The very best Android telephones to purchase in 2024

The Android ecosystem is all about alternative. Whereas iPhone house owners have a smaller pool of latest gadgets to choose from when it’s time to improve, there’s a a lot wider vary of decisions on Android. You need unimaginable digicam zoom? A built-in stylus? A cellphone that runs an entire desktop atmosphere if you plug it right into a monitor? Yow will discover it on Android. Heck, yow will discover all of that in a single gadget.

On the flip aspect, all that alternative could make for some laborious selections. 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 searching for, what you’re snug spending, and what your definition of a “moderately sized cellphone” is. (I’ve my very own, personally.)

As you sift by means of the choices, you’ll nearly definitely come throughout tech’s favourite buzzphrase of the 12 months: AI. Usually talking, AI has but to actually impress me on a cellphone. The Pixel 9 collection has some doubtlessly helpful options, like a brand new Screenshots app that makes use of AI to tag related data in metadata, and Galaxy gadgets can translate a cellphone 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 corporations preserve promising. Greatest to not put an excessive amount of inventory in any firm’s AI claims simply but.

In the event you dwell within the US, I’ve some dangerous information concerning the Android market, although. For sophisticated causes having to do with “capitalism” and “geopolitics,” we don’t get practically as lots of the choices as you’ll discover in Asia and Europe — manufacturers like Huawei, Xiaomi, Honor, and Oppo simply aren’t out there 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 “at no cost” from their wi-fi service. In the event you can handle it, shopping for a cellphone unlocked will provide you with 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 in the event you’re blissful along with your service and the free cellphone on supply is the one you really need, by all means, take the free cellphone. Simply ensure you perceive the phrases, particularly if you want to change plans to money in on the deal. 

Nonetheless you go about it, you might have some implausible choices on your subsequent Android cellphone.

Display screen: 6.3-inch 1080p 120Hz OLED / Processor: Tensor G4 / Cameras: 50-megapixel f/1.7 important 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 best than ever, and the entire Pixel 9 lineup feels simply as polished as something you’d get from Samsung or Apple. However at $799, the essential Pixel 9 is in a very interesting place, and in the event you don’t want a telephoto digicam or the largest display screen, then that is the Android cellphone to get.

The Pixel 9 comes with some important quality-of-life enhancements like a sooner fingerprint scanner for unlocking the cellphone. The digicam is as dependable as ever, and in the event you’re into AI picture enhancing methods, boy does this cellphone have ‘em. There’s a brand new Screenshots app that acts as a spot to retailer all the info that might 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 helpful.

Even with out AI, this is a wonderful cellphone. It’s additionally designed to go the space, with seven years of promised OS updates, which very doubtless means you’ll outgrow the cellphone earlier than Google stops supporting it. Its potential for long-term worth and the standard of the {hardware} make it a simple advice for anybody who simply needs a pleasant Android cellphone that works.

Learn my Google Pixel 9 assessment.

Display screen: 6.8-inch 1440p 120Hz OLED / Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 / Cameras: 200-megapixel important with OIS, 50-megapixel 5x telephoto with OIS, 10-megapixel 3x telephoto with OIS, 12-megapixel ultrawide, 12-megapixel selfie / Battery: 5,000mAh / Charging: 45W wired, 15W wi-fi / Climate resistance: IP68

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely says all of it within the title: Extremely. It has all the things you possibly can ask for in a cellphone — effectively, at the least one which doesn’t fold in half. There’s a stylus, two telephoto cameras, an enormous battery, and probably the greatest ding dang screens on any cellphone, wherever.

So why am I a little bit underwhelmed? For starters, Samsung swapped final 12 months’s 10x telephoto digicam for a higher-resolution 5x digicam that makes use of in-sensor crop to zoom to 10x. This can be a smart transfer, and pictures at 10x look superb, if not as crisp as they did on the final mannequin. It’s additionally pricier this time round, and it was already an costly cellphone. It’s fairly darn heavy, too, and Samsung’s swap to titanium for the body hasn’t made it any lighter.

Private emotions concerning the zoom lens apart, the S24 Extremely continues to be mainly peerless. Its much-touted AI options are superb, but when there’s one factor that makes it definitely worth the improve, it’s the display screen. Its anti-glare coating and boosted most brightness make it so snug to make use of exterior it’s nearly magic. That’s hardly a elaborate new tech characteristic, however the Galaxy S24 Extremely is hardly any outdated cellphone.

Learn my Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely assessment.

Display screen: 6.82-inch 1440p 120Hz LTPO OLED / Processor: Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Cameras: 50-megapixel f/1.6 important with OIS, 64-megapixel 3x telephoto with OIS, 48-megapixel f/2.2 ultrawide / Battery: 5400mAh / Charging: 80W wired, 50W wi-fi / Climate-resistance ranking: IP65

After a couple of years and a little bit soul-searching, OnePlus is again to its roots. The OnePlus 12 is a wonderful gadget with high-end efficiency with a aggressive worth: $799 for the bottom mannequin with a hefty 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.

For that worth, you get a crisp 1440p 6.8-inch show, a top-tier Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, and a succesful digicam. It helps wi-fi charging, one thing that earlier OnePlus flagships have skipped. Battery efficiency is implausible, too — energy customers can get by means of a full day, and light-weight customers can stretch it to 2.

What stands out concerning the OnePlus 12, although, would possibly simply be what’s not right here: a bunch of AI options. Truthfully? That’s type of refreshing. Among the AI options Google and Samsung are busy delivery proper now are good, however none of them really feel important. If you wish to sit out this AI hype cycle however you continue to need an important cellphone, the OnePlus 12 is perhaps the one.

Learn my OnePlus 12 assessment.

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 important 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 really want a folding cellphone? Most likely not. However utilizing one is very good, and the Pixel 9 Professional Fold is the nicest book-style foldable I’ve used to this point. It’s expensive, it’s nonetheless bulkier than a slab-style cellphone, and its cameras aren’t fairly as good as the opposite Pixel 9 Professional telephones. But it surely’s a pleasure to make use of, each as a daily cellphone with the duvet display screen and if you unfold the large inside display screen.

The 9 Professional Fold is Google’s second folding cellphone, following up the passport-shaped Pixel Fold with a format that feels way more acquainted. The outer display screen measures 6.3 inches on the diagonal, however extra importantly, the ratio is similar 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 choose 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 shiny 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 may’t get it repaired simply wherever. For $1,800, that’s an terrible lot to swallow. For the adventurous early adopter, although, the 9 Professional Fold will probably be very rewarding.

Learn my Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold assessment.

Display screen: 6.7-inch 1080p 120Hz OLED / Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 / Cameras: 50-megapixel F/1.9 important with OIS, 50-megapixel ultrawide, 32-megapixel selfie / Battery: 4,700mAh / Charging: 45W wired, 15W wi-fi / Climate resistance: IP54

The Nothing Cellphone 2 doesn’t supply the perfect worth proposition in its upper-midrange class. But when it’s model you’re after and one thing a little bit flashy (effectively, rather a lot flashy), then the Cellphone 2 is a simple choose.

It presents a superb 6.7-inch display screen, nice each day efficiency and battery life, and a succesful digicam system. However that’s the same old stuff — what’s uncommon concerning the Cellphone 2 is its set of LED mild strips on the again panel. They illuminate in mixtures referred to as “glyphs,” and you may set them to warn you to sure notifications. It’s neat however finally isn’t as useful because the system’s customizable always-on show.

On the draw back, the Cellphone 2 is barely splash-resistant quite than totally proof against water submersion like nearly all different telephones over $500. It’s additionally not totally supported on Verizon’s community, which takes it out of rivalry for lots of the US inhabitants.

If neither of the above is a deal-breaker, and the Cellphone 2’s styling appeals to you, then it’s a superb alternative. One factor’s for certain — it positively stands out from the group.

Learn my Nothing Cellphone 2 assessment.

There are numerous extra nice Android gadgets that weren’t lined right here, and some are value calling out that didn’t fairly make the reduce for a advice.

• 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 2024 Motorola Razr Plus — which facilitates utilizing apps on the duvet display screen extra simply — however Motorola’s monitor file for software program updates isn’t nice, so the Z Flip 6 is a safer guess for a flip cellphone. Learn our assessment.
• The OnePlus Open can also be one other good book-style foldable possibility. It’s skinny and light-weight, and the software program contains some considerate approaches to multitasking — a vital a part of the folding cellphone expertise. But it surely 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 assessment.
• Final however not least, there’s the Google Pixel 8A. In the event you actually wish to maximize the return in your funding, it’s laborious to beat Google’s newest midrange cellphone. It covers all of the fundamentals for $499 whereas providing seven years of software program assist. Learn our assessment.

Replace, September thirteenth: Changed the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus with the Google Pixel 9 and the Galaxy Z Fold 6 with the Pixel 9 Professional.