The best phones 2024 tested and rated
We test and review dozens of phones each year with one mission in mind: to help you buy the best phone for your needs. And with great options from Apple, Samsung, Google and other brands, there are plenty of handsets worthy of your attention.
We're well-positioned to pick the best phone based on a variety of criteria. We spend a lot time in our lab and in the real world testing the top handsets so that we can compare the leading contenders side by side. And we have some expert recommendations on which models rise to the top.
The very best phones offer great cameras, enough performance to easily multitask or play intensive games and the kind of battery life to last the whole day. We test each one of those things for every smartphone we review — and we also evaluate software, display quality and phone design. All of these criteria can separate a great phone from the rest of the pack.
Right now we would hold off on buying a Samsung flagship with the Galaxy S24 series expected to debut later in January. Rumored upgrades include better cameras, a faster processor and lots of new AI features to make your life easier.
THE QUICK LIST
The best phone overall
The iPhone 15 Pro Max vaults past other devices on this list thanks to its superior A17 Pro silicon and a revamped camera setup that includes a much better telephoto lens than before. We also like the 14-hour battery life and extra storage that Apple's top phone offers.
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Best Samsung phone
With a powerful processor, a remarkably flexible 200MP main camera and the best zoom lens around, the Galaxy S23 Ultra can take on all comers and emerge as the best, despite its high starting price (even if Apple's top phone costs just as much now).
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The best Android phone value
For less than $500, the Pixel 7a not only gives you the same Tensor G2 chipset as the Pixel 7 flagships, but premium features like a fast-refreshing display and wireless charging support. The phone's cameras have been upgraded, too.
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Smartest cameras
Mobile photography fans should turn to the Google Pixel 8 Pro, which features some exciting new AI photo-processing features powered by the Tensor G3 chipset. In addition, you get a brighter display and a guaranteed seven years of software and security updates from Google.
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The best iPhone value
At $799. Apple’s iPhone 15 offers the kind of value you don’t normally expect from phones at this prince,whether it’s the impressive A16 Bionic processor, the Dynamic Island feature or 48MP main camera. Whatever feature draws you to this phone, the low price helps seal the deal.
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The best flagship value
With impressive cameras, a great processor and an even more inviting price, the OnePlus 11 can hold its own against any Android flagship. And it also sets the standard for fast charging, getting to 100% in 30 minutes.
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THE BEST PHONE OVERALL
What you need to know
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the best iPhone we’ve tested, and that’s because it has everything you could want in a flagship. The design has been made lighter and more premium with titanium sides, the chipset's more powerful than ever, and so's the camera array. Apple has roared back to capture the spor for best phone with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, a mobile device that delivers on all fronts.
Cameras: iPhones live and die by their cameras, and the telephoto lens on the iPhone 15 Pro Max is a big improvement thanks to its 5x zoom capabilities. Its low-light performance is pretty spectacular too. That said, it’s still no match for the Galaxy S23 Ultra when it comes to getting close to a subject.
Performance: Though Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip helped some Android phones narrow the performance gap with the iPhone 14 Pro, the A17 Pro chipset powering the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the fastest mobile chip we've tested. You'll notice the extra oomph when you're performing everyday tasks and switching between apps.
Battery life: The battery on the iPhone 15 Pro Max lasts more than 14 hours on our battery test, an outstanding improvement over the already long-lasting iPhone 14 Pro Max. If only the phone could charge quickly, as Apple continues to offer only 27W wired charging and 15W wireless charging.
Value for money: While this model costs $100 more than the starting price of the iPhone 14 Pro Max, Apple has increased the amount of base storage to 256GB. The iPhone 15 Pro offers almost all the same features, but in a smaller body and for a lower starting price. And if it's a big screen you're after, there's the iPhone 15 Plus to consider too.
Read the full review: iPhone 15 Pro Max
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | This iPhone costs a pretty penny | ★★★☆☆ |
| Cameras | A great main camera but so-so zooms | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | You won't find a better performing phone | ★★★★★ |
| Battery life | Don't worry about running out power | ★★★★★ |
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THE BEST SAMSUNG PHONE
What you need to know
Samsung's premium phone barely misses out on being the best phone overall, but don't overlook all that the Galaxy S23 Ultra brings to the table. From superior cameras to a very powerful performance, there's plenty to like about the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Just keep in mind that the Galaxy S24 Ultra should launch by late January.
Cameras: By far, the most significant addition to the the Galaxy S23 Ultra is its 200MP camera, which gives you greater flexibility in capturing shots, as you can shoot at full resolution and crop in for more detail or combine multiple pixels into one for brighter images. The powerful telephoto lens setup returns, putting the S23 Ultra ahead of other phones when it comes to zoom. Samsung has also improved low-light photo features, though other phones continue to beat the S23 Ultra in that area.
Performance: The iPhone remains the overall performance champ, but the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powering the Galaxy S23 Ultra closed the gap significantly (at least until the A17 Pro came along). Samsung's phone even managed to best the iPhone on some graphics tests. This is the best performing Android phone we've tested.
Battery life: It's not just performance that benefits from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The chipset's improved power efficiency helps the Galaxy S23 Ultra last a long time on a charge — nearly 12.5 hours on our battery test. That's not as long as the iPhone 14 Pro Max, but it's still an outstanding time that translates to all-day battery life and then some.
Value for money: If there's one thing about the Galaxy S23 Ultra that should give you pause, it's the phone's price tag. At $1,199, this is one of the more expensive handsets out there. Certainly, the premium features Samsung packs into the phone justify the high cost, but you can find less expensive models — including other phones in the S23 family.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | One of the pricier phones available | ★★★☆☆ |
| Cameras | The best camera phone you can buy | ★★★★★ |
| Performance | A top-performing Android device | ★★★★☆ |
| Battery life | Lasts all day, charging could be faster | ★★★★☆ |
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THE BEST VALUE ANDROID PHONE
What you need to know
The Google Pixel 7a continues Google's tradition of producing very capable midrange phones that excel at mobile photography. This time, though, the Pixel 7a offers premium features like a fast-refreshing display, normally found in pricier handsets.
Cameras: Google has gone big with the Pixel 7a cameras, turning to a 64MP sensor that's physically larger than the 12.2MP shooter in the Pixel 6a. That means sharper images than before, though the colors in Pixel 7a photos continue to have dark, cooler tones. Still, the Pixel 7a excels at low-light photos, and it holds its own against any camera phone.
Performance: The Pixel 7a's Tensor G2 silicon matches what the Pixel 7 offered. And while raw power ins't the story with Google's Tensor chips, the Pixel 7a's Tensor G2 does outperform the Exynos 1380 inside the Galaxy A54 on all benchmarks. Instead, this Tensor chip focuses on AI-powered features, and you'll find those in abundance, including support for Google's Photo Unblur feature, call management tools and on-the-fly dictation.
Battery life: The Pixel 7a posts a much improved battery life from its predecessors, lasting 10 hours and 5 minutes on our battery test. That's just ahead of the average smartphone. One caveat: we got that time by turning off the display's fast-refresh rate.
Value for money: Though Google raised the Pixel 7a's price by $50 over the Pixel 6a, this phone still costs less than $500, and you can find some premium features not often supported by midrange phones. The Pixel 7a charges wirelessly, for instance, and its 6.1-inch display can refresh at 90Hz for smoother scrolling. Few phones pack in more value while keeping their price tag relatively affordable like the Pixel 7a does.
Read the full review: Google Pixel 7a
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Even with a price hike, it's a good value | ★★★★☆ |
| Cameras | The best cameras on a sub-$500 phone | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Tensor's value comes from AI features, not speed | ★★★☆☆ |
| Battery life | Battery life gets a boost from the Pixel 6a | ★★★☆☆ |
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THE SMARTEST CAMERA PHONE
What you need to know
The Pixel 8 Pro shows off the power of artificial intelligence in a mobile device. The Google Assistant is both smarter and more human sounding and features like Magic Editor and Magic Audio Eraser impress. Though it costs more than before, it's still a standout phone.
Cameras: Every camera in the Pixel 8 Pro's rear camera array gets an upgrade, particularly the ultrawide lens which now uses a 48MP sensor. But it's the photo processing features that help this phone stand out, as Google uses AI to make your pictures look their best. We like how Best Take can improve Group Shots and how Magic Audio Eraser easily removes unwanted sounds from videos.
Performance: The Tensor G3 chip helps the Pixel 8 Pro turn in better benchmark times. But it still can't keep up with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 silicon found in other leading Android phones, let alone the A17 Pro that powers the latest iPhone Pro models.
Battery life: Google's phones don't have a great reputation for battery life, but the Pixel 8 Pro takes steps to correct that. In our test, it lasted 2 hours longer than the Pixel 7 Pro. Still, that's only an average result for smartphones. Other leading smartphones last longer on a charge.
Value for money: You'll have to pay more for the Pixel 8 Pro than you did for its predecessor, thanks toa $100 price hike. But the Pixel 8 Pro still delivers exceptional value, thanks to Google extending support for this device to seven years of software and security updates.
Read the full review: Google Pixel 8 Pro
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Costs $100 more than its predecessor | ★★★☆☆ |
| Cameras | Hardware improvements plus AI features make for great photos | ★★★★★ |
| Performance | Tensor G3 lags other top chipsets but wows with AI | ★★★☆☆ |
| Battery life | Only average results on our battery test | ★★★☆☆ |
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THE BEST VALUE IPHONE
What you need to know
If you don't want to pay iPhone 15 Pro Max or Galaxy S23 Ultra prices, the iPhone 15 provides quite a lot of the same features but for several hundred dollars less. It's frustrating to see features like the display refresh rate remain the same, but this is still a great phone for all but the most demanding users.
Cameras: With the addition of a 48MP camera, Apple's unlocked a lot of photography potential in the iPhone 15. It can now take more detailed 24MP shots rather than the 12MP standard of previous iPhones. It can now also use a lossless 2x zoom mode without needing a telephoto camera too, which helps bridge the gap between itself and the Pro models.
Performance: The A16 Bionic chipset within the iPhone 15 is still potent, and still beats the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered Android phones on many benchmarks. From multitasking to graphically intense games, the iPhone 15 can handle just about anything.
Battery life: Apple's larger iPhones have more room for bigger batteries but the iPhone 15 still lasts over 11 hours on a single charge. Charging is pretty slow though, with 20W wired speeds still in place from older models.
Value for money: The $799 starting price of the iPhone 15 is still a considerable amount of money, but considering an iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999, it's still good value in Apple World.
Read the full review: iPhone 15
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | A lot to pay, but premium features are worth it | ★★★★☆ |
| Cameras | The 48MP main camera does a lot, but it still can't beat a Pro iPhone | ★★★☆☆ |
| Performance | No longer Apple's best chipset, but still very powerful | ★★★★☆ |
| Battery life | A strong result, especially for a phone this size | ★★★★☆ |
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THE BEST VALUE FLAGSHIP
What you need to know
The OnePlus 11 takes on the Galaxy S23 and Pixel 8 with top-tier specs, great cameras and an awesome starting price. Take all those factors into account, and this is one of the best total packages you can get right now. It's certainly a contender alongside those other flagships for the title of best Andorid phone.
Cameras: Whatever work OnePlus is doing with lens specialist Hasselblad to improve its cameras, long may it continue. The OnePlus 11 takes some bright, detailed shots, with portrait photos particularly impressing us. Night photos weren't as good in our head-to-head testing with the Google Pixel 7 Pro, and we wish the telephoto lens offered more than just a 2x optical zoom. But overall, this is a dependable camera phone, something we haven't said about previous OnePlus flagships.
Performance: Like the Galaxy S23 series, the OnePlus 11 runs on a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, though the chipset's not been optimized like it was for the S23. Nevertheless, you can expect some of the best performance yet recorded for an Android phone, with the OnePlus 11 even out-muscling the iPhone 14 Pro on some graphics tests.
Battery life: The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 also happens to be a very power-efficient chip, which helped the OnePlus 11 produce some very impressive results on our battery test. The phone lasted more than 13 hours on a charge, and that was with its adaptive refresh rate feature turned on.
Value for money: Among Android flagships, only the Pixel 7 costs less than the OnePlus 11, and Google's phone lacks a telephoto lens. It's pretty amazing the kind of features you get in a $699 device, which is why we think the OnePlus 11 is the best value out there.
Read the full review: OnePlus 11
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Flagship specs for $699 is hard to beat | ★★★★★ |
| Cameras | OnePlus continues to improve its cameras | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Galaxy S23 is faster, but not by much | ★★★★☆ |
| Battery life | It's right up there with the iPhone 11 Pro Max | ★★★★★ |
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THE BEST COMPACT FLAGSHIP PHONE
What you need to know
Apple's smaller Pro iPhone has a tough balancing act to perform, as its compact size makes it hard to stuff all of the latest Apple-made tech into it. Fortunately it still offers most of Apple's latest advancements, meaning it's a great pick for users who want performance and quality without buying a huge device.
Cameras: It's a shame that the iPhone 15 Pro only offers 3x zoom, as it's the only thing holding it back from matching the iPhone 15 Pro Max at the top of this list. It's particularly adept at taking night mode and portrait shots, but its main, selfie and ultrawide cameras are up there with the best of them too.
Performance: Apple's impressive A17 Pro chipset gives the iPhone 15 Pro performance that outstrips near-enough any other phone on any given benchmark. It looks like it's particularly good for gaming too with a ray-tracing capable GPU.
Battery life: The iPhone 15 Pro falls just shy of the 11-hour mark that splits the longest-lasting phones from the crowd. Don't interpret that as meaning the battery life is bad though, as it still beats a number of Android rivals.
Value for money: Staying at $999 means the iPhone 15 Pro looks like a great deal compared to top-tier Android phones, or the iPhone 15 Pro Max that starts at $200 more. But $999 is still a lot of money to pay out, so consider your purchase carefully.
Read the full review: iPhone 15 Pro
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Keeping the price under a grand was a smart idea from Apple | ★★★★☆ |
| Cameras | As good as iPhone photography gets (except for the Pro Max) | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | With an A17 Pro chip, nothing will slow you down | ★★★★★ |
| Battery life | The battery won't let you down, but it doesn't quite dazzle either. | ★★★☆☆ |
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THE BEST COMPACT ANDROID PHONE
What you need to know
The Google Pixel 8 wows with its AI-powered camera features, and we appreciate the brighter display in a more compact, comfortable design. While performance and battery life still lag behind the competition, the Pixel 8 delivers good value overall.
Cameras: A wider aperture on the Pixel 8's main camera improves low light performance. But it's the AI features that stand out, whether it's the Magic Editor allowing you to adjust just about everything in a shot or the Best Take capability that swaps in faces for much improved group shots. The Audio Magic Eraser also impresses by removing unwanted sound from video.
Performance: Don't look to the Pixel 8 and its Tensor G3 silicon for standout performance. It trails both A16 Bionic- and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2-powered phones in benchmark tests. But the AI experiences powered by the Tensor continue to make this phone a standout.
Battery life: The Pixel 8 lasts longer than the Pixel 7 on our battery test, with a time that just about matches the average result for smartphones. But other devices in this price range last a lot longer on a charge.
Value for money: Google offers seven years of software and security updates for the Pixel 8 — the most generous support for any smartphone maker, topping even Apple's extensive iPhone support. That makes up for a $100 increase over the price of the Pixel 7 in helping the Pixel 8 deliver good value.
Read the full review: Google Pixel 8
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Not as cheap as it used to be | ★★★★☆ |
| Cameras | Excellent cameras aided by even smarter AI than before | ★★★★★ |
| Performance | It's AI features, not processing power, that win the day | ★★★☆☆ |
| Battery life | Battery life is average, which is a step up for Pixel | ★★★☆☆ |
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THE BEST SAMSUNG PHONE FOR MOST PEOPLE
What you need to know
The the Galaxy S23 offers the best things about Samsung's flagship lineup at a lower price, with more features than the even cheaper Galaxy S23 FE. You get the same bright display and optimized chipset you'll find in the S23 Plus and S23 Ultra, without having to pay a premium. You will miss out on extra storage, though, as the S23 features 128GB in its base model.
Cameras: You give up the more powerful main camera and top-performing zoom lens by opting for this phone instead of the Galaxy S23 Ultra. But you also get solid cameras in this $799 phone that produce images that match up well with rival camera phones. The lone exception is the new front camera which produced disappointing results in our testing.
Performance: It may cost less than other S23 flagships, but the Galaxy S23 has the same Snapragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset found in those more expensive models. That means the best performance we've seen in Android phone for hundreds less than other top devices. Four years of software updates will mean the Galaxy S23 stays up-to-date for the foreseeable future.
Battery life: Here's where the compact size of the Galaxy S23 works against it, as it can't house the bigger battery found in larger Galaxy S23 models. Unlike the Galaxy S23 Plus and S23 Ultra, the standard S23 can't claim a spot on the longest-lasting phone list. But it does improve upon the performance of its predecessor, thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2's power management features. It can only charge at 25W wired speeds, though.
Value for money: At $200 less than the Galaxy S23 Plus and $400 less than the S23 Ultra, the Galaxy S23 is the most affordable Galaxy flagship you can buy. It's got the same starting price as the iPhone 15, and only flagships from OnePlus and Google undercut it on price.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy S23
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | The most affordable S23 matches the iPhone 14 price | ★★★★☆ |
| Cameras | Even without flashy features, these cameras perform well | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 provides stellar performance | ★★★★☆ |
| Battery life | Other S23 models last longer, but this beats the smartphone average | ★★★★☆ |
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THE CHEAPEST BIG-SCREEN IPHONE
What you need to know
The iPhone 15 Plus makes a much better case for itself than the iPhone 14 Plus last year did. Its battery life is the best of all the new iPhones, and it's also benefitted from big upgrades to its cameras and chipset. Shame the upgrades didn't make it to the display refresh rate or charging speed though.
Cameras: Like the iPhone 15, the iPhone 15 Plus benefits from a new 48MP camera which offers more detail and a new 2x zoom mode. This doesn't match up to a dedicated telephoto lens but it still does its job well.
Performance: You'll get strong performance from the A16 Bionic inside the iPhone 14 Plus. Though it's one year old already, it still runs rings around most Android phones, meaning you shouldn't run into any trouble running demanding apps and games.
Battery life: This is the signature feature of the iPhone 15 Plus. Lasting over 14 hours means you won't need surprise visits to a charging point very often. Which is fortunate since the iPhone 15 Plus still only charges at 20W, despite the new USB-C port.
Value for money: It's hard to argue with a big-screen iPhone that costs $300 less than the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Still, you would hope that Apple would have added more features like a fast-refreshing display to its $899 smartphone. But Apple reserves premium capabilities for its Pro models these days so you end up making trade-offs for that discounted $899 price.
Read the full review: iPhone 15 Plus
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Cheaper than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, but you'll make trade-offs | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Excellent shots under most conditions, but no proper zoom lens | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | A16 Bionic is a year older — and still a top performer | ★★★★☆ |
| Battery life | The longest-lasting iPhone you can buy right now | ★★★★★ |
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THE BEST SAMSUNG VALUE
What you need to know
The Galaxy A54 is one of the top midrange phones available, and a good buy if you don't want to spend more than $500 on a phone, thanks to an excellent display, solid cameras and long-lasting battery.
Cameras: The same 50MP main camera Samsung uses in the Galaxy S23 makes its way down the product line to the Galaxy A54. That helps this Samsung phone take good shots in low light, allowing it to match up well against the Google Pixel 7a. Portrait mode could use some work, but you'll generally get well-balanced photos without having to pay up for a flagship.
Performance: The processor is one of the few disappointments with the Galaxy A54, as this chipset trails the Tensor G2 in the Pixel 7a, not to mention the iPhone SE's A15 Bionic. That said, for most apps and games, you'll get enough processing oomph to get by.
Battery life: We're very impressed by how long the Galaxy A54 can last on a charge. With its display set to a fast refresh rate, you can still outlast the average smartphone by half-an-hour. Disable that feature, and the Galaxy A54 joins the rank of the longest-lasting phones we've tested, with a battery life of 11 hours and 46 minutes.
Value: It's hard to ignore the value of a phone that costs less than $500, but still offers a 120Hz display, a bright screen visible in direct sunlight, and cameras that measure up well against all comers. The Pixel 7a may deliver a tad more for the money when it comes to cameras, but the Samsung Galaxy A54 is still a bargain at $449.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy A54
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | At $50 less than the Pixel 7a, this phone's a bargain | ★★★★★ |
| Cameras | 50MP main camera really shines | ★★★★☆ |
| Performance | Exynos 1380 still lags the midrange competition | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Battery life | Great battery life, when you turn off adaptive display | ★★★★☆ |
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THE BEST FOLDABLE PHONE
What you need to know
OnePlus does everything right in a foldable phone. Not only is it incredibly well made, but OnePlus does justice in providing users with a more practical multitasking experience with Open Canvas. It has everything power users crave, paired with a lower pricing that undercuts its competition.
Cameras: Armed with a Hasselblad camera system, the OnePlus Open handles most situations with ease, excelling mostly with its main camera when lightning conditions are ideal. Its 3x telephoto zoom camera is just as good as the Pixel Fold's 5x zoom camera, but it struggles in extreme low light.
Performance: The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 delivers good results with the OnePlus Open. It actually beats the Galaxy Z Fold 5 in graphics processing based on our benchmark testing, but we found it responsive in everyday use.
Battery life: Foldable phones don't always last a long time on a charge, given the super-sized screens they have to keep powered. Yet, the OnePlus Open goes the distance lasting over 11 hours on our battery test — easily beating out the Pixel Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 5. It also charges much faster, achieving an 85% charged capacity with 30 minutes of charging.
Value for money: OnePlus has an attractive proposition for prospective buyers. It already undercuts other notebook styled foldables with its $1,699 starting cost, but the extra $200 trade-in credit offer effectively makes it $1,499, which is a much better bang for the buck value than the $1,799 cost for the Pixel Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 5.
Read the full review: OnePlus Open
| Attributes | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price | It's $100 less than the competition | ★★★★☆ |
| Design | Thinnest and lightest notebook styled foldable | ★★★★★ |
| Performance | The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset remains the Android silicon to beat. | ★★★★☆ |
| Battery life | This is the best battery life we've seen in a foldble. | ★★★★☆ |
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BATTERY BENCHMARKS: COMPARISON
| Phone | Battery life (tested) |
| iPhone 15 Pro Max | 14:02 |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra | 13:09 |
| Google Pixel 7a | 10:05 |
| Google Pixel 8 Pro | 10:03 |
| iPhone 15 | 11:05 |
| OnePlus 11 | 13:10 |
| iPhone 15 Pro | 10:53 |
| Google Pixel 8 | 9:50 |
| Samsung Galaxy S23 | 10:27 |
| iPhone 15 Plus | 14:14 |
| Samsung Galaxy A54 | 10:20 |
| OnePlus Open | 11:45 |
When testing smartphones, we always run a battery test in which we set the phone's screen to 150 nits of brightness. We then force the phones to surf the web using their default browser, timing how long it takes to run out of power. The average smartphone lasts around 10 hours on this test.
HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST PHONE FOR YOU:
Should you choose Android or iPhone? Android phones give you more choice in terms of price, size and innovative designs. However, iPhones offer speedier software updates, better games and apps and better security and privacy. See our iPhone vs Android face-off for more on the strengths and weaknesses of the two mobile platforms.
Should you buy your phone through a wireless carrier or get it unlocked? Most shoppers in the U.S. buy new phones through their wireless carrier. But an unlocked phone gives you the freedom to buy the device without any sort of contract and then bring it to the provider you want to use. And these days, it's pretty easy to bring an unlocked phone to any phone carrier.
How big a phone should you get? Fans of the best small phones will have a hard time finding devices with screens smaller than 6 inches today, though a few still exist. Thanks to shrinking bezels, most phones with screens around 6.1 inches are fairly compact. If you prefer a big phone, you'll want something with a screen that's 6.5 to 6.8 inches. Anything bigger, and you'll likely want to turn to a foldable phone, where the device opens up to reveal a larger display.
What kind of camera should you look for? Most phones will come with at least two rear cameras — a main lens and an ultrawide shooter, usually. Telephoto lenses offering an optical zoom are often reserved for more expensive flagship phones. Don't pay attention to the megapixel count. Instead, look at camera face-offs between phones to see the photo quality and look for special features like Night Mode to get better quality in low light. Also see our best camera phone roundup for more on the devices that really excel when taking photos.
What should you look for in terms of battery life? Generally, phones with larger batteries (measured in mAh) offer the longest battery life, but that's not always the case. That's why we run our own battery test, in which we make phones surf the web until they run out of power. The average phone runs out of juice in 10 hours, while the best phone battery life we've tested tends to pass the 12-hour mark.
HOW WE TESTED THESE PHONES
In order for a smartphone to make our best phone list, it needs to excel on several tests that we run on every handset. We perform some of these tests in our labs and some in the real world.
When it comes to performance, we rely on such synthetic benchmarks as Geekbench 5 and 3DMark's Wild Life Unlimited to measure graphics performance. These tests allow us to compare performance across iPhones and Android devices. We also run a real-world video transcoding test on each phone using the Adobe Premiere Rush app and time the result.
To measure the quality of a phone's display, we perform lab tests to determine the brightness of the panel (in nits), as well as how colorful each screen is (DCI-P3 color gamut). In these cases, higher numbers are better. We also measure color accuracy of each panel with a Delta-E rating, where lower numbers are better and score of 0 is perfect.
One of the most important tests we run is the Tom's Guide battery test. We run a web surfing test over 5G or 4G at 150 nits of screen brightness until the battery gives out. As noted above, a phone that lasts more than 10 hour has good battery life, while phones that last around 12 hours or longer are among the longest-lasting phones we've tested.
Last but not least, we take the best phones out in the field to take photos outdoors, indoors and at night in low light to see how they perform versus their closest competitors. We take shots of landscapes, food, portraits and more, and also allow you to be the judge with side-by-side comparisons in our reviews.
For more information, check out our how we test page for Tom's Guide.