Evaluating smartphones is T3's raison d'être and, after decades of getting up close and personal with the world's finest mobile phones, we've got very, very good at it.
Each year we review and rate all the handsets that matter from the world's biggest makers, all in an effort to make it easier for people to find the ideal phone for them.
And, the phones we rate the highest, get the honoured privileged of being entered into our hyper-prestigious best phones buying guide. To be in this guide means you've made it, that the phone experience delivered by a product is truly top rate.
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With so many phone makers now really working at the very top of their game, though, with Apple, Samsung, Huawei, Sony, OnePlus, Oppo, Xiaomi, Motorola, Nokia and more taking smartphones to new heights, the competition for entry into this elite pantheon is getting fiercer than ever before.
And, for the T3 Awards 2020, the competition was truly astonishing. Apple had torn it up with the iPhone 11 Pro, Samsung had wowed the world with its powerhouse Galaxy S20 Ultra and stylus-toting Note 10+, and we'd seen a genuinely unique proposition in the form of Sony's excellent Xperia 1.
However, in 2020, there could be only one phone in the end that walked away with T3's Best Phone Award, and that is the truly exceptional OnePlus 8 Pro.
Not only does the OnePlus 8 Pro deliver a superb all-round premium smartphone experience, with a combination of first-rate hardware, software and features making it an absolute pleasure to use, but it also marks the end of a journey for OnePlus.
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Over the past five years running up to this phone's launch OnePlus had crafted a name for itself as a handset maker who produced "flagship killers", phones that offered core functionality that matched or bested flagship phones from big makers.
However, with the OnePlus 8 Pro, not only has OnePlus delivered a phone that kills rival flagships in terms of performance, but one that also goes toe-to-toe with them in terms of advanced features and, in terms of screen tech, sets a new benchmark that all other phones should look up to.
As we said in our OnePlus 8 Pro review, this phone delivers "the complete package", and firmly cements OnePlus at the top table of smartphone makers worldwide.
And, for that very reason, we are proud to bestow the Best Phone Award in the T3 Awards 2020 on the OnePlus 8 Pro.
For even more winners be sure to check out the T3 Awards 2020 hub page, which is stuffed full of this year's top tech, gadgets and products.
Rob has been writing about computing, gaming, mobile, home entertainment technology, toys (specifically Lego and board games), smart home and more for over 15 years. As the editor of PC Gamer, and former Deputy Editor for T3.com, you can find Rob's work in magazines, bookazines and online, as well as on podcasts and videos, too. Outside of his work Rob is passionate about motorbikes, skiing/snowboarding and team sports, with football and cricket his two favourites.
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