Selecting one of the best Android telephone can really feel overwhelming as a result of there are such a lot of choices from so many manufacturers, it is onerous to know the place to begin. Not like Apple, which sticks to its modern lineup of iPhones, Android affords a world of selection. Whether or not you are in search of Samsung’s newest flagship, Motorola’s budget-friendly smartphone or one thing distinctive with a foldable design, there’s an Android gadget to fit your wants.
The fantastic thing about Android is its flexibility. You may discover telephones with completely different display screen sizes, digital camera setups, battery lives and even quirky extras like stylus help or rugged builds. Plus, Android helps you to customise your gadget to your coronary heart’s content material – one thing Apple followers can envy. We have examined and researched the highest Android telephones that will help you discover the precise telephone to your price range, way of life, and tech preferences.
What to search for in a brand new Android telephone
efficiency
In the case of choosing our favourite Android telephones, the principle issues we search for are fairly simple: good efficiency (each compute and AI), an ideal show, stable design, sharp cameras, lengthy battery life and A big dedication to ongoing software program help. . For efficiency, we not solely have a look at benchmarks and different metrics, however we additionally consider telephones primarily based on suggestions. No matter whether or not you are studying, texting, scrolling by means of social media or enjoying a recreation, nobody needs a gadget that feels sluggish.
Show
In the case of shows, we typically choose OLED panels that may produce wealthy, saturated colours with a brightness of a minimum of 600 nits, although a lot of our mid-range and high-end telephones hit 1,000. Can attain nits or extra. And extra just lately, most of our favourite gadgets additionally help screens with a quicker refresh charge of 90Hz or 120Hz, which provides an additional degree of smoothness and fluidity.
Design
Now we’ll admit that when deciding which telephone appears one of the best, there are different design features comparable to mud and water resistance or display screen sturdiness that may make a giant distinction in long-term survival. It is also essential to contemplate issues like help for wi-fi charging, energy sharing (aka reverse wi-fi charging) and UWB connectivity, which might have an effect on how your telephone interacts along with your different gadgets.
Cameras
Clearly, for photographs we’re in search of sharp, colourful pictures in each vivid and low-light situations. And we would like video clips with excessive dynamic vary, wealthy audio and easy picture stabilization. Extra cameras for ultra-wide and telephoto lenses are a plus. The perfect cameras also needs to embody options like devoted evening modes, help for various video recording resolutions, and extra photograph modes like time-lapse, slow-motion, and many others.
Battery and software program
Lastly, when it comes to longevity, we’re in search of full-day battery life on gadgets that additionally delivered wonderful outcomes on our native video rundown check (a minimum of 16 hours on a cost, however clearly Extra is best). Wi-fi charging capabilities have turn out to be virtually ubiquitous over the previous few years, and most of our prime picks have that additional benefit. Quick charging can also be accessible on some Android telephones. Lastly, with folks holding on to their telephones greater than ever, we need to see corporations decide to a minimum of three years of software program help, upgrades and common safety updates.
Learn our full Google Pixel 9 Professional and Pixel 9 Professional XL Evaluation
The processor: Google Tensor G4 | Show: 6.3-inch Tremendous Lively, as much as 120Hz | Cameras: Rear array (50MP huge, 48MP ultra-wide with macro focus, 48MP 5x telephoto lens), 42MP twin PD selfie entrance digital camera with autofocus | Battery: 4,700mAh
Lastly, a smaller Pixel Professional. Google’s Pixel collection has lengthy been among the finest Android telephones round, with the Professional mannequin being one of the best model. But it surely was at all times just a little too huge and too cumbersome for these of us with smaller fingers or who need our telephones to slot in our pockets. Try the Pixel 9 Professional, which is a smaller model of the Pixel 9 Professional XL. As an alternative of the comparatively giant 6.8-inch display screen on its larger brother, the usual Professional has a 6.3-inch show that is simpler to make use of. No extra worrying about dropping your Pixel Professional simply since you stumbled attempting to succeed in the highest of the display screen!
Higher but, with the Pixel 9 Professional, Google hasn’t sacrificed any key options to succeed in the smaller measurement, which means you will get the identical digital camera setup and efficiency in each handsets. The one actual variations are in display screen measurement, battery and charging velocity, because the non-XL mannequin recharges at a barely slower velocity. However the Pixel 9 Professional can also be for much longer lasting than the XL, lasting round 25 hours on our battery check.
These distinctions apart, the Pixel 9 Professional lineup is our favourite Android telephone due to its superior digital camera efficiency, attention-grabbing AI options, and a basic grown-up vibe. Whereas earlier Pixel flagships had a colourful, blocky design that felt contemporary, this 12 months’s gadgets really feel stable and refined. And, dare we are saying it, virtually like iPhones. With out the digital camera bars, they’d be onerous to inform aside from Apple’s telephones.
Presumably as a result of it is grown loads over time, however Pixel telephones now value about the identical as iPhones. Each the Pixel 9 Professional and the iPhone 15 Professional begin at $999, and whereas a few of us consider Google’s handsets as a extra competitively priced choice, this 12 months’s mannequin justifies a premium value. could also be adequate for In case you nonetheless need one thing from the Pixel 9 household however do not need to pay $1,000, the bottom Pixel 9 remains to be a stable handset for most individuals. However because it stands, the Pixel 9 Professional is one of the best Android handset cash can purchase. – Cheryl Lowe, Deputy Editor
- Glorious digital camera options and improved telephoto digital camera
- One 12 months of Gemini Superior totally free
- Unbelievable battery life
- A wonderful, vivid display screen that is simple to make use of outside.
- The Tensor G4 runs cooler than its predecessor.
- Slower charging velocity than XL
- Not one of the best telephone for gaming.
$999 at Google
Photograph by Sam Rutherford/Engaget
Learn our full Google Pixel 8a Evaluation
The processor: Google Tensor G3 | Show: 6.1-inch 1,080 x 2,400 OLED, as much as 120Hz | Cameras: Rear array (64MP huge, 13MP ultrawide), 13MP front-facing digital camera | Battery: 4,49mAh
Google’s A-series Pixels have lengthy been one of the best midrange telephones in the marketplace. However now with the addition of a Tensor G3 chip, the Pixel 8a helps the identical highly effective and versatile AI features you discover on Google’s flagship telephones, together with nice cameras, a wonderful 120Hz OLED show and nice battery life. The gadget additionally comes with creature comforts like IP67 mud and water resistance and handy (however gradual) 7.5-watt Qi wi-fi charging. However most significantly, beginning at $499, it could be among the finest offers in the marketplace.
- Coloration 120Hz OLED show
- Sturdy battery life
- Greatest cameras
- Nice worth
- Sluggish wi-fi charging
- Thick bezels
$499 on Amazon
Photograph by Sam Rutherford/Engaget
Learn our full Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely Evaluation
The processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Show: 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED QHD+, as much as 120Hz | Cameras: Rear Array (200MP, Twin Pixel AF, Digital Zoom 100x, 50MP Macro, 12MP UW), 12MP Entrance Digital camera | Battery: 5,000mAh
For its newest super-premium telephone, Samsung gave the S24 Extremely a extra sturdy titanium body, quicker efficiency because of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and longer battery life. The corporate additionally changed its longest telephoto lens with a 5x optical zoom to make it extra usable in wider conditions. However the greatest improve is a brand new full suite of AI instruments, together with the power to appropriate textual content, edit pictures and transcribe recordings. And whenever you throw in one of the best show and built-in stylus accessible on telephones in the present day, you could have a fairly superior flagship handset. Sadly, beginning at $1,300, the S24 Extremely is a bit too costly to advocate to anybody with out deep pockets.
$40 at Samsung Electronics
Learn our full Pixel 9 Professional Fold overview
The processor: Google Tensor G4 | Show: 8-inch Tremendous Activa Flex LTPO Full Show, 6.3-inch Activa Core Show | Cameras: Rear array (48MP huge, 10.5MP ultrawide, 10.8MP telephoto), 10MP front-facing digital camera | Battery: 4,650mAh
The small however highly effective enhancements Google has made to its second-generation foldable have pushed it to the entrance of the pack. The Pixel 9 Professional Fold turns the considerably imperfect unique Pixel Fold right into a stable handset prepared for prime time. Google refined its design to have a side ratio that mimics normal Pixel 9 smartphones, with a well-recognized 6.3-inch, 20:9 exterior show, which is each simple to make use of and maintain. The inner show has a squarer side ratio than earlier than, in addition to a bit extra display screen actual property. The handset feels extra premium total and positively appears extra polished because of its matte again and satin steel body.
With stable efficiency (and battery life) and an upgraded design to match, the Pixel 9 Professional Fold nonetheless has one of the best cameras of any foldable handset we have tried, although. That there isn’t a {hardware} improve from the unique model. Plus, Google’s AI picture enhancing instruments like Magic Editor provide you with extra management over your photographs, and Pixel-only software program like Made You Look makes Google’s handsets much more compelling. – Valentina Palladino, Deputy Editor
- Intelligent design
- Higher cameras than the competitors
- Thinner and lighter than the earlier mannequin
- Runs cooler than earlier than.
- Nonetheless costly.
- Some software program bugs
$1,799 at Google
