At Android Central, we pride ourselves on knowing the best Android phones inside and out. Whether you want something simple and reliable or super-powered and loaded with features, all of the best picks are organized below for your perusal.
I test dozens of phones every year and can tell you exactly where they triumph and where they falter. At Android Central, these testing and review methods include making sure each phone lives up to the marketing claims of the company, offers good value for the money, can deliver a quality photo every time, and lasts long enough to make it through the day on a single charge.
Sometimes, phones have a special attribute that I test separately, such as camera tech or durability. No matter what you look for in a device, the best phones in every category can be found below.
Nick grew up in a telecom-savvy household and has been reviewing phones since 2011. Whether it’s waxing poetic about Nokia’s glory days or flipping open the latest foldable phones, he knows what makes a good phone and can help you understand which one to pick.
At a glance
Best overall
The OnePlus 12 looks and feels super premium, with a blazing-fast processor, ultra-fast charging speeds, and epic battery life. Despite the top-tier specs, this one has a fabulous price and years of software update support, making it the best overall value.
Read more below.
Best cheap phone
Forget spending more, all you need is $200 to get one of the best phones of the year. The CMF Phone 1 by Nothing is a brilliant all-around pick with great performance, excellent cameras, and a class-leading eye-friendly OLED display.
Read more below.
3. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Best premium pick
If you can afford it, the Galaxy S24 Ultra sports an ultra-premium titanium frame, four powerful rear cameras, epic performance, AI tools, and the venerable S Pen inside.
Read more below.
Best midrange phone
Starting at just $499, the OnePlus 12R features a beautiful and bright vision-friendly 120Hz LTPO AMOLED display, a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, 80W charging, and years of support.
Read more below.
Best small phone
Perfectly suited for one-handed use, the Galaxy S24 also boasts the ultra-efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, tons of cool AI tricks, and seven years of software updates.
Read more below.
Best for parents
Google’s Pixel phones continue to be the best choice if you have kids; the Pixel 9 Pro XL does a fantastic job taking photos of fast-moving objects, and it is among the best phones at low-light imagery.
Read more below.
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7. Motorola Razr Plus (2024)
Best foldable
Motorola has redefined foldables once again in a flippin’ exciting way with the Razr Plus (2024). Featuring a beautiful over display, vegan leather back, excellent battery life, and brilliant software built specifically for the unique form factor.
Read more below.
Best premium foldable
OnePlus blew everyone away with its first foldable which, subsequently, became the best premium foldable you can buy today. It’s ultra-thin, ultra-fast, and has an incredible camera.
Read more below.
Best gaming phone
Gamers, rejoice! The RedMagic 9 Pro features the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and an internal fan that keeps the phone cool during the most intense gaming sessions. You also get a glorious display and enough battery life to handle hours of gaming without skipping a beat.
Read more below.
Best overall
If any manufacturer gets the award for “most improved,” it’s OnePlus. The OnePlus 12 is the company’s latest flagship phone and it lives up to the hype in basically every way possible. As Harish noted in his OnePlus 12 review, “it took OnePlus a decade, but it finally created a flagship without any noticeable drawbacks.”
The overall design of the OnePlus 12 is similar to the OnePlus 11, but it still stands out when compared to just about any other phone on the market. In addition to being much more eye-friendly than other OLED displays, OnePlus included what it calls the “Trinity Engine” that lets you push all games to 120Hz regardless of whether they support them or not. That’s a huge upgrade from previous OnePlus phones which kept gaming locked at 60Hz.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 inside the phone is plenty powerful and lets OnePlus not only push the boundaries of mobile performance but also improve battery life. Both Harish and I got two days on the average charge and, thanks to SuperVOOC 100W wired charging, it will only take a few minutes to top-up the battery and get another day of use. Plus, OnePlus includes that 100W charger in the box, and the phone also supports 50W wireless charging.
You’ll also be impressed by the cameras which take genuinely good pictures and video in any lighting condition. They’re not quite as good as the Hasselblad branding might suggest — the more expensive Galaxy S24 Ultra and Pixel 8 Pro outclass it — but check out my OnePlus 12 camera review to get an idea of what to expect.
The only real “downside” is that OnePlus is offering four major Android updates with one extra year of security updates, totaling five years of update promises. OnePlus hasn’t always been as fast as Google or Samsung when it comes to updates, but five years of support is still excellent and ranks among the very best. Plus, even though Samsung and Google offer two extra years of software updates, OnePlus won’t charge you nearly as much to its latest phone.
| Attribute | Quick look | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Vibrant and smooth as butter | ★★★★★ |
| Design | Stylish and eye-catching as ever, possibly a bit too heavy for some users | ★★★★☆ |
| Price | Decidedly midrange, especially with a good deal; still cheaper than Samsung | ★★★★☆ |
| Camera | The best the brand has ever produced, but no match for Samsung or Pixel | ★★★☆☆ |
| Performance | The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is still a beast | ★★★★☆ |
| Battery life | You should easily clear two days on a charge | ★★★★☆ |
| Updates | Five years; not quite as good as Samsung or Pixel | ★★★☆☆ |
Best cheap phone
The CMF Phone 1 by Nothing is a triumph in phone design and pricing. Our previous favorite budget pick was $300, but Nothing slashed that down to $200 with the release of the CMF Phone 1 and somehow made a better phone, to boot.
It all starts with an impressive modular design which offers the ability to easily swap out the back and several accessories thanks to an oversized thumbscrew and a set of four screws readily visible on the back. The company offers four different color backplates, plus a handful of accessories like a kickstand, wallet shell, and even a lanyard holder for under $30 apiece.
Plus, the 3D printing community has already gone crazy with clever new accessories you can print yourself — or have printed and ordered online if you don’t have a 3D printer at home.
The AMOLED display is top-notch with 2000 nits of brightness and DC-like dimming at high brightness, plus 920Hz PWM dimming at lower brightness levels for an eye-friendly experience. Even the performance is surprising with a speedy MediaTek 7300 processor that outperforms most phones twice its price.
Somehow, even the cameras are superb, delivering crisp imagery in any light with its 50MP main rear camera and a 2x zoom portrait camera. You’ll be blown away at how good the portrait shots are on this phone, especially with Nothing’s AI-powered processing.
Nothing offers 3 years of software updates, which is completely unheard of in this price segment. The only real downsides are spotty 5G coverage in the U.S. and lack of NFC. T-Mobile is your best bet there.
| Attribute | Quick look | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Affordable AMOLED is back, baby | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Customization is cool, but not for everyone | ★★★☆☆ |
| Price | Incredibly affordable | ★★★★★ |
| Camera | Outstanding for the price | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Fast processor, but 5G can be spotty in the States | ★★★☆☆ |
| Battery life | Average, but again, the price | ★★★☆☆ |
| Updates | Three years is bad for a flagship, great for a $200 phone | ★★★★☆ |
Best premium pick
If you want the best Android phone that Samsung has to offer right now, look no further than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. This premium device boasts all of the efficiency and power found in the S23 Ultra with a few notable improvements.
This year, Samsung outfitted the frame with titanium and finally flattened the display. Couple that with the included S Pen and you have the best note-taking phone on the market. Plus, the display doubles the PWM rate and adds an anti-glare filter for better long-term eye protection.
The Ultra features the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy Devices chipset, an exclusive version of the Qualcomm processor. This internal hardware gives your phone enough power to handle graphics-intensive gaming without totally annihilating your battery life or dropping in performance. Plus, it’s got great new Galaxy AI features that work flawlessly with the included S Pen.
In most cases, the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s camera is better than the Pixel 8 Pro, an achievement that’s taken Samsung years to earn. But, as my Galaxy S24 Ultra camera review shows, it still struggles to take clear pictures of moving subjects. That’s particularly problematic for households with pets or kids.
Unfortunately, one of the S24 Ultra’s biggest flaws is its price. Thankfully, the best Galaxy S24 Ultra deals will help take the sting out just a bit.
| Attribute | Quick look | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Massive and just plain gorgeous | ★★★★★ |
| Design | Flat panel with built-in stylus | ★★★★☆ |
| Price | Way too expensive | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Camera | Great, but weird with moving subjects | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Amazing | ★★★★★ |
| Battery life | Wonderfully efficient | ★★★★★ |
| Updates | Seven-year promise | ★★★★★ |
Best midrange phone
It’s been very difficult to choose between the OnePlus 12R and Google Pixel 8a for this particular segment. Both phones are simply amazing, and the price tags help sweeten the deal even further. But I chose the OnePlus 12R as the best for four reasons, specifically: a better display, better battery life, faster charging, and better performance.
In fact, I’ve used the OnePlus 12R for a solid month and never once felt like I needed a more expensive phone. It does everything I need it to, yet doesn’t feel like I’m missing out on important features since the company’s OxygenOS sports the same incredible features as that OnePlus 12.
The phone’s camera regularly impresses me, even if it’s not as good at taking photos of fast-moving objects — like kids and pets — as the Pixel 8a. If anything, that’s the reason to choose a Pixel 8a over the OnePlus 12R if those types of photos are the most important thing for you. But the OnePlus 12R takes better portrait mode shots, captures better video, and has more camera features than the Pixel 8a.
The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor in the OnePlus 12R performs better than the Google Tensor G3 inside the Pixel 8a and it even has better battery life. Beyond that, the OnePlus 12R charges at a blazing 80W with the charger included in the box, so just 20 minutes of charging will fill your battery. Goodbye, battery anxiety!
Lastly, the OnePlus 12R’s display is just plain better than what Google offers on the Pixel 8a. Not only is it a true LTPO display with 1-120Hz capability — the Pixel 8a can only shift between 60Hz and 120Hz — but it doesn’t use PWM flickering above 30% brightness. Even below that, it uses 2,160Hz PWM dimming, or 10x the rate of the Pixel 8a. That means even people with sensitive eyes, like myself, can comfortably use the OnePlus 12R.
| Attribute | Quick look | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Really nice AMOLED for the price | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Eye-catching and unique, just like the flagship | ★★★★☆ |
| Price | So much bang for the buck | ★★★★★ |
| Camera | Decent, but no match for the Pixel 8a | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Incredible for the price | ★★★★☆ |
| Battery life | Almost flagship-level, but no wireless charging | ★★★★☆ |
| Updates | Not as good as Pixel or Samsung | ★★★☆☆ |
Best small phone
Like a few other flagships on this list, the Samsung Galaxy S24 isn’t a dramatic departure from its predecessor, but it’s a refinement of everything that made the latter phone great.
The Galaxy S24 boasts a compact 6.2-inch AMOLED 120Hz display and the lightweight-yet-premium device feel that we’ve come to expect from the S series. Not only does 2024’s smaller Galaxy S phone feature the same powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy processor as its more expensive siblings, but it also comes packed with all those fantastic Galaxy AI features.
Samsung included the exact same 50MP primary camera, 12MP ultrawide camera, and 10MP 3x telephoto camera as the last two Galaxy S phones had, so don’t expect any kind of upgrade in the camera department unless you’re coming from something much older.
But, on the bright side, Samsung is now promising seven years of software updates for the Galaxy S24, so your phone will feel new even if you hold on to it for a long time.
| Attribute | Quick look | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Vibrant, 120Hz AMOLED | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Perfect for iPhone fans | ★★★★☆ |
| Price | Not horrible, but look for a deal | ★★★★☆ |
| Camera | Pretty much the same as the S23, but still good | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Snapdragon chip is awesome | ★★★★☆ |
| Battery life | Feel the efficiency | ★★★★☆ |
| Updates | Seven years guaranteed | ★★★★★ |
Best for parents
Google makes some pretty good phones, but the best part of owning a Pixel is the camera. Taking pictures of your kids or pets is a joy with Google’s excellent camera software, which uses AI smarts to understand what it’s taking a picture of, giving you better results in the end. This was evident when we tested the Pixel 8 Pro’s cameras last year, and the Pixel 9 Pro XL takes things to a whole new level.
Another big part of the allure with latest Pixels is the tight AI integration. That includes things like Audio Magic Eraser and Magic Editor, plus great new features like Night Sight Video and Zoom Enhance make taking photos and videos a breeze.
Video recording quality is better than in previous years. Video Boost further improves low-light videos by using clever cloud-based processing to add Pixel magic to your videos, making them look better than ever. Google doubled down on the AI features this year, and the result is that the Pixel 9 Pro XL is the best phone around if you want useful AI utilities you’ll actually end up using.
Google’s Tensor G4 isn’t vastly different to last year, and it also comes with the same 7-year software update promise, meaning your Pixel 9 Pro XL will see major Android updates until 2031. That’s a huge improvement over previous years and longer than almost any other Android phone.
The design of the Pixel 9 Pro XL is unlike any of Google’s earlier efforts, and the phone looks a lot like an iPhone now. The build quality is better, and the camera island at the back is still distinctive, but it misses out on some of that unique Pixel charm.
And while Google’s Tensor chipset is known for its AI processing prowess, it’s not as good at anything else compared to Snapdragon chipsets. Like the rest of the Pixel series, there’s also no flicker-reduction display option, making this a tough sell for folks sensitive to flickering lights.
| Attribute | Quick look | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Large 120Hz OLED panel looks good, and gets bright | ★★★★★ |
| Design | Not as distinctive as previous years, but still great | ★★★★☆ |
| Price | Costlier than last year | ★★★☆☆ |
| Camera | Incredible, especially if you need to capture movement | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Great AI features, but gaming performance is hit-or-miss | ★★★★☆ |
| Battery life | Great, but charging is limited | ★★★★☆ |
| Updates | Seven years, yay | ★★★★★ |
Best foldable phone
As Android Central’s managing editor, Derrek Lee, said in his Motorola Razr Plus 2024 review, “sorry Samsung, but this is the one.” Samsung may have popularized the modern flip phone form factor but Motorola is the one who perfected it.
This year’s release builds on the excellent 2023 Razr Plus by further improving the already best-in-class cover display, Swapping out the ultrawide camera for a 2x telephoto camera, upgrading the drop resistance with new glass, improving the battery life and performance, and even adding vegan leather to the back with sporty new colors.
While it might be a folding phone, the star of the show is the generous 4-inch cover display that can be used in any way you’d like. Unlike all other flip phones, Motorola lets you use all apps on the cover screen without any restrictions and it makes this already pocket-friendly phone the best small screen experience on the market.
When you’re ready for a bigger display, just flip the phone open to reveal the incredible 6.9-inch pOLED display that features Motorola’s trademark vision-friendly flicker-free technology, something that’s substantially more eye-friendly than Samsung’s use of slow 240Hz PWM dimming.
Of course, what good is a conversation about flip phones if you don’t bring up the cameras? Flip phones are great for group photos and selfies because they can stand on their own, and new tricks like camcorder mode and the telephoto sensor ensure you get a great capture no matter what you’re doing.
And I can’t forget Motorola’s recently refreshed Hello UX, which is based on Android 14 and has the very best features you’ll find on any flip phone. From the classic Motorola chop gestures to cover screen widgets, and even the new Motorola Smart Connect suite, Hello UX is mostly wonderful. I say mostly because, at least at launch, there were a few annoying bugs that we came across.
| Attribute | Quick look | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Better than ever | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Setting a new standard for flip phones | ★★★★★ |
| Price | Cheaper than Samsung and discounts are common | ★★★★★ |
| Camera | Perfect for selfies | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | A few issues, but mostly solid | ★★★★☆ |
| Battery life | Way better than the 2023 model | ★★★★☆ |
| Updates | Only three years, and Motorola doesn’t have the best record with OS updates | ★★★☆☆ |
Best premium foldable
Just like any piece of technology, smartphones evolve and change as time goes on. We’ve seen screens get bigger, cameras get a lot more capable, and processors rival those found in computers. The next big thing for phones is the folding form factor, and so far, the best yet in this niche is the OnePlus Open.
The best way to think about the device is as a phone and tablet in one. When the OnePlus Open is closed, you’re treated to a 6.31-inch 120Hz AMOLED display that you can use for anything you’d like — checking email, scrolling through Twitter, watching YouTube videos, you name it. OnePlus made its outer display wider than Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold line and it makes everyday use so much nicer. Essentially, it feels like a “normal” phone when it’s closed.
Then, when you need a tablet-sized screen, you just open up the OnePlus Open to reveal a gorgeous 7.82-inch AMOLED panel with 120Hz LTPO 3.0 tech. It’s a lot like having an iPad Mini that you can fold up and take with you wherever you want, and if you ask us, that’s pretty amazing. It’s also a lot more eye-friendly than any of Samsung’s foldable phones as it uses a higher PWM rate and several eye-friendly enhancements, despite being a Samsung-made display.
And, unlike Samsung’s foldables, the display crease on the OnePlus Open is barely noticeable. Plus, OnePlus equips its phone with better battery life and faster charging. That means you can go for much longer on a single charge and take a lot less time to top it up when it needs some juice.
OnePlus’ OxygenOS is super customized for the Open, as well. There’s a taskbar on the bottom of the larger display, making it operate more like a tablet or laptop than a phone, and great multitasking features because of it. You can tap and drag any icon in the taskbar to perform split screen, or simply tapping an icon on the bar to open any app installed on your smartphone within one tap. Now that’s multitasking at its best.
Plus, you can pick up the Oppo Pen if you’d prefer to use a stylus. It’s a little on the expensive side and the Pen isn’t available on Amazon, but it’s not too hard to find if you look around the web. And let’s not forget the cutting-edge camera system which uses a massive sensor to achieve photo quality unlike any other foldable. It’s so good, OnePlus is using it in the OnePlus 12, as well.
| Attribute | Quick look | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Both are stunning | ★★★★★ |
| Design | Folding crease is barely visible | ★★★★☆ |
| Price | It’s a lot, and deals are rare | ★★★☆☆ |
| Camera | Versatile | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Still as good as Samsung’s latest | ★★★★☆ |
| Battery life | Long lasting and fast charging | ★★★★☆ |
| Updates | Only four OS updates | ★★★☆☆ |
Best gaming phone
Nubia RedMagic phones were already our favorite gaming phones, and the RedMagic 9 Pro ups the game in substantial ways. First off, the actively-cooled Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor inside is an absolute beast, and the Red Core 2 co-processor only helps things further by ensuring the most responsive touch sampling rates on any phone in existence.
That bright and liquid-smooth 120Hz OLED display is also quite eye-friendly with a low flicker rate thanks to BOE’s excellent technology. RedMagic bumped the battery size up by nearly 10% compared to the RedMagic 8, and fast charging speeds ensure that you’ll be powered up in no time even if you forget to plug it in.
Plus, an actual headphone jack means you can use your favorite pair of lag-free wired headphones while gaming, and the pair of 50MP rear cameras do a good enough job of capturing all the Pokemon you’ll be catching.
The under-display front-facing camera leaves a lot to be desired quality-wise, but since this is a gaming phone primarily, it makes sense for RedMagic to prioritize a way to completely hide that camera instead of leaving an ugly punch hole in your games.
| Attribute | Quick look | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Display | The 120Hz OLED panel is perfect for games | ★★★★★ |
| Design | Eye-catching glass and metal | ★★★★★ |
| Price | For serious gamers only! | ★★★★☆ |
| Camera | Very average, which makes sense | ★★★☆☆ |
| Performance | Unbelievably good, but no CDMA support | ★★★★★ |
| Battery life | Built to withstand lots of usage | ★★★★★ |
| Updates | Four OS updates, not bad | ★★★☆☆ |
Other products we tested
The picks above may be the best Android phones that money can buy today, but the list isn’t set in stone. There are plenty of other devices that could have easily made the list if conditions were slightly different, and some that may earn a spot in the coming months. As we all know, some tech may be impressive straight out of the box and begin to falter with long-term use.
There are other devices that we may not have had the opportunity to perform comprehensive testing on just yet, while other models may simply lack the broad appeal that typically earns products a spot on this list.
Below you’ll find a list of phones that I feel comfortable recommending; even if they aren’t necessarily the best Android phones released this year, they still deserve a look if the picks above don’t cut it for you.
Flagship power
The Google Pixel 9 lineup was only unveiled on August 13th, so it’s a bit too soon to say if the flagship is going to earn a formal spot on this list before the year is up. Still, our initial hands-on review found that the base model Pixel 9 is a pleasure to use, coming complete with loads of useful AI features, powerful internal hardware, and seven years of OS upgrades guaranteed.
Midrange stylus
If you want the convenience of a phone with a built-in stylus but you don’t want to deal with an exorbitant price tag, the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) is here for you. Typically priced well below $400, the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024) boasts a sizeable 6.7-inch 120Hz display, a capable Snapdragon chip, and a large 5,000mAh battery with lightning-fast charging. It even has a headphone jack!
Another way to flip
If the Razr Plus isn’t doing it for you (and you’re willing to spend a bit more), the Galaxy Z Flip 6 is a safe bet, pairing a versatile folding design with outstanding internals, Galaxy AI features, and years of software support. It may not be the exciting release we were anticipating from Samsung, but the Z Flip 6 is still one of the better flip phones you can buy today.
Best dumb phone
Whether you’re taking a break from social media or concerned about privacy, dumb phones are simple and reliable devices that harken back to a time before everyone was perpetually online. Nokia’s 2780 Flip is our favorite dumb phone around, with two bright displays, four days of battery life, and a few basic apps like email and YouTube if you don’t want to completely unplug.
How to choose
What is the best Android phone?
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There are many contenders for the best Android phones, but I think the OnePlus 12 is the best option for most people. OnePlus has rebuilt Oxygen OS into something special and includes five years of promised updates to match. Excellent Hasselblad cameras on the back pair nicely with epic battery life, charging speed, and performance. Plus, the eye-friendly display is a joy to look at day or night.
If you have a few hundred more dollars to spend and want something even more impressive, the obvious choice is the Galaxy S24 Ultra. This phone is the successor of the outstanding S23 Ultra, featuring a flat screen and the best camera on any Samsung phone. Best of all, you get an integrated S Pen that lets you write notes, doodle, and so much more.
Folks looking for a compact phone with few or no compromises have a surprising amount of choices, which is a breath of fresh air compared to previous years. The Galaxy S24 and Pixel 8a are two of the best smaller phones you can get in the U.S., and folks who live outside of the U.S. and want a small phone would be remiss if they ignored the Asus Zenfone series.
Plus, now with Nothing making great budget-minded phones, you can get away with spending as little as $200 on a new unlocked CMF Phone 1 and still feel like you got something modern with excellent cameras, performance, and a bright OLED display.
How do I pick the best Android phone?
Android phones have never been better than they are right now. So regardless of whether you can afford a flagship device or one of the best cheap Android phones, you can go out and buy a phone that you’ll be thoroughly happy with. Out of every single phone on the market, however, I have to give our top recommendation for the best Android phone to the OnePlus 12.
OnePlus’s latest flagship has all the essentials you want, including a brilliant 120Hz AMOLED screen, powerful cameras that take great photos in any lighting, fast charging, reliable internal hardware that powers through even the most intense gaming sessions, and clean software with five years of guaranteed Android OS updates.
What size screen should I get for my Android phone?
When buying a new Android phone, you should consider many different things, and it all starts with the display. This is the component you interact with more than anything else, so you must get one that you’ll enjoy using. Things like the resolution and refresh rate of a screen are worth talking about, but more so is the size.
Smartphones come in different shapes and sizes, and the biggest determining factor for that is the display. A 6.8-inch screen results in a much larger phone than one with a 5.8-inch one, and because of that, you need to know how big or small you’re willing to go.
Take the Galaxy S24 Ultra, for example. Of the “normal” phones on this list — that means a phone that doesn’t fold in half — the S24 Ultra has the largest display and, therefore, is a phenomenal canvas for watching movies, playing games, and browsing the web.
Basically, any content consumption looks better on a larger display because the more room you have, the bigger and easier it is to see your media. The downside to this, however, is that phones like the S24 Ultra can be somewhat unwieldy. Especially if you’re someone with smaller hands, managing a phone like that can be a pain — sometimes literally!
A phone like the OnePlus Open solves this problem a bit by giving you an even larger display that can fold in half. It’s even got a world-class camera system that blew us away.
If you’d rather have a smaller-sized phone, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Asus Zenfone 11 are phenomenal choices depending on what form factor you want. These are substantially easier to manage and can be used with one hand, but you have less room for your movies and games on the flip side. It also means you can fit less content on the screen at one time, and if you’re someone who likes to increase your font size, things are easier to read, which could result in you having to do a lot of scrolling.
And, of course, there are plenty of phones that fall somewhere in the middle between these two extremes. If you’re really concerned about whether or not a phone will be too big or small, your best bet is to honestly go hands-on with it yourself at your local carrier store or Best Buy before making your purchase.
Are software updates on my phone important?
It’s easy to compare displays, processors, and cameras, but something that’s just as important to talk about is software updates. Android is constantly evolving and getting better, and while it’s nice to get updates that keep your phone feeling fresh and new, security updates are far more important than feature updates.
Samsung and Google offer seven years of software updates for their phones — the most of any smartphone company today. OnePlus, OPPO, Xiaomi, and Vivo come in second place with four Android OS updates and one extra year of security updates for their flagship phones.
But the number of years supported doesn’t paint the whole picture. Companies like OnePlus and Motorola often deliver bi-monthly security updates — so you’ll get six security updates per year — while Samsung and Google often update every month. This isn’t normally a big deal but could make a difference if you regularly use public hotspots or hotel Wi-Fi.
Google also always updates its Pixel phones to the latest version of Android first, something that makes a lot of sense considering Google makes Android. The downside to this is that the Pixel can sometimes be a little too cutting-edge and has been known to introduce bugs into the experience from time to time.
Generally, the more you spend on a phone, the more often (and longer) it’ll receive software updates. Most $200-300 Android phones will only receive one or two major software updates, while $1,000 phones will see five to seven years of updates.
So, how important is it that your phone gets software updates? That ultimately depends on how much you care about new Android features and how long you plan to use your phone. Google releases a new version of Android every year, and while these updates don’t tend to be that drastic from year to year, they give your phone important features and security settings that help keep it running in tip-top shape for a long time.
If you keep your phone for years at a time — often five or more years — these updates will ensure that you can continue to use new apps. Over time, Google discontinues support for older versions of Android because it becomes too much of a problem for developers to test compatibility with older phones as well as newer ones.
How do I choose a smartphone camera?
Over the last couple of years, there’s been a trend with certain phone companies to throw as many cameras onto their devices as possible. As it’s become more common for phones to ship with two, three, or even four cameras, there’s something of an expectation that phones have to have multiple camera sensors to be any good.
Spoiler alert — this isn’t true.
Let’s look at the Galaxy S24 Ultra. It has a 200MP primary camera, yet the Google Pixel 8 Pro with its 50MP main sensor tends to take better photos. The biggest difference lies in the software — Google’s is best for capturing objects in motion like pets and kids — and the secondary lenses that add more abilities to a phone’s camera.
And while having those extra camera sensors can be a lot of fun, it’s only worthwhile if they’re high-quality. Far too often, I see companies throw in a lot of extra cameras on their phones only to have these secondary lenses not be very good. But, of course, the primary camera sensor is always the most important, so that’s the one you want to pay attention to the most.
There are so many other factors that come into play with phone cameras, so don’t let the megapixel count be your only factor for judging them when you’re out shopping. Read reviews, look at camera samples, and you’ll have a much better understanding of what kind of camera you’re dealing with.
What size should my phone’s battery be?
Battery life isn’t the most fun thing to talk about with smartphones, but ultimately, it’s one of the most essential components. Your phone can have the best display and processor around, but if it’s constantly dying throughout the day, what’s the point?
There are many different battery capacities for all of the phones on this list, and if you don’t regularly keep up with them, it can be challenging to know what a good size is and what isn’t. So, here’s a general rule of thumb. If you’re buying an Android phone, the ideal capacity is 4,000mAh or larger. As phones move toward larger displays with faster refresh rates, more battery is needed to keep them powered throughout the day.
Of course, this can vary a bit depending on the type of phone you’re buying. Phones with smaller screen sizes and lower display refresh rates can still get through a full day of use without a hitch because they generally draw less power than phones with more impressive specs. The best Android phones often have extremely fast charging speeds, and phones like the OnePlus 12 will get an entire day’s worth of battery life in just a 20 minute charge.
These are factors you’ll need to consider when shopping for your phone, but generally, more mAh means more battery life.
What other features should I look for in a smartphone?
Last but certainly not least, there are a few smaller features and specs that can be easy to overlook when doing your shopping — a prime example being NFC. NFC stands for Near Field Communication, and it’s the chip in most phones that allows you to pay with your smartphone with Google Pay at grocery stores, restaurants, etc. All of the phones on this list support NFC, but many cheaper phones often lack the feature. You may not care about Google Pay, but if you do, it’s worth double-checking that the phone you want to buy does have NFC.
Another spec to check for is an IP rating. This is a seal of protection many phones have, and it ensures they’re protected from a certain amount of dust and water. So if you get caught outside in the rain or take your phone to the beach, a higher IP rating ensures that the phone should survive just fine. IP68 is the highest dust and water resistance rating, while cheaper phones might have something like IP53 which means some water and dust but not full submersion.
Some phones lack this IP rating yet boast water resistance or have a coating that gives them some protection. Those devices are also probably fine to get splashed with water here and there, but you don’t have that same guaranteed protection. The best-case scenario is to avoid getting your phone wet whenever possible, but if you happen to be around the water a lot, it’s probably worth getting something with that IP68 protection.
I should also address a trend going through the smartphone space for a few years now — the death of the headphone jack. The vast majority of new phones coming out these days no longer have the port, but few holdouts continue to offer it. It’s certainly nice to have if you’re someone who primarily uses wired headphones or earbuds, but if you’ve moved on to the wireless bandwagon, it’s not something you need to be all that concerned with.
I know that’s a lot to take in, but once you understand the kind of phone you’re looking for and the budget you have to work with, I hope this guide makes you feel better equipped to make the right decision. There are so many good phones out there, and I wouldn’t recommend one on this list if I didn’t think you’d be happy with it. Happy shopping, and enjoy your new phone!
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Testing phones at Android Central involves much more than simply booting up a device to ensure it works. We can use phones with a consumer mindset because we are consumers, in addition to Android enthusiasts and product testers. Unlike some sites that rely solely on benchmark programs and lab tests to verify performance, we use smartphones in real-life scenarios to better understand how a device will perform during normal, day-to-day use.
This involves personally hitting the streets to see how a phone’s camera holds up during the day and night, and comparing pictures from two devices side by side to see how they differ. Our testing involves running multiple performance-heavy apps simultaneously to see if a phone will overheat or swiftly lose battery life. It involves booting up graphics-intensive games at the highest settings to see if the images will lag or stutter, and it means draining the battery of a phone to zero to test the speed at which it will recharge.
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