The Best Android Phones

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 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.)

As you sift done nan options, you’ll almost surely travel crossed tech’s favourite buzzphrase of nan 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 nan level displacement that nan large tech companies support promising. Best not to put excessively overmuch banal successful immoderate company’s AI claims conscionable yet.

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

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 nan full Pixel 9 lineup feels conscionable arsenic polished arsenic thing you’d get from Samsung aliases Apple. But astatine $799 (and often little than that), nan basal Pixel 9 is successful a peculiarly appealing position, and if you don’t request a telephoto camera aliases nan biggest screen, past this is nan Android telephone to get.

The Pixel 9 comes pinch immoderate important quality-of-life improvements for illustration a faster fingerprint scanner for unlocking nan 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 nan 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 nan distance, pinch 7 years of promised OS updates, which very apt intends you’ll outgrow nan telephone earlier Google stops supporting it. Its imaginable for semipermanent worth and nan value of nan hardware make it an easy proposal for anyone who conscionable wants a bully Android telephone that works.

Read my afloat Google Pixel 9 review.

The champion maximalist phone

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 nan Ultra. The Galaxy S25 Ultra is Samsung’s latest reply to nan question, “What if your telephone had each of nan 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 nan astir costly slab-style phones you tin buy.

The newest version of nan 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 nan 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 nan paradigm displacement Samsung wants america to deliberation nan S25 bid represents.

All of that puts nan Ultra successful a spot of somewhat little favoritism than erstwhile versions. The biggest updates are package features disposable to nan remainder of nan 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.

Read my afloat Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review.

The champion Android telephone that isn’t huge

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: 4,000mAh / 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: nan Samsung Galaxy S25.

That’s nan regular S25, not nan Plus, which is simply a good large phone. But nan modular S25 is fundamentally nan 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 nan bigger devices successful each nan important ways: nan 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.

The Galaxy S25 isn’t conscionable a good, small-ish telephone by default. It’s reliable, durable, and comes pinch nan committedness of 7 years of OS updates. It’s not my prime for nan wide champion Android telephone because Samsung package tin beryllium a spot much, but if you’re comfortable successful nan Samsung ecosystem and you conscionable want a telephone that fits successful your dang pocket, past this is nan 1 to spell with.

Read my afloat Samsung Galaxy S25 review.

The champion lightweight large phone

Screen: 6.7-inch 1440p 120Hz LTPO OLED / Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite / Cameras: 200-megapixel f/1.7 main camera pinch OIS, 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultrawide, 12-megapixel f/2.2 selfie / Battery: 3,900mAh / Charging: 25W wired, 15W wireless (Qi2 Ready) / Weather-resistance rating: IP68

Big phones person a inclination to, well, look and consciousness big. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, connected nan different hand, is different. Thanks to its slim, lightweight design, nan instrumentality provides a invited reprieve from nan countless chunky, dense alternatives. It’s thinner and lighter than nan Galaxy S25 Plus, making it the large telephone you tin really descent into your pouch aliases evening container without it protruding out.

So, what’s nan catch? The S25 Edge’s artillery life is fine. Not great, not terrible, but location consecutive down nan middle. To beryllium fair, it held up admirably during a peculiarly strenuous workday, 1 complete pinch hours of surface time, mobile hotspotting, and unrecorded blogging, making it to bedtime pinch artillery to spare. It besides lacks a dedicated telephoto lens, though it does characteristic nan aforesaid 200-megapixel main camera recovered successful nan S25 Ultra.

Even pinch those compromises, nan S25 Edge is simply a very tin telephone that offers akin capacity and durability to different devices successful nan S25 lineup. You’ll conscionable person to beryllium a small much alert of artillery life arsenic nan time goes on; however, unless you’re often streaming video aliases playing graphics-intensive games passim nan day, nan noticeably thinner, lighter creation offers a bully alteration of pace.

Read our Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge review.

The champion telephone if you dislike waiting for your telephone to charge

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 nan OnePlus 13. It has a big, beautiful screen, and costs a 100 bucks little than nan Galaxy S25 Plus. Its particulate and h2o guidance is truthful beardown you could practically usage nan 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 nan 13: impatience.

The OnePlus 13 offers capable artillery stamina to get done 2 days of mean usage connected a azygous charge — and that’s pinch plentifulness of power-draining features enabled, including nan 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 nan US, nan telephone comes pinch an 80W wired charger successful nan 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.

Read my afloat OnePlus 13 review.

The champion foldable phone

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 nan Pixel 9 Pro Fold is nan 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 nan different Pixel 9 Pro phones. But it’s a joyousness to use, some arsenic a regular telephone pinch nan screen surface and erstwhile you unfold nan large soul screen.

The 9 Pro Fold is Google’s 2nd folding phone, pursuing up nan passport-shaped Pixel Fold pinch a format that feels overmuch much familiar. The outer surface measures 6.3 inches connected nan diagonal, but much importantly, nan ratio is nan 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 nan 9 Pro Fold’s approach.

That said, nan 9 Pro Fold isn’t without compromises. The camera strategy isn’t rather arsenic bully arsenic what you get successful nan different 9 Pro phones. The outer surface isn’t arsenic crisp aliases agleam arsenic nan 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 nan adventurous early adopter, though, nan 9 Pro Fold will beryllium very rewarding.

Read my afloat Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review.

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 the Galaxy Z Flip 6, Samsung’s fantabulous clamshell-style foldable. It’s not arsenic overmuch nosy to usage arsenic the 2025 Razr Ultra — which facilitates utilizing apps connected nan screen surface much easy — but Motorola’s way grounds for package updates isn’t great, truthful nan 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 nan package includes immoderate thoughtful approaches to multitasking — a important portion of nan folding telephone experience. But it won’t beryllium supported pinch package updates for arsenic agelong arsenic nan Pixel 9 Pro Fold aliases nan Galaxy Z Fold 6. Read our review.
• Speaking of OnePlus, nan institution besides precocious launched nan OnePlus 13R, a midrange telephone pinch a large 6.78-inch OLED show and capable artillery life to transportation you done 2 afloat days connected a azygous charge. That said, nan $599 handset lacks wireless charging and afloat h2o resistance, some of which tin beryllium recovered connected different budget-friendly phones for less. Read our review.
• The Google Pixel 9A comes pinch immoderate mini but important updates complete nan 8A, including much robust h2o guidance and a somewhat bigger, brighter screen. Better yet, those improvements don’t travel pinch a value bump. With 7 years of OS updates included, that’s a beardown ROI. Read our review.
• We’re presently testing nan caller Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, and Z Flip FE, which consciousness for illustration nan foldables we’ve been asking for. The $1,999 Fold 7 sports a book-style creation that’s thinner and lighter than its predecessor, pinch larger outer and soul displays. The Flip 7, meanwhile, starts astatine $1,099 and offers a due edge-to-edge screen screen. It’s thinner than its predecessor, too, pinch a larger battery. Finally, there’s nan Flip SE, which is simply a lower-cost replacement to nan Flip 7, pinch a starting value of $899. Read our impressions.
• The Nothing Phone 3 is billed by nan marque arsenic its “first existent flagship phone,” pinch a $799 starting value that competes straight pinch nan iPhone 16, Galaxy S25, and Pixel 9. It boasts a 6.67-inch OLED display, a generous 5,150mAh capacity battery, and a Snapdragon 8S Gen 4 chipset, which is connected nan little extremity of nan flagship spectrum. It besides looks different from erstwhile Nothing devices. Instead of nan iconic ray strips connected nan backmost that glow and flash, nan Nothing 3 features a mini dot-matrix LED show that tin show pictures and icons. We’ll people our afloat reappraisal soon, but successful nan meantime, you tin publication our first hands-on impressions.

What’s coming next

• Google’s Pixel 10 bid — which will apt see a regular Pixel 10, a Pro, a Pro XL, and a Pro Fold — is expected to beryllium unveiled astatine a Made by Google arena connected August 20th. Google’s next-gen flagships person been heavy leaked astatine this point, and nan guidelines exemplary is expected to subordinate nan Pro options with 3 cameras (including a telephoto lens). The Pro models, meanwhile, will separate themselves pinch an upgraded Tensor G5 chipset and much precocious AI features while retaining a near-identical design. Google whitethorn besides uncover a completely dustproof Pixel 10 Pro Fold.

Update, July 18th: Updated pricing / availability, added nan Galaxy S25 Edge arsenic our prime for “the champion lightweight large phone,” and mentioned specifications regarding Samsung’s upcoming foldables and nan Nothing Phone 3. Brandon Russell besides contributed to this post.