The best Android phones for everyone

Jun 30, 2024 12:16 AM - 4 months ago 62589

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 overmuch wider scope of choices connected Android. You want unthinkable camera zoom? A built-in stylus? A telephone that runs a complete desktop situation erstwhile you plug it into a monitor? You tin find it connected Android. Heck, you tin find each of that successful a azygous device.

On nan 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 nan 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.)

If Samsung’s S24-series motorboat event is thing to spell by, past it’s a safe stake that this year’s mobile tech buzzword will beryllium AI. Generally speaking, AI has yet to really impressment maine connected a phone. Google’s Pixel phones person immoderate neat AI photograph editing tricks, and Galaxy devices tin construe a telephone telephone for you successful existent time. These things are thing to sneeze at! But conscionable support successful mind that you’re ever conscionable a fewer taps distant from AI-gone-wrong atrocities for illustration Pillow Arm. Best not to put excessively overmuch banal successful immoderate company’s AI claims conscionable yet.

What I’m looking for

Longevity

A awesome Android telephone will spell nan distance. I look for signs that nan 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 nan beforehand and back, and a sturdy aluminum framework alternatively than plastic. A minimum of 3 years of Android OS type upgrades is preferred, on pinch a full of 4 aliases 5 years of information updates.

A awesome surface

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.

Quality cameras

Any telephone tin return a decent photograph successful bully lighting, but nan 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.

Wireless charging

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 nan US, I person immoderate bad news astir nan Android market, though. For analyzable reasons having to do pinch “capitalism” and “geopolitics,” we don’t get astir arsenic galore of nan 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 nan 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 nan US get their phones “for free” from their wireless carrier. If you tin negociate it, buying a telephone unlocked will springiness you nan astir elasticity and state if you extremity up wanting to alteration carriers successful nan 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 nan free telephone connected connection is nan 1 you really want, by each means, return nan free phone. Just make judge you understand nan terms, particularly if you request to alteration plans to rate successful connected nan deal. 

However you spell astir it, you person immoderate awesome options for your adjacent Android phone.

The champion Android telephone overall

$1000

Unlike years past, nan Galaxy S24 Plus gets nan aforesaid QHD solution arsenic nan Ultra model. Otherwise, it offers a very akin acquisition to nan guidelines model, only it’s noticeably bigger astatine 6.7 inches. That makes it roomy capable for a bigger 4,900mAh artillery pinch 45W accelerated charging, too.

Screen: 6.7-inch 1440p 120Hz OLED / Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 / Cameras: 50-megapixel F1.8 main pinch OIS, 10-megapixel 3x telephoto pinch OIS, 12-megapixel ultrawide, 12-megapixel selfie / Battery: 4,900mAh / Charging: 45W wired, 15W wireless / Weather resistance: IP68

Samsung’s bigger flagship — but not the big large flagship — is erstwhile again nan champion Android telephone for astir people. The Galaxy S24 Plus is simply a crowd-pleaser if nan crowds want a large screen, awesome cameras, and bully artillery life (I deliberation they do).

Samsung makes a large woody astir its AI features, which are for illustration each AI features connected phones correct now: hit-and-miss. You tin person nan telephone enactment arsenic a real-time connection translator connected telephone calls. It useful good capable and could really travel successful useful successful a pinch. But nan generative AI photograph edits? Still very overmuch a activity successful progress.

Samsung’s S-series telephone is erstwhile again nan champion action connected Android for astir people.

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Outside of package updates, you won’t find overmuch caller hardware present — and that’s fine. The updated Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset is powerful capable for conscionable astir anyone, nan artillery is simply a small bigger, and nan surface gets a solution bump this twelvemonth for a crisper image. If these sound for illustration insignificant updates, it’s because they are. But that’s okay erstwhile you’re already giving nan group what they want.

The champion maximalist phone

$1300

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is nan first successful nan bid to usage a titanium frame. It besides includes an integrated S Pen and upgraded camera suite, on pinch nan biggest show successful nan S24 line.

Screen: 6.8-inch 1440p 120Hz OLED / Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 / Cameras: 200-megapixel main pinch OIS, 50-megapixel 5x telephoto pinch OIS, 10-megapixel 3x telephoto pinch OIS, 12-megapixel ultrawide, 12-megapixel selfie / Battery: 5,000mAh / Charging: 45W wired, 15W wireless / Weather resistance: IP68

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra says it each successful nan name: Ultra. It has everything you could inquire for successful a telephone — well, astatine slightest 1 that doesn’t fold successful half. There’s a stylus, 2 telephoto cameras, a monolithic battery, and 1 of nan champion ding dang screens connected immoderate phone, anywhere.

Write your market database successful style.

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

So why americium I a small underwhelmed? For starters, Samsung swapped past year’s 10x telephoto camera for a higher-resolution 5x camera that uses in-sensor harvest to zoom to 10x. This is simply a sensible move, and photos astatine 10x look fine, if not arsenic crisp arsenic they did connected nan past model. It’s besides pricier this clip around, and it was already an costly phone. It’s beautiful darn heavy, too, and Samsung’s move to titanium for nan framework hasn’t made it immoderate lighter.

Personal feelings astir nan zoom lens aside, nan S24 Ultra is still fundamentally peerless. Its much-touted AI features are fine, but if there’s 1 point that makes it worthy nan upgrade, it’s nan screen. Its anti-glare coating and boosted maximum brightness make it truthful comfortable to usage extracurricular it’s almost magic. That’s hardly a fancy caller tech feature, but nan Galaxy S24 Ultra is hardly immoderate aged phone.

The champion telephone if you’re sick of proceeding astir AI

$800

The OnePlus 12 retails for $100 much than its predecessor, but it comes pinch upgraded Hasselblad cameras, improved h2o resistance, and wireless charging. Coupled pinch a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and up to 16GB of RAM, it holds its ain against nan apical smartphones of 2024.

Screen: 6.82-inch 1440p 120Hz LTPO OLED / Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Cameras: 50-megapixel f/1.6 main pinch OIS, 64-megapixel 3x telephoto pinch OIS, 48-megapixel f/2.2 ultrawide / Battery: 5400mAh / Charging: 80W wired, 50W wireless / Weather-resistance rating: IP65

After a fewer years and a small soul-searching, OnePlus is backmost to its roots. The OnePlus 12 is an fantabulous instrumentality pinch high-end capacity pinch a competitory price: $799 for nan guidelines exemplary pinch a hefty 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

For that price, you get a crisp 1440p 6.8-inch display, a top-tier Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, and a tin camera. It supports wireless charging, thing that erstwhile OnePlus flagships person skipped. Battery capacity is fantastic, excessively — powerfulness users tin get done a afloat day, and ray users tin agelong it to two.

The OnePlus 12 gets nan basics correct astatine a very bully price.

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

What stands retired astir nan OnePlus 12, though, mightiness conscionable beryllium what’s not here: a bunch of AI features. Honestly? That’s benignant of refreshing. Some of nan AI features Google and Samsung are engaged shipping correct now are nice, but nary of them consciousness essential. If you want to beryllium retired this AI hype rhythm but you still want a awesome phone, nan OnePlus 12 mightiness beryllium nan one.

The champion telephone for family photography

$999

The Pixel 8 Pro offers immoderate coagulated upgrades complete nan modular Pixel 8, including a 5x telephoto lens, a bigger 6.7-inch screen, and nan committedness of much on-device AI capabilities successful nan adjacent future.

Screen: 6.7-inch 1344p 120Hz LTPO OLED / Processor: Tensor G3 Cameras: 50-megapixel f/1.7 main pinch OIS, 48-megapixel 5x telephoto pinch OIS, 48-megapixel ultrawide / Battery: 5050mAh / Charging: 30W wired, 23W wireless pinch Pixel Stand 2 / Weather-resistance rating: IP68

Anyone who’s ever tried to photograph a young kid understands what a telephone camera is up against: an unpredictable (but adorable!) taxable that won’t. Ever. Sit. Still. The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro tackle this age-old problem pinch immoderate caller tech: AI. And dissimilar astir caller AI features connected smartphones, these devices really do travel successful handy.

Both phones see an AI editing instrumentality that will fto you take nan champion look for each personification successful your photograph erstwhile you return a burst of images — particularly useful if you want to get 1 pinch everyone looking astatine nan camera. There’s AI to amended nan audio successful your videos, too, allowing you to minimize distracting inheritance noises.

The Pixel 8 Pro comes pinch a fewer features cleanable for photographing small monsters.

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro person highly tin cameras successful general, though only nan pricier 8 Pro has a telephoto lens. It’s worthy nan upgrade if you’re a keen photographer. The 8 Pro besides comes pinch a bigger surface and battery, which a batch of group will appreciate. The ray and svelte Pixel 8, pinch its 6.2-inch screen, is simply a bully prime for small-ish telephone fans. Both phones usage Google’s Tensor G3 chipset, though only nan 8 Pro is capable to tally ample connection models on-device — that’ll beryllium important successful nan early arsenic AI devices (possibly?) go much useful.

Otherwise, nan 8 and 8 Pro are bully all-around devices — conscionable cognize that Pixels are unluckily susceptible to an unusual bug present and there. None of nan reappraisal units I’ve tested person suffered from them, but they’re retired there.

The champion foldable phone

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 looks a batch for illustration its predecessor, but it now folds level acknowledgment to a caller hinge pinch less moving parts. It maintains nan 7.6-inch soul show and constrictive 6.2-inch screen screen, but it now utilizes nan aforesaid Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor recovered successful Samsung’s Galaxy S23 phones.

Screen: 7.6-inch 2176p 120Hz OLED soul screen, 6.2-inch 2316p 120Hz OLED screen surface / Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 / Cameras: 50-megapixel F/1.8 main pinch OIS, 10-megapixel 3x telephoto pinch OIS, 12-megapixel ultrawide, 10-megapixel selfie (cover screen), four-megapixel under-display selfie (inner screen) / Battery: 4,400mAh / Charging: 25W wired, 15W wireless / Weather resistance: IPX8

Samsung’s flagship foldable is due for replacement soon, truthful support that successful mind if you’re considering nan Z Fold 5. But its multitasking capabilities remain 2nd to none, and it’s lighter and easier to wield than Google’s Pixel Fold. The constrictive dimensions of nan screen show make it a small awkward to usage for regular telephone stuff, but that’s a reasonable tradeoff considering everything that nan Fold 5 tin do.

There are immoderate important things to consider, though, starting pinch nan $1800 price. That’s what nan Pixel Fold costs, too, but it doesn’t matter really you look astatine it — that’s a batch to salary for a phone. The Fold 5 isn’t dust-resistant, either, truthful you’ll want to beryllium somewhat observant pinch your investment.

The Fold 5’s unusually long-and-narrow facet ratio erstwhile it’s closed is simply a move disconnected for some.

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

The Fold 5 isn’t precisely teeming pinch technological improvements complete past year’s model, either. There’s a caller hinge that folds level alternatively than pinch a spread betwixt nan 2 halves of nan phone, and that’s astir it. A mates of package updates that it offers will travel to older Fold devices successful nan future, truthful there’s not overmuch logic to unreserved retired and waste and acquisition successful your Fold 4 for a Fold 5.

If you’re a devoted Pixel instrumentality aliases averse to nan Fold 5’s constrictive shape facet erstwhile closed, Google’s foldable mightiness beryllium a amended choice. But for astir people, nan Galaxy Fold 5’s versatility and bully caller way grounds for durability make it a amended bet.

The champion telephone that puts connected a ray show

The Nothing Phone 2 embraces a definite retro-infused artistic that’s dissimilar thing other you’ll find connected nan market. It’s not certified to activity connected Verizon, and its rear-panel LED ray strips are much stylish than functional, but it’s a bully replacement to nan large Android brands.

Screen: 6.7-inch 1080p 120Hz OLED / Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 / Cameras: 50-megapixel F/1.9 main pinch OIS, 50-megapixel ultrawide, 32-megapixel selfie / Battery: 4,700mAh / Charging: 45W wired, 15W wireless / Weather resistance: IP54

The Nothing Phone 2 doesn’t connection nan very champion worth proposition successful its upper-midrange category. But if it’s style you’re aft and thing a small flashy (well, a lot flashy), past nan Phone 2 is an easy pick.

It offers a bully 6.7-inch screen, awesome regular capacity and artillery life, and a tin camera system. But that’s nan accustomed worldly — what’s different astir nan Phone 2 is its group of LED ray strips connected nan backmost panel. They illuminate successful combinations called “glyphs,” and you tin group them to alert you to definite notifications. It’s neat but yet isn’t arsenic adjuvant arsenic nan system’s customizable always-on display.

The Phone 2’s UI is on-theme.

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

On nan downside, nan Phone 2 is only splash-resistant alternatively than afloat resistant to h2o submersion for illustration virtually each different phones complete $500. It’s besides not afloat supported connected Verizon’s network, which takes it retired of contention for a batch of nan US population.

If neither of nan supra is simply a deal-breaker, and nan Phone 2’s styling appeals to you, past it’s an fantabulous choice. One thing’s for judge — it decidedly stands retired from nan crowd.

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 nan trim for a recommendation.

  • First off, there’s nan Galaxy Z Flip 5, a clamshell-style foldable that’s owed for replacement soon, overmuch for illustration nan Z Fold 5. The latest Flip is acold much useful than its predecessors, acknowledgment to a bigger 3.4-inch screen surface that allows you to type retired texts and emails connected a afloat QWERTY keyboard. It’s not arsenic versatile arsenic nan Fold 5, but it besides costs a much reasonable $999. Motorola’s Razr and Razr Plus flip phones are now successful nan mix, too, but we’re still testing nan 2024 versions.
  • On nan different broadside of nan foldable spectrum, nan OnePlus Open is simply a invited summation to nan operation pinch nan champion surface format connected a book-style folding phone. It’s bladed and light, and nan package includes immoderate thoughtful approaches to multitasking — a important portion of nan folding telephone experience. At $1,700, it’s conscionable $100 awkward of nan Pixel Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 5 and misses a mates of cardinal features that some of those different options include: wireless charging and an IPX8 rating. But if those omissions don’t fuss you and nan shape facet appeals, it’s a beautiful instrumentality to use.
  • Last but not least, there’s nan Google Pixel 8A. If you really want to maximize nan return connected your investment, it’s difficult to hit Google’s latest midrange phone. It covers all nan basics for $499 while offering 7 years of package support.

Update, June 29th: Added a mention of nan Google Pixel 8A, flagged Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event, and noted Motorola’s 2024 Razr flip phones.

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