If watching videos on YouTube is one of your favorite activities when on your mobile device, you might want to pay attention to this Device Report from the video streaming and sharing company from Google. They have listed their recommended Signature Devices that will best serve you when watching YouTube videos. Obviously, this list will mostly contain flagship devices from major OEMs, including the very recently announced Samsung Galaxy Note 9. Also not surprisingly, the list is made up of Android devices but there’s a reason why an Apple product isn’t included.
YouTube identified six core technologies that a smartphone must have to be able to be considered as a Signature Device and in their blog post, including some videos that would show off these features. The six are:
High Dynamic Range (HDR) – This technology lets a phone display greater contrast so all the details are clearly seen, regardless if a video was shot in low light or normal lighting conditions.
360° video – This lets viewers take control of what they’re watching as it can show off all the different directions a video can be shot. You can look up, down, behind, all around even if all you have is your phone (a VR headset would be cooler though).
4K decoding – This is more than just displaying 4K videos on your screen; the decoding brings high resolution and clarity on virtual reality so you get a whole different viewing experience.
High frame rate – Devices on this list must be able to support anything more than 60 frames per second to be able to give viewers a “super smooth” video playback, whether it’s gaming, sports, or action videos.
Next generation codecs – These codes lets users view high-res videos but also consume 30% less bandwidth. They support VP9 profile 2 decoding which is an advanced codec technology.
Digital rights performance management – The smartphones are able to stream the premium content seamlessly without any disruptions.
The reason why Apple’s iPhones are not included in the list is because they do not support the VP9 video codec, which is one of the “criteria” for being considered a Signature Device. In any case, this is the entire list
Google Pixel 2
Google Pixel 2 XL
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
Samsung Galaxy S9
Samsung Galaxy S9+
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
Samsung Galaxy S8
Samsung Galaxy S8+
Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium
Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact
Sony Xperia XZ2
HTC U12+
OnePlus 6
LG G7 ThinQ
LG V30
Xiaomi Mi 8
Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S
Huawei Mate 10 Pro
SOURCE: Google
