You are by no means hurting for selection in terms of discovering one of the best Android telephones. From mighty flagships to surprisingly feature-rich funds units, there is a high Android handset on the market for each funds and private style.
It is true that our present No. 1 decide is likely one of the costliest Android handsets you should purchase. However latest additions to our greatest Android telephones picks embody a few midrange fashions that each value lower than $500 whereas providing the sort of capabilities you often discover restricted to premium units. Selection really is the spice of life for Android customers.
The important thing to discovering one of the best Android telephone on your wants is to establish what you need in a handset. If that winds up being a wide selection of premium options from quick refreshing shows to high performing cameras, be ready to pay up for a flagship. Are capabilities like a telephoto lens or numerous built-in storage much less necessary to you? Then you’ll be able to flip to a midrange or funds Android telephone as an alternative.
Our checklist of one of the best Android telephones contains units at totally different costs, in order that we may also help you discover the best handset it doesn’t matter what your funds. Learn on to seek out out which Android telephones fared one of the best in our testing.
One of the best Android telephones you should purchase at the moment
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely is one of the best Android telephone cash can purchase. This flagship wows with its 200MP digital camera, which cannot solely product poster-size prints however helps you to crop in and reframe your pictures whereas nonetheless delivering superb element. There’s a greater 12MP digital camera up entrance for selfies, plus improved Nightography for higher low-light photos throughout.
The Galaxy S23 Extremely can also be tremendous quick, because of the brand new Snapdragon 8 gen 2 for Galaxy processor. This chip beats the iPhone on graphics efficiency and delivers silky clean gameplay. Our favourite half? The greater than 13 hours of battery life we noticed in our internet browsing take a look at, making this one of many longest enduring telephones round. Having 256GB of storage to start out is one other plus.
Different highlights for the Galaxy S23 Extremely embody smarter One UI 5.1 options, together with Bixby Textual content name for screening requires you. And the show is now flatter for simpler S Pen use, although we nonetheless do not assume the panel must be curved. Positive, sooner charging could be good, however the Samsung S23 Extremely is one of the best Android telephone but and simply among the best telephones total.
See our full Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely overview.
Amongst Android telephones, the OnePlus 11 offers the Galaxy S23 Extremely some a lot wanted competitors, and positively beats the whole lot else on the market in the intervening time. With a beginning worth of simply $699, the OnePlus 11 is the flagship worth of 2023 thus far. With its unimaginable battery life, efficiency that provides the iPhone 14 Professional Max a run for its cash, and one of the best OnePlus cameras so far, this telephone is superior.
After all, it’s not with out its drawbacks. For one, the telephoto lens has seen a downgrade from 3.3x optical zoom to 2x. The OnePlus 11 additionally lacks wi-fi charging, an odd omission given OnePlus’ latest historical past. The telephone doubtless has these compromises to maintain the worth down. Even with them, nevertheless, the OnePlus 11 is properly price your consideration.
Learn our full OnePlus 11 overview.
The Google Pixel 7a is a superb gadget to get when you’re on a restricted funds. For simply $499, you will get a telephone that also packs in some premium options like a 90Hz show, wi-fi charging help and the identical Tensor G2 processor discovered within the Pixel 7 flagships. In some ways, it is inconceivable to inform the funds Pixel 7a from the extra premium Pixel 7.
We’re significantly impressed with the adjustments to the Pixel 7a’s digital camera setup, which now incorporates a 64MP foremost shooter and a 13MP ultrawide lens. These cameras take glorious photographs for the worth, and so they can maintain their very own towards any of the highest digital camera telephones on the market. We additionally like that the battery life on the Pixel 7a is way improved over its predecessor, albeit with the fast-refreshing show function disabled.
Learn our full Google Pixel 7a overview.
You do not have to pay flagship costs to get a high Android telephone. For $449, the Galaxy A54 presents a long-lasting battery, a brilliant show and cameras which can be one of the best you’ll find on a funds telephone. (Try our Galaxy A54 vs. Pixel 6a digital camera face-off to see how this telephone’s cameras evaluate to its cheif rival.) That 50MP foremost digital camera is identical one you get on the Galaxy S23, so you will get flagship-quality photographs, significantly when the lights are low.
The Exynos 1380 contained in the Galaxy A54 is not precisely a powerhouse, however it could possibly deal with most cell apps with aplomb. You may additionally respect the colourful 6.4-inch panel on the Galaxy A54 and its capacity to ramp up its refresh fee to 120Hz when on-screen exercise would profit from smoother scrolling. That is an terrible lot of spectacular options for a telephone that will not put too large of a dent in your pockets.
Learn our full Samsung Galaxy A54 overview.
The Pixel 7 Professional is a refinement over the superb Pixel 6 Professional from final yr. It sports activities an upgraded Tensor G2 processor, a brighter show, and 5x optical zoom. It’s an important telephone with loads of smarts and helpful options.
The place it lags behind the Galaxy S22 Extremely, nevertheless, is battery life. The Pixel 7 Professional carried out poorly in our in-house battery life take a look at, over three hours lower than the 10-hour common we need to see from smartphones. However the cameras make up for it, with the Pixel 7 Professional providing a number of the greatest footage on an Android telephone at $300 lower than the Galaxy S23 Extremely.
Learn our full Pixel 7 Professional overview.
The Galaxy S23 Extremely might have essentially the most premium options, however the Samsung Galaxy S23 is way more reasonably priced at $799. And one of the best issues in regards to the S23 household are very a lot part of this entry-level mannequin, with the Galaxy S23 working on the identical Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset that powers the dearer fashions. That not solely means a efficiency increase over earlier Galaxy S telephones, it additionally helps the S23 flip in a time on our battery take a look at that tops the common smartphone.
The Galaxy S23 presents a telephoto lens — not one thing you all the time discover on a telephone at this worth. And all of the cameras on the Galaxy S23 impress, as they profit from Samsung’s effort to enhance low-light pictures. (We did discover the entrance digital camera to be a little bit disappointing in our testing.) You may need to dwell with much less storage within the base mannequin — the S23 begins with 128GB versus 256GB within the different fashions — however in any other case the Galaxy S23 delivers one of the best of Samsung’s flagship lineup in a extra reasonably priced bundle.
Learn our full Samsung Galaxy S23 overview.
Latest Motorola flagship telephones have not been capable of compete with units from the likes of Samsung, Google and OnePlus, so think about our nice shock when the 2023 version of the Motorola Edge Plus turned out to be a reasonably spectacular various to different premium Android units. Motorola will get a complete lot of issues proper right here, beginning with the worth — the Edge Plus prices $200 lower than the Galaxy S23 Plus whereas evaluating very favorably to Samsung’s big-screen telephone.
A Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset means the Motorola Edge Plus can match any Android telephone for efficiency, and the telephone’s 5,100 mAh battery helped it flip within the second-best end result on our battery take a look at within the final 18 months. The Motorola Edge Plus even lasts a very long time on a cost if you’ve received the 6.7-inch show’s 165Hz refresh fee activated, which makes the Motorola Edge Plus a very good possibility for cell avid gamers.
If the cameras carried out just a bit extra constantly, we would fee the Motorola Edge Plus even increased. However because it stands, this telephone presents a tempting mix of premium options at a extra reasonably priced worth, making it a good selection when you’re trying past the same old suspects on your subsequent handset.
Learn our full Motorola Edge Plus (2023) overview.
A few of us right here love small telephones, and so does Asus. The Taiwanese telephone maker has taken a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, a 4,300 mAh battery, and as much as 16GB of RAM and packed right into a compact gadget with a 5.9-inch show.
With its horsepower, stellar battery life, and good cameras, the Zenfone 9 is the telephone to get if you need a smaller gadget. We love how straightforward it’s to one-hand it, or how little pocket house it takes up. Asus’ ZenUI software program can also be very nice, providing a inventory Android-like expertise with some further options thrown in to reinforce issues.
Beginning at $799, the Zenfone 9 places different telephones just like the Galaxy S22 on blast. Samsung nonetheless has some benefits, reminiscent of with the show, however Asus did a bang up job with the Zenfone 9.
Learn our full Asus Zenfone 9 overview.
A giant display screen Galaxy S telephone is not out of attain when you do not need to spend greater than $1,000 in your subsequent handset. The Galaxy S23 Plus offers you a 6.6-inch display screen with a 120Hz adaptive refresh fee for $200 lower than the Galaxy S23 Extremely. And when you will not get the Extremely’s 200MP foremost digital camera, the S23 Plus presents the identical digital camera setup as the usual Galaxy S23, so you’ll be able to anticipate handsome footage and high quality zooms.
One of the best factor in regards to the Galaxy S23 Plus is the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset powering the telephone. That delivers one of the best efficiency of any Android telephone we have examined, and it additionally manages energy effectively. The top result’s that the Galaxy S23 Plus lasted slightly below 11.5 hours on our battery take a look at — a wonderful end result which interprets to all-day battery life.
4 years of Android updates ought to maintain your Galaxy S23 Plus in high kind for a while to come back, so that you’re actually getting loads of worth in return for the gadget’s $999 beginning worth.
Learn our full Galaxy S23 Plus overview.
We got here away from our Galaxy Z Flip 4 overview largely impressed. Not solely is the brand new foldable’s design ever so barely sleeker, the battery life has vastly improved over the Galaxy Z Flip 3 final yr. In our customized battery life take a look at, the Flip 4 went for significantly longer than its predecessor.
The folding 6.7-inch Tremendous AMOLED show is gorgeous, regardless that the show crease stays very noticeable. The Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 permits the Galaxy Z Flip 4 to chew by way of any job, even intensive gaming. And its elevated energy effectivity is probably going serving to the handset’s higher battery life.
The cameras are a combined bag. On the one hand, the brand new evening mode is improbable; however on the opposite, the daytime photographs are lower than thrilling with Samsung’s attribute oversaturated look. If the Galaxy Z Flip 4 put out the identical photographs because the Galaxy S22, we’d be quite a bit happier.
Even so, the $999 Galaxy Z Flip 4 is definitely price your whereas if you wish to bounce into the world of foldables. You’ll make some compromises over similarly-priced telephones, however the novelty may be price it to you.
Learn our full Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 overview.
How to decide on one of the best Android telephone for you
The primary place to start out when looking for one of the best Android telephone for you is your funds. And there are basically a number of tiers. The most cost effective Android telephones value below $200 and supply largely the fundamentals for utilizing apps, taking footage and staying related. We chart one of the best low cost telephones below $300, although actually, you will make loads of compromises to get a telephone priced that low.
As you progress as much as below $450, you will discover extra compelling handsets, touting higher processors, higher-grade supplies and extra digital camera lenses. The Galaxy A54 has pushed apart the Pixel 6a to high our greatest low cost telephones rankings, however that might change as soon as the Pixel 7a arrives. Rumors level to a launch at Google I/O 2023 in Could.
Soar into the $700-and-up vary, and one of the best telephones supply flagship-caliber efficiency together with cutting-edge computational pictures and particular options.
Essentially the most premium Android telephones supply foldable designs and large worth tags. The Galaxy Z Flip 4 is the most affordable foldable accessible at $999. We’re anticipating the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 to reach later this yr, and different foldable telephones from Google and OnePlus may add extra competitors to this rising section.
iPhone customers trying to swap to Android have numerous decisions, as we have outlined above. It is also simpler to maneuver platforms, because the Swap to Android app for iOS now helps all Android 12 telephones and later.
How we take a look at one of the best Android telephones
Each smartphone Tom’s Information evaluates is examined for a number of days in real-world use circumstances and benchmarked with a gamut of performance-measuring apps. By way of efficiency, we used Geekbench 5 to measure total velocity and 3DMark Wild Life to measure graphics efficiency.
We additionally use our personal video modifying take a look at within the Adobe Premiere Rush app to see how lengthy it takes to transcode a clip, which we run on each Android telephones and iPhone to check efficiency. (This take a look at shouldn’t be all the time accessible for all telephones we take a look at attributable to app compatibility points.)
Row 0 – Cell 0 | Geekbench 5 (single-core / multicore) | 3DMark Wild Life Limitless (FPS) |
Galaxy S23 Extremely | 1578 / 5081 | 88 |
OnePlus 11 | 1166 / 4962 | 84 |
Pixel 7a | 1018/3065 | 41.1 |
Galaxy A54 | 781/2664 | 16.9 |
Pixel 7 Professional | 1060 / 3046 | 40 |
Galaxy S23 | 1582 / 4876 | 87 |
Motorola Edge Plus (2023) | 1484 / 4941 | 84.5 |
Zenfone 9 | 1190 / 4069 | 58 |
Galaxy S23 Plus | 1524 / 4642 | 87 |
Galaxy Z Flip 4 | 1291 / 4015 | 67 |
To measure the standard of a telephone’s show, we carry out lab checks to find out the brightness of the panel (in nits), in addition to how colourful every display screen is (DCI-P3 colour gamut). In these circumstances, increased numbers are higher. We additionally measure colour accuracy of every panel with a Delta-E score, the place decrease numbers are higher and rating of 0 is ideal.
Row 0 – Cell 0 | sRGB (%) | DCI-P3 (%) | Delta-E |
Galaxy S23 Extremely | 193 (Vivid) / 111 (Pure) | 137 (Vivid) / 79 (Pure) | 0.37 (Vivid) / 0.3 (Pure) |
OnePlus 10 Professional | 171 (Vivid) / 117 (Pure) | 121 (Vivid) / 83 (Pure) | 0.31 (Vivid) / 0.24 (Pure) |
Pixel 7a | 129.8% (Adaptive) / 111.7% (Pure) | 91.9% (Adaptive) / 79.1% (Pure) | 0.05 (Adaptive) / 0.11 (Pure) |
Galaxy A54 | 127.1% (Pure) | 90% (Pure) | 0.06 |
Pixel 7 Professional | 105 | 74 | 0.28 |
Galaxy S23 | 212 (Vivid); 129 (Pure) | 150 (Vivid); 91 (Pure) | 0.34 (Vivid); 0.24 (Pure) |
Motorola Edge Plus (2023) | 193.8 (Saturated) / 105.3 (Pure) | 137.3 (Saturated) / 74.6 (Pure) | 0.39 (Saturated) / 0.18 (Pure) |
Zenfone 9 | 157 (Optimum) / 184 (Pure) | 111 (Optimum) / 130 (Pure) | 0.28 (Optimum) / 0.3 (Pure) |
Galaxy S23 Plus | 204 (Vivid) / 117 (Pure) | 148 (Vivid) / 83 (Pure) | 0.33 (Vivid) / 0.23 (Pure) |
Galaxy Z Flip 4 | 187 (Vivid) / 110 (Pure) | 132 (Vivid) / 78 (Pure) | 0.36 (Vivid) / 0.24 (Pure) |
One of the vital necessary checks we run is the Tom’s Information battery take a look at. We run an internet browsing take a look at over 5G (or 4G if the telephone does not have 5G help) at 150 nits of display screen brightness till the battery offers out. On the whole, a telephone that lasts 10 hours or extra is sweet, and something above 11 hours makes our checklist of the greatest telephone battery life.
Row 0 – Cell 0 | Battery life (Hrs:Minutes) |
Galaxy S23 Extremely | 13:09 (Adaptive) / 12:22 (60Hz) |
OnePlus 11 | 13:10 (Adaptive) / 12:48 (60Hz) |
Pixel 7a | 10:05 (60Hz) |
Galaxy A54 | 10:20 (adaptive); 11:46 (60Hz) |
Pixel 7 Professional | 8:04 (Adaptive) / 7:55 (60Hz) |
Galaxy S23 | 10:27 (Adaptive) |
Motorola Edge Plus (2023) | 15:47 (Auto); 13:18 (165Hz) |
Zenfone 9 | 13:13 (adaptive), 12:52 (120Hz), |
Galaxy S23 Plus | 11:24 (Adaptive) |
Galaxy Z Flip 4 | 8:38 (Adaptive), 8:57 (60Hz) |
Final however not least, we take one of the best telephones out within the discipline to take photographs open air, indoors and at evening in low gentle to see how they carry out versus their closest rivals. We take pictures of landscapes, meals, portraits and extra, and in addition permit you to be the choose with side-by-side comparisons in our opinions.
For extra info, try our how we take a look at web page for Tom’s Information.