There’s one clear perk that Android has over iOS and that’s selection on the subject of the telephones you need to select from. Apple has made the iPhone is the one recreation on the town for iOS, however with Google’s working system, there are dozens of selections on the market from producers like Samsung, Motorola, OnePlus and others. However that additionally means it may be troublesome to determine which gadget is greatest for you when it comes time to improve, or if you wish to swap from iPhone to Android within the new 12 months. In case you’re in search of a brand new cellphone and don’t know the place to begin, we’ve received you lined with a choice of the very best Android telephones for each funds.
Editor’s be aware (5/7/24): Google has introduced the Pixel 8a, its newest midrange smartphone. The 6.1-inch handset begins at $499 and, as anticipated, takes a lot of its cues from final 12 months’s flagship Pixel 8 series. We’ll have a full overview within the coming days and can replace this information accordingly. For now, you possibly can try our hands-on preview for extra particulars on what to anticipate. Google says it’ll proceed to promote the Pixel 7a, our present funds choose, at a diminished worth, so it could proceed to be worthwhile. Most ought to maintain off till we put the brand new Pixel by means of its paces, although.
What to search for in a brand new Android cellphone
Efficiency
In the case of choosing our favourite Android telephones, the principle issues we search for are fairly simple: good efficiency (each compute and AI), a pleasant show, stable design, sharp cameras, lengthy battery life and a major dedication to ongoing software program assist. For efficiency, not solely can we take a look at benchmarks and different metrics, however we additionally consider telephones based mostly on responsiveness. No matter whether or not you’re studying, textual content messaging, scrolling by means of social media or enjoying a recreation, nobody desires a gadget that feels sluggish.
Show
In the case of shows, we typically desire OLED panels that may produce wealthy, saturated colours with at the very least 600 nits of brightness, although a lot of our prime mid-range and high-end telephones can hit 1,000 nits or extra. And extra not too long ago, most of our favourite gadgets additionally assist screens with quick refresh charges of 90Hz or 120Hz, which provides an additional degree of smoothness and fluidity.
Design
Now we’ll admit there’s a little bit of subjectivity when deciding which telephones look the very best, however there are different design features like mud and water resistance or display sturdiness that may make a giant distinction to long-term survival. It’s additionally vital to think about issues like assist for wi-fi charging, energy sharing (aka reverse wi-fi charging) and UWB connectivity, which may have an effect on how your cellphone interacts along with your different gadgets.
Cameras
Clearly, for pictures we’re in search of sharp, colourful pictures in each vibrant and low-light circumstances. And we would like video clips with excessive dynamic vary, wealthy audio and clean picture stabilization. Further cameras for ultra-wide and telephoto lenses are a plus. The very best cameras must also embody options like devoted evening modes, assist for varied video recording resolutions, and extra picture modes like timelapse, sluggish movement and extra.
Battery and software program
Lastly, when it comes to longevity, we’re in search of all-day battery life on gadgets that additionally delivered nice outcomes on our native video rundown check (at the very least 16 hours on a cost, however extra is clearly higher). Wi-fi charging capabilities have grow to be virtually ubiquitous over the previous few years, and most of our prime picks have this additional perk. Quick-charging is out there on some Android telephones, too. Lastly, with individuals holding onto their telephones longer than ever, we prefer to see corporations decide to at the very least three years of software program assist, upgrades and common safety updates.
Picture by Sam Rutherford / Engadget
Processor: Google Tensor G3 | Show: 6.7-inch Tremendous Actua, as much as 120Hz | Cameras: Rear array (50MP broad, 12MP ultrawide, 48MP telephoto), 10.5MP entrance digicam | Battery: 5,050mAh
Read our full review of the Google Pixel 8 Pro
Due to the Tensor G3 chip, up to date sensors and a number of recent AI-powered options, the Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro have much more to supply for each images and on a regular basis use. The brand new Magic Editor on Pixel telephones makes it astonishingly simple to take away distracting objects out of your pics, whereas the Audio Magic Eraser cuts down on annoying ambient sound in movies. And for all these group pictures, Greatest Take ensures that everybody seems to be their greatest, even when they weren’t smiling in the course of the first shot. On prime of that, Google’s Name Display screen has gotten smarter whereas Assistant features, like having the ability to summarize or actual articles aloud make it simple to remain on prime of reports nevertheless you need. Add to {that a} extra refined design, brighter shows, higher battery life and improved efficiency, and Google’s newest flagship telephones is likely to be essentially the most well-rounded Android telephones in the marketplace.
Picture by Sam Rutherford / Engadget
Processor: Google Tensor G2 | Show: 6.1-inch FHD+, as much as 90Hz | Cameras: Rear array (64MP broad, 13MP ultrawide), 13MP entrance digicam | Battery: 4,385mAh
Read our full review of the Google Pixel 7a
The $500 Pixel 7a delivers every thing we search for in an ideal, inexpensive Android cellphone (when you have much less cash to spend, try our best cheap phones information). New options embody a quicker Tensor G2 chip, a smoother 90Hz show and for the primary time on one in every of Google’s A-series telephones: assist for wi-fi charging. And with a refreshed design with IP67 water resistance, it seems to be and appears like the usual Pixel 7 however for $100 much less. You additionally get nice assist thanks to 5 years of safety updates and at the very least three years of software program updates. The Pixel 7a’s solely shortcomings are relatively small and embody an absence of a devoted zoom lens and no assist for mmWave 5G (except you buy a barely costlier $550 mannequin from Verizon).
Picture by Sam Rutherford / Engadget
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Show: 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED QHD+, as much as 120Hz | Cameras: Rear array (200MP, Twin Pixel AF, Digital Zoom 100x, 50MP Macro, 12MP UW), 12MP entrance digicam | Battery: 5,000mAh
Read our full review of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
For its newest super-premium cellphone, Samsung gave the S24 Ultra a extra sturdy titanium body, quicker efficiency due to a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip and a for much longer battery life. The corporate additionally tweaked its longest telephoto lens with a 5x optical zoom so it is extra usable in a wider vary of conditions. However the largest improve is a brand new full suite of AI instruments, which incorporates the power to proofread texts, edit photographs and transcribe recordings. And if you tack on the very best show obtainable on a cellphone in the present day and a built-in stylus, you’ve gotten a really compelling flagship handset. Sadly, beginning at $1,300, the S24 Extremely is a bit too costly to advocate to anybody with out deep pockets.
Picture by Sam Rutherford / Engadget
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Show: 6.2-inch HD+ entrance show (as much as 120Hz), 7.6-inch QXGA+ most important show (as much as 120Hz) | Cameras: Rear array (50MP broad, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto), 10MP (Cowl) + 4MP UDC (Primary) entrance digicam | Battery: 4,400mAh
Read our full review of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
Regardless of elevated competitors from the Pixel Fold, for individuals who wish to maximize their cellular productiveness, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 continues to be the very best huge foldable cellphone in the marketplace. On the most recent mannequin, not solely has Samsung added two new gestures for launching into side-by-side multitasking or switching from a full display to a windowed app, it has additionally elevated the variety of current apps you possibly can see on the taskbar from two to 4. The Z Fold 5’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset additionally delivers quicker efficiency than on the Pixel Fold, and despite the fact that this Samsung cellphone has a smaller energy cell (4,400 mAh vs 4,800 mAh), it has higher battery life, too. However the largest change for this technology is Samsung’s new Flex Hinge, which permits the cellphone to shut fully flat and makes it thinner as well. Sadly, its digicam system is basically unchanged from final 12 months, and with costs beginning at $1,800, the Z Fold 5 isn’t even remotely near being inexpensive.
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