Global Top10 Best Performing Android Phones, January 2023

While many Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phones have been launched in the market, not as many of these phones appeared on the AnTuTu list in January as expected, probably because most of them haven't officially shipped yet.

It should be noted that the scores in the AnTuTu performance list are the average valid scores of the devices tested by users using the AnTuTu application. The figures were calculated from January 1 to January 31, 2023. Some devices fail to appear on the list because they have been tested too few times and failed to meet the requirements.

No.1: vivo X90 Pro+
Average score: 1,283,893

No.2: iQOO 11
Average score: 1,272,580
 
No.3: Legion Y70
Average score: 1,112,092

Vivo has now become one of the most popular Chinese smartphone manufacturers. vivo phones are much better than before in terms of both performance and texture, and the appearance is more recognizable.
 
The vivo X90 Pro+ comes with Sony's 1-inch sensor IMX989, Carl Zeiss lens and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. The only thing that might be considered a drawback is its weight and thickness.
 
With an average score of 1.28 million points in January, the vivo X90 Pro+ is now deservedly the most powerful Android smartphone on the global market.
 
iQOO, a sub-brand of vivo, comes in at number two on the list with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The iQOO brand may be a bit unfamiliar to many users who only focus on flagship phones. iQOO and vivo have a relationship similar to that between Xiaomi and Redmi, but unlike Redmi, iQOO is marketed as a high-end gaming phone, focusing on performance while also paying attention to the overall configuration of the phone.
 
The iQOO 11 Pro comes in a classic design. The performance combination of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 + LPDDR5X + UFS 4.0 allows this device to reach a score of around 1.27 million points, although this score is achieved mainly because of the strength of Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
 
The new iQOO 11 is also equipped with Vivo's self-developed V2 image chip, and the photo effect in night mode looks the same as in day mode.
 
From the third to the tenth place we see more Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1-equipped phones. Of all the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 phones, the gaming phones have always had an absolute advantage because of their outstanding configuration, so it's not surprising that one of the gaming phones, the Legion Y70, is ranked third.
 
The Legion Y70 has an average score of 1,112,092, ranking first among Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1-powered phones. It doesn't have a thick body and diverse RGB lights like most gaming phones, the metal middle frame gives it a more textured look, the display quality of the screen is considered average for the industry, plus a 144Hz refresh rate and dynamic strategy. All in all, the Legion Y70 is positioned more like a regular phone than a gaming phone.
 
Disappointingly, there is still not a single phone equipped with the Dimensity 9200 in the top 10 of the flagship phone performance list, as the rivalry between the Dimensity 9200 and the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is the most intriguing. But one of the reasons is that there are still relatively few phones equipped with the Dimensity 9200 for the time being, only the vivo X90 and X90 Pro are currently available, but they didn't appear on the AnTuTu list due to the number of tests not meeting the minimum requirements.
 
Next let's take a look at the sub-flagship performance list, which is basically unchanged compared to last month.

No.1: Mi 12T

Average score: 821,860

No.2: realme GT Neo3

Average score: 812,167

No.3: Poco X4 GT

Average score: 806,615

There are already several phones equipped with the Dimensity 8200 being launched in the Chinese market, but the sub-flagship phones in the entire global market are still mainly equipped with the Dimensity 8100 and Snapdragon 870. Referring to the data of Dimensity 8200 in the Chinese market, its performance improvement is very obvious. The ranking of the sub-flagship list should change significantly after the release of the Dimensity 8200 phone in the global market. In addition, Snapdragon 7 Gen 2 is also expected to change the previous disadvantageous situation of the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 and compete with Dimensity 8200 for the sub-flagship market share.

Mi 12T is a series launched by Xiaomi in the second half of 2022 for the global market. Mi 12T Pro is ranked sixth in the flagship phone list and the standard version Mi 12T is ranked first in the sub-flagship phone list.

The main advantage of the Mi 12T is that it inherits the excellent design of the Xiaomi 12 series with a more advanced look, and the core configuration and imaging capabilities are at the top level in the same price range. In addition, it also supports the latest MIUI 14 update and has a very high fluency under MIUI 14.

In second place is the realme GT Neo 3, which focuses on the youth market, it has a very trendy design and many co-branded models such as Naruto.

The powerful performance of realme GT Neo 3 comes from its combination of Dimensity 8100 chip + LPDDR5 memory + UFS 3.1 flash memory. In addition, the realme GT Neo 3 is equipped with dual stereo speakers and X-axis Linear Motor for a better sound experience.

The most impressive feature of the realme GT Neo 3 is the 150W charging power, a charging system that is much bolder than Apple and Samsung. According to the latest reports, the realme GT Neo 5 will be equipped with 240W of charging power, reaching the limit of the current type-C connector.

In third place is the Poco X4 GT, a phone that largely continues the strengths of the X3 GT and redeems the negative impact on the Poco brand caused by the loss of the Poco X4 Pro.

The Poco X4 GT's screen supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision, as well as a 144Hz refresh rate, and even the LCD screen has good color contrast and maximum brightness, the display effect is one of the best in its price range.

The phone has a rear camera of 64MP + 8MP + 2MP combination, a front 16MP selfie camera, as well as Fingerprint (side-mounted), 3.5mm headphone jack, Dolby dual speakers, NFC, X-axis linear motor, infrared remote control, and pre-installed Android 12-based MIUI 13 system.

No.1: Nothing Phone 1

Average score: 577,412

No.2: iQOO Z5

Average score: 568,702

No.3: realme GT Master

Average score: 543,197

The ranking of mid-range phones remains unchanged, with the top 10 still being Snapdragon 778G-powered phones. The top three are Nothing Phone 1, iQOO Z5 and realme GT Master.

Although MediaTek's Dimensity 8 series dominates the sub-flagship phone market, in the mid-range phone market, MediaTek's new Dimensity 1080 still doesn't seem to win over Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G, a processor that has been released nearly two years ago.

MediaTek is rumored to bring another new processor with lower performance than the Dimensity 8200, which should be positioned in the mid-range phone market. Hopefully, it will have the opportunity to replace the Snapdragon 778G and also allow users to have more options.

That's it for the global Android phone performance rankings for January 2023. Although many manufacturers have started to use Snapdragon 8+ as a sub-flagship processor in their new phones, we still position it as a flagship processor, which is the reason why many new Snapdragon 8+ powered phones don't appear in the AnTuTu list. The competition for new flagship phones should be more intense next month, let's wait and see what happens.