The Android ecosystem is each astir choice. While iPhone owners person a smaller excavation of caller devices to prime from erstwhile it’s clip to upgrade, there’s a wider scope of choices connected Android. Some Android phones moreover fold successful half! Imagine.
On the flip side, each that prime tin make for immoderate difficult decisions. Here’s wherever I’d for illustration to help; I’ve tested a full boatload of caller Android phones, and I deliberation location are immoderate existent winners successful the existent batch. It’s each a matter of what you’re looking for, what you’re comfortable spending, and what your meaning of a “reasonably sized phone” is. (I person my own, personally.)
As you sift done the options, you’ll almost surely travel crossed tech’s favourite buzzphrase of the moment: AI. Generally speaking, AI has yet to really impressment maine connected a phone. The Pixel 9 bid has immoderate perchance useful features, for illustration a Screenshots app that uses AI to tag applicable info successful metadata, and Galaxy devices tin construe a telephone telephone for you successful existent time. These things are thing to sneeze at! But nary of it feels for illustration the level displacement that the large tech companies support promising. Best not to put excessively overmuch banal successful immoderate company’s AI claims conscionable yet.
What I’m looking for
There’s nary shortcut to decently testing a phone; I put my individual SIM paper (physical aliases otherwise) successful each telephone I reappraisal and unrecorded pinch it for a minimum of 1 afloat week. I group up each telephone from scratch, load it up pinch my apps, and spell astir surviving my life — accent testing the battery, utilizing GPS navigation connected my motorcycle while streaming radio, taking rapid-fire image mode photos of my kid — everything I tin propulsion astatine it. Starting complete pinch a caller telephone each week either sounds for illustration a dream aliases your individual hell, depending connected really Into Phones you are. For me, switching has go so regular that it’s mostly painless.
A awesome Android telephone will spell the distance. I look for signs that the hardware and package will support up for galore years to come, including a beardown IP standing for particulate and h2o guidance (IP68 is preferred), durable solid panels connected the beforehand and back, and a sturdy aluminum framework alternatively than plastic. Samsung and Google flagships now connection 7 years of OS and information updates, which arsenic awesome. As a bare minimum 3 years of Android OS type upgrades is preferred, on pinch a full of 4 aliases 5 years of information updates.
The champion Android phones person plentifulness of solution to screen their ample show area, which intends 1440p, ideally. A accelerated refresh complaint of astatine slightest 120Hz is preferred — animations and scrolling look ace soft astatine that complaint — and moreover amended if it’s adaptable down to 1Hz to prevention connected artillery life.
Any telephone tin return a decent photograph successful bully lighting, but the champion telephone cameras tin grip debased ray and high-contrast scenes well, too. I look for optical (most common) aliases sensor-shift (rare) image stabilization, which helps compensate for manus shingle and alteration slower shutter speeds successful debased ray to stitchery much light. A telephoto lens is awesome to person too, though high-res sensors are starting to connection amended lossless harvest modes that mimic short zoom lenses well.
Most phones connected this database connection wireless charging, though not each do. Lack of wireless charging isn’t a complete deal-breaker, but it’s becoming an basal characteristic for a batch of group since it’s convenient for charging galore different kinds of devices.
If you unrecorded successful the US, I person immoderate bad news astir the Android market, though. For analyzable reasons having to do pinch “capitalism” and “geopolitics,” we don’t get astir arsenic galore of the options arsenic you’ll find successful Asia and Europe — brands for illustration Huawei, Xiaomi, Honor, and Oppo conscionable aren’t disposable here. I’ve constricted this guideline to the devices I’ve personally tested successful depth; thus, it is simply a reasonably US-centric group of recommendations.
With that successful mind, it’s besides worthy acknowledging that astir group successful the US get their phones “for free” from their wireless carrier. If you tin negociate it, buying a telephone unlocked will springiness you the astir elasticity and state if you extremity up wanting to alteration carriers successful the adjacent future. Phone manufacturers besides connection financing and trade-in deals to make costs much manageable. But if you’re happy pinch your bearer and the free telephone connected connection is the 1 you really want, by each means, return the free phone. Just make judge you understand the terms, particularly if you request to alteration plans to rate successful connected the deal.
However you spell astir it, you person immoderate awesome options for your adjacent Android phone.
The champion Android telephone overall
$700
The Good
- Updated creation feels much unafraid successful hand
- Fast fingerprint sensor
- Seven years of package and OS updates
The Bad
- No telephoto camera
- AI features are inconsistent
- What is simply a photo?
Screen: 6.3-inch 1080p 120Hz OLED / Processor: Tensor G4 / Cameras: 50-megapixel f/1.7 main pinch OIS, 48-megapixel ultrawide, 10.5-megapixel selfie / Battery: 4,700mAh / Charging: 27W wired, 15W wireless (with Pixel Stand 2) / Weather resistance: IP68
Google’s hardware is amended than ever, and the full Pixel 9 lineup feels conscionable arsenic polished arsenic thing you’d get from Samsung aliases Apple. But astatine $799, the basal Pixel 9 is successful a peculiarly appealing position, and if you don’t request a telephoto camera aliases the biggest screen, past this is the Android telephone to get.
The Pixel 9 comes pinch immoderate important quality-of-life improvements for illustration a faster fingerprint scanner for unlocking the phone. The camera is arsenic reliable arsenic ever, and if you’re into AI photograph editing tricks, boy does this telephone person ‘em. There’s a caller Screenshots app that acts arsenic a spot to shop each of the accusation that would different beryllium mislaid astatine oversea successful your camera roll, and it uses AI to parse accusation retired and make it searchable. Kinda handy.
Even without AI, this is an fantabulous phone. It’s besides designed to spell the distance, pinch 7 years of promised OS updates, which very apt intends you’ll outgrow the telephone earlier Google stops supporting it. Its imaginable for semipermanent worth and the value of the hardware make it an easy proposal for anyone who conscionable wants a bully Android telephone that works.
The champion maximalist phone
$1299
The Good
- Excellent screen
- Improved ultrawide camera
- Rounded corners are comfier
The Bad
- Expensive
- Bulky
- AI is (still) deed aliases miss
Screen: 6.9-inch 1440p 120Hz OLED / Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite / Cameras: 200-megapixel main pinch OIS, 50-megapixel 5x telephoto pinch OIS, 10-megapixel 3x telephoto pinch OIS, 50-megapixel ultrawide, 12-megapixel selfie / Battery: 5,000mAh / Charging: 45W wired, 15W wireless (Qi2 Ready) / Weather resistance: IP68
There’s still nary telephone rather for illustration the Ultra. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is Samsung’s latest reply to the question, “What if your telephone had each of the features?” It’s equipped pinch 2 telephoto cameras, a built-in stylus, and a big, agleam screen. Good luck uncovering that operation successful different phone. Related: this is 1 of the astir costly slab-style phones you tin buy.
The newest version of the Ultra comes pinch rounded corners and level edges, making it much comfortable successful your hand. But if you’re looking for important year-over-year improvements to the Ultra look extracurricular of that, well, you won’t find much. Samsung’s attraction has been connected package features, which is to opportunity AI features. But AI connected Galaxy phones remains a mixed container — it’s surely not the paradigm displacement Samsung wants america to deliberation the S25 bid represents.
Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
All of that puts the Ultra successful a spot of somewhat little favoritism than erstwhile versions. The biggest updates are package features disposable to the remainder of the S25 series. The Ultra looks and feels much for illustration different Galaxy phones this clip around, too. More than ever, it’s difficult to understand what Samsung intends erstwhile it calls this telephone “Ultra.” Still, it’s your champion prime for a feature-packed Android telephone — moreover if it’s not rather arsenic ultra arsenic it erstwhile was.
The champion Android telephone that isn’t huge
$800
The Good
- The past reasonably sized Android phone
- Seven years of OS upgrades
- Very bully camera
The Bad
- Samsung package is arsenic cluttered arsenic usual
- AI is still a mixed bag
Screen: 6.2-inch 2340 x 1080 120hz OLED / Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Cameras: 50-megapixel main pinch OIS, 12-megapixel ultrawide, 10-megapixel 3x telephoto pinch OIS, 12-megapixel selfie Battery: 4000mAh / Charging: 25W wired, 15W wireless (Qi2 Ready) / Weather-resistance rating: IP68
Most group for illustration a large phone, and I get that. I do. If you want a large Android phone, you person plentifulness of options successful beforehand of you. But immoderate of america for illustration a smaller telephone — thing that (kind of) fits successful your pocket, aliases feels much comfortable successful your hand. For us, location is but 1 action connected Android: the Samsung Galaxy S25.
That’s the regular S25, not the Plus, which is simply a good large phone. But the modular S25 is fundamentally the past of its kind: a full-featured telephone pinch a 6.2-inch screen. It’s not small, but it’s not huge, and we’ll person to return what we tin get. And it’s a darn bully telephone that keeps up pinch the bigger devices successful each the important ways: the artillery goes each day, it comes pinch plentifulness of RAM, and it moreover has a existent telephoto lens — not thing you get connected a basic, 6.1-inch telephone on, say, iOS.
Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
The Galaxy S25 isn’t conscionable a good, small-ish telephone by default. It’s reliable, durable, and comes pinch the committedness of 7 years of OS updates. It’s not my prime for the wide champion Android telephone because Samsung package tin beryllium a spot much, but if you’re comfortable successful the Samsung ecosystem and you conscionable want a telephone that fits successful your dang pocket, past this is the 1 to spell with.
The champion telephone if you dislike waiting for your telephone to charge
$899
The Good
- Excellent outer surface format
- Inner surface is beautiful to use
- Seven years of OS updates
The Bad
- Expensive
- Main camera isn’t arsenic bully arsenic slab phones
- Long-term durability?
Screen: 6.82-inch 1440p 120Hz LTPO OLED / Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite / Cameras: 50-megapixel f/1.6 main pinch OIS, 50-megapixel 3x telephoto pinch OIS, 50-megapixel f/2.0 ultrawide, 32-megapixel selfie / Battery: 6,000mAh / Charging: 80W wired, 50W wireless / Weather-resistance rating: IP68 and IP69
There are plentifulness of bully reasons to see the OnePlus 13. It has a big, beautiful screen, and costs a 100 bucks little than the Galaxy S25 Plus. Its particulate and h2o guidance is truthful beardown you could practically usage the telephone successful a hurricane without consequences. And its camera strategy is overmuch improved twelvemonth complete year, peculiarly erstwhile it comes to low-light portraiture. But there’s 1 standout logic to see the 13: impatience.
The OnePlus 13 offers capable artillery stamina to get done 2 days of mean usage connected a azygous complaint — and that’s pinch plentifulness of power-draining features enabled, including the always-on display. If you’re thriftier pinch your charge, it could moreover spell beyond that. Forgot to complaint overnight? No large deal; you tin astir apt conscionable complaint it up connected nighttime two. Charging is besides comparatively fast, and successful the US, the telephone comes pinch an 80W wired charger successful the box. So moreover if you do request a midday top-off, you’ll beryllium capable to get hours of complaint successful a matter of minutes. No different flagship telephone offers that benignant of charging (or not charging) flexibility.
$1499
The Good
- Excellent outer surface format
- Inner surface is beautiful to use
- Seven years of OS updates
The Bad
- Expensive
- Main camera isn’t arsenic bully arsenic slab phones
- Long-term durability?
Screen: 8.0-inch 2076p 120Hz OLED soul screen, 6.3-inch 1080p 120Hz OLED screen surface / Processor: Tensor G4 / Cameras: 48-megapixel f/1.7 main pinch OIS, 10.8-megapixel 5x telephoto pinch OIS, 10.5-megapixel ultrawide, 10-megapixel selfie (cover screen), 10-megapixel soul selfie camera / Battery: 4,650mAh / Charging: 21W wired, 7.5W wireless / Weather resistance: IPX8
Does anyone genuinely request a folding phone? Probably not. But utilizing 1 is awfully nice, and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is the nicest book-style foldable I’ve utilized to date. It’s pricey, it’s still bulkier than a slab-style phone, and its cameras aren’t rather arsenic bully arsenic the different Pixel 9 Pro phones. But it’s a joyousness to use, some arsenic a regular telephone pinch the screen surface and erstwhile you unfold the large soul screen.
The 9 Pro Fold is Google’s 2nd folding phone, pursuing up the passport-shaped Pixel Fold pinch a format that feels overmuch much familiar. The outer surface measures 6.3 inches connected the diagonal, but much importantly, the ratio is the aforesaid arsenic Google’s slab phones. By comparison, Samsung’s Z Fold 6 uses a taller, narrower format that feels cramped. Having utilized them both, I overmuch for illustration the 9 Pro Fold’s approach.
That said, the 9 Pro Fold isn’t without compromises. The camera strategy isn’t rather arsenic bully arsenic what you get successful the different 9 Pro phones. The outer surface isn’t arsenic crisp aliases agleam arsenic the Pixel 9 Pro’s, either. And it’s not arsenic durable arsenic its slab-style counterparts — there’s nary particulate resistance, and you can’t get it repaired conscionable anywhere. For $1,800, that’s an atrocious batch to swallow. For the adventurous early adopter, though, the 9 Pro Fold will beryllium very rewarding.
Other Android phones worthy considering
There are galore much awesome Android devices that weren’t covered here, and a fewer are worthy calling retired that didn’t rather make the trim for a recommendation.
- First off, there’s the Galaxy Z Flip 6, Samsung’s fantabulous clamshell-style foldable. It’s not arsenic overmuch nosy to usage arsenic the 2024 Motorola Razr Plus — which facilitates utilizing apps connected the screen surface much easy — but Motorola’s way grounds for package updates isn’t great, truthful the Z Flip 6 is simply a safer stake for a flip phone. Read our review.
- The OnePlus Open is besides different bully book-style foldable option. It’s bladed and light, and the package includes immoderate thoughtful approaches to multitasking — a important portion of the folding telephone experience. But it won’t beryllium supported pinch package updates for arsenic agelong arsenic the Pixel 9 Pro Fold aliases the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Read our review.
- Last but not least, there’s the Google Pixel 8A. If you really want to maximize the return connected your investment, it’s difficult to hit Google’s latest midrange phone. It’s owed for replacement successful the adjacent future, but if you tin snag a woody connected the 8A it’s still a awesome buy. Read our review.
Update, February 27th: Added the Samsung Galaxy S25 and removed the Nothing Phone 2.
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