One of the best Android telephones to purchase in 2024

The Android ecosystem is all about selection. Whereas iPhone homeowners have a smaller pool of latest units to select from when it’s time to improve, there’s a a lot wider vary of selections on Android. You need unbelievable digicam zoom? A built-in stylus? A cellphone that runs a whole desktop atmosphere whenever you plug it right into a monitor? You could find it on Android. Heck, yow will discover all of that in a single gadget.

On the flip aspect, all that selection could make for some onerous 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 in search of, what you’re snug spending, and what your definition of a “reasonably sized phone” is. (I’ve my very own, personally.)

As you sift by the choices, you’ll virtually 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 sequence has some probably helpful options, like a brand new Screenshots app that makes use of AI to tag related data in metadata, and Galaxy units 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 firms hold promising. Finest to not put an excessive amount of inventory in any firm’s AI claims simply but.

In case you stay 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 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 units I’ve personally examined in depth; thus, it’s a pretty US-centric set of suggestions. 

With that in thoughts, it’s additionally price acknowledging that most individuals within the US get their telephones “for free” from their wi-fi provider. In case you can handle it, shopping for a cellphone unlocked offers you essentially the most flexibility and freedom if you find yourself wanting to alter carriers within the close to future. Telephone producers additionally supply financing and trade-in offers to make fee extra manageable. However when you’re completely satisfied along with your provider and the free cellphone on supply is the one you really need, by all means, take the free cellphone. Simply be sure you perceive the phrases, particularly if you must change plans to money in on the deal. 

Nonetheless you go about it, you could have some implausible choices to your subsequent Android cellphone.

Display: 6.3-inch 1080p 120Hz OLED / Processor: Tensor G4 / Cameras: 50-megapixel f/1.7 principal 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, the essential Pixel 9 is in a very interesting place, and when you don’t want a telephoto digicam or the most important display, then that is the Android cellphone to get.

The Pixel 9 comes with some vital quality-of-life enhancements like a sooner fingerprint scanner for unlocking the cellphone. The digicam is as dependable as ever, and when you’re into AI photograph enhancing tips, boy does this cellphone have ‘em. There’s a brand new Screenshots app that acts as a spot to retailer all the 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 superb cellphone. It’s additionally designed to go the gap, with seven years of promised OS updates, which very probably 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 straightforward advice for anybody who simply desires a pleasant Android cellphone that works.

Learn my full Google Pixel 9 overview.

Display: 6.8-inch 1440p 120Hz OLED / Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 / Cameras: 200-megapixel principal 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 identify: Extremely. It has the whole lot you may ask for in a cellphone — nicely, at the least one which doesn’t fold in half. There’s a stylus, two telephoto cameras, a large battery, and probably the greatest ding dang screens on any cellphone, wherever.

So why am I somewhat 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 wise transfer, and photographs at 10x look high-quality, 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 change to titanium for the body hasn’t made it any lighter.

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

Learn my full Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely overview.

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

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

For that value, 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 a full day, and light-weight customers can stretch it to 2.

What stands out concerning the OnePlus 12, although, may simply be what’s not right here: a bunch of AI options. Truthfully? That’s type of refreshing. A number of the AI options Google and Samsung are busy transport 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 a terrific cellphone, the OnePlus 12 is likely to be the one.

Learn my full OnePlus 12 overview.

Display: 8.0-inch 2076p 120Hz OLED interior display, 6.3-inch 1080p 120Hz OLED cowl display / Processor: Tensor G4 / Cameras: 48-megapixel f/1.7 principal with OIS, 10.8-megapixel 5x telephoto with OIS, 10.5-megapixel ultrawide, 10-megapixel selfie (cowl display), 10-megapixel interior selfie digicam / Battery: 4,650mAh / Charging: 21W wired, 7.5W wi-fi / Climate resistance: IPX8

Does anybody actually 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 so far. It’s dear, 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 quilt display and whenever you unfold the large interior display.

The 9 Professional Fold is Google’s second folding cellphone, following up the passport-shaped Pixel Fold with a format that feels rather more acquainted. The outer display 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 desire the 9 Professional Fold’s strategy.

That stated, the 9 Professional Fold isn’t with out compromises. The digicam system isn’t fairly pretty much as good as what you get within the different 9 Professional telephones. The outer display isn’t as sharp or brilliant 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 might be very rewarding.

Learn my full Google Pixel 9 Professional Fold overview.

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

The Nothing Telephone 2 doesn’t supply the perfect worth proposition in its upper-midrange class. But when it’s model you’re after and one thing somewhat flashy (nicely, rather a lot flashy), then the Telephone 2 is a straightforward decide.

It presents a very good 6.7-inch display, nice every day efficiency and battery life, and a succesful digicam system. However that’s the standard stuff — what’s uncommon concerning the Telephone 2 is its set of LED mild strips on the again panel. They illuminate in combos known as “glyphs,” and you may set them to provide you with a warning to sure notifications. It’s neat however in the end isn’t as useful because the system’s customizable always-on show.

On the draw back, the Telephone 2 is just splash-resistant slightly than absolutely immune to water submersion like just about all different telephones over $500. It’s additionally not absolutely 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 Telephone 2’s styling appeals to you, then it’s a wonderful selection. One factor’s for positive — it positively stands out from the group.

Learn my full Nothing Telephone 2 overview.

There are various extra nice Android units that weren’t lined right here, and some are price calling out that didn’t fairly make the minimize for a advice.

• First off, there’s the Galaxy Z Flip 6, Samsung’s wonderful 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 quilt display extra simply — however Motorola’s observe report for software program updates isn’t nice, so the Z Flip 6 is a safer guess for a flip cellphone.
• The OnePlus Open can be one other good book-style foldable choice. It’s skinny and light-weight, and the software program contains some considerate approaches to multitasking — an important a part of the folding cellphone expertise. But it surely gained’t be supported with software program updates for so long as the Pixel 9 Professional Fold or the Galaxy Z Fold 6.
• Final however not least, there’s the Google Pixel 8A. In case you actually wish to maximize the return in your funding, it’s onerous to beat Google’s newest midrange cellphone. It covers all of the fundamentals for $499 whereas providing seven years of software program assist.

Replace, September thirteenth: Changed the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus with the Google Pixel 9 as the most effective Android cellphone for most individuals; changed the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 with the Google Pixel 9 Professional as the most effective folding cellphone.