Phones we love: ZDNet writers actually use these devices

Jason Cipriani: I've almost always used an iPhone as my daily driver, but the iPhone 12 lineup has solidified it for me. The camera with improved portrait mode thanks to the Lidar sensor and HDR video is truly impressive. And MagSafe, which I thought was a gimmick, has turned into a very useful feature for me. Between the Shortcuts app and HomeKit devices around the house, there's not much I can't do from my phone. 

Next phone or dream phone? The iPhone 13 Pro. We'll see what the future holds, but 120Hz display and potentially no ports? Go on, I'm listening. 

Simon Bisson: With a pair of young kittens in the house a good, fast camera phone is essential for capturing those moments of cuteness that pass by fleetingly as the kittens leap from one thing to the next. It's also got a good screen it's also helped keep me sane during extended lockdowns here in the UK, with my mobile operator throwing in Apple TV, Apple Arcade, and Apple Music as part of a SIM contract. That's let me work my way through a backlog of videos in my daily workouts, and as a result, I may be one of the few who's coming out the other side of the pandemic lighter and fitter. There are other benefits, too, as Microsoft has turned off Cortana as a home IoT hub, it's helped me shift to HomeKit-based automation for lights and heating, with tools to set my devices up for voice control from a couple of HomePod Minis. I still miss the usability of Windows Phone, though iOS's new Widgets are the closest thing yet to Live Tiles.

Next phone or dream phone? I suspect I'm going to keep this one for at least another two years, so who knows what will be available then? The ARM ecosystem is accelerating at such a rate, it's hard to predict what will be available next year, let alone in another two. Then there's screen technology, memory, networks: So many different factors to consider!

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols: My Pixel 3 was starting to show its age, so I decided that since I was going to upgrade my phone, why not go for the gusto and get the top-of-the-line Samsung? So far, I'm glad I did. I love the 6.8-inch 120Hz Quad HD screen. The five cameras backed by a 108MP sensor and 10x optical zoom are insanely good. It also has 5G, which, at this point, isn't really that important on Verizon since I don't live next to a Verizon 5G UWB tower. What does matter to me is that it works well with my Samsung Galaxy Watch 3. Samsung claimed early on that its watch would work well with other Android phones. It does but it doesn't come with all the health features. My only problem is the price: It lists for $1,199. I didn't that pay that much, but I still paid a lot.

Next phone or dream phone? Pixel 7? 8? Let's see what Google can do next. I like phones that keep up with the latest and greatest Android releases and that means Pixels.

Charlie Osborne: I purchased this phone as a photography enthusiast -- for me, it's all about the camera. For someone with small hands, this device is unwieldy, but I don't regret the mild inconvenience as in return I can take advantage of an extensive camera zoom, multiple lenses, and an impressive display. I opted for a 5G phone as future-proofing for travel, but in hindsight, that element -- at least -- wasn't necessary.

Next phone or dream phone? A dream phone that could come somewhere close to my Canon DSLR/L-Series setup, or at least provides more variety when it comes to telephoto, fisheye, macro photography. Next phone? I have no plans to upgrade anytime soon

Matthew Miller: After a couple years of favoring the smaller iPhone X and XS, I made the leap to the big iPhone 12 Pro Max. As a phone reviewer, I usually move my SIM along every month or so, but it's now been four months with this phone serving as my daily driver, and not even the best Samsung S21 Ultra can knock it from my hands. The built quality is fantastic, the cameras let me capture content to my heart's delight, and regular updates keep it running perfectly for me. The addition of 5G and move to Qualcomm was the icing on the cake that set the bar for all other phones.

Next phone or dream phone? Samsung Galaxy Fold 3. I purchased the first two Galaxy Fold devices, and they were awesome. However, until this phone includes a level of water resistance and support for the S Pen, the big iPhone will be my primary daily driver.

Chris Matyszczyk: My XR became heavy and cumbersome. It had begun to fade. I saw the 12's blue color and thought it might be fetching. And then an Apple store employee took the time to talk me into the 12, just when I was at my weakest.

Next phone or dream phone? The iPhold. I've been impressed by Samsung's folding phones, once they got the folding part right. I have to hope that Apple will, as usual, take its time and create a folding phone that's both desirable and usable. I'm far too lost in Apple's ecosystem to change.  

Ed Bott: I switch between two phones regularly, the iPhone 11 Pro and a newish Galaxy S21 5G, because a lot of what I do requires that I understand both platforms well. I generally stay roughly one generation behind the current models, which avoids hardware teething issues and lets me save a ton of money. I picked up the iPhone, which was only about three months old, from a seller on Swappa, replacing my old iPhone XS and paying about $500 less than a new model would have cost. The Galaxy was a deal from Xfinity Mobile that basically gave me a flagship Samsung phone at half price with no contract or commitment. I like both phones about equally and have been pleasantly surprised by the smoothness of the interface on the Samsung.

Next phone or dream phone? Next year I'll probably get an iPhone 12 Pro, gently used, courtesy of some obsessive Apple upgrader who will trade it in shortly after its successor comes out. I do like the camera improvements Apple made in the 12 series, but I'm not tied to Apple's ecosystem in any serious way so maybe I'll get a new Samsung instead.

Tony Baer: I like the Pixel because unlike branded phones (e.g., Samsung Galaxy), it has just one operating system, and therefore, just one app for things like photos. This was an endless source of confusion for me during the days with my old Samsung phones: Which photo app did my pictures go in? (Etc., etc. for other bundled apps.) However, the Pixel 2 has one mechanical defect: The charging port is just slightly too large, meaning that when I plug in the charger, I can't always be sure that the phone is getting any juice. For work at home, this is just an inconvenience, but when we go back on the road again, this will be a show stopper. 

Next phone or dream phone? When the world reopens, hopefully in 2022, my next phone will still likely be a Pixel, but with one important requirement: It must have wireless charging.

[Editor's Note: Good news, Tony, Google's Pixel 5 does indeed come with wireless charging. See any of the links below.]

Damian Radcliffe: I like a big screen and a good camera. I have two small children so my phone is my go-to device for capturing day-to-day and special moments with them. My digital SLRs are gathering dust somewhere, as the recent iPhones have made them redundant. Pre-pandemic I was also using it a lot for video calls -- as the rest of my family lives back in the UK -- so large screens and good camera are valuable for that, too. I spend more time than I would like to admit on my phone (about five hours a day, the screen manager tells me), although I find that my phone is often quicker than my laptop for many tasks, so I often default to my phone for using social media, online banking, and shopping as well as editing Google Docs. I just wish Siri and the speech-to-text function could understand my British accent.

Next phone or dream phone? I'll probably upgrade to the next iPhone, not least because I've found the XR to be quite glitchy. It's not happened in a while, but for a long time, I had to restart it each day as it would often crash. Maybe a new OS has addressed that? It's a bit of a pandemic self-indulgence, but also an opportunity to geek out and play with something new. Built-in microphone quality should probably also be a consideration, as I use the phone for a lot of voice memos and recordings (interviews and podcasts).

Angelica Mari: I loved my home button and was ready to upgrade my old iPhone SE for its new generation, but was also considering the XR, which handled a bit more than I needed and, in theory, I wouldn't have to change anytime soon. However, given the price difference (the SE costs about $630 in Brazil, and the XR costs approximately $880 -- I know, import taxes), I was getting ready to buy an SE. A friend bought an XR during an overseas trip and hated it and sold it to me for less than I would spend on an SE locally. It is alright, but I guess an SE with 256GB storage would do the job just as well.

Next phone or dream phone? I will hang on to this phone for as long as I can, but I guess my next device will be an iPhone. I am an Apple user and won't let go of my MacBook Pro. I will be aiming for the cheapest option, though.

Sean Portnoy: We had been on T-Mobile's Jump program for some time, but around a year ago, we decided to buy off our current phones and enjoy slicing our bills in half. The XR still handles what I need from a phone and isn't so massive it can't fit in my pocket.

Next phone or dream phone? Future iPhone with telephoto lens. I would love a built-in iPhone camera with more lens versatility without requiring me to break the bank. Otherwise, functionality hasn't jumped enough for me to see the need to upgrade anytime soon.

I've always used iPhones. Started with the iPhone 3, and never strayed. I refuse to use a case, so I'm onto phone No. 2 after shattering my first XS Max like a disco ball. The screen size is great. I had the first Max iteration and probably won't ever be able to have a smaller screen again as a result.

Next phone or dream phone? My upgrade cycle is based purely on when my contract runs out (outright cost in Australia is insane), so I guess my next device will be in the 13 range later this year (RIP bank account).