We think 2018 is one of the most interesting years in the local mobile space since we started covering the technology industry in 2002.

On one side, we saw the old guard fighting for relevancy, and on the other, relatively new players out of China continued to challenge the status quo. Most Philippine-based smartphone companies were relegated to the sidelines. Sub-brands proved they were ones to watch out for. Devices were launched left and right; we could barely keep up.

But which smartphones eventually ended up being memorable? The best of them all? Which brand and technology were top of mind last year? Here, we present to you the winners of Revü Awards 2018, which recognizes the cream of the crop from the eyes of the site’s editors and — through voting — our readers. The product nominees, we limited to those we have actually used or at least got our hands on and that are officially available in the Philippines.

Best Flagship Smartphone of the Year

Finalists

• ASUS ROG Phone
• Huawei Mate 20 Pro
• OPPO Find X
• Samsung Galaxy Note 9
• Xiaomi Pocophone F1

Winner, People’s Choice: Huawei Mate 20 Pro

Winner, Editors’ Pick: Huawei Mate 20 Pro

From cameras that let you do more and a chip that offers significant performance improvements than its predecessor to a long-lasting battery that can be 70-percent charged in just 30 minutes, this fine-looking flagship has something for everyone — the photography enthusiast, the gamer, the executive, the fashionista, the casual smartphone user. This Pro is every bit what its name says it is and deserves to be called the king of Android.

Best Value-for-Money Smartphone of the Year

Finalists

• ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M2
• Honor Play
• Huawei Y9 2019
• Realme C1
• Xiaomi Pocophone F1

Winner, People’s Choice: Realme C1

Winner, Editors’ Pick: Xiaomi Pocophone F1

Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 phones are usually priced in the vicinity of P40,000 (roughly $761). This one goes for as low as P17,990 ($342). Insanely fast and insanely priced, the Pocophone F1 is one true game changer; we might as well call it “the handset that’s breaking barriers.”

Best Smartphone Under P10,000

Finalists

• ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1
• Honor 7A
• OPPO A3s
• Realme C1
• Xiaomi Redmi 6

Winner, People’s Choice: Realme C1

Winner, Editors’ Pick: ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1

Just as it has made its mark in countries like India, this ZenFone has also undercut the competition in the Philippines. For as low as P8,995 ($171), you get almost-stock Android 8.1 Oreo, a midrange Snapdragon 636 processor, a camera setup featuring an extra lens for portrait-style pictures, and a 5,000mAh battery that should help you go on and on for around two days.

Best Camera Phone of the Year

Finalists

• Apple iPhone XS Max
• Huawei Mate 20 Pro
• Huawei P20 Pro
• OPPO R17 Pro
• Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Winner, People’s Choice: OPPO R17 Pro

Winner, Editors’ Pick: Huawei Mate 20 Pro

This Mate hits it out of the ballpark, offering users the versatility needed to produce more creative, high-quality photos and videos. Ultra-wide shots to share more of what you see with other people? Check. Vivid pictures taken at night, when it’s most difficult to capture details? There’s Night mode to the rescue. Closeup? The wide sensor doubles as a macro shooter that can lock onto a subject as close as 2.5cm from the lens. Zoom in up to 10x and still get crisp images? Yep. Capture you in color while the rest of the shot is in black and white? No problem.

Best Selfie Phone of the Year

Finalists

• Apple iPhone XS Max
• OPPO F9
• OPPO Find X
• Samsung Galaxy Note 9
• Vivo V11

Winner, People’s Choice: OPPO F9

Winner, Editors’ Pick: Vivo V11

There are realistic selfies, and there are enhanced ones. This Vivo‘s 25-megapixel front camera gives you the flexibility to take both — and take them darn well — depending on your mood. Not bad for a P19,999 ($381) smartphone.

Best Gaming Smartphone of the Year

Finalists

• Apple iPhone XS Max
• ASUS ROG Phone
• Huawei Mate 20
• OPPO Find X
• Xiaomi Pocophone F1

Winner, People’s Choice: ASUS ROG Phone

Winner, Editors’ Pick: ASUS ROG Phone

It performs like a beast; it looks like a beast. It must be a beast then? For us, ASUS’ first ROG-branded handset is. It can handle any games you play on it with no sign of sluggishness — and can do so for longer periods. Having a portfolio of exciting first-party accessories is a bonus.

Best in Smartphone Design of the Year

Finalists

• Huawei Mate 20 Pro
• Huawei P20 Pro
• OPPO Find X
• Samsung Galaxy S9
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

Winner, People’s Choice: OPPO Find X

Winner, Editors’ Pick: OPPO Find X

The extra-tall, curved, notch-less OLED display with the highest screen-to-body ratio made possible by hiding the cameras from sight until they’re needed. The rounded glass on the back that makes handling the phone easier. The Bordeaux Red and Glacier Blue color options. There’s nothing loud here, but this OPPO oozes the kind of elegance that hits you as soon as you lay your eyes on it.

Breakthrough Phone Technology of the Year

Finalists

• Apple iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max: A12 Bionic chip
• Huawei Mate 20 Pro: Wireless reverse charging
• OPPO R17 Pro: 50-watt charging
• Vivo V11: In-screen fingerprint sensor

Winner, People’s Choice: OPPO R17 Pro, 50-watt charging or Super VOOC

Winner, Editors’ Pick: OPPO R17 Pro, 50-watt charging or Super VOOC

Demoed at the 2016 Mobile World Congress or MWC, OPPO’s charging technology promised to top up batteries in record time. And delivered its promise the manufacturer did. The OPPO R17 Pro, which is the only device available in the Philippines that comes with the feature, can be fully charged in only 40 minutes, the fastest we’ve seen thus far.

Smartphone Brand of the Year

Winner, People’s Choice: Huawei

Winner, Editors’ Pick: Huawei

The company that toppled Apple to become the second biggest smartphone vendor in the world, putting it within striking distance of the top spot, held by Samsung. Just now, we received word that Huawei has set a new record by shipping 200 million smartphones last year — its best performance so far. If Samsung doesn’t watch its back, it might find itself in second place by end-2019.

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