67W. In less than 40 minutes you can fill your battery no matter the charging method you pick. If you need more, you can even charge other devices through reverse wireless charging with a 10W rated.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
The true kind of the Xiaomi Mi 11 family certainly is the Mi 11 Ultra. The new smartphone reached the market with a 6.81-inch AMOLED display, 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision support. It also has 900 nits of brightness and 1,700 of peak brightness which is impressive for today’s standards. The phone comes with a high 3,200 x 1,440 pixels resolution and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus to withstand scratches and potential damage.
Under the hood, the phone also packs the excellent Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 found on its sibling. The difference here is that users will start with 256GB of Internal Storage with 8GB of RAM. There are other variants with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM and an impressive one with 512GB of storage and 12GB of RAM.
If capturing pictures is part of your everyday life, then this smartphone can certainly make you more productive. It has one of the most impressive camera setups to come with a Xiaomi smartphone. It has a 50MP f/2.0 camera with Dual Pixel PDAF, Laser Auto-Focus, and OIS. The camera is accompanied by a 48MP periscope camera with OIS and 5x Optical Zoom. Lastly, there is a third camera with a 48MP f/2.2 aperture and a PDAF. The camera setup also has HDR support, Dual-LED flash. The most innovative characteristic of this setup is a 1.1-inch AMOLED display on the back that helps you as a viewfinder for selfies with the main camera setup.
The Mi 11 Ultra comes with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, and Stereo Speakers. The phone can offer a lot thanks to a huge 5,000mAh battery with 67W fast wired charging. The 67W wireless charging and 10W reverse wireless charging are also available.
Mi Mix Fold
We believe that foldable smartphones are a big step in terms of making smartphones more attractive for users who need them to be productive. Xiaomi finally entered this segment last month with the arrival of its Mi Mix Fold. Unfortunately, this device is something that only Chinese customers can get as of now. Hopefully, more users across the world will be able to enjoy this marvelous piece of engineering in a near future.
The new smartphone has an 8.01-inch internal display that is a foldable AMOLED with 2,480 x 1,080 pixels of resolution and a 4:3 aspect ratio. It also offers 600 nits and 900 nits of peak brightness. This display can show HDR10+ content and has Dolby Vision support. There is an external display as well that replicates the smartphone experience. It is a 6.2-inch AMOLED panel with 2,520 x 840 pixels of resolution. It also has HDR10+ and Dolby vision support and the same 900 nits of peak brightness. A notable difference between the internal and external displays is that the latter offers a 90Hz refresh rate.
The foldable Mi Mix Fold is available in variants with 12GB / 256GB, 12GB / 512GB and 16GB / 512GB. The latter variant can be compared to some of the most modern laptops in the market. And thankfully, the foldable has a mode that will replicate a laptop mode. This certainly will be the main reason that will make some users purchase an expensive smartphone like this one.
Unlike some foldable smartphones, the Mi Mix Fold does not disappoint in the battery life thanks to a massive 5,020mAh battery. It comes with 67W fast-wired charging and Quick Charge 4+ support. The foldable also has Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, and stereo speakers tweaked by Harman Kardon.
POCO X3 Pro
The POCO X3 Pro joins the list of top smartphones for productivity and unlike the other devices in this list isn’t a premium flagship. The device seems to be the true successor of the Pocophone F1 and brings flagship-like performance to a low price. The smartphone comes with the brand new Qualcomm Snapdragon 860 chipset that sits between the SD855 and SD865 families. The only downside in this particular device is the lack of 5G connectivity, but this may not be a problem for some countries that are still years away from the new network.
The POCO X3 Pro boasts a 6.67-inch LCD with a 120Hz refresh rate and FHD+ resolution. Under the hood, we have the Snapdragon 860 SoC that comes alongside 6GB or 8GB of RAM. Storage-wise the former comes with 128GB while the latter goes up to 256GB of Storage. In both cases, you can use a good microSD card to expand things further.
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The smartphone also has a capable 48MP camera, a 13MP ultrawide, and two less useful 2MP modules. One of the biggest plus in this handset, apart from the stellar performance and multi-tasking abilities, is the battery. The POCO X3 Pro retains the battery of its NFC-branded predecessor with a 5,160mAh battery. This battery is fed by 33W fast-charging which means a full charge from zero in 1 hour and 13 minutes. On the software front, the smartphone runs Android 11 straight out of the box with MIUI 12 running on top.
The POCO X3 Pro is the best smartphone you can get right now when you can spend more than $300 in a smartphone. Of course, you’ll need to deal with the lack of 5G if you’re a country that supports the new network standard.
Redmi K40 Pro+
The Redmi K40 Pro+ is another cost-effect flagship that offers a lot for its users. In counterpart to the POCO X3 Pro, it’s more on par with premium offerings from other brands. The device packs a Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and offers 1,300 nits of peak brightness. The resolution is 2,400 x 1,080 pixels which are lower than some premium devices but will make the GPU less stressed. The phone comes with the excellent Snapdragon 888 SoC.
The high-end chipset is accompanied by 12GB of RAM And 256GB of Internal Storage. This is the combo you need when you’re in the market for extreme productivity. The smartphone also packs a very impressive camera setup. It is led by a 108MP snapper with PDAF, an 8MP ultrawide shooter, 5MP macro module. The new smartphone draws power from a 4,520mAh battery with 33W fast-charging that supports Power Delivery 3.0.
The phone runs Android 11 straight out of the box with MIUI 12 running on top. It’s cheaper than Xiaomi flagships, but not so cheap as you may expect. Its price can easily hit the $780 margin, and so far, it is only available in the Chinese market.
The device also comes with Wi-Fi support all the way up to Wi-Fi 6e. There is support for Bluetooth 5.2 with A2DP and LE. It comes with NFC and interestingly has an IR blaster to control your devices around the home. This feature is absent in Mi smartphones but is very common on Redmi devices. It’s good to see that the Redmi K40 Pro+ is not disappointing its loyal fanbase. The Redmi K40 Pro+ certainly is the best smartphone in the Redmi lineup, for that reason, it joins the list of top 10 smartphones for productivity.
Vivo X60 Pro+
Back in the last year, Vivo introduced the X60 series through two smartphones – the X60 and X60 Pro. One month later, the company announced a Snapdragon 888-powered variant in China dubbed Vivo X60 Pro+. Unfortunately, this variant is not available in global markets. The other two crossed the border recently and received another chipset. The X60 Pro+ remains a jewel that only the Chinese market will have access to. It brings decent camera specifications, a gorgeous display, and can easily fit the requirements needed for joining the list of top 10 smartphones for productivity.
The Vivo X60 Pro+ flaunts a 6.56-inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+, and 1,300 nits of peak brightness. The smartphone has 2,376 x 1,080 pixels of resolution. Under the hood, the smartphone carries a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset with 8GB of RAM or 12GB of RAM. Moreover, it has up to 256GB of Internal Storage. The device runs OriginOS which adds the virtual RAM feature which can expand the RAM to 11GB or 15GB depending on the variant. It makes use of a portion of the internal storage always necessary.
The Vivo X60 Pro+ packs a 50MP camera with PDAF and OIS. It also comprises an 8MP periscope module, a 32MP telephoto camera, and a 48MP ultrawide snapper. The latter features the cutting-edge and Vivo’s exclusive gimbal-like stabilization. The handset draws power from a 4,200mAh battery with 55W fast wired charging.
OnePlus 9 Pro
Late last year, OnePlus introduced its OnePlus 9 series, and the high-tier OnePlus 9 Pro certainly deserves a place in the list of top 10 smartphones for productivity needs. The flagship comes with a 6.7-inch LTOP Fluid2 AMOLED with HDR10+ support and 1,300 peak brightness. This display comes with 3,216 x 1,440 pixels of resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s one of the first OnePlus smartphones to come with an AOD display straight out of the box.
The smartphone starts with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of Internal Storage and goes up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of Internal Storage. Under the hood, its powers are given by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888. In the camera department, the flagship offers a 48MP camera with PDAF, Laser AF, and OIS. It also comes with an 8MP telephoto camera with PDAF, OIS, and 3.3x optical zoom. It also brings a 50MP ultrawide camera and a 2MP monochrome sensor. The handset also has a 16MP selfie snapper placed in the top-left part of the smartphone’s display.
The device draws power from a 4,500mAh battery with 65W fast-charging or 50W fast wireless charging. On the software front, we have OxygenOS 11. The OnePlus 9 Pro comes with Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6 which is dual-band. The device also comes with Bluetooth 5.2 with support for A2DP, LE, and aptX HD.
If you’re an avid user of OnePlus devices and are used to the OxygenOS ecosystem, then the OnePlus 9 Pro will be a great option. For that reason, it has joined our top 10 smartphones for productivity.
Oppo Find X3 Pro
The Oppo Find X3 Pro also reached the market last month with high-end specifications that will meet all your requirements of multi-tasking and productivity. The device flaunts a 6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED display with HDR10+ and 120Hz refresh rate. The panel has a 3,216 x 1,440 pixels of resolution.
Oppo’s flagship runs with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset and is available in options with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM. Storage is always 256GB no matter the variant you select. The camera setup is quite innovative since it brings the world’s first microscope camera with 3MP and a 60x magnification. The main sensor is a 50MP camera with omnidirectional PDAF and OIS. There is a secondary 13MP telephoto sensor and 50MP ultrawide snapper.
The handset draws power from a huge 4,500 battery with 65W fast charging. It also comes with 30W fast wireless charging and reverses the wireless charging feature with a 10W charging rate. On the software front, the new flagship comes with ColorOS 11.2 software that runs on top of Android 11. The Oppo Find X3 Pro has Wi-Fi all the way up to Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2 with aptX HD, and full GNSS support. It also packs stereo speakers and selfie lovers will enjoy a 32MP snapper.
The Oppo Find X3 Pro will definitively meet the demand of users who need a fast device with a lot of storage and power to execute all applications in the Play Store.
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max
If you’re in the Apple side of the coin and need a device that can meet all your production requirements, then one of the best possible picks is the iPhone 12 Pro Max. This is the company’s most high-offering in the market and certainly can perform everything on App Store without any hassle.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max comes with a 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display. It offers HDR10 support, Dolby Vision, and comes with 800 nits of brightness and 1,200 nits of peak brightness. The device has an unusual resolution of 2,778 x 1,284 which results in a 19:5:9 aspect ratio. This isn’t the most bezel-less display in the market since Apple still uses a wide-notch solution to house its Face ID system.
The device packs a 12MP dual Pixel PDAF camera with sensor-shift stabilization. It also has a 12MP telephoto lens with an f/2.2 aperture. A third sensor is a 12MP unit for ultrawide shots that comes with an f/2.4 aperture. The setup also includes a 3D ToF module that boasts the LiDAR scanner. This scanner is one of the main factors that make the iPhone 12 Pro Max more than a smartphone but a complete tool for certain tasks. You can measure height and even distance using this sensor.
The iPhone 12 Pro Max is powered by the Apple A14 Bionic chipset which always comes with 6GB of RAM. Storage starts with 128GB and goes all the way up to 256GB. The iPhone 12 Pro Max came with iOS 14.1 and will be upgradeable to iOS 15 as well as a lot of future versions.
The device has Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, GNSS, and NFC support. The iPad Pro certainly is a better Apple device for productivity, but it isn’t a smartphone. So, if you need a compact device the iPhone 12 Pro Max will serve you well, so it certainly deserves a place in the top 10 smartphones for productivity list.
What is the best smartphone for productivity in your opinion?
This is our list of top 10 smartphones for productivity based on this month (April 2021). Of course, users may find a particular option better than another. For that reason, we’re in the end of this article to ask what smartphone deserves a place in the list of top 10 smartphones for productivity.