The 5 best cell phones of 2024 - CBS News

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The 5 Best Cell Phones for 2024 — Amazon, Best Buy

Smartphone shopping can get confusing, especially since there are so many really great options to choose from. Whether you're an iPhone or Android user, our in-house tech experts have compiled this list of our favorites models available right now -- and there's something here for everyone, regardless of your budget or the features you're looking for from a new phone.

To learn more about these and other smartphone options, be sure to check out our coverage of the best Android smartphones and best folding smartphones.

Our top smartphone picks for 2024

The first decision you need to make when smartphone shopping? Whether you want one that runs using iOS or Android. Next, consider the screen size that's most desirable, based on how you'll be using the phone and what features you'd get the most use out of.

If you want, for example, an iPhone that's not upgradable after purchase, you'll need to select a configuration with enough internal storage to meet your needs. Even though most Android phones have a microSD memory card slot for expanding storage, whichever smartphone model you choose, we recommend selecting one with at least 256GB of internal storage.

Let's take a look at the five best smartphones you can get right now.

Best iPhone overall: Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

Right now, the iPhone 15 Pro Max is Apple's flagship smartphone, and it's chock full of the latest tech, not to mention the best camera setup yet within an Apple smartphone. With this phone, you get a beautiful, durable, aerospace-grade titanium casing in your choice of colors.

New to this version of the iPhone is the action button, which you can assign to perform a specific task, like to quickly launch the Camera app or turn on the flashlight feature. The phone itself is powered using Apple's own A17 Pro processor, which incorporates a six-core GPU. This means that photos, videos (including TV shows and movies), games and anything else you're viewing on the Super Retina XDR touchscreen display will look fantastic -- with vibrant colors and plenty of detail.

We're huge fans of the iPhone 15 Pro Max's enhanced camera and how it performs in a wide range of shooting situations, including low light. Be sure to check out our full-length, hands-on review of the iPhone 15 Pro Max for more information on the camera setup and the phone's other features.

iPhone 15 Pro Max incorporates a USB Type-C port on the bottom, however, it also supports wireless charging and MagSafe. Battery life has been improved over the iPhone 14 Pro Max, plus you get access to all of the latest features and functions incorporated into iOS 17. Like all iPhone models, this one comes with an impressive collection of preinstalled apps, including the new Journal. For anyone who's already an Apple fan or who's thinking about switching to an iPhone, the iPhone 15 Pro Max offers the most robust collection of features and functions out of all the current (and past) iPhone models.

Best Android smartphone overall: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

For smartphone users who are fans of Android and need a higher-end phone with plenty of processing power, you can't go wrong with Samsung's top-of-the-line Galaxy S23 Ultra. This phone features a stunning 6.8-inch Dynamic OLED touchscreen display and is one of the few to include a stylus that allows users to handwrite or draw directly on the screen.

We're huge fans of the phone's main, rear-facing camera, which offers a whopping 200MP resolution. This allows you to capture breathtaking still images or video, while take advantage of the up to 2x and 10x optical zoom, or up to 100x digital zoom that's offered by this phone's rear-camera setup.

When it comes to viewing your own video, as well as movies, photos, or any type of animated graphics on the display, you get an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz, along with a peak brightness of 1,750 nits. Thanks to the phone's armor aluminum frame and IP68 rating, the S23 Ultra is both durable and water resistant. And as you'd expect, for wireless connectivity, it supports 5G, Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3. You also get a choice of eight colors.

Best budget iPhone: Apple iPhone SE (3rd Generation)

For anyone who's not tech savvy and does not need all of the cutting-edge features built into the iPhone 15 Pro Max, Apple offers this less expensive iPhone SE (3rd Generation). This is a smaller phone with a less powerful processor, but it runs the same iOS 17 (or later) version of Apple's operating system as every other current iPhone model. It also comes with the same collection of pre-installed apps and access to nearly 2 million optional apps available from the App Store.

The iPhone SE is water resistant, offers a 4.7-inch touchscreen, and can easily handle all of the basic tasks people need from a smartphone -- from being able to make and receive calls, to sending and receiving text messages, being able to participate in video calls, and managing email accounts. Web surfing, viewing photos, and streaming music or podcasts is also no problem for this phone.

And while the cameras offer lower resolution than what you'd find in other current iPhone models, you''ll still take decent photos and videos using the iPhone SE. For the average user, we recommend choosing the configuration that includes 128GB of internal storage, but if you plan to store a lot of content on the phone, the 256GB version is definitely the way to go.

The iPhone SE (3rd Generation) is the ideal starter iPhone for a child (age 10 and up), or is suitable for an older adult who wants an affordable and compact version of the iPhone. It's price starts at just $429 (but often goes on sale for less).

Best budget Android smartphone: OnePlus Nord N30 5G

The great thing about Android-based smartphones is that you don't need to spend top dollar to find a phone that offers a really impressive collection of features. For just $250, you can snag the OnePlus Nord N30 5G smartphone. It can do just about anything more expensive Android-based phones can do, including shooting impressive photos and videos using the integrated, 108MP rear-facing main camera.

The 6.72-inch touchscreen with a 120Hz refresh rate is the ideal size for most people, and the 5,000mAh battery will keep the phone running all day and well into the night before it needs charging. To keep things simple, only one color option and configuration is available. It comes in chromatic gray and is equipped with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

The OnePlus Nord N30 5G offers a really great value based on the technology bundled into this smartphone and the low price it sells for. However, if you're looking for a model that's more powerful, yet still affordable (starting at $630), we recommend the OnePlus 11 5G. It's powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor and offers a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It's also about half the price of smartphones from competitors that offer similar functionality and technology.

Best folding smartphone: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

For the past few years, smartphones with folding displays have grown extremely popular. They offer the same cutting-edge capabilities and large displays as regular smartphones, but they fold into a compact size that easily fits within a shirt or pants pocket.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 has both an outer display (3.4 inches) and a 6.7-inch main display (when it's open and unfolded). The main Super AMOLED display offers an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz and a maximum brightness of 1,750 nits. This allows the display to showcase bright and vivid content in virtually any lighting situation.

For convenience, many of the phone's features are accessible even when the phone is folded. The phone itself is powered using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor. Choose between 256GB or 512GB for internal storage.

While the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is not for power users, it definitely offers all of the features and functions an average person needs to get the most out of their smartphone -- communications, productivity, entertainment, health and fitness. The phone comes in eight colors. But what most people seem to love most about this phone is that, when it's folded, it measures just 3.35 x 2.83 x 0.59 inches. When opened, it measures 6.5 x 2.83 x 0.27 inches. It weighs a mere 6.6 ounces.

5 things to consider for when shopping for a smartphone

To help you choose which smartphone is best for you, determine what you'll primarily be using it for, if you need an unlocked version of the phone, and how much you're willing to spend. You typically have the option to purchase the phone outright or finance it over 25 or 36 months. Here are five additional things you'll also want to consider before making your smartphone purchase:

Operating system: All iPhones run using Apple's iOS operating system. The current version is iOS 17. Android-based smartphones run using Google's Android operating system. However, the make and model of the phone you choose will determine which version of Android it runs. The current version is Android 14.
Display size and type: The display size dictates the size of the smartphone and how much content you can display. The display type, refresh rate, and maximum brightness also have a direct impact on how you see text, graphics, animation, photos, video and more.
Internal storage: Most smartphones give you a choice about how much internal storage (in gigabytes) the phone will have. For the average person, 128GB or 256GB is plenty, but for power users, 512GB or 1TB is better. While the internal storage of iPhones cannot be upgraded after purchase, many Android phones have a built in microSD memory card slot that allows you to increase storage with a memory card.
Camera: All smartphones have a front and several rear-facing cameras. The higher the resolution of these cameras (measured in megapixels), the better. However, the technology used with the camera also will impact the quality, detail and vibrance you capture within your videos and still images. A main rear-facing camera of at least 48MP will allow you to shoot really good-quality content.
Battery life: The battery's capacity (measured in milliamp hours or mAh) will determine how long a phone and work between charges. But how you use the smartphone will affect its battery life. The higher the battery's capacity, the longer it will last.

Financing versus purchasing a new smartphone

When you're about to purchase any smartphone, you'll often be given the option to buy it outright, or finance it over 24 to 36 months (with 0% interest). If you have an older phone to trade in, you can get credit for that phone (based on its appraised value) and apply that to your new purchase. (Look for a trade-in offer that gives you instant credit, not credits on your phone bill over time.)

Ideally, you want to purchase an unlocked version of a phone outright, so you can activate it with almost any cellular provider, and then trade it in or upgrade the phone whenever you like. If you finance the smartphone through a specific cellular provider, the phone itself may be locked, so it can only be used with that provider. And the length of time you finance the phone for affect your monthly payment and how soon you'll be able to upgrade the phone.

Apple and many U.S.-based cellular providers allow you to pay a bit extra and to let you upgrade your phone annually when a new model comes out. AT&T Wireless calls this their AT&T Installment Plan with NextUp. With such plans, you're basically renting your phone and will never own it. The monthly financing fee for your phone is separate from the cost of service, which will vary based on your plan. Meanwhile, if you're willing to switch your cellular provider, most will offer financial incentives and help you buy your way out of a contract.

Some smartphone manufactures, like Samsung, often offer their own incentives for people buying, upgrading or trading in a smartphone. If you buy a new smartphone from a cellular provider, shop around for the best deal and most generous trade-in offers. Start deal shopping on the websites for AT&T Wireless, Verizon and T-Mobile. Throughout the year, you can also find deals on the latest smartphones at Amazon, Walmart or Best Buy.

If you're interested in switching phone carriers, check out our money-saving advice on how to do it smartly.