Digit Zero1 Awards 2021: Best Flagship Smartphone

We're finally at the end of a long 2021. This was a year when the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked havoc but failed to substantially impact the Indian buyer’s appetite for the latest and greatest in smartphone technology. Despite battling issues with manufacturing and supply chains, the biggest phone makers responded with great enthusiasm and launched blockbuster devices one after the other which raised the bar for the industry. From Samsung's S21 Ultra to the iPhone 13 Pro and Vivo's first entry into the premium segment, the X70 Pro+, we saw some strong offerings which made it very difficult for us to recommend just one phone from the segment. But as always, there's always a winner. So read on to find out which phone won the winner's title for the best premium segment smartphone at this year's Digit Zero1 Awards. 

Winner: iPhone 13 Pro (Buy Here)

Love it or hate it, you can't ignore it. Yes, we're talking about the iPhone 13 Pro. This latest flagship from Apple has once again raised the bar and set the benchmark for upcoming devices. While it's true that the iPhone 13 Pro is not the most forward-looking phone that you can buy right now, it does not mean that it's still not the best phone for the here and now. In fact, as we found out during our testing process for the Digit Zero1 Awards, the iPhone 13 Pro is the best smartphone that money can buy right. It offers a brilliant display, and a big battery. But where it really distances itself from other competing phones is in performance and camera departments. In both, it managed to emerge as the stand-out performer, scoring big in synthetic benchmarks, as well as real-world tests. Suffice to say, all of this combined makes the iPhone 13 Pro a very good buy and also, the king of the premium segment for this year.

Runner-up: Vivo X70 Pro+ (Buy Here)

The runner-up for the Digit Zero1 Awards for the segment is the Vivo X70 Pro+. This new device from Vivo is an absolute looker. But, as we found out during our tests, this Snapdragon 888+ totting phone is also a beast when it comes to performance, and is also among the best, if not the best camera phones in the market right now. The improvement in photography performance is down to the company using a new V1 chip. This chip makes its presence felt the most in low light scenarios. Apart from this, the phone also offers a really gorgeous display which did pretty good in our Calman display tests. While the phone wasn't the best in any of the test categories, the fact that it managed to come close to the winner, iPhone 13 Pro, made sure it ended up clinching the runner-up title. 

Best Buy: OnePlus 9 Pro (Buy Here)

In what's emerging as a theme for Digit Zero1 Awards 2021, OnePlus phones are proving themselves to be a strong value for money offerings across the various smartphone categories this year. And as such, it came as no surprise when the OnePlus 9 Pro managed to clinch the Best Buy title in this segment. But even if one were to ignore the sheer value for money the OnePlus 9 Pro offers to buyers, there is no ignoring the fact that the device is a powerful device that offers pretty much everything you'd want from a premium segment phone. As one of the best phones in the country, it brings with itself a gorgeous display, a powerful chipset and to top it all off, a big battery that can charge faster than most phones out there. So, if you want a premium phone, but don't want to burn a hole in your wallet for it, then the OnePlus 9 Pro is the phone for you.

ABOUT DIGIT ZERO 1 AWARDS

With a legacy of 20 years, the Digit Zero 1 Awards is recognized as the Industry’s only performance-based awards. Digit rewards brands for putting in years of research in developing and introducing performance-driven products for their audience. All products are made to pass through a rigorous and scientific test process and compete with competitor brands in the same category. The Winner in each category is announced on the basis of their total score, post complete performance analysis done across an average of 56 tests, conducted for every category, across key performance parameters. The test process for the Zero1 Awards does not consider scores for features, price or design. The aim is to identify the very best products that money can buy, celebrate the innovations that push the industry forward, and reward the products that dare to disrupt the market.

Follow Us

Sushant Talwar

Sushant Talwar is a full-time foodie who reviews cool gadgets and binges on TV shows when he is tired of playing video games. He is also in love with football and thinks Manchester United is a religion View Full Profile