If you want the best Android phone right now, you have a lot of great options. There might not be as many prominent manufacturers as there once were, but the best phones from the remaining players are really good. If you're in the market for something new and looking for some direction, here are AP's top picks.
The Pixel 6 is Google’s most exciting phone in years — maybe ever. At a starting price of $599, it offers excellent photo quality out of its huge new primary camera sensor, great performance thanks to Google’s custom Tensor chipset, and a ton of neat software tricks you won’t see on phones from other manufacturers. The under-screen fingerprint sensor is mediocre and it seemingly doesn’t charge as fast as Google claims, but it’s still an easy recommendation for most people.
- Storage: 128 GB, 256 GB
- CPU: Google Tensor
- Memory: 8 GB
- Operating System: Android 12
- Battery: 4,614 mAh
- Display (Size, Resolution): 6.4" 1080p OLED, 90Hz
- Camera (Front): 8 MP f/2.0, 84° FOV
- Cameras (Rear): 50 MP f/1.85, 82° FOV (primary); 12 MP f/2.2, 114° FOV (ultrawide)
- Price: Starting at $599
- Dimensions: 6.2 x 2.9 x 0.4", 7.3 oz
- Colors: Stormy Black, Sorta Seafoam, Kinda Coral
- Fantastic primary camera quality
- Great performance out of Google’s custom Tensor chip
- Android 12 with Material You is a treat
- Five years of security updates
- Lacks a telephoto camera
- Distracting glare in rear camera photos in certain conditions
- Fingerprint sensor is often slow
If you want a fancy new folding phone without spending four figures, the Galaxy Z Flip3 is the way to go. Its cameras aren’t class-leading and its battery life is a bit of a disappointment, but at about $900 on sale (which it is most of the time anymore), the Z Flip3 is a much more practical buy than the flashier Fold3 — and unlike that more expensive phone, you won't have to re-learn how to do anything here to accomodate the form factor.
- Storage: 128 GB, 256 GB
- CPU: Snapdragon 888
- Memory: 8 GB
- Operating System: One UI over Android 11
- Battery: 3,300 mAh
- Display (Size, Resolution): 6.7" 1080p OLED, 120Hz
- Camera (Front): 10MP f/2.4
- Cameras (Rear): 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (123°), 12MP f/1.8 main w/ OIS
- Connectivity: 5G (incl. mmWave), LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 Supports eSIM and/or Nano-SIM
- Dimensions: Unfolded - 72.2 x 166 x 6.9mm Folded - 72.2 x 86.4 x 15.9-17.1mm 183g
- Colors: Cream, Green, Lavender, Phantom Black, Gray, White, Pink
- Folding novelty at a normal flagship price
- Great build quality
- Folds hamburger-style to better fit in your pockets
- Bad battery life
- Cameras can’t compete with the best in the business
- Charging speeds top out at 15 watts
The Pixel 6 Pro is, in just about every way, a better phone than the Pixel 6. It has 12 gigs of RAM instead of eight, a 120Hz display instead of 90Hz, and a dedicated telephoto camera, plus a few smaller improvements like ever-so-slightly tighter haptics. If money is no object, this is the best way to experience Google’s flavor of Android.
But as Ryne put it, compared to the base Pixel 6, the $900 6 Pro is 50 percent more money for 15 percent more phone. Unless you positively need any of the Pro’s extra features, the regular Pixel 6 is a better buy.
- Brand: Google
- Storage: 128, 256, or 512GB; UFS 3.1
- CPU: Google Tensor
- Memory: 12GB
- Operating System: Android
- Battery: 5003mAh, 30W (USB PD PPS) wired charging, up to 23W wireless charging
- Ports: USB Type-C
- Display (Size, Resolution): 6.7” QHD+ (1440x3120, 19.5:9) LTPO OLED, 120Hz, Gorilla Glass Victus
- Camera (Front): 11.1MP f/2.2 (94° FoV, fixed focus)
- Cameras (Rear): 50MP f/1.85 primary (82° FoV w/OIS), 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (114° FoV), 48MP f/3.5 telephoto (23.5° FoV w/OIS, 4x optical and up to 20x “Super Res Zoom”)
- Price: Starts at $900
- Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, Ultra-Wideband
- Others: Polished aluminum frame, IP68, In-display fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 1, Dual-SIM via eSIM, reverse wireless charging
- Dimensions: 163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm, 210 g
- Colors: Sorta Sunny, Cloudy White, and Stormy Black
- The best camera setup on an Android phone today, including a great telephoto shooter
- Even better performance than the Pixel 6 with the same Tensor CPU and more RAM
- Google’s software is great
- Five years of security updates
- A 50 percent price increase from the normal Pixel 6 for what many people would experience as a handful marginal improvements
- Same slow fingerprint sensor as the Pixel 6
- Rear cameras also prone to glare in certain lighting
The Galaxy Z Fold3 is the most premium phone Samsung makes. It’s packed to the gills with cool features: it has the super-fast Snapdragon 888 paired with 12 gigs of RAM, two 120Hz displays, and an under-display interior selfie camera (that last one’s not very good, but it’s still neat). Oh, and it unfolds into a little tablet. With all its flashy features and a starting MSRP of $1,800, it’s pretty much the definition of excess — but if you’ve got the cash and you’re after the coolest possible phone, this one probably fits the bill.
- Storage: 256 GB, 512 GB
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
- Memory: 12 GB
- Operating System: Android 11 with One UI
- Battery: 4,400 mAh dual-cell
- Display (Size, Resolution): 6.70-inch OLED @ 2268 x 832, up to 120Hz, 1,500 nits peak (external); 7.6-inch OLED @ 2208 x 1768, up to 120Hz, 1,200 nits peak (internal)
- Camera (Front): 10MP f/2.2 (cover); 4MP f/1.8 (internal)
- Cameras (Rear): 12MP f/1.8 main w/ OIS, 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (123°), 12MP f/2.4 2x telephoto w/ OIS
- Dimensions: 128 x 158 x 6.4mm (unfolded); 67.1 x 158 x 16mm (folded); 271g
- Colors: Black, green, silver
- It’s a tiny pocket tablet!
- Snapdragon 888 + 12 gigs of RAM = fast phone
- Great displays, inside and out
- Security updates until 2025
- Interior selfie camera isn’t very good
- Middling battery life
- Really pricey
Released back in January, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the oldest phone on this list, but we still think it deserves a shout-out. If you want a really big, really good Android phone with lots of bells and whistles but don’t want the Pixel 6 Pro, the S21 Ultra is hard to find fault with: it’s got great performance, great cameras, and a great display. It’ll also stay up to date for at least two more years (plus a few months). It’s just a shame the price hasn’t come down more by now: we’ve seen it as cheap as $900, but you’ll still be paying at least $1,000 for it most of the time.
- Storage: 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB
- CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
- Memory: 12 GB, 16 GB
- Operating System: Android 11 with One UI
- Battery: 5,000 mAh
- Display (Size, Resolution): 6.8-inch 1440p OLED, 120Hz
- Camera (Front): 40 MP f/2.2
- Cameras (Rear): 108 MP f/1.8 primary; 10 MP f/4.9 10x periscope telephoto; 10 MP f/2.4 3x telephoto; 12 MP f/2.2 ultrawide
- Dimensions: 6.5 x 2.98 x 0.35"; 8.01 oz
- Colors: Black; silver
- Still one of the fastest phones out there
- The best cameras you can get on a Samsung phone
- Truly great display
- Still costs a grand (and it doesn’t even fold in half)
- “Only” guaranteed updates through January 2024
- Crummy speakers for such an expensive device
Samsung’s high-end phones may feature more prominently on this list, but the company’s budget offerings are some of the best in the business. The Galaxy A32 5G brings a lot of traditionally high-end features downstream — features like a 90Hz display, 5G, and long(ish) software support. Performance out of the phone’s Dimensity chipset won’t ever let you forget you’re using a budget device, but if you’re looking for the best new phone you can get for less than 300 bucks, this might be it.
- Storage: 64 GB
- CPU: MediaTek Dimensity 720 5G
- Memory: 4 GB
- Battery: 5,000 mAh
- Display (Size, Resolution): 6.5" 720p LCD, 90Hz
- Camera (Front): 13 MP f/2.2
- Cameras (Rear): 48 MP f/1.8 primary; 8MP f/2.2 ultrawide; 2MP f/2.4 macro; 2MP f/2.4 depth
- Dimensions: 164.2 x 76.1 x 9.1mm, 205g
- Colors: Black
- Sub-$300
- 90Hz display
- 5G access
- OS updates through spring 2023, security patches for an additional year
- Performance isn’t anything to write home about
- Though fast, display is pretty low-res at 720p
Google’s Pixel a-series phones have always been easy to recommend to “normal” people, and the Pixel 5a is no different. Performance is solid, cameras are competitive with last year’s flagships, and battery life is outstanding. At $450, it’s a much better buy than the Pixel 5 it shares a lot of its DNA with — though the Pixel 6 starting at $600 complicates the value proposition a little. Still, if you don’t want to spend that extra $150, there’s not a whole lot to complain about here. You’ll have a hard time finding a better phone for the money.
- CPU: Snapdragon 765G
- Memory: 6 GB
- Operating System: Android 12 with Material You
- Battery: 4,680 mAh
- Display (Size, Resolution): 6.34" 1080p OLED, 60Hz
- Camera (Front): 8 MP f/2
- Cameras (Rear): 12.2 MP f/1.7 primary; 16 MP F/2.2 ultra-wide
- Dimensions: 156.2 x 73.2 x 8.8 mm, 183g
- Colors: Black
- Excellent battery life
- Great cameras for the price
- First Pixel a-series phone with rated water resistance (IP67)
- Software updates through August 2024
- It has a headphone jack
- Way bigger than the Pixel 4a
- The Snapdragon 765G is fine now, but we worry it may feel slow in a couple years
- Display is only 60Hz and not especially high-quality
OnePlus has fallen out of many a geek’s good graces, but if you live in the US and want a high-end phone not made by Google, Samsung, or Apple, your options aren’t exactly broad. The OnePlus 9 isn’t the fanciest OP device right now (that’d be the 9 Pro), but we think it’s the easiest to recommend. It’s got strong performance, a great 120Hz display, and crazy-fast 65-watt wired charging. It’s also been available for about 600 bucks lately, which keeps it somewhat competitive with the Pixel 6. OnePlus’s spotty update track record and app-throttling shenanigans definitely bear consideration here, but if you want Android and positively do not want a Samsung or Google-built phone, this one just might be your best bet.
- Storage: 128 GB, 256 GB
- CPU: Snapdragon 888
- Memory: 8 GB, 12 GB
- Operating System: Android 11 with Oxygen OS
- Battery: 4,500 mAh
- Display (Size, Resolution): 6.55-inch
- Camera (Front): 16 MP
- Cameras (Rear): 48 MP primary, 50 MP ultrawide, 2 MP monochrome
- Dimensions: 160x74.2x8.7mm, 192g
- Colors: Silver, green
- Great 120Hz display
- Fast performance
- Crazy 65W wired charging
- OnePlus's photo processing isn't great
- Update reputation
- Fingerprint sensor is too low in the display
We hope you like the items we recommend and discuss! AndroidPolice has affiliate and sponsored partnerships, so we receive a share of the revenue from some of your purchases. This won’t affect the price you pay and helps us offer the best product recommendations.
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