YouTube now recommends the best phones for video playback, and it doesn’t suggest an iPhone

Wondering which are the best phones to watch YouTube videos? Now that's something difficult to say, there are so many good devices that deliver great video viewing experience, but to make it easy for you to pick, YouTube has come up with a list. The list showcases the phones that according to the video-sharing website are currently the best phones to watch videos on the market. And the good bit is, the newly launched Galaxy Note 9 that Samsung launched at its Unpacked event on August 9 in New York City is a part of the list. It also includes phones like Mi 8, OnePlus 6, HTC U12+, among others.

YouTube refers to these phones as 'Signature Device'. According to YouTube, all the phones listed under the Signature Device list offer a "best-in-class YouTube experience by combining next-generation technologies, video performance, and reliability". "With a Signature Device, you can enjoy vivid HDR videos, immersive 360° video, and fast video load times - all while using less bandwidth," further asserts YouTube.

--Samsung Galaxy Note 9
--Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium 
--HTC U12+
--OnePlus 6
--LG G7 ThinQ
--Xiaomi Mi 8
--Xperia XZ2 Compact 
--Sony Xperia XZ2
--Nokia 8 Sirocco 
--Mi Mix 2
--Galaxy S9
--Galaxy S9+
--Google Pixel 2
--Pixel 2 XL
--Huawei Mate 10 Pro
--Galaxy Note 9
--LG V30
--Galaxy S8
--Galaxy S8+

So, how does a phone qualify to be in the Signature Device list? To qualify as a Signature Device, a phone must support high dynamic range, high frame rate, reliable DRM performance, 4K decoding, and use next-generation video codecs," explains YouTube. "We've worked with manufacturers to verify these devices meet or exceed our performance expectations," further notes the video-sharing app.