The best Android phone to buy in 2023 (2023)

The Android ecosystem is based on choice. While iPhone owners havesmaller pool of new devices to choose fromWhen it's time to upgrade, there's a huge variety of new Android phones every year. Some of them even fold in half! Do you want an integrated stylus? A superior processor for less money? Maybe even, dare I say it,unapologetic pink phonewith matching headphones? You have options in Android.

On the other hand, all this choice can lead to difficult decisions. This is where I would like to help. I've tested a whole range of the latest Android phones and I think there are some real winners in the current generation. It all depends on what you're looking for, what you're comfortable spending, and what your definition of a "reasonably sized phone" is. (i have minepersonally.)

However, if you live in the US, I have bad news. For complex reasons related to "capitalism" and "geopolitics", we don't have as many options as in Asia and Europe: brands like Huawei, Xiaomi, Honor and Oppo are simply not available here. I have limited this guide to devices that I have personally tested extensively. As such, it is a US-focused set of recommendations.

With that in mind, it's also worth acknowledging that most people in the US get their phones "for free" from their wireless carrier. If you can handle that, buying an unlocked phone will give you the most flexibility and freedom if you want to switch carriers in the near future. Phone manufacturers also offer trade-in and finance deals to help you manage your payments. But if you're happy with your carrier and the free phone offered is what you really want, get a free phone. Just make sure you understand the terms, especially if you need to change plans to redeem the offer.

However you do it, you now have some great options for your next Android phone purchase.

Overall the best Android phone

Screen:6.6-inch OLED 1080p 120Hz /Author:Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 para Galaxy /cameras:50-megapixel F1.8 main με OIS, 10-megapixel 3x telephoto with OIS, 12-megapixel ultra-wide, 12-megapixel selfie/Battery:4700 mAh /Landing:45 W wired, 15 W wireless /Weather resistance:IP68

Samsung's Galaxy S series phones have been the most popular Android phones for several years, especially in the US, and for good reason: they're great devices. The Galaxy S23 Plus is a slight update on that winning formula, but that still makes it a winner. Carefully check off each item on its list of must-have flagship features for 2023: a beautiful large 6.6-inch display, a capable telephoto camera system, waterproofing, and long-lasting battery life. At $999, it's not cheap, but it's also not the most expensive flagship phone you can buy.

Unsurprisingly, the S23 Plus packs Qualcomm's latest chipset: the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. But whatEsIt's amazing that all versions of this phone sold around the world use this Snapdragon processor; previously, some regions received the Exynos chip made by Samsung. This is great news as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is excellent and makes the S23 Plus sing. Everyday performance is top-notch, and battery life has improved significantly. There's a bigger 4700mAh battery in the Plus this year, but the 8 Gen 2 has also been improved to save battery life.

The 50-megapixel main camera, ultra-wide-angle lenses, and 3x telephoto lenses that make up the S23 Plus's imaging system aren't quite as impressive as those of the S23 Ultra, but they're more than adequate for most situations. Sometimes the S23 Plus takes great photos, especially in telephoto portrait mode. But it's also prone to heavy processing, which sometimes works too hard for HDR.

Samsung's software isn't our favorite either. With a little work up front, you can uninstall or at least hide most of the proprietary apps and services that Samsung insists on downloading, but it would be nice to not have to deal with Bixby in the first place. But then again, Samsung offers one of the strongest software support policies of any Android device maker, with four years of operating system updates and five years of security updates. Even if the initial setup requires a bit of work, at least you won't have to redo it for a few years.

The ultimate affordable flagship

Screen:6.3-inch OLED 1080p 90Hz /Author:Google Tensor G2 /cameras:50 megapixels F1.85 με OIS, 12 megapixels ultra wide angle, 10.8 megapixels selfie /Battery:4355 mAh /Landing:30W wired, 20W wireless /Weather resistance:IP68

Depending on how you look at it, the Google Pixel 7 can pass as an affordable flagship or a premium mid-range phone. At $599, it's a bit cheaper than Samsung's S-series phones and also a bit more expensive than a mid-range like the Galaxy A54. Its specs match up: You get a premium build and advanced device amenities like an IP68 rating and wireless charging, but you miss out on cool extras like a telephoto lens and a 120Hz display. If those things aren't too important to you, then the Pixel 7 is great.

The Pixel 7 and its updated sibling, the 7 Pro, use Google's latest custom chipset, the Tensor G2. It offers top-tier performance, but it's also part of a special sauce with features exclusive to Google's Pixel series. They are generally intelligent, but somewhat mixed in their usefulness.

The Clear Calling feature, exclusive to the Pixel 7 series, is similar to the phone call noise reduction feature that makes it easier to hear the person you're talking to in noisy environments. Other features designed to make navigating phone threads and calling customer service less of a pain don't consistently perform as well. but they are not activeplace, and Google has shown that it supports your devices with updates and new features throughout their lifetime.

Software is really the Pixel 7's strong point. It runs on a clean version of Android, with no duplicate wizards or app stores (looking at you, Samsung), and will be supported for the foreseeable future with three OS updates and five years of security patches. As for the hardware, you'll have to put up with some concessions that Google has made to keep the price down. The 6.3-inch display is good, but the 90Hz refresh rate is a bit slower than the ultra-smooth 120Hz scrolling of most phones at this price.

The Pixel 7 also lacks a telephoto rear camera, though the 2x crop mode of the main 50-megapixel sensor gives a wonderful impression of a true optical telephoto lens. The ultra-wide camera is also a generation behind the Pixel 7 Pro. But those few drawbacks aside, you're not missing out on much by choosing the Pixel 7 over the 7 Pro, and you can definitely keep a little extra cash in your pocket. .

The best phone with everything but the kitchen sink.

Screen:6.8-inch OLED 1440p 120Hz /Author:Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 para Galaxy /cameras:200-megapixel main with OIS, 10-megapixel 10x telephoto with OIS, 10-megapixel 3x telephoto with OIS, 12-megapixel ultra-wide, 12-megapixel selfie /Battery:5000 mAh/Landing:45 W wired, 15 W wireless /Weather resistance:IP68

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is not for the faint of heart. It's expensive, starting at $1,199, and with a 6.8-inch screen, it's huge. It's also the most powerful Android phone you can buy in the US right now, with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, S Pen support with a built-in storage silo, and two, count them,of the- telephoto lenses on the back. It's hard to imagine what else Samsung could put into this phone.

The display at the center of this spec monster is a 6.8-inch OLED with a variable refresh rate of up to 120Hz and a 1440p resolution. It's beautiful, and the even better news is that it's more energy efficient than last year's model. Between that and the new chipset, the S23 Ultra handles a full day of heavy use with a bit more headroom than its predecessor.

The S23 Ultra's camera system is the main reason why you should consider spending extra money on this model over the S23 Plus. There's nothing quite like it on any other flagship phone: there's a 3x and 10x telephoto lens, as well as an ultra-wide and, yes, 200-megapixel main camera.

The 200-megapixels is only partly a gimmick - most of the time you'll get a 12-megapixel file - but the extra data from all those pixels seems to help the system produce fantastic images. Every once in a while it makes strange judgments or bumps the HDR up to 11, but often it's pretty good and here and there it can even take some amazing "I can't believe it's not a 'real' camera" type photos.

Unfortunately, our gripes with Samsung's software persist, and its flaws are even more apparent on a very expensive phone. Why spam clickbait links in weather app? And who the hell wants push notifications from the Samsung Galaxy Store? You won't get anything like this on a Pixel phone. However, there's enough impressive stuff about the S23 Ultra to be worth the software hassle.

The best alternative to Google and Samsung

Screen:6.7-inch OLED 1440p 120Hz /Author:Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 /cameras:50-megapixel F1.8 main με OIS, 48-megapixel ultra-wide, 32-megapixel 2x telephoto, 16-megapixel selfie/Battery:5000 mAh/Landing:80 W corded (100 W outside US) /Weather resistance:IP64

The US Android market is dominated by Samsung and Google (well, mainly Samsung). But we do have some alternatives to these brands, and the OnePlus 11 5G stands out for someone who wants a powerful device for a little less money. It uses the excellent Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, but at $699 it's $300 cheaper than the S23 Ultra with a similar processor.

The OnePlus 11 has a few other things going for it, like a fantastic 6.7-inch 1440p display with a top-notch 120Hz refresh rate. There's also super-fast wired charging with the included fast charger: up to 80W in the US, which will charge the big 5000mAh battery from empty to 100 percent in less than 30 minutes. It's fast enough that overnight charging is optional.

On the other hand, there are a few things missing here that are found in most other phones at this price point. The first is wireless charging, which could prevent you from buying if you've already invested in charging your phone this way. And the OnePlus 11 is only IP64 rated, not IP68 like almost all other flagships. That means it's splash and splash resistant, but it's not designed to withstand total immersion in water for an extended period of time.

These two missing features limit the appeal of the OnePlus 11. If you're not worried about dropping your phone in a puddle (or toilet, bathtub, sink, or swimming pool) and would rather charge your phone fast than a wireless charging pad, then the 11 5G is a great way to get great results and keep a little more cash in your wallet.

The ultimate foldable phone

Screen:7.6-inch indoor OLED 2176p 120Hz, 6.2-inch outdoor OLED 2316p 120Hz /Author:Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 /cameras:50MP F/1.8 main with OIS, 10MP 3x telephoto with OIS, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP selfie (main display), 4MP sub display selfie (internal display) /Battery:4400 mAh /Landing:25 W wired, 15 W wireless /Weather resistance:IPX8

There's nothing like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 on the market, especially in the US. The Z Fold 4 is Samsung's foldable tablet: you get a 6.2-inch screen on the outside for a regular phone, but on the the interior unfolds on a massive 7.6-inch screen. It's a level of flexibility you won't find in any traditional slate-style phone. It's priced to match, too, with a lofty MSRP of $1,799.

With the Fold 4, it's as durable as it's folded now. It's IPX8 rated, so it's protected against total immersion in water. But that "X" means there's no guarantee of dust ingress, and despite Samsung's best efforts to increase the device's environmental resistance, long-term durability remains a question mark. It's probably a leap of faith that most people won't be able to accept for an $1,800 phone.

With the Fold 4, you also face another limitation on the software side: the Android tablet app ecosystem. Apps don't always make good use of the large internal screen. they are often just bloated phone apps that leave a lot of empty space unused. Fortunately, Samsung's user interface offers plenty of options for arranging multiple windows for multitasking. It may take some time, but you can take advantage of this large canvas by displaying multiple apps at once.

The uncertainty about how it will hold up over the long term, as well as the two hands required to get the most out of it, means the Z Fold 4 is something of a person's device. It's a showcase for hardware innovation, and it can do things that board-style phones can only dream of. If you have literally and figuratively deep pockets for this, you will be handsomely rewarded.

The best small Android phone

Screen:5.9-inch 1080p 120Hz OLED display /Author:Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 /cameras:50-megapixel F/1.9 main με OIS, 12-megapixel ultra-wide, 12-megapixel selfie /Battery:4300 mAh /Landing:30W con cable /Weather resistance:IP68

The concept of a "small" phone is fluid. What we now think of as small was gigantic just a few years ago, but now anything with a screen smaller than 6.1 inches falls into that category. This is especially true in the Android ecosystem, where large screens dominate. Compared to something like the S23 Ultra, the $699 Asus Zenfone 9 is downright small, with a 5.9-inch screen. It's also a cute little device with great build quality and a well thought out design. This is the best option for a "small" Android phone, although there are some important caveats here.

First, it doesn't work on the Verizon network, neither on 4G nor on 5G. This immediately eliminates competition from many people in the United States. Asus also promises just two years of software updates, and we've had almost a year to live since its July 2022 launch. There's no wireless charging either, which sucks.

The Zenfone 9, on the other hand, has an IP68 rating, so it should survive bumps and splashes without issue. It's powered by the high-performance Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, and the 50-megapixel main rear camera uses gimbal-style stabilization for ultra-smooth video footage. You'll also find a rare headphone jack on the Zenfone 9, which is simply designed by Asus.

There are too many drawbacks to recommend the Zenfone 9 overall, but if you have the right wireless network and none of the other drawbacks bother you, this is a device that will delight fans of small phones.

Other Android phones worth considering

There are many more great Android devices that aren't covered here, and there are a few worth mentioning that don't quite meet the requirements. The younger brother of the Galaxy S23 Plus,Galaxy S23, is a fantastic option if you wanta bitsmallest android phone Its 6.1-inch screen doesn't put it in "small phone" territory, but it's much more pocket-friendly than the other two S23 models. Battery life has also improved on the S23 this year, which was a weak point on the S22.

There's alsoGalaxy Z Flip 4, Samsung folding case. It offers a 6.7-inch internal screen that folds in half, with a small 1.9-inch external screen on the outside that displays information and notifications. It's a bit like a regular phone with a smartwatch glued to the front. It's not as versatile as the Z Fold 4, but it's a much more reasonable $999. I have the same long-term durability concerns I had with the Z Fold, and a screen protector might be more helpful. However, it's a lot of fun to use, and when folded up, it's small enough to fit in the front pocket of your jeans.

If you are in the Google ecosystem, thenPixel 7 Prois a good (and pretty obvious) option for leveling up. It doesn't offer any major improvements over the Pixel 7, but it does come with a good 5x telephoto lens. The screen is larger (6.7-inches compared to 6.3) and it's a bit nicer, too, with a higher 120Hz refresh rate. But the Pixel 7 is so well-priced that it's a bit impossible.NOwe recommend, and most people will find everything they need in the base model.

There's another Pixel phone to consider:Google Pixel 6A. It's likely to be replaced in the near future, and it's a solid mid-range device with less robust weather resistance, an older-gen camera, and an average display. Still, it's priced well at $449 and often on sale these days, and if you don't necessarily need the best Android phone, this is a fantastic deal on a great mid-range device.