There seem to be endless options when it comes to choosing a new Android phone. The variety of price points and features may sway you one way or another. We’ve compiled a list of our favorites to fit all budgets and user experience needs. You don’t need to spend a full month’s rent on a quality smartphone, but if you’re willing to spend, some of the features on these phones will blow you away.
5G is here to stay, and all the phones on our list support the latest network, so get ready for the fastest download speeds and better connectivity. Cameras are often a deciding factor for phone buyers, and if you’re open to making the investment, some of these phones offer the best. The power behind the Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro is perfect for gamers. Want the most premium features on an Android? Maybe splurge on the Samsung S23 Ultra. Check out the phones we’ve chosen and see what works best for you.
TL;DR – These are the Best Android Phones:
- Google Pixel 7 Pro
- Google Pixel 6a 5G
- Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
- OnePlus 10 Pro
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
- Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
Google Pixel 7 Pro
Best Android Phone
The Google Pixel 7 Pro might only be a yearly upgrade over the Pixel 6 Pro, but it adds plenty of polish to an already great phone. The phone runs on the newest Android 13, which allows you to customize your phone more than ever before. Its also powered by Google’s second-gen Tensor G2 chip, which runs the new software and AI-powered features more quicker and securely. This phone really stands out with its ability to quickly take Night Sight photos, perfectly transcribe almost anything you tell it, and live translation of foreign language in both speech and text
Of course this phone offers stunning camera capabilities. The telephoto camera is particularly special thanks to it’s 48MP sensor and 5x optical zoom lens. What’s more, Super Res Zoom gives you surprisingly clear photos up to 10x magnification and you can zoom up to 30x. It also has a 50MP wide-angle and 12MP ultrawide cameras so you can shoot to your heart's content. If you notice any fuzzy frames after your done, deblur does a spectacular job of sharpening things. The camera, refined design, and reasonable price makes the Google Pixel 7 Pro our top choice. There only real flaw is the face-unlock only work in bright and well lit environments.
Google Pixel 6a 5G
Best Budget Android Phone
Want a new phone with most of the bells and whistles, but not the high price tag? Google Pixel 6a 5G is the phone for you. This phone offers impressive cameras, a long-lasting battery, and a large display screen for a couple of $150 less than its closest flagship Pixel cousin. This is the first A model to feature the new signature camera bar and Tensor processor, so it can perform all of Google’s latest AI functions.
The Pixel 6a 5G has two cameras including an ultrawide, main wide-angle, but it also uses Super Res Zoom as a digital telephoto stand-in so you don’t have to go without a zoom lens. It also boast a slightly smaller body than its predecessor the Pixel 5a 5G; which lead to a smaller 4,410mAh battery but it still lasts an entire day. The 6.1-inch 1080p OLED screen is bright and vibrant, but it runs at a pedestrian 60Hz, which doesn’t make for the smoothest scrolling experience. Overall, if you don’t want to break the bank on a purchase, this is the phone for you.
Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro
Best Android Phone for Gaming
If you want a monster of a gaming phone the Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro is the best that there is. There is a large 6.78 AMOLED display with crisp visuals and bold colors. The 165Hz refresh rate allows for smoother gameplay and scrolling. Meanwhile, the display’s 720Hz touch sampling rate makes ROG’s finger touch response better than almost all phones. Those fractional moments are essential for gaming. Battery life on phones is important; this one will last all day and can charge fully in under one hour. Plus, the cameras are great.
What sets this phone apart from the other Androids on our list is its gaming capabilities. Its software and accessories will warm any gamer’s heart. Two ultrasonic buttons, which are nearly invisible on the side of the device, function as shoulder buttons. The Armoury Crate software allows you to choose these buttons are used and how your phone runs certain games. The variety of experience and game-enhancing hardware and software, battery life, and other impressive specs make Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro the ultimate gaming phone. There’s so much that non-gamers will appreciate everything this phone has to offer too.
OnePlus 10 Pro
Best Alternative Android Phone
The Android phone market is saturated by Samsung, Google, and Motorola, but if you want something less mainstream, the OnePlus 10 Pro may be the niche phone to go with. It offers all the accolades that other phones in its category have, but at a slightly lower price. This phone even goes head to head with many flagship devices with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 and 12GB of RAM. The capacious battery and fast charging capabilities alone may sell you. Say you forgot to charge your phone overnight, the battery completely charges from zero in about 32 minutes using the 80W SuperVOOC charger.
Its sleek design will appeal to most, and the large AMOLED screen is perfect for streaming games or scrolling through TikTok. The OnePlus 10 Pro has made some impressive improvements thanks to its partnership with Hasselblad, but it falls short in night mode shooting compared with iPhone 14 Pro or Pixel 7 Pro. It’s also important to note that some carriers do not offer 5G coverage for this phone. Be sure to look into your carrier before making a purchase. If you want to stand out from the crowd without losing any quality or features, the OnePlus 10 Pro is an excellent option.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Best Premium Android Phone
For a top-tier phone rich in features and offering unbeatable performance, you can’t go wrong with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. To start, there are some stunning, highly-capable cameras with exceptional zoom levels, a RAW mode, and a wild 200MP sensor that shoots 8K video. Stylus users will also appreciate the built-in S Pen for note taking or sketching, while a USB-C hub feature lets you connect the phone to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse for even greater functionality.
The large, 6.8-inch Super AMOLED display itself is also a sight to behold, delivering a sharp and vibrant user experience with a 1-120Hz adaptive refresh rate for smooth internet scrolling and gameplay. Behind that display is the Galaxy version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and 8GB of RAM, so your phone shouldn't break a sweat even when running multiple apps or completing more taxing tasks. However, all that capability does come at a $1,200 premium.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
Best Folding Android Phone
Thought flip phones were a thing of the past? Well, they are sort of making a comeback. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 looks like a candy bar phone from the 00’s but then it unfolds into a massive 7.6-inch screen. The almost tablet-sized display is bright and has a 120Hz refresh rate. There is even an under-display camera that’s virtually invisible when viewing all your favorite content. A Multi-Active Window feature allows 3 apps to run simultaneously, so you no longer have to jump between emails, Twitter, and Youtube. Let the multitasking commence. A convenient taskbar feature helps make switching apps even quicker. Plus, the S Pen is supported.
Durability is often a concern when it comes to modern folding and flip phones. Thankfully, this one can stand up to a short drop and it’s even water-resistant. The cameras are good and battery life is decent, but they should not be the reason you purchase this phone. It is definitely bulky and pricey, but If you’re looking for a powerful tablet-phone hybrid that can fit in your pocket, you should consider the Samsung Z Fold 4.
What to look for in an Android phone
Making the final decision on a phone purchase is not easy, so we've helped narrow down what to look for.
Storage space on phones is crucial. If filming videos, playing games, or downloading loads of music is important, only a few (and increasingly fewer) come with a Micro SD slot to expand storage. That means you'll have to spend more to get more, and that's if a phone offers it. Some of our picks have up to 1TB of storage, which should suit most. Of course, you can always store files to different cloud services, opening more space on your phone.
RAM is crucial to a phone’s operating system. Having more RAM means you can run more applications at the same time. 4GB RAM is enough for standard operation, but additional RAM is necessary for heavy gaming and app use. All of our picks have at least 6GB of RAM, so you can get to gaming and scrolling with little worry.
Finally, the phone’s processor is essential for your device to run smoothly. The number of cores and clock speed generally determine how quickly a phone can run processes and functions. Snapdragon processors are often used in Android phones. All of our picks use them except for the Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, which use Google’s Tensor G2 Chip. Snapdragon 8(+) Gen 1 and Tensor G2 are currently the best processors out there, and a good portion of our list sports one or the other.
Danielle Abraham is a freelance writer and unpaid music historian.
