The iPhone is a top of the line smartphone that is beautiful, trendy and particularly expensive. In fact, the price is definitely one of the features that stand out at the time of purchase, given that it exceeds abundantly € 1000 even for devices in basic configuration!If we don’t have all this money to spend, but we still want a smartphone with similar technical features, it is possible to spend figures that are often halved for phones with very advanced features, with all the technological innovations and above all, very beautiful to look at.
In this guide, we will show you, in fact, the best alternatives to the iPhone currently available on the market, with much lower prices and significant technical features (able to compete with iPhone without problems). We will first show you the features that any smartphone must have in order to be competitive with the iPhone, then a series of products that can be purchased online to save money.
Technical features
Obviously none of the smartphones below have the same chips and the same materials as the latest iPhone.
From the point of view of technical features, we say that the smartphone models that follow are very close to the hardware configuration of the iPhone while costing three or four times less.
In order to compete with any iPhone it is necessary that the smartphone chosen has the following features:
- Big borderless screen: the screen must be at least 6 inches, support high definition (FullHD or higher) and must have no frames on the sides or at most with a frame reduced to a minimum (less than 2 millimeters).
- Facial recognition: a good smartphone alternative to the iPhone must offer facial recognition for unlocking the terminal, which is, in fact, the main feature of the iPhone.
- High-resolution cameras: both the front camera and the rear camera must have a good number of Megapixels in order to compete with the photo quality of the iPhone. Many models have two or more rear cameras to increase the image yield at the time of the shooting, so as to create unique photos.
- Large battery: given the large screens and high resolutions, a very large battery is required to withstand the workload that the smartphone will be subjected to. The minimum is definitely 3200 mAh, but some models can easily reach 4000 mAh or more.
- Fast operating system: all the alternatives to iPhone present Android as an operating system, customized according to the manufacturer with elegant and very responsive interfaces. For the support of all the most modern features, it is essential that the Android version is 9.0.
- Bluetooth 5.0: the new type of Bluetooth offers greater coverage and great quality for audio, so it is better to make sure that it is present on the smartphone that we will choose.
- Advanced impression reader: even if the facial recognition is the fashion of the moment in terms of unlocking, we can also find a convenient ultrasonic fingerprint reader placed directly under the phone screen (so just place your finger on a point on the screen to unlock the device).
- Quick and wireless charging: thanks to the optimizations of modern processors, almost all iPhone rivals presented in this guide have fast charging, which allows you to recover more than 50% of the charge in just under 20 minutes (with suitable charger and cable). In addition, many of the smartphones that we will report have wireless charging, so you can charge your phone without using the cable.
Best alternatives to iPhone
After this overview, it’s time to see together which Android smartphones can compete without problems with the iPhone Xs or the iPhone XR produced by Apple. Prices start at € 400 and go up to € 700, so at most we will spend half the price with which we can take home the latest iPhone produced by Apple.
Xiaomi Mi Mix 3
The first smartphone to report is the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, which has a large and borderless screen, in which the cameras are hidden in a retractable compartment (like on some old phones, even if here is in a much more modern key). Technical features include 6.39 “Full-Screen display, 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB of internal memory, Bluetooth 5.0, multi-function magnetic slider, Flagship dual rear camera, colored ceramic design, 10W wireless charging, and 3200 mAh battery.
We can view the product from here -> Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 (€ 419).
Xiaomi Mi 9
The top of the range Xiaomi is sold at a very competitive price: with less than € 450 we can have a smartphone with AMOLED display 6.39 “, Snapdragon 855 Octa-core processor, 6 GB of RAM, 64 GB of internal memory, triple rear camera 48 + 16 + 12 MP, fingerprint reader under the screen, fast 20W wireless charging and 3300 mAh battery.
We can view the product from here -> Xiaomi Mi 9 (€ 434).
HONOR View 20
Another smartphone that can easily compete with a modern iPhone is the HONOR View 20, which has a 6.4 “FHD + screen, 8 GB of RAM, Kirin 980 processor with artificial intelligence, dual 48 MP camera + 3D Camera, 256 GB of internal memory, Dual SIM and 4000 mAh battery.
We can view the product from here -> HONOR View 20 (€ 525).
Huawei P30
Among the best phones that we can take as an alternative to the modern iPhone stands out the Huawei P30, which has a 6.1-inch FHD + screen, 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB of internal memory, the triple rear camera of 40 MP, dual SIM hybrid and battery 3650 mAh.
We can view the product from here -> Huawei P30 (€ 526).
Samsung Galaxy S10e
If we love to buy Samsung smartphones as the only “adversaries” of the iPhone, we can take a look at the Samsung Galaxy S10e, which has a 5.8 “Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED display, 6 GB of RAM, 128 GB of expandable internal memory, Dual SIM, dual rear camera, wireless charging and sharing and 3100 mAh battery.
We can view the product from here -> Samsung Galaxy S10e (€ 536).
Huawei Mate 20 Pro
The best Huawei phone capable of beating the iPhone is undoubtedly the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, which features a 6.39 inch QHD + OLED display, a dynamic Octa Core processor with Artificial Intelligence, 128 GB of internal memory, 6 GB of RAM , Android 9.0 and emui 9.0 interface, triple 40 + 20 + 8 rear camera, 24MP front camera and 4200 mAh battery.
We can view the product from here -> Huawei Mate 20 Pro (€ 599).
OnePlus 7
To finish the Android smartphone with the best value for money and able to make even an iPhone pale in terms of performance is the OnePlus 7, which has a 6.41-inch AMOLED display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB of internal memory, Fast Charge fast charge, fingerprint unlocking on the display, dual rear camera and 3700 mAh battery.
We can view the product from here -> OnePlus 7 (€ 609).
Conclusions
Although for many the iPhone remains the most beautiful and performing phone, there are several Android models that make design and performance their strong point, offering phones at really competitive prices (especially when compared to the iPhone ) that have all the modern technologies you expect from a phone, without having to necessarily buy an iPhone.
In another guide we have collected all the Best Android smartphones, so you can also choose based on the price we are willing to spend. If we are looking for lighter smartphones (weighing less than 150 grams), we advise you to read our guide on What are the lightest Smartphones (150 grams)?