One of the best aspects of the Android phone market is the large variety of available devices and manufacturers, in contrast to the iOS ecosystem, where Apple’s iPhone is the sole option. However, when the time does come to update, the abundance of options may make it a little trickier to pick the best handset for you. We’ve got you covered with a list of the top Android phones for every price range if you’re in the market for a new phone but don’t know where to start.
What to look for in a new Android phone
Performance
The major characteristics we consider when choosing our favorite Android phones are rather simple: strong performance (both compute and AI), a gorgeous display, robust construction, excellent cameras, long battery life, and a significant commitment to ongoing software maintenance. We assess phones based on responsiveness in addition to benchmarks and other measures when it comes to performance. Nobody likes a gadget that seems sluggish, whether they are reading, texting, navigating through social media, or playing a game.
Display
Although many of our top mid-range and high-end phones may reach 1,000 nits or more, we typically favor OLED panels that can offer deep, saturated colors with at least 600 nits of brightness. Most of our favorite gadgets today offer screens with fast refresh rates of 90Hz or 120Hz, which provides an additional layer of fluidity and smoothness.
Design
We’ll be the first to acknowledge that determining which phones look the best is somewhat subjective, but there are other design features like dust and water resistance or screen durability that can significantly impact a phone’s long-term survival. Considerations including UWB connectivity, wireless charging capability, and power-sharing (also known as reverse wireless charging) can affect how your phone communicates with your other devices.
Battery and Software
On devices that also performed well in our local video rundown test, we’re looking for all-day battery life (at least 16 hours on a charge, but more is obviously better). The majority of our top options have wireless charging, which has virtually become a standard feature in recent years. We also prefer it when businesses guarantee at least three years of software support, upgrades, and frequent security updates because users are keeping their phones longer than ever.
Cameras
We’re obviously seeking photos with clear, vibrant images in both high- and low-light situations. Additionally, we want video clips with a wide dynamic range, excellent audio, and a stable image. A plus would be more cameras with telephoto and ultra-wide lenses. Additionally, features like dedicated night modes, support for different video recording resolutions, and extra photo modes like timelapse, slow motion, and more should be taken into account.
The best Android Phones to buy right now
Best Android phone overall: Google Pixel 7 Pro
The Pixel 7 phones may not be the absolute quickest on the market, but their intelligent software more than makes up for that.
The Pixel 7 Pro and the regular Pixel 7 may not be the quickest smartphones available, but their sophisticated software more than makes up for that. The Pixel 7 series offers robust AI and machine learning capabilities to support services like on-device language recognition and real-time translation, thanks to Google’s Tensor G2 chip. Additionally, you get the finest overall camera quality of any smartphone now on the market, as well as stunning OLED screens.
The regular Pixel 7 starts at just $600, making Google’s newest flagship a fantastic value as well. The Pixel 7 Pro includes a larger 6.7-inch screen and a third rear camera with a 5x optical zoom, which are the key distinctions between the two. You really can’t go wrong with either the Pixel 7 or Pixel 7 Pro, though, regardless of whether you want a smaller or larger tablet.
- Processor: Google Tensor G2
- Display: 6.7-inch QHD+, up to 120Hz
- Cameras: Rear array (50MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 48MP telephoto), 10.8MP front camera
- Battery: 5,000mAh
OnePlus 11 is the top mid-range Android device.
The OnePlus 11 achieves a solid balance between budget phones and more expensive gadgets for individuals who want a phone with a large screen, outstanding cameras, and great performance but for less money than a traditional flagship. The OnePlus 11 is comparable to a cheaper Galaxy S23+ in many aspects. Along with a similar 6.7-inch 120Hz screen, it also has a quick Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and a sizable 5,000 mAh battery. Meanwhile, it charges more quickly than any Google or Samsung phone thanks to OnePlus’ rapid 100-watt wired charging. Additionally, the company’s continued collaboration with Hasselblad on the camera front has led to appreciable advancements in image quality.
The OP11’s IP64 designation for dust and water resistance falls short of what you get from rival devices, and the camera’s 2x optical zoom lens feels a little on the short side. These are the main drawbacks of the device. The OP11 is a well-equipped choice that costs substantially less than its competitors thanks to OnePlus’s addition of greater carrier compatibility, four years of OS upgrades, and five years of security patches.
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- Display: 6.7-inch QHD+, up to 120Hz
- Cameras: Rear array (50MP main sensor, 48MP ultrawide, 32MP telephoto), 16MP front camera
- Battery: 5,000mAh
Best budget Android phone: Google Pixel 7a
The $500 Pixel 7a meets all of our criteria for a fantastic, affordable Android phone (if you have a smaller budget, check out our list of the best cheap phones). A faster Tensor G2 CPU, a smoother 90Hz display, and support for wireless charging are among the new features. These are all firsts for a Google A-series phone. And for $100 cheaper, it looks and feels like the normal Pixel 7 thanks to an updated design and IP67 water resistance. Five years of security updates and at least three years of software updates provide excellent support as well. The Pixel 7a’s only real drawbacks are that it doesn’t have a dedicated zoom lens and doesn’t support mmWave 5G (unless you buy the slightly more expensive $550 Verizon model).
- Processor: Google Tensor G2
- Display: 6.1-inch FHD+, up to 90Hz
- Cameras: Rear array (64MP wide, 13MP ultrawide), 13MP front camera
- Battery: 4,385mAh
Best premium Android phone: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is incredibly pricey, starting at $1,200, but it features exceptional performance, a fantastic camera system, and pretty much everything you could possibly need in a smartphone. Its features include a sizable 6.8-inch OLED screen with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, five cameras in total (the main, ultra-wide, 3x, 10x, and a selfie sensor), and an integrated S Pen stylus for taking notes and drawing. It also has a huge 5,000 mAh battery, which offers some of the best phone runtime we’ve ever experienced. Additionally, you can anticipate at least four significant OS upgrades and five years of ongoing security patches thanks to Samsung’s increased commitment to software support.
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- Display: 6.8-inch QHD+, up to 120Hz
- Cameras: Rear array (200MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto), 12MP front camera
- Battery: 5,000mAh
Best foldable Android phone: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
For consumers who want to maximize their mobile productivity, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is still the best big foldable phone on the market, despite rising competition from the Pixel Fold. On the most recent model, Samsung raised the number of recent apps you can display on the taskbar from two to four, in addition to adding two new gestures for starting side-by-side multitasking or switching from a full screen to a windowed program. Even though this Samsung phone has a smaller power cell (4,400 mAh vs. 4,800 mAh), it has greater battery life. The Z Fold 5’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPU also offers faster performance than the Pixel Fold. However, Samsung’s new Flex Hinge, which makes the phone slimmer and allows it to close fully flat, is the largest change for this version. Unfortunately, the Z Fold 5’s camera technology hasn’t advanced much from the previous year, and with pricing starting at $1,800, it isn’t even remotely reasonable.
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2
- Display: 6.2-inch HD+ front display (up to 120Hz), 7.6-inch QXGA+ main display (up to 120Hz)
- Cameras: Rear array (50MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto), 10MP (Cover) + 4MP UDC (Main) front camera
- Battery: 4,400mAh
