Discover the Smartphone That Took Marques Brownlee's Breath Away

Top Picks by Marques Brownlee

The YouTuber's philosophy is to reward overall greatness. Sitting at a table filled with smartphone releases from the past 12 months, he mentioned several runners-up. The Vivo X200 Pro stood out for being in the "got it all territory" with an awesome super bright screen, a great chipset, incredible cameras, and a great shooting experience along with good battery life and fast charging. Although it currently lacks the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, the MediaTek chip it has is no slouch.

Google's Pixel 9 Pro Fold also made the cut for being a big comeback story for the Pixel Fold series and a truly good phone. It's a foldable that Brownlee would actually use daily. Additionally, the base iPhone 16 (not the Pro version) caught his attention as the most complete base iPhone ever made, highlighting that 2024 was a good year for those not willing to spend $1,500 on an iPhone.

Marques Brownlee's Daily Driver

Before announcing the winner, Brownlee gave a nod to his current daily driver, Google's Pixel 9 Pro XL. He prefers the XL version due to its extra battery life. This shows his practical usage and preference when it comes to smartphones.

Reasons for Choosing the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

After presenting the other contenders, Brownlee finally revealed the winner - the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. He emphasized that this phone is exceptional in every aspect. It has a great screen, a great chip, a great battery, great cameras, great software, great support, and great durability. Even the anti-reflective coding on the screen is above average, and the vibration motor and speakers are also of good quality. Brownlee has returned to this phone more than any other after reviewing a handset over the past seven years.

Digital Trends, in its own review of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, called it "the best Ultra ever." It noted that it's not just a refreshed design but rather new features, new technology, and lifestyle-enhancing alterations that make it stand out. And as Brownlee would agree, it clearly delivers on these points.