The Stiftung Warentest has chosen the best smartphones in 2021.
A brand makes it into the top 4 with two devices.
Berlin - The variety of current smartphones is enormous.
In addition to the established products from Samsung and Apple *, Chinese manufacturers are also increasingly entering the market.
Brands like Huawei, Xiaomi or OnePlus have recently made a name for themselves with their inexpensive but powerful models.
Even discounters now offer a wide range of smartphones.
In addition, there is online trade and specialist shops.
The selection is becoming more and more confusing.
In order to cover all gaps in the market, even premium manufacturers are now offering slimmed-down versions of their top models.
For many buyers it is now almost impossible to keep an overview.
Now the Stiftung Warentest has taken the devices under the microscope again.
Stiftung Warentest: This is how testing was done
To determine the test winner, the testers from Stiftung Warentest checked over 130 smartphones.
19 of them are presented in the current July issue.
In addition to criteria such as computing power, camera performance and display resolution, the testers also compared the battery life.
Unsurprisingly, the top models from Apple, Samsung and Sony came out on top in the overall comparison.
In addition to the overall winners, Stiftung Warentest also identified top cell phones in other categories.
The Motorola Moto G10 was able to convince as the cheapest smartphone, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 9T as the best in terms of price-performance.
A special feature is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, which can be closed thanks to the foldable display, but only received the overall rating of "sufficient" (3.7) due to its susceptibility to scratches and the high price.
Stiftung Warentest: Surprising winner in terms of battery life
But which manufacturer delivers the best battery life?
The Samsung Galaxy A72 model achieved the best performance.
A runtime of 50.5 hours in robot-controlled normal operation convinced the testers and achieved the top grade of 1.1.
No other smartphone could achieve this rating.
For comparison: Flagship models such as Apple's iPhone 12 Pro Max or Samsung's Galaxy S21 Ultra last for a maximum of 41 hours.
With a performance of 5,000 mAh, the battery of the Samsung Galaxy A72 is lonely at the top.
For comparison: the test winner only has just under 3,700.
According to Stiftung Warentest, the Galaxy A72 can be used for 50.5 hours with a medium display brightness.
Even with maximum brightness, the Galaxy A72 only stops after 40 hours.
The A72 is also ahead in terms of charging time: the battery is fully charged after 1.5 hours, and the test winner needs about 30 minutes longer.
Stiftung Warentest: The test winner 2021
As expected, Samsung and Apple in particular shine at the top. The iPhone 12 Pro Max (128GB) won first place in this year's group test. According to Stiftung Warentest, the currently best and most expensive Apple model shines above all with the camera and impresses with its impressive computing power. In the test, the iPhone 12 Pro Max achieved an overall rating of “good” (1.7) and was able to place itself in front of the top models from Samsung (Galaxy S21 Ultra) and Sony (Xperia 5 II). However, there is one downer: Stiftung Warentest criticizes the fact that the test winner is delivered without a charger and instructions for use.
The current iPhone could also convince in version 12 Pro and landed in fourth place with a grade of 1.8. The iPhone 12 mini secured eleventh place, with models from the Korean manufacturer Samsung in between. Huawei's Mate 40 Pro was the first Chinese manufacturer to reach twelfth place in the ranking and can be pleased about the overall rating of "good" (1.9) for its flagship model.
