There's always a lot of choice among the best Android phones. But we guarantee the devices on this list are all winners; it just depends on your preferences and budget.
We think the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra stands head-and-shoulders above other Android phones thanks to its AI powered features, excellent cameras, and best-in-case performance. But if the S24 Ultra's $1,299 starting price is too much for you, perhaps you'll prefer more affordable phones like the OnePlus 12R and Google Pixel 8a.
Speaking of Google, it may have something to say about which devices are the best choice for Android users. The Pixel 9 lineup has just debuted complete with upgrades and more helpful AI features, and while we need to spend more time with each phone before we come to a final verdict, you can find our first impressions below:
Check back to see how those models compare to the best Android phones from Samsung, OnePlus and others, particularly when it comes to AI features and mobile photography. In the meantime, these are the Android phones we recommend based on our extensive testing.
The Quick List
Best Android phone overall
The Galaxy S24 Ultra offers the longest-lasting battery we’ve ever tested on a flagship, performance that rivals the iPhone and excellent cameras. Impressive Galaxy AI capabilities round out the improvements to this premium Android device.
Best value phone
It may be on the budget side, but the Google Pixel 8a proves it's capable of capturing outstanding photos and video with its cameras. And like the rest of the Pixel 8 family, a Tensor G3 chip powers some impressive AI features, particularly on a sub-$500 phone.
Fast-charging phone
The OnePlus 12 can match any Android phone's performance with its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. What's more, OnePlus’ fast charging technology continues to impress. And the cameras can now compete against Galaxy and Pixel flagships.
Budget phone runner-up
OnePlus' never settle philosophy is on full display with the OnePlus 12R, proving you can get premium features in a phone under $500 with minimal compromises. What's even more astounding is the long-lasting battery life, as the 12R even outlasts the more premium OnePlus 12.
Best affordable Galaxy flagship
Driven by its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, the Samsung Galaxy S24 is one of the fastest phones we've benchmarked for graphics processing. Even though it costs much less than the S24 Ultra, this compact device supports the same Galaxy AI features.
Best foldable Android
With the biggest screen of any notebook-style foldable — and a lower price — the OnePlus Open tops other well-regarded devices from Samsung and Google. It's a better option than the more expensive Galaxy Z Fold 6. You'll appreciate the Open's multitasking features, too.
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Best flip-phone foldable
The Motorola Razr Plus (2024) features an even larger cover display than its predecessor, a brighter interior screen and a new camera setup that includes a dedicated telephoto lens. But you're also paying the same $999 starting price for this phone that the 2023 edition cost.
Best small Android phone
It's true — big things can come in small packages. The Asus Zenfone 10's compact size and excellent processing performance makes it hard to overlook if you want a phone that fits easily in your hand.
Best Android phone under $200
You make some compromises for a phone this cheap. But battery life and appearance aren't among those, as the latest Moto G 5G lasts a long time on a charge and features a stylish vegan leather exterior.
Best Android phone overall
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra doesn’t make major hardware changes from past Samsung flagships, instead putting most of its focus on new AI-powered features. These Galaxy AI capabilities are both practical and easy to use, allowing you to do things like get real-time translations on phone calls where someone speaks another language; automatically summarize and organize your notes; and search for things just by circling them.
The hardware changes may be modest, but they’re welcome — the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset powering the phone delivers performance that actually beats the iPhone 15 Pro Max on some speed tests. (That’s the first time we’ve seen that happen.) Power management features on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 also contribute to the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s epic battery life, with the phone last nearly 17 hours on one charge in our testing.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra swaps out one of its telephoto lenses for a higher resolution sensor with less of an optical zoom, and that feels like a step back — so much so that we feel like it loses out the best camera phone title to Apple's iPhone 15 Pro Max. Still, the cameras continue to produce excellent photos overall. Nevertheless, we tested its camera performance out in our Galaxy S24 Ultra vs. iPhone 15 Pro Max, S24 Ultra vs. OnePlus 12, and S24 Ultra vs. Pixel 8 Pro photo shootouts.
The bigger consideration is the $100 price hike Samsung instituted. Not everyone is going to be able to afford a $1,299 smartphone, but those that pay up for the Galaxy S24 Ultra will get a premium device in return. With seven years of software and security support provided by Samsung, this is a device clearly built to last a long time.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra review.
Best Android phone value
The Google Pixel 8a is a great device to get if you're on a limited budget. For just $499 (the same price as its predecessor), you can get a phone that still packs in some premium features like a 120Hz display, wireless charging support and the same Tensor G3 processor found in the Pixel 8 flagships. In many ways, it's impossible to tell the budget Pixel 8a from the more premium Pixel 8. What's amazing is that the Pixel 8a is also treated to the same seven years of support just like with the Pixel 8.
Even though there's not a major camera upgrade, which still uses a 64MP main shooter and a 13MP ultrawide lens, it holds up nicely in our 200 photo shootout with the Pixel 8a and Pixel 8. The AI features of the Pixel 8a carry a lot more of the weight because they're helpful. For example, it gains the same Magic Editor and Best Take features from the Pixel 8. We also like that the battery life on the Pixel 8a is much improved over its predecessor, albeit with the fast-refreshing display feature disabled.
Read our full Google Pixel 8a review.
Fast-charging Android phone
It’s time to start including OnePlus in the same breath as Samsung and Google when talking about top Android phone makers, and the OnePlus 12 is a good example why. This phone has everything its rivals offer — a top performing processor, a distinct design and top-performing cameras. That last bit comes after years of improvements and a team-up with lens specialist Hasselblad to improve hat had been the weakest area of OnePlus flagships. With the OnePlus 12, cameras are now a strength evident in our 200 photo shootout between the OnePlus 12 and Galaxy S24 Ultra.
It’s power management where the OnePlus 12 continues to excel. Our battery tests are ongoing, but we expect impressive numbers thanks to the efficient Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and a massive 5,400 mAh battery that reaches an outstanding 17+ hours in our testing. The OnePlus 12 continues to benefit from fast-charging technology, with support for 80W wired charging in the U.S. (It’s even faster elsewhere.) Wireless charging support returns to this model — a sign OnePlus listens to customer feedback.
The OnePlus 12 is more expensive than its predecessor by $100, but you can eliminate that extra cost through a trade-in program at OnePlus. With those savings, the OnePlus joins the Pixel 8 as an attractively priced flagship — and OnePlus offers a telephoto lens on its entry-level flagship. We just wish OnePlus could match the seven years of support Samsung and Google offer with their flagships, as the OnePlus 12 comes with a more limited four years of support.
Read our full OnePlus 12 review.
Best budget Android phone alternative
You don't have to pay flagship prices to get a top Android phone. For $499, the OnePlus 12R reaches new heights where no other sub-$500 priced Android has gone with its epic battery life. Paired with a bright display and cameras that are the surprisingly decent in a budget phone, the OnePlus 12R is every bit worth of being one of the best Android phones on a budget.
The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 inside the OnePlus 12R isn't exactly a powerhouse, but it can handle most mobile apps with aplomb. You'll also appreciate the colorful 6.78-inch panel on the OnePlus 12R and its ability to ramp up its refresh rate to 120Hz when on-screen activity would benefit from smoother scrolling. That's an awful lot of impressive features for a phone that won't put too big of a dent in your wallet. The only minor scratch in its otherwise pristine value is the rather short 3 years of software and security updates that OnePlus promises with the phone.
What's most astounding is its battery life. With a time of 18 hours and 42 minutes, it's the runner-up in our best phone battery life list.
Read our full OnePlus 12R review.
Most affordable Samsung flagship
Despite being overshadowed by its bigger, more expensive siblings, the best things about the Galaxy S24 is that it packs a lot of muscle power in such a compact design.
Specifically, the Galaxy S24 runs on the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset that powers more expensive S24 models. That not only means a performance boost over previous Galaxy S phones, it also helps the S24 turn in a time on our battery test that tops the average smartphone.
The Galaxy S24 offers a telephoto lens — not something you always find on a phone at this price. And all the cameras on the Galaxy S24 impress, as they benefit from Samsung's effort to improve low-light photography. However, the biggest incentive to get the S24 over other phones is its handful of Galaxy AI features. Some of them are practical and intuitive to use, saving you time to do other stuff. Aside from that, the Galaxy S24 delivers the best of Samsung's flagship lineup in a more affordable package.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S24 review.
Best foldable
Competition is heating up in the world of foldable phones, but the OnePlus Open emerges from the crowd by going big. Its cover display and interior screen are the largest out there for notebook-style foldables, and it boasts the best battery life of any foldable, too. Even the built-in storage — 512GB — is more than you may be used to. Cameras are the weakest part of the phone, especially when stacked up against the superior camera output produced by the Galaxy Z Fold 5. While the more recent Galaxy Z Fold 6 narrows the gap, we still would recommend the OnePlus Open over Samsung's foldable.
About the only thing OnePlus didn't supersize is the price of the Open. AT $1,699, it's $200 less than the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and $100 cheaper than the Pixel Fold. Maybe that's not a big difference, but it gives the OnePlus Open an edge that its impressive specs and feature set take advantage of. Four years of software support plus another year of security updates should help your OnePlus Open stay current.
In the camera department, it impresses with its improved performance in our 200 photo shootout between the OnePlus Open and Galaxy Z Fold 6. Additionally, a variant of the phone, the Apex Edition, offers a more sophisticated vegan leather casing with more storage and RAM.
Read our full OnePlus Open review.
Best flip-phone foldable
The best thing about the 2024 edition of the Motorola Razr Plus is something that didn't change from last year — the price. The Motorola Razr Plus (2024) still costs $999 at a time when the rival Galaxy Z Flip 6 raised its price to $1,099. That just might give Motorola the edge when comparing these two very similar folding flip phones.
But the Razr Plus has other things going for it, too, including upgraded rear cameras. Not everyone will like exchanging an ultrawide lens for a dedicated telephoto lens, but it will mean sharper zooms for the Razr Plus (2024).
A bigger cover display adds more functionality to that outer screen, and the main 6.9-inch display is twice as bright as its predecessor. Battery life continues to impress, as the new Razr is one of the longest-lasting foldables we've tested. We're also impressed by the camera performance when we took over 200 photos against the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6.
Read our full Motorola Razr Plus (2024) review.
Best small Android phone
Asus is one of the only Android phone makers still producing phones under 6 inches in size, and the Zenfone 10 is the latest and greatest. While a fair bit smaller than equivalently priced phones, it's got a fantastic battery life and equivalent power thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. We really like what Asus did with the software too, which takes Android and gives you faster access to important settings and apps.
The problems you'll need to face if you buy a Zenfone 10 are that it's only going to get two years of Android updates, giving it a potentially shorter life than other flagship Android phones. We also wish it had a telephoto camera, but considering what you already get, and how well-priced it all is, we still think the Zenfone 10 is excellent as-is.
Read our full Asus Zenfone 10 review.
Best Android phone under $200
More often than not, you get what you pay for when you go super-cheap on smartphones, but occasionally, bargain devices can surprise you. The Moto G 5G (2024) packs in enough pleasant surprises to make up for the inevitable compromises you do have to make to get the price tag under $200.
The screen can be a little dim, and the Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 chipset is not going to set any speed records. But for the most part, the Moto G 5G is a solid phone, with some flair like a vegan leather cover that's pleasing to the eye and to your hand. We also like the super long battery life we recorded when running the Moto G 5G through our testing. It'd be nice if Motorola extended support for its budget devices beyond a year of software updates, but you can't have everything for $199.
Read our full Moto G 5G (2024) review.
How to choose the best Android phone for you
The first place to start when shopping for the best Android phone for you is your budget. And there are essentially a few tiers. The cheapest Android phones cost under $200 and offer mostly the basics for using apps, taking pictures and staying connected. We chart the best cheap phones under $300, though honestly, you'll make a lot of compromises to get a phone priced that low.
As you move up to under $450, you'll find more compelling handsets, touting better processors, higher-grade materials and more camera lenses. Right now, the best value phones on our list are the Pixel 8a and OnePlus 12R. Our main guide to the best cheap phones for less than $500 goes into greater depth on these devices.
Jump into the $700-and-up range, and the best phones offer flagship-caliber performance along with cutting-edge computational photography and special features. You'll start to see features like telephoto lenses appear at this level of phone.
The most premium Android phones offer foldable designs and big price tags. The Motorola Razr+ joins the Galaxy Z Flip 5 on the cheap end of foldable phones with a $999 starting price. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Pixel Fold sport identical $,1799 prices as the battle for the best foldable phones heats up.
What you look for in the best Android phone also depends on what you plan to use your handset for. To that end:
- For mobile gaming: Make sure you're getting a phone with a top-performing processor. As of this writing, that would be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, though any recent Snapdragon 8 series system-on-chip would do the trick. Good gaming phones also have lots of RAM — at least 8GB — and a display that ramps up the refresh rate to at least 120Hz for smoother graphics. A phone with a long battery life won't conk out when you're gaming, either.
- For mobile productivity: As with gaming, a fast processor is helpful, and you'll want a phone with lots of storage capacity. Bigger screens are usually more helpful for performing tasks on the go, which is why foldable phones and their extended screens are of interest here. Foldable phones also have unique multitasking features that let you run multiple apps at once.
- For mobile photograhy: Nearly every phone will offer a main camera plus an ultrawide shooter, but more expensive models tend to include telephoto lenses. Just as an important as the camera hardware is the software — check out what kind of computational photography features a phone might have. (Google's Pixels excel in this area.)
How we test the best Android phones
The same method we use to test the best phones applies to the dozen or so Android phones we evaluate each year. Every smartphone Tom’s Guide evaluates is tested for several days in real-world use cases and benchmarked with a gamut of performance-measuring apps. In terms of performance, we used Geekbench 5 to measure overall speed and 3DMark Wild Life to measure graphics performance.
We also use our own video editing test in the Adobe Premiere Rush app to see how long it takes to transcode a clip, which we run on both Android phones and iPhone to compare performance. (This test is not always available for all phones we test due to app compatibility issues.)
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Geekbench 5 (single-core / multicore) | 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited (FPS) |
| Galaxy S24 Ultra | 2300 / 7249 | 123.5 |
| Pixel 8a | 1581 / 4093 | 53.7 |
| OnePlus 12 | 943/4859 | 117.2 |
| OnePlus 12R | 1553/5135 | 84.4 |
| Galaxy S24 | 2235 / 6922 | 120.4 |
| OnePlus Open | 1087 / 4203 | 84.8 |
| Motorola Razr Plus | 1834 / 4848 | 73.7 |
| Zenfone 10 | 1451 / 5027 | 84.4 |
| Moto G 5G (2024) | 841 / 1791 | 6.2 |
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.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | sRGB (%) | DCI-P3 (%) | Delta-E |
| Galaxy S24 Ultra | 139 (Vivid) / 119 (Natural) | 98.5 (Vivid) / 84.9 (Natural) | 0.25 (Vivid) / 0.23 (Natural) |
| Pixel 8a | 126.5 (Adaptive), 108.9 (Natural | 89.6 (Adaptive), 77.2 (Natural) | 0.24 (Adaptive), 0.29 (Natural) |
| OnePlus 12 | 111.3 (Natural) | 78.9 (Natural) | 0.20 (Natural) |
| OnePlus 12R | 113.2 (Natural) / 160.7 (Vivid) | 80.2 (Natural) / 113.8 (Vivid) | 0.21 (Natural) / 0.39 (Vivid) |
| Galaxy S24 | 137.5 (Vivid) / 120.8 (Natural) | 97.4 (Vivid) / 85.5 (Natural) | 0.22 (Vivid) / 0.24 (Natural) |
| OnePlus Open | 111.8 (Natural) / 169.7 (Vivid) | 79.2 (Natural) / 120.2 (Vivid) | 0.14 (Natural) / 0.29 (Vivid) |
| Motorola Razr Plus (2024) | 98.1% (Natural) | 69.5% (Natural) | 0.23 (Natural) |
| Zenfone 10 | 148.8 (Optimal) / 175.4 (Natural) | 105.4 (Optimal) / 124.2 (Natural) | 0.35 (Optimal / 0.39 (Natural) |
| Moto G 5G (2024) | 103.2 (Saturated), 108.5 (Natural) | 73.1 (Saturated), 76.8 (Natural) | 0.23 (Saturated),0.23 (Natural) |
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 if the phone doesn't have 5G support) at 150 nits of screen brightness until the battery gives out. In general, a phone that lasts 10 hours or more is good, and anything above 11 hours makes our list of the best phone battery life.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Battery life (Hrs:Mins) |
| Galaxy S24 Ultra | 16:45 (adaptive) |
| Pixel 8a | 11:21 |
| OnePlus 12 | 17:41 |
| OnePlus 12R | 18:42 |
| Galaxy S24 | 13:28 |
| OnePlus Open | 11:45 |
| Motorola Razr Plus (2024) | 14:13 |
| Zenfone 10 | 12:34 (Auto) |
| Moto G 5G (2024) | 14:36 |
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.
