For those who’re on the hunt for the very best Android telephone, you are diving into a large world of choices that go nicely past simply being easy iPhone alternatives. You’ll find folding behemoths that blur the road between smartphone and pill, just like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, or discover gadgets that go all-in on gaming efficiency and options with further buttons and air-cooled elements. The Android market remains to be the place a number of the most experimentation is being performed, and there isn’t any scarcity of compelling telephones. Fairly a number of may even show pretty aggressive on worth, so you do not have to accept spending $1,000 simply to get a fantastic telephone.
I’ve personally been utilizing Android telephones since 2012, once I picked up what was each my first Android telephone and first (and never my final) 3D telephone. Since then, I’ve used and examined Android telephones for years, going hands-on with the final word price range choices, the primary 5G telephone (a Motorola mannequin with an attachment that turned it right into a 5G telephone), gaming telephones with wild gimmicks and a few with tamer options, folding telephones, flipping telephones, and even twisting telephones. I’ve examined what Samsung and Google contemplate a few of their greatest, and I’ve seen what a number of the lesser-known options have performed to maintain tempo or surpass them. All that is to say, I have been across the block with Android telephones, as have a lot of my colleagues right here who’ve contributed their fair proportion first-hand testing. So in the event you’re searching for a fantastic Android telephone, we have got you coated.
TL;DR – These Are the Greatest Android Telephones:
What you will discover right here should not simply the very best Android telephones however even a number of the best smartphones round. You’ll be able to go together with the very best of the very best, topping out options and high quality, or discover a price range rating that goes above and past for a tool at its value. And if nothing fairly matches the invoice, make sure you test again typically. In spite of everything, the Android market strikes quick, so you will not be left ready a yr to see what the following spherical of gadgets gives like iPhone customers.
Contributions by Jackie Thomas, Danielle Abraham, and Georgie Peru.
1. Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely
Greatest Android Smartphone
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 (third technology)
Distinctive digital camera system
Titanium makes the machine huge and heavy
Since Samsung began appending Extremely onto its merchandise, these fashions have been the height of the model’s capabilities and design. The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra presently sits on the high of the stack, and brings a lot to the desk, it’s no surprise it proves the very best Android telephone on the market.
Let’s begin with the show: You’ll discover a 6.8-inch 1440p AMOLED show concentrating on excessive brightness, excessive distinction, and fluid movement with a variable refresh charge that goes as much as 120Hz. The S24 Extremely additionally carries over S Pen help for advantageous enter when a fingertip simply can’t reduce it. Samsung covers that in a brand new mix of Gorilla Glass designed to be among the many strongest on the market and wraps the telephone up in a titanium body. Water and dirt resistance are additionally coated.
Inside, you get a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC that’s greater than able to run the newest app, blitz by top-tier video games with settings maxed out, and preserve the telephone working easily for years to return. And you’ll rely on help for years to return as nicely, as a result of Samsung is offering seven years of working system updates to match Google’s promise for its newest Pixel telephones.
Samsung additionally piles within the cameras – 5 lenses whole, in truth – for the Galaxy S24 Extremely. The principle sensor is a 200-Megapixel shooter able to unbelievable element. Once you need to seize extra of a scene, there’s a 12MP ultra-wide digital camera. And you’ll bump in on topic to the intense with each a 3x and 5x lens.
You’ll be able to put all of this to activity with AI instruments as nicely. Samsung has a collection of options, letting you seek for objects in photographs or edit and alter your photographs with AI.
With top-tier efficiency, an distinctive design, travel-worthy cameras, and software program help that makes it potential to run this telephone for the lengthy haul, the Galaxy S24 Extremely is bringing extra to the desk than just about any Android telephone round. Till one other telephone is able to step as much as the plate and problem Samsung on all counts, the S24 Extremely goes to face at primary.
2. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6
Greatest Foldable Android Telephone
Display
7.6-inch 2160 x 1856 AMOLED (Essential); 6.2-inch 968 x 2376 AMOLED (Cowl)
Processor
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
Digital camera
50MP Extensive, 12MP Extremely Extensive, 10MP entrance
Beautiful shows, in and out
Facet ratios might be bizarre
Massive and in cost, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a beast of a telephone with twin natures. Folded up, it gives a tall however skinny 6.2-inch show. Flipped open, it gives a 7.6-inch display with a 4:3 side ratio, so you may go from smartphone to pill in a flash. Each shows use AMOLED panels, so they give the impression of being merely attractive with vibrant colours and deep distinction.
With the form of productiveness you may sort out on the Galaxy Z Fold 6, Samsung didn’t maintain again on efficiency. This telephone packs the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, providing an enormous step up in efficiency over its predecessor (as a lot as 22% in our testing). Whether or not you’re making an attempt to multitask with a split-screen setup, run the telephone like a desktop utilizing DeX, or need to benefit from the newest video games like Wuthering Waves or Zenless Zone Zero, the Z Fold 6 has the efficiency to maintain up.
The Z Fold 6 isn’t any slouch within the digital camera division both. It gives a 50MP primary shooter, an ultra-wide sensor, and a zoom lens with a 5x optical magnification and the power to go as much as a 30x digital zoom. Just like the S24 Extremely, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 may also faucet into Samsung’s AI instruments to edit photographs. And in the event you seize an S Pen, you will get equally advantageous modifying capabilities on the Z Fold 6’s inner show.
The vary of issues you are able to do with the Z Fold 6 makes it a shoe-in for the very best folding Android telephone. Although don’t overlook: Samsung additionally has a smaller choice within the Z Flip 6, which can make some trade-offs on digital camera and multitasking talents for a cuter design and compact footprint.
3. Poco X5 5G
Greatest Funds Android Telephone
Display
6.67-inch Tremendous AMOLED, 1080×2400, 395 ppi, 120Hz refresh charge
Processor
Snapdragon 695 5G
Digital camera
48-Megapixel Extensive, 8-Megapixel Ultrawide, 2-Megapixel Macro, 13-Megapixel Selfie
Considerably bloated software program
Poco isn’t any stranger to price range smartphones, and it’s all the time a shock to see simply how a lot the corporate manages to pack into its gadgets whereas preserving the value down. The Poco X5 5G was a killer cut price when it launched in 2023 for about $220, and it’s nonetheless a surprisingly good worth on the value.
The star of the present on the Poco X5 5G is undeniably its show. Whereas different manufacturers might need you accept primary LCD shows on their price range telephones, Poco fitted the X5 5G with a 6.67-inch AMOLED show providing a crisp 1080×2400 decision and 120Hz refresh charge. What this implies in follow is you get wonderful distinction and colour for all types of content material and clean visuals for video games all on a fairly big display.
Inside, a Snapdragon 695G SoC beats away, driving the efficiency of the X5 5G. Whereas the chip isn’t the quickest, falling behind even the Tensor G2 discovered within the Pixel 7a, it’s a worthy performer for a telephone at this value. It may even run Genshin Impact at medium settings slightly easily. Its massive 5000mAh battery additionally helps it preserve chugging alongside for hours on finish. Even with the display brightness maxed out, it was able to stream Netflix for practically 20 hours.
The Poco X5 5G additionally comes with a number of options you don’t typically see on telephones within the US. On the highest fringe of the telephone, there’s an IR blaster that lets the X5 5G fill in for a common distant management. There’s additionally a 3.5mm headphone jack!
Naturally, there are some downsides to price range gadgets. The Poco X5 5G is unlikely to get long-term software program help. It launched with Android 12 and has since been up to date to Android 14, however there isn’t any saying what number of years it will proceed to get updates. The telephone additionally has lackluster cameras. However in the event you simply want a tool that’s obtained display and ample efficiency so that you can get pleasure from content material, navigate the net, and communicate with family and friends, the Poco X5 5G delivers.
4. RedMagic 9S Professional
Greatest Gaming Android Telephone
RedMagic 9S Professional
2
The RedMagic 9S Professional doubles down on gaming efficiency and gives sustained speeds with an energetic cooler.
Display
6.8-inch OLED, 1116×2480, 400 ppi, 120Hz refresh charge
Processor
Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Main Model
Digital camera
50-Megapixel Extensive, 50-Megapixel Ultrawide, 16-Megapixel Seflie
Good show for gaming and leisure
Wonderful sustained gaming efficiency
Underwhelming digital camera system
The RegMagic 9S Professional goes all-in on gaming efficiency, and it brings a number of further options to reinforce the gaming expertise. That’s essential to face aside, as a result of a telephone just like the Galaxy S24 Extremely additionally has a fantastic show for gaming and loads of efficiency below the hood to get the job performed.
The RedMagic 9S Professional packs in a gob of reminiscence, heaps of storage, and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Main Model, which is actually a souped up variant of the flagship SoC present in most high-end telephones. The RedMagic 9S Professional doubles down by slapping an energetic cooling system onto it, in order that it might probably maintain most efficiency. And certain sufficient, that bore out in testing.
In Geekbench 6’s Vulkan graphics take a look at, the RedMagic 9S Professional outpaced even the S24 Extremely and OnePlus 12. In 3DMark’s Wild Life Excessive benchmark, it once more beat each telephones and did so by a good margin. And that’s earlier than we even have a look at the maintain. 3DMark’s Metal Nomad Gentle benchmark is a burden for smartphones, and that’s solely compounded by the stress take a look at, which runs the benchmark 20 occasions in a row. With the air cooler working, the RedMagic 9S Professional was in a position to run all 20 runs with scores starting from 1719 factors to 1833 factors, beating the OnePlus 12’s single-run efficiency and destroying its stress take a look at efficiency.
All that velocity isn’t only for benchmarks. Naturally, the RedMagic 9S Professional handles video games with ease. It’s greater than as much as the duty of enjoying Zenless Zone Zero with settings maxed out and nary a stutter. Aiding in that gameplay, the RedMagic 9S Professional options enhanced contact sampling on the show, so it might probably detect inputs faster. The telephone additionally options capacitive shoulder buttons, permitting for simpler entry to key talents in video games.
Then there’s the show. The RedMagic 9S Professional gives an distinctive show stretching 6.8 inches and just about uninterrupted. The selfie digital camera is definitely hidden beneath energetic pixels, and it’s virtually invisible when content material is current on the display. RedMagic went with an 1116×2480 AMOLED panel that may attain as much as 120Hz for clean visuals, and the 1,600-nit peak brightness by no means hurts. The show is just attractive, and that goes for the remainder of the telephone, which contains a clear again.
The principle digital camera is respectable – which isn’t a given for a gaming telephone – although images remains to be a weak spot for the telephone total. Nonetheless, the RedMagic 9S Professional proves a worthy choice for avid gamers, and it’s all of the extra engaging when contemplating it has a $649 beginning value and tops out at $799.
5. Google Pixel 8
Greatest Midrange Android Telephone
Display
6.2-inch OLED, 1080×2400, 428 ppi, 120Hz refresh charge
Digital camera
50-megapixel huge, 12-megapixel ultrawide, 10.5-megapixel selfie
Splendidly responsive display
Seven years of updates and OS help
RAM improve reserved for Professional mannequin
Yep – we all know the Pixel 8 isn’t the newest. However right here’s the factor: It’s nonetheless a fantastic telephone, and the truth that it’s a yr older means it’s straightforward to snag at a a lot lower cost than it began with. There’s little purpose to contemplate the Pixel 8a, as an illustration, when you may bounce as much as the true McCoy for simply $100 extra.
Google introduced some nice upgrades with the Pixel 8, together with the brand new Tensor G3 SoC, which ran quicker and (critically) cooler than its predecessor. Google additionally shrunk down the telephone barely, making it a bit extra pleasant for folk who respect a extra pocketable machine for straightforward one-handed use. It’s a fantastic little telephone.
The 6.2-inch show means enterprise. Small although it might be, it gives a clean 120Hz refresh charge and boasts a 2,000-nit peak brightness. Video games, films, and absolutely anything else look nice on the show, and it’s matched by a good set of stereo audio system.
Maybe the important thing factor making the Pixel 8 an distinctive worth is that it comes with seven years of updates to the working system, safety patches, and options. It could not get each new characteristic that Google launches sooner or later, however it is going to a minimum of not be left with the safety vulnerabilities that may plague outdated gadgets.
A key spotlight of the Pixel 8 is its digital camera system. It gives a wonderful primary sensor that may sort out darkish environments and profit from high quality lighting by offering sharp, richly coloured photographs. The ultra-wide isn’t fairly as spectacular, however had a really huge field-of-view, letting you seize rather a lot in a single shot. Getting any nice cameras on a telephone for $500 is a fairly whole lot, so getting one backed by a modest ultra-wide doesn’t damage.
What to Search for in an Android Telephone
Making the ultimate resolution on a telephone buy just isn’t straightforward, so we have helped slim down what to search for.
Cupboard space on telephones is essential. If filming movies, enjoying video games, or downloading a great deal of music is vital, just a few (and more and more fewer) telephones include a Micro SD slot to develop storage. Which means you will need to spend extra to get extra, and that is if a telephone gives it. A few of our picks have as much as 1TB of storage, which ought to swimsuit most individuals. After all, you may all the time retailer recordsdata to completely different cloud companies, opening more room in your telephone.
RAM is essential to a telephone’s working system. Having extra RAM means you may run extra functions on the identical time. For traditional operation, 4GB RAM is sufficient, however extra RAM is critical for heavy gaming and app use. All of our picks have a minimum of 6GB of RAM, so you will get to gaming and scrolling with little fear.
Lastly, the telephone’s processor is important on your machine to run easily. The variety of cores and clock velocity typically decide how shortly a telephone can run processes and capabilities. Snapdragon processors are sometimes utilized in Android telephones. All of our picks use them aside from the Google Pixel gadgets, which use Google’s Tensor chips. Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Tensor G4 are presently the very best processors on the market.
Greatest Android Telephones FAQ
What’s the distinction between an Android telephone and a smartphone?
Android telephones are only a sort of smartphone. Ever because the iPhone began the ‘smartphone’ pattern again in 2007, Google has been competing with its personal smartphone OS, Android. An Android telephone is only a smartphone that is working Google’s Android working system, and with a number of exceptions, something that is working Android can also be a smartphone.
Mark Knapp is an everyday contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark
