While Android telephones are available in all sizes, shapes, and worth factors, there are nonetheless some that stand above the remainder of the market by a large margin. From the most effective foldable telephones to the most recent specs and software program, these telephones earn their flagship pricing after which some. Before you spend days wading by means of our distinctive opinions, allow us to first look at the most effective Android telephones you should buy right now.
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is, for all intents and functions, a Note in all the things however identify. Garaged S Pen again and clickier than ever? Check. Supersized display screen with the fanciest options? 1700-nit vivid examine. Weird colours and shock-inducing worth? Check and examine! Despite the app throttling outrage round launch, the Galaxy S22 Ultra stays probably the most highly effective Android telephones out there in Western markets. The new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset lends greater than sufficient energy to your gaming, productiveness, or multi-tasking, and the Ultra’s bigger battery retains it fed with out begging for a charger mid-afternoon like its smaller siblings. The Ultra’s lack of a cohesive digicam module could also be a dust-magnet flip off for some, however the footage and 8K video you may get out of those 4 cameras are award-worthy when you’re prepared to go Pro mode every so often when the automated settings cannot fairly match up together with your imaginative and prescient. $1,200 for a smartphone is a bit a lot, even amongst flagships, however you possibly can’t deny the {hardware} high quality and Samsung’s extra full-featured strategy to Android software program with One UI 4.1. One UI takes Material You and runs with it in barely extra refined and customizable methods than the Google Pixel collection. The S22 Ultra additionally ties into Samsung’s expansive ecosystem, from the Galaxy Watch4 to a bushel of Galaxy Buds and unique, extra-useful options on Windows Your Phone Companion that can allow you to see and management your telephone out of your laptop computer or desktop. It’s undoubtedly an funding, however because the S22 Ultra is slated to obtain 4 platform updates and 5 years of safety updates, this telephone can final you half a decade as long as you maintain it.
- 128GB: 128, 256, 512, 1024 GB
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 650: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
- 6GB: 8,12 GB
- Android 11: Android 12 with One UI 4.1
- 4,500mAh: 5,000mAh, max 45W charging, 15W wi-fi
- 6.4-inches, 1080p: 6.8-inch 1440 x 3088 OLED @ 120Hz
- 16MP: 40MP f/2.2, 26mm
- 64MP, 2MP, 2MP: 108 MP f/1.8 major, 12 MP f/2.2 ultrawide, 10 MP f/2.4 3x telephoto, 10 MP f/4.9 10x telephoto,
- $282: Starting at $1,199
- LTE, 5G (Sub 6GHz): Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e; Bluetooth 5.2; 5G mmWave and sub6
- 159.9 by 73.2 by 7.5 mm: 163.3 x 77.9 x 8.9 mm, 229 g
- Superb show
- Great construct high quality
- The S Pen is again!
- Large sufficient to be awkward to deal with
- Costs $1,200
- Doesn’t include a charger
Between a brand new, eye-catching design, the brand-new Google Tensor chipset, and the very first digicam improve in years, the $600 Google Pixel 6 appeared virtually too good to be true when it launched. The out-of-box expertise was regular, the devoted AI cores made Google Assistant and voice typing in Gboard near-instantaneous, and the cameras reclaimed Google’s place because the gold normal of Android pictures. The common Pixel 6 lacks the telephoto sensor — that’s restricted to the Google Pixel 6 Pro — however the primary digicam takes extra true-to-life photographs, particularly for individuals of shade who can get whitewashed by conventional smartphone digicam processing. The Pixel 6 was one of many first telephones to ship with Android 12 and the brand new Material You, bringing us dynamically coloured apps, widgets, and system parts. This made Android really feel extra private than ever, and Pixel’s unbeatable software program options like Call Screening and Hold for Me are addicting when you get a style of them. Spam blockers on each different telephone appear quaint after you utilize a Pixel. We talked about earlier that the Pixel 6 appeared too good to be true, and whereas some extreme bugs hit a minority of customers, that delayed a number of updates over the previous few months. Since the March 2022 replace, nonetheless, the Pixel 6 collection appears to have settled and squashed these points. Good factor, too; I can’t stay with Pixel Call Screening and Google’s larger compatibility with third-party launchers.
- 128GB: 128 GB, 256 GB
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 650: Google Tensor
- 6GB: 8 GB
- Android 11: Android 12
- 4,500mAh: 4,614 mAh
- 6.4-inches, 1080p: 6.4″ 1080p OLED, 90Hz
- 16MP: 8 MP f/2.0, 84° FOV
- 64MP, 2MP, 2MP: 50 MP f/1.85, 82° FOV (major); 12 MP f/2.2, 114° FOV (ultrawide)
- $282: Starting at $599
- 159.9 by 73.2 by 7.5 mm: 6.2 x 2.9 x 0.4″, 7.3 oz
- Blue Smoke: Stormy Black, Sorta Seafoam, Kinda Coral
- Fantastic major digicam high quality
- Great efficiency out of Google’s customized Tensor chip
- Android 12 with Material You is a deal with
- Five years of safety updates
- Lacks a telephoto digicam
- Distracting glare in rear digicam photographs in sure circumstances
- Fingerprint sensor is usually gradual
- Updates have been super-wonky
The Galaxy Z Fold3 is essentially the most premium telephone Samsung makes. It’s packed to the gills with cool options: a super-fast Snapdragon 888 paired with 12 gigs of RAM, two 120Hz shows, and S Pen assist to fill that Note-shaped gap in your coronary heart. Oh, and it unfolds right into a 7.6-inch pill. At least two of the AP employees name the Galaxy Z Fold3 “home,” and it’s simple to see why. Although the digicam expertise isn’t as much as the requirements of a Pixel 6 or Galaxy S22 Ultra, and battery life can really feel shorter than smaller telephones, the massive display screen and multitasking instruments make for the best attainable expertise you may get in a smartphone. The additional area makes it a lot simpler to remain organized and juggle a number of duties on the similar time. And if play is extra your fashion over work, the massive display screen provides a a lot better expertise for watching content material or enjoying video games. Early folding telephones had sturdiness issues, however the expertise has matured to a degree that telephones like this don’t should be overtly babied, even when they nonetheless aren’t fairly so hardy as the usual glass and metallic slabs on the remainder of this listing. Competing corporations now provide gadgets that keep away from the Z Fold3’s barely-visible crease, however Samsung’s software program remains to be extra compelling and straightforward to make use of. With all its flashy options and a beginning MSRP of $1,800, it’s just about the definition of extra — however when you’ve received the money and also you’re after the best attainable telephone, this one in all probability matches the invoice.
- 128GB: 256 GB, 512 GB
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 650: Qualcomm Snapdragon 888
- 6GB: 12 GB
- Android 11: Android 11 with One UI
- 4,500mAh: 4,400 mAh dual-cell
- 6.4-inches, 1080p: 6.70-inch OLED @ 2268 x 832, as much as 120Hz, 1,500 nits peak (exterior); 7.6-inch OLED @ 2208 x 1768, as much as 120Hz, 1,200 nits peak (inside)
- 16MP: 10MP f/2.2 (cowl); 4MP f/1.8 (inside)
- 64MP, 2MP, 2MP: 12MP f/1.8 primary w/ OIS, 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (123°), 12MP f/2.4 2x telephoto w/ OIS
- 159.9 by 73.2 by 7.5 mm: 128 x 158 x 6.4mm (unfolded); 67.1 x 158 x 16mm (folded); 271g
- Blue Smoke: Black, inexperienced, silver
- It’s a tiny pocket pill!
- Snapdragon 888 + 12 gigs of RAM = quick telephone
- Great shows, in and out
- Security updates till 2025
- Interior selfie digicam isn’t excellent
- Middling battery life
- Really expensive
Google’s Pixel a-series telephones have all the time been simple to suggest to “normal” individuals, and the Pixel 5a is not any totally different. Performance is strong, cameras are virtually pretty much as good as its premium predecessor the Google Pixel 5, and battery life is excellent. Water resistance has lastly come to the a-series with the 5a, and it nonetheless offers you an excellent old school headphone jack. Not even the Galaxy Z Fold3 has that function! You nonetheless get Google’s imaginative and prescient of Material You with the Android 12 replace, and options like Call Screening, Hold for Me, and the auto-transcribing Pixel Recorder app are all right here and able to be just right for you. With the Pixel 6 sitting simply overhead at $600, the Pixel 5a’s worth proposition feels difficult, however availability is the larger issue. The Pixel 5a solely launched in two international locations — the United States and Japan — and even within the United States, you possibly can solely purchase it at one retailer: the Google Store. Not even carriers are promoting it (moreover Google Fi, as a result of Google), carriers are nonetheless promoting the 18-month-old Pixel 4a 5G.
- 128GB: 128GB
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 650: Snapdragon 765G
- 6GB: 6GB
- Android 11: Android 12
- 4,500mAh: 4,680 mAh
- 6.4-inches, 1080p: 6.34″ 1080p OLED, 60Hz
- 16MP: 8MP f/2 fixed-focus (83° FoV)
- 64MP, 2MP, 2MP: 12.2MP f/1.7 wide-angle (77° FoV) 16MP F/2.2 ultra-wide (177° FoV)
- $282: $449
- 159.9 by 73.2 by 7.5 mm: 156.2 x 73.2 x 8.8mm
- Excellent battery life
- Great cameras for the value
- First Pixel a-series telephone with rated water resistance (IP67)
- Software updates by means of August 2024
- It has a headphone jack
- Way larger than the Pixel 4a
- The Snapdragon 765G is ok now, however we fear it might really feel gradual in a pair years
- Display is just 60Hz and never particularly high-quality
- Very restricted availability
The Galaxy Z Fold3 is likely to be the darling of the foldable world with its tablet-sized inside display screen and S Pen assist, however it’s ridiculously large in each dimension and worth. The extra sensible, transportable, and price-conscious foldable is surely the Galaxy Z Flip3. Essentially a Galaxy S21+ that you would be able to fold in half, the Z Flip3 brings again flip telephones the precise method: with fashion and stability. Sure, the cameras are a bit behind Samsung’s slab-phone flagships, however it nonetheless takes greater than enough photographs for sharing or documenting your life. Battery life additionally suffers a tiny bit from the extra cramped flip telephone kind issue, however that’s why cute, pocket-friendly energy banks exist. Perhaps most significantly, you should purchase the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 as a result of it’s the solely flagship-quality Android telephone that can truly, totally match into your pocket. Ladies, when was the final time you had a telephone that you might put in your entrance pocket and nonetheless sit down with out it coming out and onto the ground? The Z Flip3 can’t solely do that, however it additionally has an unlimited number of intelligent circumstances with straps and/or keyrings to make sure that everytime you’re pulling the telephone out, placing it away, or simply studying on it in line, you received’t ever drop it.
- 128GB: 128 GB, 256 GB
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 650: Snapdragon 888
- 6GB: 8 GB
- Android 11: One UI over Android 11
- 4,500mAh: 3,300 mAh
- 6.4-inches, 1080p: 6.7″ 1080p OLED, 120Hz
- 16MP: 10MP f/2.4
- 64MP, 2MP, 2MP: 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (123°), 12MP f/1.8 primary w/ OIS
- LTE, 5G (Sub 6GHz): 5G (incl. mmWave), LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.1 Supports eSIM and/or Nano-SIM
- 159.9 by 73.2 by 7.5 mm: Unfolded – 72.2 x 166 x 6.9mm Folded – 72.2 x 86.4 x 15.9-17.1mm 183g
- Blue Smoke: Cream, Green, Lavender, Phantom Black, Gray, White, Pink
- Folding novelty at a traditional flagship worth
- Great construct high quality
- Folds hamburger-style to raised slot in your pockets
- Bad battery life
- Cameras can’t compete with the most effective within the enterprise
- Charging speeds prime out at 15 watts
The Pixel 6 Pro has all of the software program swank and design darling of the Pixel 6, plus {hardware} upgrades in three key areas. It has 12 gigs of RAM as an alternative of eight, a bigger 120Hz show as an alternative of 90Hz, and a devoted telephoto digicam, plus just a few smaller enhancements like ever-so-slightly tighter haptics. The bigger dimension makes it tougher to deal with, particularly for these with smaller palms, however the Pixel 6 Pro earns its weight after which some. Like the Pixel 6, the Pixel 6 Pro has seen some nasty bugs within the final six months, however Google appears to have lastly ironed out a lot of the bugs between Android 12 and the Pixel 6 Pro’s distinctive processor. Google Tensor is a model new chipset, and Google’s nonetheless ironing just a few issues out. For the $600 Google Pixel 6, just a few bugs right here and there doesn’t sting almost as a lot as a $900 telephone, typically having issues like Wi-Fi fail when you’re one of many unfortunate ones who will get a bug. As Ryne put it, in comparison with the bottom Pixel 6, the 6 Pro is 50% extra money for 15% extra telephone. Unless you positively want any of the Pro’s additional digicam or that all-important 120Hz display screen, the common Pixel 6 is a greater purchase.
- 128GB: 128, 256, or 512GB; UFS 3.1
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 650: Google Tensor
- 6GB: 12GB
- Android 11: Android
- 4,500mAh: 5003mAh, 30W (USB PD PPS) wired charging, as much as 23W wi-fi charging
- USB-C: USB Type-C
- 6.4-inches, 1080p: 6.7” QHD+ (1440×3120, 19.5:9) LTPO OLED, 120Hz, Gorilla Glass Victus
- 16MP: 11.1MP f/2.2 (94° FoV, mounted focus)
- 64MP, 2MP, 2MP: 50MP f/1.85 major (82° FoV w/OIS), 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide (114° FoV), 48MP f/3.5 telephoto (23.5° FoV w/OIS, 4x optical and as much as 20x “Super Res Zoom”)
- $282: Starts at $900
- LTE, 5G (Sub 6GHz): 5G, Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax), Bluetooth 5.2, NFC, Ultra-Wideband
- Others: Polished aluminum body, IP68, In-display fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C 3.1 Gen 1, Dual-SIM by way of eSIM, reverse wi-fi charging
- 159.9 by 73.2 by 7.5 mm: 163.9 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm, 210 g
- Blue Smoke: Sorta Sunny, Cloudy White, and Stormy Black
- The finest digicam setup on an Android telephone right now, together with an important telephoto shooter
- Even higher efficiency than the Pixel 6 with the identical Tensor CPU and extra RAM
- Google’s software program is addictive, as is Android 12’s Material You
- Five years of safety updates
- A 50 % worth enhance from the traditional Pixel 6 for what many individuals would expertise as a handful of marginal enhancements
- Same gradual fingerprint sensor because the Pixel 6
- Rear cameras additionally vulnerable to glare in sure lighting
- Big bugs since launch, inflicting delay updates
What’s the most effective Android telephone you should buy?
Whether you favor your telephone huge or small, advanced or blessedly streamlined, there is a sensible Android telephone for you. The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is likely one of the strongest telephones Samsung has ever constructed, and past the S Pen assist, the Ultra has considerably higher battery life than its little brothers, the S22 and Galaxy S22+. The Galaxy S22 Ultra’s cameras additionally go toe to toe with the Google Pixel 6 Pro after which some, providing a greater wide-angle digicam and deeper zoom capabilities alongside its smorgasbord of digicam modes and settings.
As highly effective because the S22 Ultra is, although, its productiveness pales compared to the Galaxy Z Fold3, which even a era behind in processing energy provides double the display screen when folded open into pill mode. It has S Pen assist, however it’s not a built-in S Pen just like the Ultra; as an alternative, you should buy bigger S Pens that truly really feel comfy to grip for hours on finish. Samsung does foldables and foldable software program higher than anybody within the enterprise, together with Google, and the enhancements made in Android 12L will assist standardize app behaviors and enhance efficiency much more.
If Samsung’s software program simply is not you — we completely perceive that One UI is an acquired style — the Google Pixel 6 is the primary Pixel to really feel like an honest-to-god flagship. Its eye-catching design and Cylon-esque digicam bar are worlds higher than the ommetaphobia-inducing digicam setup on the Galaxy S22 Ultra, and the Pixel 6’s processing magic saves photographs that the majority telephones find yourself junking as a result of blurs and missed focus.
Of course, if the $600 of the Pixel 6 appears a bit steep, the $450 Pixel 5a is way and away the most effective price range Android telephone you should buy right now. You get all the identical Google Feature Drops and software program perks because the Pixel 6 with out the wonky replace delays or rising pains of Google Tensor. You’ll lose wi-fi charging, certain, however you may hold the water resistance and the 5a truly has a headphone jack, one thing not one of the premium flagships have supplied for years.
FAQ
Q: What are an important issues to search for in an Android telephone?
It’s simple to get overwhelmed by all of the specs and options thrown round in a telephone’s product itemizing or opinions. 100x zoom cameras, ultrasonic fingerprint sensors, S Pen stylus assist, UWB, and the listing goes ever on, however what do you truly want, and what’s simply icing on the proverbial cake? There are 4 key options it is best to take a look at in a brand new telephone — after you resolve in your price range, in fact.
- Camera
- Screen
- Battery
- Software & updates
Why isn’t processor or RAM in right here? In latest years, the facility of smartphone chipsets has roughly leveled out, and even the efficiency hole between mid-range and premium chipsets has shrunk significantly.
In brief, most telephones in the identical worth bracket have the identical degree of efficiency, and within the flagship area, you’re already getting extra reminiscence than you in all probability want, too.
Q: What must you search for in a smartphone’s digicam?
While the digicam won’t be an important function for some patrons, it’s an excellent indicator of general pace, efficiency, and high quality. For instance, if a assessment mentions that the digicam takes too lengthy to open or too lengthy between photographs — similar to on our Samsung Galaxy A53 assessment — when snapping a number of photographs in succession, that’s a touch that the telephone’s long-term efficiency is likely to be extra sluggish than what preliminary opinions point out. Camera pace turns into important in lots of conditions, similar to grabbing an image of a automobile fleeing an accident or capturing your daughter’s first steps. It’s additionally an excellent indicator of how your telephone handles when underneath a heavy load.
Camera options will also be important relying in your use case. If you will have babies or pets, you’ll need a digicam that persistently does properly with shifting topics. The Pixel 6’s Real Tone could attraction to customers who despise their digicam making an attempt to whitewash them in each shot. If you go to concert events each weekend, you may care about zoom video and pictures to get that good shot even whenever you’re twenty rows away.
Q: What issues most in a smartphone display screen?
Most telephones in 2022 include screens within the 6.4 to six.8-inch vary, although facet ratio actually performs a task in how broad/slim/tall/brief a telephone finally ends up feeling in your hand. If you favor extra petite gadgets, be ready for a tough search if you wish to go smaller than the 6.1-inch Samsung Galaxy S22. Foldables just like the Galaxy Z Flip3 provide us a compact kind consider our pockets however a big display screen after we wish to scroll by means of our feed, so it’s a worthwhile compromise.
There are three different display screen options to contemplate: curved screens, excessive refresh charges and most brightness. Curved screens can look pretty, however it’s typically tougher for tempered glass display screen protectors to suit on them — they usually will also be tougher to grip with out unintended touches. Some desire the extra seamless look of curved whereas others just like the flat shows (and the cheaper price they typically include).
Flat or curved, refresh charges at the moment are a function to examine whether or not you’re spending $200 or $1200 on a brand new telephones. The excessive the refresh price on a display screen, the extra easily scrolling and different animations can seem on the display screen. 60Hz is the traditional price, however 90Hz and 120Hz have gotten far more widespread, even amongst mid-range and price range telephones just like the Pixel 5a and Samsung Galaxy A32. The larger the refresh price, the extra time your display screen refreshes its content material in a minute, however it could additionally use extra battery.
Another function that you simply won’t discover in spec sheets is the display screen’s most brightness, however it’s necessary for anybody who spends a lot of their time outside. If a display screen doesn’t get very vivid, it’ll be exhausting to learn exterior, however high-brightness modes are additionally useful when watching HDR content material as you’ll get a wider dynamic vary and be capable of make out particulars higher. You don’t essentially want a display screen that may attain 1,500 nits just like the S22 Ultra, however 800 nits is a pleasant aim if you want to reliably, often use your telephone exterior in full solar.
Q: Why it is best to take a look at opinions, not spec sheets, for battery particulars
The brighter your display screen, the extra energy it consumes. However, battery is greater than only a quantity on a spec sheet; make sure you learn the opinions and see how that battery fares in precise use in opinions. While an excellent energy financial institution or a quick telephone charger can considerably offset a smaller battery, nothing can substitute getting a telephone with a correct battery life from the beginning.
Smaller telephones are extra vulnerable to weaker battery life — smaller housings imply much less room for battery, in spite of everything — however bigger telephones aren’t resistant to poor optimizations or power-hungry chipsets guzzling energy like low cost beer at a baseball recreation. While typically software program optimizations can mitigate a few of that energy drain, it received’t repair all of it, which is why it’s finest to keep away from it when you can.
If you need phenomenal battery for much less, look to the Pixel 5a.
Q: Why is software program such a subjective class? And which updates matter?
Google’s completed its finest to try to standardize Android as a lot as it could, however Samsung One UI, OnePlus OxygenOS, Google Pixel, and most Android producers have distinctly totally different visible designs and have units. Because visible design actually comes right down to desire, opinions of Android software program can fluctuate fairly a bit from individual to individual.
For occasion, some customers can’t stand how One UI behaves in direction of most third-party launchers or how over-stuffed Samsung’s apps and options are, flocking as an alternative to the Pixel 6, its cleaner design, and computerized name screening (which is a US-only function for now). However, Samsung is the most well-liked Android telephone producer, and tens of thousands and thousands of customers like how One UI lays out your apps, widgets, and a few system settings which might be much more superior than Google.
If you want how your Android telephone seems to be now, you’ll doubtless wish to keep on with that model. If you’ve been as aggravated with One UI as I’ve, that is the time to attempt one thing new, particularly contemplating the most effective Android telephones obtain updates for longer than ever earlier than.
When a telephone’s promised updates, it’s necessary to recollect just a few issues. Platform updates are updates to the options and Android degree of your telephone; the Pixel 6 collection will get not less than three years of platform updates whereas the Galaxy S22 collection will obtain for 5 years after its launch.
Security updates are updates that patch vulnerabilities and repair bugs, and these are arguably the extra necessary updates to contemplate. A 3-year-old telephone getting the most recent model of Android may bathroom it down, however safety updates shouldn’t change how something seems to be or performs in your telephone. All telephones in our greatest Android telephones lineup will obtain 5 years of safety updates.
Q: How a lot RAM and storage does a telephone really want in 2022?
Random Access Memory (RAM) is short-term storage, it shops the info of no matter you are doing in your telephone proper now — each on-screen duties and background duties like checking for notifications and discovering Wi-Fi networks to hook up with. When your RAM fills up, apps and processes operating within the background are ended because the telephone clears the mandatory area for brand new duties.
Most flagship telephones nowadays ship with 8-12GB of RAM, however for many customers, 6-8GB is simply fantastic as long as you are not always gaming. If you are price range Android telephones, 4GB of RAM is okay however 6GB is healthier. Some sub-$200 telephones are nonetheless promoting with 2GB of RAM, however that can severely restrict your expertise.
How a lot long-term storage you want grows extra necessary among the many finest Android telephones as fewer and fewer premium telephones embody a microSD card slot for expandable storage. Manufacturers have completed this within the identify of saving area and offering a extra secure expertise — they usually’re not mistaken, microSD storage is all the time slower than inside, and a corrupted/damaged card can screw up your telephone — however it additionally offers them the prospect to upsell you on a costlier configuration of their telephones.
For on a regular basis customers, 64GB of storage works adequately, however 128GB is healthier, particularly when supplied at an inexpensive upcharge, those that desire to maintain as a lot of their information native and offline as attainable will desire 256-512GB. The greatest storage hogs on a telephone are usually movies, music, and photographs, and for photographs, not less than, you possibly can hold native area free by using an computerized photograph backup service like Google Photos, Amazon Photos, or Microsoft OneDrive.
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