We have finally arrived at the last day of 2023 successfully. As the culmination of the Best Devices 2023 article series, it's our turn to name the best Mercu Smartphone as well as the best smartphone this year .
Choosing criteria
Landmark class specification.
Has a variety of interesting additional features.
Present with new innovations.
Launched in 2023.
Officially sold in Malaysia.
There is no sale price limit.
Third Place – Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 15 Pro Max is the most powerful iPhone to date. It is powered by an Apple A17 Pro chip that can turn this phone into a game "console", built with Titanium, comes with a 5x zoom tetraprism telephoto camera, finally uses USB-C, and 8GB RAM memory. This device is undeniably great, but losing to two Android devices puts it in third place.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max loses because it still uses the same design for four generations (since the iPhone 12), still no real fast charging support and iOS 17 is the most buggy to date. Started with heating issue when running some apps and till now there is app stuck issue, phone randomly turns off and keyboard doesn't appear when trying to use. These issues don't go viral on social media because iPhone users rarely want to admit that their flagship device bought at a princely price has issues more synonymous with mid-range Android.
Specifications: 6.7” OLED (2796 x 1290) HDR10+, Dolby Vision, 120Hz, Apple A17 Pro 3nm (2x 3.78 GHz + 4x 2.11 GHz), 8GB RAM, 256GB -1000GB storage, 48MP (Main) + 12MP (Ultra Wide Angle) + 12MP (Telephoto 5x Zoom) + LiDAR, 4441 mAh (20W), IP68, iOS 17.2.
Price: Starting at RM6,499 (8/256 GB)
Second Place – Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is also a popular flagship device. It supports beautiful and stable zoom recording, offers very fast and consistent updates, uses the best screen on the market, is the only flagship device with S Pen, supports wireless charging and operates with high performance.
It's probably the most versatile device on this list but only deserves a second rung due to its recycled design (like the iPhone) and only 45W charging. We feel that the practice of recycling and changing just a little makes the S23 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max not worthy of being crowned as the best devices of 2023. Therefore this year's champion is…..
Specifications: 6.8” Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 4nm (1x 3.36 GHz Cortex-X3 + 2x 2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 + 2x 2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 + 3 2.0 GHz Cortex-A510, 12GB RAM, storage up to 1TB, 200MP (wide angle) + 10MP (periscope telephoto 10x zoom) + 10MP (telephoto 3x zoom) +12MP (ultra wide angle), 12MP (Selfie), 5000 mAh (45W), IP68, OneUI 6.1 Android 14
Price: Starting at RM5,699 (12/256 GB)
Champion – Xiaomi 13 Ultra
For the first time in the history of the Best Device List for the flagship smartphone category, Xiaomi won it with the Xiaomi 13 Ultra. This device is definitely one of the best flagship devices I've used in 2023. It comes with a beautiful, fast screen, an amazing 1-inch Leica camera, improved MIUI software, is IP68, 90W fast charging and uses a unique design and repeated compared to the previous generation. The Xiaomi 13 Ultra is the device we recommend buying this year.
Not only on the camera, the design of this device also takes Leica cameras as inspiration. Xiaomi tries to offer something different for their flagship devices. With well-rounded specifications, proven ability to beat competitors' devices - Xiaomi has truly transformed into a more serious flagship device manufacturer that scares the competition.
Specifications: 6.73” AMOLED LTPO 120Hz, Dolby Vision, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 4nm (1x 3.2 GHz Cortex-X3 + 2x 2.8 GHz Cortex-A715 + 2x 2.8 GHz Cortex-A710 + 3x 2.0 GHz Cortex-A510), 12GB RAM, storage 512GB, 50MP (wide angle) + 50MP (periscope telephoto 5x zoom) + 50MP (telephoto 3.2x zoom) + 50MP (ultra wide angle), 32MP (selfie), 5000 mAh (90W), IP68, Android 13.
Price: RM5,199 (12/512 GB)
INFO Read: Xiaomi 13 Ultra Review – With Leica Everything Ultra!
With this list of Best Landmark Devices, the compilation of the Best Devices 2023 is complete. Hopefully this article will help all readers to buy the most suitable smartphone for daily use. See you again in 2024 where we believe there will be more exciting smartphones with new technologies and innovations. Which company do you think will win next year?