In 2024, we’ve seen plenty of incredible smartphones launch this year. It is tough to decide which phone you should spend your money on. And that’s what we’re here for. This year, we’ve reviewed over 50 different smartphones (and the year’s not over!), so we are more than qualified to recommend smartphones for all types of price ranges and users.
In this article, we are rounding up the best overall Android phone, as well as the best budget phone, the best camera phone, and so much more.
Best Overall Android Phone
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra was announced in January 2024, and so far, it’s the best phone you can buy. Samsung definitely checked all of the boxes with this one, but that also means a price increase this year. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is now $1,299, that’s a $100 increase over the Galaxy S23 Ultra from 2023.
With the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Samsung has included the very best specs that are available, as you might expect. This includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. There are 512GB and 1TB models also available. Additionally, it now has a 6.8-inch QHD+ display, which is flat. Previously, the Ultra models were sporting curved displays. One of the reasons for going flat this time around is the S Pen. With the curved display, it makes it tougher to use the S Pen, particularly on the edges. I personally like the flat display because it’s less likely to get scratches on the sides and just feels better in the hand.
Speaking of the display, Samsung is using a new Corning glass called Gorilla Armor. This reduces the reflections on the Galaxy S24 Ultra quite considerably. Comparing this side-by-side with other phones, you can really notice the difference. It’s a small thing on the spec sheet, but in real life, it’s a huge deal.
One of my favorite features of this phone is actually the battery life. We’re looking at 12 hours of on screen time easily with the Galaxy S24 Ultra. We recently completed the battery test and found that it lasted for 25 hours on video streaming. That’s nearly four hours longer than the next group of phones (iQOO 12 and iPhone 15 Pro Max). That is rather incredible and hard to imagine at the same time since it still has a 5,000mAh capacity battery. Don’t worry; this one won’t run out anytime soon.
Finally, the camera. There was a lot of talk about Samsung ditching the 10x telephoto for a 5x telephoto camera, and well they did it. However, it’s not quite that simple. They went from a 10-megapixel 10x telephoto camera to a 50-megapixel 5x telephoto camera. Thanks to that added resolution, you’re still getting the same 10x optical zoom here, as Samsung is cropping in on that 50-megapixel sensor. And in our testing, it does seem to work just as well as the 10x dedicated telephoto lens from the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Buy at Samsung
Best Foldable Android Phone
OnePlus Open
The OnePlus Open isn’t the latest foldable Android smartphone to hit the market, and it blew everyone else out of the water. Not only does the OnePlus Open destroy the competition on the spec sheet, but also in price. It has a price of $1,699, that’s $100 less than the competitors, and it also offers some really great trade-in deals – like $200 off any phone in any condition, including one that was on fire.
With the OnePlus Open, the company was looking to stick to its schtick while also making foldables better. And this being OnePlus, that means the latest and greatest specs across the board. It has a 6.31-inch 20:9 aspect ratio front display and a 7.8-inch main display, both of which are 2K resolution, with adaptive 120Hz refresh rates and a peak brightness of 2,800 nits. So it’s not hard to believe that these are the best displays on a foldable. Inside, you’ll find the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. It also has a 4,805mAh capacity battery. These are killer specs for a foldable, with more RAM, double the storage and a larger battery than the competition.
But OnePlus didn’t stop there. Not only is this a larger battery, but it’s also one of the fastest charging ones, with 67W charging included. Not to mention, the charger is included in the box. So you can charge up in under an hour. The battery life on the OnePlus Open is quite nice. Actually, I’ve been using it for quite some time, and I really enjoy the battery life here. It can sometimes get me through two days of usage.
But the big thing for OnePlus is the software. This is running OxygenOS 13.2 with Android 13 and will get Android 14 pretty soon. But that’s still not the software story; Open Canvas is. With Open Canvas, OnePlus has literally opened the screen to allow you to do virtually anything. Basically, think of this as having screen real estate that’s larger than the actual screen. Open Canvas lets you open multiple apps on the screen at once, and you can even push apps off-screen and keep them open. Check out this Instagram Reel I put together to see more of what I mean here.
The Open checks a lot of boxes for people about foldables. And that includes the display crease. With the OnePlus Open, the display crease is almost non-existent. Sure, you can see it in the right light if you’re looking for it. But for the most part, you’re not going to notice the crease here, and that is rather impressive. I’ve been using the phone for a little over a month so far and never even thought about the crease. I can’t say the same thing about the competition, though.
Buy at Best Buy
Best Android Flip Phone
Motorola Razr Plus (2024)
The Motorola Razr Plus (2024) had some pretty big shoes to fill, after the 2023 model captured a lot of hearts. But, Motorola did it again. This year, Motorola provided the Razr Plus with an even larger cover display, a pretty big upgrade in processor, and swapped out the ultrawide camera for a telephoto camera. All of which makes this an incredible flip phone, even better than Samsung’s latest offerings.
With the Motorola Razr Plus (2024), we really liked that larger cover display. This display is able to run full apps, unlike the Galaxy Z Flip 6, and basically any Android app out there. This means you can use X, Google Maps, Facebook, or anything on that front display without opening up the phone, which is a really nice feature. Honestly, I end up using that outer display way more than the internal display because I can do doomscrolling on X without opening the phone.
Motorola also improved battery life by upgrading to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 (from the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1), and upping the battery capacity to 4,000mAh. You’ll be able to get through the day with no issues on this battery. Additionally, Motorola has fast charging, unlike other flip phones. So you can do a quick top-up whenever you need it.
Motorola is really making flip phones fun again with the new Razr Plus this year, and it’s by far one of my favorite flip phones on the market today.
Buy at Best Buy
Best Budget Android Flip Phone
Motorola Razr (2024)
Much like the Razr Plus last year, the regular Razr also turned a lot of heads. It was the cheapest folding flip phone on the market. And it actually received some pretty major upgrades this year, while keeping the same price. It’s still $699 (though at the time of writing this, it’s been $399 for a few weeks, which is a killer deal), and offers quite a few upgrades.
First off, the cover display is much larger now. Almost the entire front of the phone, making it much easier to run Android apps on the outside display, including the Weather, Spotify, X, Instagram and more. A lot like the Razr Plus. However, there is a downgrade here, as Motorola went from Qualcomm to MediaTek for the processor. So we’re looking at a Dimensity 7300X. While on paper, it looks like this is a downgrade, in our usage, we haven’t noticed a huge difference between it and last year’s Razr which sported a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1.
Motorola has stuck with the same 4,200mAh capacity battery in the Razr this year, which should provide some pretty good battery life, especially with the more efficient Dimensity 7300X inside. The camera has also been “upgraded” I put that in quotes because, to some, it won’t look like an upgrade. Last year, Motorola included a 64-megapixel primary camera, and this year it’s a 50-megapixel camera. However, this year’s camera has much larger pixels. Making it a much better camera.
Buy at Best Buy
Best Budget Android Phone
Google Pixel 8a
The Google Pixel 8a is the new Best Budget Android Phone, and that should come as no surprise. At $499 (though it is discounted quite often), the Piel 8a packs a whole lot of phones at that low price. Google has kept it to the same 6.1-inch display, which is now much brighter – peak brightness is 2,000 nits. It also has the Tensor G3 processor inside, 8GB of RAM and either 128GB or 256GB of storage.
In my Google Pixel 8a review, I said that Google hit another home run with this phone. And I firmly believe that. There’s almost no reason to upgrade to the Pixel 8, which is $200 more. You’re getting an incredible set of cameras on the Pixel 8a, along with Google’s computational photography. You are also getting a compact phone with pretty high-end specs, something we don’t see a whole lot in the smartphone world these days. And Google also fixed one of my biggest issues, and that is the backside is now matte. Before, it was glossy, which could get pretty ugly pretty quickly.
It’s not all puppy dogs and rainbows for the Pixel 8a, however. Google is still providing pretty slow charging here, both wired and wireless. There’s also no reverse wireless charging, which seems like a big omission with the Pixel Buds Pro.
If you’re in the market for a good phone that doesn’t cost a ton, this is the one to get.
Buy at Amazon
Best Gaming Android Phone
ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro
With the ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro, the company was able to keep its place as the best gaming phone available. In fact, in our review back in January, we called it the “gold standard of gaming phones.”
This is not a cheap phone, starting at $1,199 and going up to over $1,500, but the specs inside this phone are nothing to sneeze at. The ROG Phone 8 Pro sports a 6.78-inch 165Hz adaptive display, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, with up to 24GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. It also has a pretty massive 5,500mAh capacity battery inside. ASUS has also included fast charging at 65W for wired and 15W for wireless.
What really makes the ROG Phone 8 Pro stand out for us is the more streamlined design, so it no longer screams “gaming phone”. Those who just want a sleek black phone can grab the ROG Phone 8 Pro and be perfectly fine with it. Of course the impressive battery life alone is a great reason to grab this one.
Buy at Amazon
Best Compact Android Phone
Google Pixel 9
Google is keeping their compact option around for another year with the Google Pixel 9. There’s also the Pixel 9 Pro, which we recommend if you want a phone with a telephoto camera. Otherwise, the Pixel 9 is a really good option and it starts at $799 for the 128GB model.
The Pixel 9 comes in four colors: Obsidian, Porcelain, Wintergreen and Peony. This year, Google made the entire phone flat, including the camera bump. Which looks much different from earlier Pixel devices, but it also looks and feels a lot like the iPhone.
In our Google Pixel 9 Review, we called it Google’s “Answer to the iPhone” and also praised the battery life and updates. Google is promising 7 years of updates for the Pixel 9 series, much like the Pixel 8 has. Battery life on the Pixel 9 is also quite good, thanks to the changes Google made to the modem and for thermals this year. Speaking of the modem, it is insanely good. I’ve achieved much better signal on both mobile and WiFi on the Pixel 9 versus almost any other phone.
If you are looking for a stock-ish Android experience, on a smaller phone, then the Pixel 9 is a great option.
Buy at Amazon
Best Camera Android Phone
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
Surprisingly, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL has the best camera on a phone sold in the US. Of course, if you look at phones sold outside of the US, there are plenty of better camera phones. But, we’re focused on the United States here, so Pixel 9 Pro XL it is. We can also recommend the Pixel 9 Pro with this one since those cameras are exactly the same, aside from the size. Google now lets you choose whether you want a 6.3-inch display or a 6.8-inch display.
Inside the Pixel 9 Pro XL is the Tensor G4 chipset, with 16GB of RAM and it starts at 128GB of storage, going up to 1TB. The Tensor G4, while not the most powerful processor on the market, is much improved over the Tensor G3. This includes much better thermals and a much-improved modem. Two major issues that affected the Pixel 8 series last year.
The Pixel 9 Pro is so good that it’s actually my smartphone of choice and is what my daily driver has been for the past few months. Not only is the camera pretty good, but so is the battery life and the software. It also feels great in the hand.
However, this is the best camera phone on our list, so let’s talk more about that camera. In our review, we tested a good number of features on the Pixel 9 Pro XL camera, including Zoom Enhance which was supposed to launch last year. It’s pretty good, but far from perfect. Google also has a bunch of AI features in Magic Editor, like adding things to your photos. But what about the non-AI edited photos? Those look really good, too. They have the usual Google Pixel look, which is a bit warmer than normal, and they also do quite well with different skin tones.
The Pixel 9 Pro starts at $999, and the Pixel 9 Pro XL at $1,099. As mentioned, these are the exact same phones, the only difference is the screen size and thus the battery size.
Buy at Amazon
Best Battery Life Android Phone
OnePlus 12
The OnePlus 12 is one of my favorite phones of 2024. But that just shows how well OnePlus hit it out of the park with the 12. OnePlus nailed just about everything here, including the battery life and price. The OnePlus 12 is available in two variants, one with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $799, and the other with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage for $899. That’s very competitive, and much cheaper than similarly specced phones.
Now let’s talk about battery life. OnePlus was able to increase the capacity this year, bringing it to 5,400mAh, which means you’re getting incredible battery life here. We were able to get 10+ hours of screen time pretty consistently. OnePlus says that this is a two-day phone, and that is absolutely true. I’ve gotten two days out of this with ease, and that’s something I hope to see more of in 2024.
But that’s not the only great feature of the OnePlus 12, the camera setup is pretty incredible too. OnePlus has outfitted the 12 with a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 64-megapixel 3x telephoto camera, and a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera. That telephoto camera is able to crop in and give you a 6x optical zoom too. And to be honest, the pictures from this camera look so incredible. It’s quickly become one of my favorite Android smartphone cameras.
Ready for a mindblowing spec? 4,500 nits. That’s right, the 6.82-inch display on the OnePlus 12 is able to hit 4,500 nits of peak brightness. Now, it only hits this brightness in a small portion of the screen, so some think it’s a gimmick. But let me tell you, in the winter when the sun is reflecting off of the snow, and you’re being blinded with sunglasses on (or transitions, in my case), you’re still able to see the display without any issues, it’s no longer a gimmick. This is a curved display, however, which I wish it was not. A flat display would have made this the perfect phone for 2024. Hopefully, the OnePlus 13 will be a flat display.
Did you forget about the price? Well, let me remind you. All of this is available for just $799. That’s before the $100 off OnePlus will give you for trading on any phone. It could have been run over by a tractor, and you’ll still get $100 off. That’s such an insane deal here for what is a really incredible phone.
Buy at OnePlus
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