The Android ecosystem is all about alternative. Whereas iPhone homeowners have a smaller pool of latest gadgets to select from when it’s time to improve, there’s a wider vary of decisions on Android. Some Android telephones even fold in half! Think about.
On the flip facet, all that alternative could make for some arduous choices. Right here’s the place I’d like to assist; I’ve examined an entire boatload of latest Android telephones, and I believe there are some actual winners within the present batch. It’s all a matter of what you’re on the lookout for, what you’re comfy spending, and what your definition of a “moderately sized telephone” is. (I’ve my very own, personally.)
As you sift via the choices, you’ll virtually definitely come throughout tech’s favourite buzzphrase of the second: AI. Usually talking, AI has but to essentially impress me on a telephone. The Pixel 9 collection has some probably helpful options, like a Screenshots app that makes use of AI to tag related information in metadata, and Galaxy gadgets can translate a telephone name for you in actual time. This stuff are nothing to sneeze at! However none of it feels just like the platform shift that the large tech firms preserve promising. Greatest to not put an excessive amount of inventory in any firm’s AI claims simply but.
What I’m on the lookout for
There’s no shortcut to correctly testing a telephone; I put my private SIM card (bodily or in any other case) in every telephone I evaluation and dwell with it for at least one full week. I arrange every telephone from scratch, load it up with my apps, and go about residing my life — stress testing the battery, utilizing GPS navigation on my bike whereas streaming radio, taking rapid-fire portrait mode photographs of my child — the whole lot I can throw at it. Beginning over with a brand new telephone each week both feels like a dream or your private hell, relying on how Into Telephones you’re. For me, switching has change into so routine that it’s largely painless.
An awesome Android telephone will go the gap. I search for indicators that the {hardware} and software program will sustain for a few years to come back, together with a robust IP score for mud and water resistance (IP68 is most popular), sturdy glass panels on the back and front, and a sturdy aluminum body relatively than plastic. Samsung and Google flagships now supply seven years of OS and safety updates, which as superior. As a naked minimal three years of Android OS model upgrades is most popular, together with a complete of 4 or 5 years of safety updates.
The perfect Android telephones have loads of decision to cowl their giant show space, which implies 1440p, ideally. A quick refresh fee of at the least 120Hz is most popular — animations and scrolling look tremendous clean at that fee — and even higher if it’s variable all the way down to 1Hz to save lots of on battery life.
Any telephone can take a good photograph in good lighting, however the perfect telephone cameras can deal with low gentle and high-contrast scenes nicely, too. I search for optical (commonest) or sensor-shift (uncommon) picture stabilization, which helps compensate for hand shake and allow slower shutter speeds in low gentle to assemble extra gentle. A telephoto lens is nice to have too, although high-res sensors are beginning to supply higher lossless crop modes that mimic brief zoom lenses nicely.
Most telephones on this record supply wi-fi charging, although not all do. Lack of wi-fi charging isn’t a whole deal-breaker, however it’s changing into a vital function for lots of people because it’s handy for charging many alternative sorts of gadgets.
In case you dwell within the US, I’ve some unhealthy information concerning the Android market, although. For classy causes having to do with “capitalism” and “geopolitics,” we don’t get almost as most of the choices as you’ll discover in Asia and Europe — manufacturers like Huawei, Xiaomi, Honor, and Oppo simply aren’t obtainable right here. I’ve restricted this information to the gadgets I’ve personally examined in depth; thus, it’s a pretty US-centric set of suggestions.
With that in thoughts, it’s additionally value acknowledging that most individuals within the US get their telephones “totally free” from their wi-fi provider. In case you can handle it, shopping for a telephone unlocked offers you essentially the most flexibility and freedom if you find yourself wanting to alter carriers within the close to future. Cellphone producers additionally supply financing and trade-in offers to make fee extra manageable. However if you happen to’re joyful along with your provider and the free telephone on supply is the one you actually need, by all means, take the free telephone. Simply be sure you perceive the phrases, particularly if it’s essential to change plans to money in on the deal.
Nonetheless you go about it, you’ve some incredible choices to your subsequent Android telephone.
The perfect Android telephone general
$599
The Good
- Up to date design feels safer in hand
- Quick fingerprint sensor
- Seven years of software program and OS updates
The Dangerous
- No telephoto digicam
- AI options are inconsistent
- What is a photograph?
Display screen: 6.3-inch 1080p 120Hz OLED / Processor: Tensor G4 / Cameras: 50-megapixel f/1.7 foremost with OIS, 48-megapixel ultrawide, 10.5-megapixel selfie / Battery: 4,700mAh / Charging: 27W wired, 15W wi-fi (with Pixel Stand 2) / Climate resistance: IP68
Google’s {hardware} is healthier than ever, and the entire Pixel 9 lineup feels simply as polished as something you’d get from Samsung or Apple. However at $799 (and infrequently lower than that), the essential Pixel 9 is in a very interesting place, and if you happen to don’t want a telephoto digicam or the largest display screen, then that is the Android telephone to get.
The Pixel 9 comes with some vital quality-of-life enhancements like a quicker fingerprint scanner for unlocking the telephone. The digicam is as dependable as ever, and if you happen to’re into AI photograph enhancing methods, boy does this telephone have ‘em. There’s a brand new Screenshots app that acts as a spot to retailer the entire info that may in any other case be misplaced at sea in your digicam roll, and it makes use of AI to parse info out and make it searchable. Kinda useful.
Even with out AI, this is a wonderful telephone. It’s additionally designed to go the gap, with seven years of promised OS updates, which very seemingly means you’ll outgrow the telephone earlier than Google stops supporting it. Its potential for long-term worth and the standard of the {hardware} make it a simple suggestion for anybody who simply needs a pleasant Android telephone that works.
Learn my full Google Pixel 9 evaluation.
The perfect maximalist telephone
$1000
The Good
- Wonderful display screen
- Improved ultrawide digicam
- Rounded corners are comfier
The Dangerous
- Costly
- Cumbersome
- AI is (nonetheless) hit and miss
Display screen: 6.9-inch 1440p 120Hz OLED / Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite / Cameras: 200-megapixel foremost with OIS, 50-megapixel 5x telephoto with OIS, 10-megapixel 3x telephoto with OIS, 50-megapixel ultrawide, 12-megapixel selfie / Battery: 5,000mAh / Charging: 45W wired, 15W wi-fi (Qi2 Prepared) / Climate resistance: IP68
There’s nonetheless no telephone fairly just like the Extremely. The Galaxy S25 Extremely is Samsung’s newest reply to the query, “What in case your telephone had the entire options?” It’s outfitted with two telephoto cameras, a built-in stylus, and a giant, vivid display screen. Good luck discovering that mixture in one other telephone. Associated: this is without doubt one of the most costly slab-style telephones you should purchase.
The latest version of the Extremely comes with rounded corners and flat edges, making it extra comfy in your hand. However if you happen to’re on the lookout for vital year-over-year enhancements to the Extremely components outdoors of that, nicely, you received’t discover a lot. Samsung’s focus has been on software program options, which is to say AI options. However AI on Galaxy telephones stays a blended bag — it’s definitely not the paradigm shift Samsung needs us to assume the S25 collection represents.
Picture: Allison Johnson / The Verge
All of that places the Extremely in a spot of barely much less distinction than earlier variations. The largest updates are software program options obtainable to the remainder of the S25 collection. The Extremely appears and feels extra like different Galaxy telephones this time round, too. Greater than ever, it’s arduous to know what Samsung means when it calls this telephone “Extremely.” Nonetheless, it’s your most suitable option for a feature-packed Android telephone — even when it’s not fairly as extremely because it as soon as was.
Learn my full Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely evaluation.
The perfect Android telephone that isn’t big
$625
The Good
- The final moderately sized Android telephone
- Seven years of OS upgrades
- Excellent digicam
The Dangerous
- Samsung software program is as cluttered as ordinary
- AI remains to be a blended bag
Display screen: 6.2-inch 2340 x 1080 120hz OLED / Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Cameras: 50-megapixel foremost with OIS, 12-megapixel ultrawide, 10-megapixel 3x telephoto with OIS, 12-megapixel selfie Battery: 4000mAh / Charging: 25W wired, 15W wi-fi (Qi2 Prepared) / Climate-resistance score: IP68
Most individuals like a giant telephone, and I get that. I do. If you need a giant Android telephone, you’ve loads of choices in entrance of you. However a few of us like a smaller telephone — one thing that (sort of) matches in your pocket, or feels extra comfy in your hand. For us, there’s however one possibility on Android: the Samsung Galaxy S25.
That’s the common S25, not the Plus, which is a fantastic huge telephone. However the usual S25 is mainly the final of its sort: a full-featured telephone with a 6.2-inch display screen. It’s not small, however it’s not big, and we’ll need to take what we will get. And it’s a darn good telephone that retains up with the larger gadgets in all of the necessary methods: the battery goes all day, it comes with loads of RAM, and it even has an actual telephoto lens — not one thing you get on a fundamental, 6.1-inch telephone on, say, iOS.
Picture: Allison Johnson / The Verge
The Galaxy S25 isn’t only a good, small-ish telephone by default. It’s dependable, sturdy, and comes with the promise of seven years of OS updates. It’s not my decide for the general greatest Android telephone as a result of Samsung software program generally is a bit a lot, however if you happen to’re comfy within the Samsung ecosystem and also you simply need a telephone that matches in your dang pocket, then that is the one to go along with.
The perfect telephone if you happen to hate ready to your telephone to cost
$850
The Good
- Wonderful battery life
- Six years of safety updates
- Robust IP score for mud and water resistance
The Dangerous
- Large telephone is huge
- Not as many OS updates as Google and Samsung supply
Display screen: 6.82-inch 1440p 120Hz LTPO OLED / Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite / Cameras: 50-megapixel f/1.6 foremost with OIS, 50-megapixel 3x telephoto with OIS, 50-megapixel f/2.0 ultrawide, 32-megapixel selfie / Battery: 6,000mAh / Charging: 80W wired, 50W wi-fi / Climate-resistance score: IP68 and IP69
There are many good causes to think about the OnePlus 13. It has a giant, stunning display screen, and prices 100 bucks lower than the Galaxy S25 Plus. Its mud and water resistance is so sturdy you might virtually use the telephone in a hurricane with out penalties. And its digicam system is way improved 12 months over 12 months, notably on the subject of low-light portraiture. However there’s one standout cause to think about the 13: impatience.
The OnePlus 13 gives sufficient battery stamina to get via two days of average use on a single cost — and that’s with loads of power-draining options enabled, together with the always-on show. In case you’re thriftier along with your cost, it might even transcend that. Forgot to cost in a single day? No huge deal; you possibly can most likely simply cost it up on evening two. Charging can also be comparatively quick, and within the US, the telephone comes with an 80W wired charger within the field. So even if you happen to do want a noon top-off, you’ll have the ability to get hours of cost in a matter of minutes. No different flagship telephone gives that sort of charging (or not charging) flexibility.
Learn my full OnePlus 13 evaluation.
$1499
The Good
- Wonderful outer display screen format
- Internal display screen is gorgeous to make use of
- Seven years of OS updates
The Dangerous
- Costly
- Important digicam isn’t nearly as good as slab telephones
- Lengthy-term sturdiness?
Display screen: 8.0-inch 2076p 120Hz OLED inside display screen, 6.3-inch 1080p 120Hz OLED cowl display screen / Processor: Tensor G4 / Cameras: 48-megapixel f/1.7 foremost with OIS, 10.8-megapixel 5x telephoto with OIS, 10.5-megapixel ultrawide, 10-megapixel selfie (cowl display screen), 10-megapixel inside selfie digicam / Battery: 4,650mAh / Charging: 21W wired, 7.5W wi-fi / Climate resistance: IPX8
Does anybody actually want a folding telephone? Most likely not. However utilizing one is terribly good, and the Pixel 9 Professional Fold is the nicest book-style foldable I’ve used up to now. It’s dear, it’s nonetheless bulkier than a slab-style telephone, and its cameras aren’t fairly as good as the opposite Pixel 9 Professional telephones. However it’s a pleasure to make use of, each as a daily telephone with the quilt display screen and once you unfold the large inside display screen.
The 9 Professional Fold is Google’s second folding telephone, following up the passport-shaped Pixel Fold with a format that feels far more acquainted. The outer display screen measures 6.3 inches on the diagonal, however extra importantly, the ratio is identical as Google’s slab telephones. By comparability, Samsung’s Z Fold 6 makes use of a taller, narrower format that feels cramped. Having used them each, I a lot favor the 9 Professional Fold’s method.
That mentioned, the 9 Professional Fold isn’t with out compromises. The digicam system isn’t fairly nearly as good as what you get within the different 9 Professional telephones. The outer display screen isn’t as sharp or vivid because the Pixel 9 Professional’s, both. And it’s not as sturdy as its slab-style counterparts — there’s no mud resistance, and you’ll’t get it repaired simply anyplace. For $1,800, that’s an terrible lot to swallow. For the adventurous early adopter, although, the 9 Professional Fold shall be very rewarding.
Learn my full Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold evaluation.
Different Android telephones value contemplating
There are a lot of extra nice Android gadgets that weren’t lined right here, and some are value calling out that didn’t fairly make the minimize for a suggestion.
- First off, there’s the Galaxy Z Flip 6, Samsung’s glorious clamshell-style foldable. It’s not as a lot enjoyable to make use of because the 2025 Razr Extremely — which facilitates utilizing apps on the quilt display screen extra simply — however Motorola’s monitor document for software program updates isn’t nice, so the Z Flip 6 is a safer wager for a flip telephone. Learn our evaluation.
- The OnePlus Open can also be one other good book-style foldable possibility. It’s skinny and lightweight, and the software program contains some considerate approaches to multitasking — a vital a part of the folding telephone expertise. However it received’t be supported with software program updates for so long as the Pixel 9 Professional Fold or the Galaxy Z Fold 6. Learn our evaluation.
- Talking of OnePlus, the corporate additionally not too long ago launched the OnePlus 13R, a midrange telephone with a giant 6.78-inch OLED show and sufficient battery life to hold you thru two full days on a single cost. That mentioned, the $599 handset lacks wi-fi charging and full water resistance, each of which may be discovered on different budget-friendly telephones for much less. Learn our evaluation.
- We’re at the moment within the midst of testing Samsung’s new Galaxy S25 Edge, which primarily serves as a sleeker S25 Plus that trades battery life and a telephoto lens for sheer compactness. It’s nonetheless bought a 6.7-inch OLED show and a Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset, however provided that it’s 1.5 millimeters thinner and about an oz lighter than the Plus, it’s extra comfy to tote round. Learn our hands-on impressions.
- Final however not least, there’s the Google Pixel 9A. It comes with some small however necessary updates over the 8A, together with extra strong water resistance and a barely larger, brighter display screen. Higher but, these enhancements don’t include a value bump. With seven years of OS updates included, that’s a robust ROI. Learn our evaluation.
- Google’s Pixel 10 collection — which is able to seemingly embody a daily Pixel 10, a Professional, a Professional XL, and a Professional Fold — will reportedly launch at a Made by Google occasion on August thirteenth. Google’s next-gen flagships have been closely leaked at this level, and the bottom mannequin is anticipated to affix the Professional choices with three cameras (together with a telephoto lens). The Professional fashions, in the meantime, will distinguish themselves with an upgraded Tensor G5 chipset and extra superior AI options whereas retaining a near-identical design.
Replace, June fifth: Up to date pricing / availability and added a point out of Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge.
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