Best Snapdragon 845 smartphones

The Snapdragon 845 is the SoC to beat in 2018. Not only is the it extremely fast, Qualcomm’s chip also comes paired with an impressive GPU, the Adreno 630. The new Snapdragon 845 is a major step forward from its predecessor the Snapdragon 835. Our very own Gary Sims recently put the 845 through its paces, and found gains all over the place. One of the more exciting improvements was a gain of 20-40 percent in GPU performance. That increase in performance will keep FPS smooth as more demanding games come to the mobile space, like PUBG Mobile and (eventually) Fortnite. So what are the best Snapdragon 845 phones out there? Good question. Released phones Samsung Galaxy S9/S9 Plus Depending on where you are in the world the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus may have a Snapdragon 845.Those in North & Latin Americas, China, Japan will get the Snapdragon 845 because of all the CDMA patents Qualcomm has. Those looking to buy the phone elsewhere, like in Europe, South Korea, or India, will find Samsung LSI’s Exynos 9810 SoC inside. Generally, benchmarks show the 845 is the one you want. It’s faster in both CPU and GPU benchmarks, with better energy efficiency as well. The Exynos line is slowly catching up to the Snapdragon line, which is encouraging for Samsung, but still a way behind. The S9 with the 845 is leads all benchmarks. It’s the one you’ll want to spend your money on if you’re going for the top of the line. Buy Galaxy S9/S9 Plus at Amazon Sony Xperia XZ2, XZ2 Compact and XZ2 Premium Sony didn’t mess about with its latest devices when they dropped at MWC 2018. The Sony Xperia XZ2 and smaller Xperia XZ2 Compact both come with the Snapdragon 845. With a fresh water-inspired design, 4GB of RAM, expandable memory on top of 64GB of internal storage, and an 18:9 screen, it’s a top-end phone. XZ2 will be available to those in the U.S. as soon as April. We haven’t had a chance for a full review yet, but our initial XZ2 hands-on was positive for Sony fans. There’s also a new Xperia XZ2 Premium heading to market, offering a dual-camera setup for the first time from Sony, along with a Bokeh mode. Buy Xperia XZ2 at Best Buy Buy Xperia XZ2 Compact at Best Buy Announced and Upcoming Phones Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 flagship was given an iterative improvement in March, upgrading the Mix 2S with a Snapdragon 845 and a major camera update. Our early hands-on with the Mi Mix 2S shows plenty of promise (Josh’s full review is still forthcoming). The major limitation of the Xiaomi line is availability — you can only get it in China and other parts of Asia. It’s also up for pre-order but not shipping just yet. Asus ZenFone 5Z Asus caught some flack when it unveiled the first in a series of Android phones with a notch. Despite that, the Asus ZenFone 5Z looks packed with value. Although we haven’t yet had a chance for a full review, it’s powered by a Snapdragon 845, totes 6GB RAM, 64GB storage, dual-SIM support, and a 3,300 mAh battery. It’s priced at $499, which sets this up as a solid competitor for companies like OnePlus and Honor. The Asus ZenFone 5Z is out in June. Xiaomi Black Shark Gaming Phone Xiaomi Gaming Black Shark is a Xiaomi company which announced a brand-new gaming-focused phone, complete with a joystick controller attachment. It’s a 6-inch device with a 2.5D, 2160 x 1080 resolution display, the Snapdragon 845 chipset, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 128GB storage. Unfortunately when it hits later this month it’ll only be available in China. Here’s to hoping Xiaomi expands the phone to more markets in the near future. HTC U12 Alleged image of HTC U12 The HTC U12 is hugely important for the struggling Taiwanese company. HTC has released a ton of good phones, which never quite become must-buys — the U12 might be able to change that. Rumored for an April release, some leaks indicate the U12 will boast a 6-inch display, Snapdragon 845, 6GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage, and a rear dual camera. It’ll also have Oreo 8, an updated Edge Sense, and HTC’s Face Unlock, according to the leaks. Will that be enough for HTC to sell a truck-load? Just getting started… All the major smartphone flagships in 2018 will have a Snapdragon 845. Stay tuned as we’ll be sure to update this post as more new Snapdragon 845 phones are announced.