It’s never easy to recommend a foldable phone, especially when you consider the high asking price and the reports of hardware issues that keep eliciting long posts on Reddit. My personal experience also drives this reluctance, even though I’ve been using foldable phones consistently for half a decade now.

Early in 2023, the hinge on my Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 gave up. The phone would no longer open fully. A few days after the problem first manifested, I noticed a glue-like material oozing from the hinge gap.

I don’t remember it ever taking a nasty drop or even leaving my protective case since the setup day. Of course, I was disillusioned, and as our investigation later uncovered, there is no shortage of Samsung foldable enthusiasts feeling a similar sting in their wallets.

Soon after the bad experience, I switched to a OnePlus Open — and it made me a folding phone believer once again.

Standing out strong, literally

My Digital Trends colleague, Tushar Mehta, wrote a deep dive on the OnePlus Open Apex Edition’s design philosophy, and I recommend that you check that out for a primer. In real life, this phone will arrest your attention, all thanks to that red vegan leather that offers a striking contrast to the metallic luster on the frame and hinge.

The foldable phone trend in the industry is saturated with brands using all varieties of steel and aluminum, with some claiming military-grade durability. OnePlus followed in Apple’s footsteps, but took some metallurgical liberties of its own.

Where Apple used a titanium alloy frame tinged with aluminum and vanadium, OnePlus took a different exotic route. The company has used titanium alloy and cobalt molybdenum alloy as the primary framework material. The company claims the former is lighter and sturdier compared to the various strains of stainless steel found on most other smartphones.

OnePlus paid special attention to the phone’s most fragile element — the hinge assembly. The cobalt molybdenum alloy, for example, is touted to be four times stronger than surgical-grade stainless steel and far stronger than what rival foldable phones can claim.

The hinge spine plate, on the other hand, is made of a liquid metal derivative of amorphous zirconium alloy. In addition to raw material strength, it is said to offer high scratch and wear resistance. In a nutshell, the OnePlus Open is one of the most bewitchingly alluring phones out there, foldable or otherwise.

I could make an exception for the pink Pixel 9, but only to honor my colleague, Christine Romero-Chan, who also drove the Pro model in the same shade. The in-hand feel is fittingly fantastic on the Apex Edition. OnePlus nailed what one would call the “normal” look and feel of a regular phone. The Pixel Fold was just too wide, while Samsung’s Galaxy Fold still flaunts its tall aspect ratio anomaly.

A sigh of relief

On a personal note, however, the reality has been more pleasing than mere brand rhetoric. The OnePlus Open has taken more bumps than I can remember. Nearly half a dozen times, the phone has even received a nice slap or kick as I tried to catch it after it slipped from the table, a pocket, or my grip.

There are scars across the phone’s frame, retelling my clumsy ways. But more importantly, they serve as a lived-in retelling of just how resilient the phone is.

Cracked rear shell, broken camera lens cover, and the usual aftermath, a shattered screen. The situation has improved over the years, but those are mostly reserved for flagship phones treated with the latest from Corning or AGC Dragontrail.

The status quo of foldables is still tightly lodged in the “handle with care” class. And no, there is no escape route from the expensive repair costs. OnePlus will charge a cool $510 to fix issues with the inner foldable panel, while Samsung will require $549 to fix its latest Galaxy Z Fold 6. Repairs are expensive, but thankfully, the OnePlus Open has held up remarkably well.

A good phone no matter how you use it

The OnePlus Open is a very good phone, regardless of whether you keep your activities limited to the “normal” cover screen or make the most of its tablet-like inner foldable screen. As a journalist, nearly half my job entails reading reports and papers.

Ever since I started using foldable phones, I’ve almost entirely ditched the Kindle, or any other reader for that matter. The only scenario where I picked up another device — like the excellent Boox Palma – was because e-readers are far easier on the eyes.

Of course, watching videos is also a part of daily usage, but I am not particularly fond of pillarboxing, so there’s that. Binge-reading manga and comics? The OnePlus Open is perfect for it.

Another reason that the OnePlus Open has me hooked is the sheer joy of playing emulated games. Regardless of your taste in recreational digital content, the OLED screens (inside and outside) will serve you just fine. Hello, Dolby Vision support!

In fact, the Open Canvas system for running multiple apps side by side is still the best implementation of split-screen multitasking on a phone. Or a tablet. My colleague, Tushar, discovered his own niche utilitarian joy using the hands-free mode on the OnePlus Open.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 powering the phone is still a mighty processor that can handle anything you would expect from a top-tier flagship phone. The phone’s triple-lens camera array is also quite powerful, and the results are good enough that I’ve never had second thoughts about picking it over the “Pro” iPhones.

There are many neat features to play with, but my favorite is the Hasselblad wizardry, which you can access in XPAN mode. It tries to replicate pictures in the 24x65mm format, a signature trait of the 1998 Hasselblad XPAN camera.

The black-and-white panoramic shots captured in the XPAN mode are totally worth the effort, and they inject some effortless artistic soul into any frame. Of course, not having to worry about the storage space running out on the Apex Edition is just the cherry on top.

What’s so special about the security?

The OnePlus Open continues the brand’s steady inroads into a tighter security experience for smartphone users. With OxygenOS 14 on the OnePlus Open, the company fortified security measures such as chip-level encryption, which is bundled together with another security measure within the Device Security Engine 3.0 package.

Earlier this year, OnePlus became the first Android smartphone maker to join the App Defense Alliance (ADA). The brainchild of Google, Meta, and Microsoft aims to protect Android phones from the scourge of malware through mobile applications and other emerging threats. At the moment, ADA operates under the Linux Foundation.

The OnePlus Apex Edition, specifically, carries that momentum further, thanks to a special VIP mode that offers enhanced security and privacy. Broadly, it accomplishes a couple of things. First, it disables mic and camera access across the system. Second, it restricts ad-tracking by using hardware-level encryption.

The enhanced security measures come to life courtesy of a dedicated security chip and a shielded NFC chip, both of which have been certified by Common Criteria for Information Technology Security Evaluation, which provides an industry standard for computing security.

This may not mean anything to some people, but for anyone who takes their smartphone security seriously, it’s a really nice touch — and yet another feather in the OnePlus Open’s cap.

A few not-so-nice things

Either $1,700 (or $1,900 for the Apex Edition) is no small sum, and certainly not for a phone. For any sane mind hoping to give OnePlus that kind of dough, they better commit to using it for at least a few years. This phone has adequate hardware to stay competent, but for how long exactly?

Unfortunately, OnePlus only promises upgrades through Android 17 for the OnePlus Open. For reference, Android 15 is now in the public domain. Consumer sentiments suggest that users seek longer update cycles on their phones. Market research firm Counterpoint says consumers are now holding on to their phones for longer.

For comparison, the Pixel 9 series will get OS for seven generations. Even the midrange OnePlus Nord 4 will eclipse the OnePlus Open in software updates. For OnePlus’ flagship foldable, and one that costs so much, longer software support would have been great to see.

Durability is next in line, which is even more pronounced in the case of foldable. The OnePlus foldable only offers IPX4-tier ingress protection, while Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 guarantees IP48-level dust and water shielding. I’ve used the OnePlus Open for a while now, and it hasn’t worried me with any kind of hardware factors, but accidents happen.

Then there is the omission of yet another crucial convenience — wireless charging. Now, I would take fast wired charging any day over wireless charging support. The OnePlus Open certainly scores an ace on that front, allowing 67-watt wired charging. In the retail box, you get an 80W charging brick, which is a convenient surprise.

But I must admit, the convenience of wireless charging has spoiled me, and there’s some practical rationale behind that, too. I only have access to so many ports on my work desk or the coffee shops I frequent. Plus, with each passing year, we are moving around with more accessories that need charging.

I have 3-in-1 wireless chargers in various shapes and sizes, but ultimately, they help me reduce the cable clutter and solve the port paucity problem. Almost every week, I have found myself placing the OnePlus Open on a wireless charging pad, only to realize that it was a vain effort.

The OnePlus Open is the real deal

Overall, the OnePlus Open has proved to be the most rewarding phone I’ve used in a while. It’s also the phone that has been my daily driver for the longest spell in my career. The Apex Edition just happens to the best execution, a real flex of form and functionality.

Once again, it isn’t exactly cheap, and neither is the standard version. But if you’ve ever wondered how well a foldable phone holds up in the long run, this is the one-year review to help guide your purchase decision.

The OnePlus Open has proved to be the most rewarding phone I’ve used in a while.

So, here are the key takeaways. The OnePlus Open is a fantastic foldable phone. If you’ve been on the fence regarding the durability aspect, this one survived a near-reckless in-hand journey.

I can’t say the same about many phones out there, and certainly not about foldable devices. I am not sure if the upcoming successor will be as good as the OnePlus Open, but if you are eyeing a Christmas treat for yourself, this one won’t disappoint you.

Advertisement

The Impossible Man
Patchen Barss (Atlantic Books (UK, 14 November); Basic Books (US, 12 November))

Many people still believe (and many scientists tell themselves) that genius is a solitary affair, that what they do is so important it merits exemption from everyday life and the obligations of intimate relationships.

As his subtitle suggests, Patchen Barss doesn’t endorse this notion in The Impossible Man: Roger Penrose and the cost of genius, as he charts the life of one of the most influential physicists of the 20th century. The biography…

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

Thanksgiving is a few weeks away, but there are some killer early Black Friday deals around already. For instance, Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 have dropped back down to $170. That’s $80 or 32 percent off the list price. It’s not quite a record low, as the AirPods Pro 2 have been on sale for $169 in the past, but it’s not far off at all.

The AirPods Pro 2 are our pick for the best wireless earbuds for iPhone. We also gave them a score of 88 in our review back in 2022.

Apple

The AirPods Pro 2 have dropped down almost to a record-low price ahead of Black Friday. Apple recently added some hearing health features that make the earphones even more appealing.

$170 at Amazon

We feel that the transparency mode, which is powered by Apple’s H2 chip, is excellent. It sounds far more natural here than on any other earphones we’ve tested.

Apple has built on this by recently enabling hearing health features on the AirPods Pro 2. These include an FDA-approved hearing aid function and hearing test. The earphones may also be used to help protect your hearing in loud environments, such as concerts, without muffling the audio.

Other useful features include fast pairing and ease of switching between Apple devices, spatial audio, hands-free Siri and solid active noise cancellation. The earphones are IPX4-rated for water resistance too. On the downside, the touch gestures take a little getting used to.

The AirPods Pro 2 ran for about six hours and 15 minutes on a single charge during our testing. The charging case (the battery of which you can top up wirelessly or via USB-C) adds up to three extra charges.

Check out all of the latest Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals here.