We test a ton of Android phones. We like the ones below, but you’ll be better off with one of the options above. If you haven’t yet done so, check out our Best Cheap Phones and Best Folding Phones guides for more.
Google Pixel 9 for $799: The Pixel 9 is a really great smartphone (9/10, WIRED Recommends), but between the Pixel 8A and the Pixel 9 Pro series, it struggles to stand out. It shares many features with its pricier siblings, but you can get a very similar experience with the Pixel 8A, all while saving hundreds of dollars. If you love the design and want the new smart software features, don’t let me stop you! But there’s a good chance the Pixel 8A will get many of the same perks via a software update in the coming months.
Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro for $600 and $900: The Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro (7/10, WIRED Recommends) from 2023 are still available to buy and they’re great devices with lots of life left in them. Just make sure you don’t spend more than $500 or $700. Anything more and you should just buy from the new Pixel 9 series.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 for $1,900: The Fold6 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is an excellent big-screen folding smartphone. If you’re worried about durability and repairability when purchasing a fold, Samsung is your best bet as it has been producing these devices for the longest time. The cameras snap great photos, the displays get shockingly bright, and Samsung promises lengthy software support. The Fold6’s exterior screen is slightly wider and much nicer to use than previous iterations, but otherwise, there are not a ton of new changes outside of AI advancements. You can still snag last year’s Galaxy Z Fold5 to save some dough.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 for $1,100: The Flip6 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) has some perks over Motorola’s new Razr+, like a nicer hinge mechanism, better build quality, stronger cameras, and longer software support. But I still preferred the overall experience on Motorola’s flip, mostly due to the larger external screen. Still, the Flip6’s 3.4-inch cover screen is handy for glancing through widgets, and you can open it up to get a big-screen Android phone experience. The Galaxy Z Flip5 is a worthy option to consider if you don’t mind buying last year’s tech at a lower price.
Motorola Moto G Play 2024 for $130: On a tight budget? This Motorola phone doesn’t have NFC for contactless payments, nor does it support 5G. It’ll also only get one Android OS upgrade. That said, performance was pretty good in my time testing it, and the 6.5-inch LCD screen was readable in sunny conditions.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE for $600: I used this phone for several weeks and found it was more than enough to meet my needs. The cameras are surprisingly decent—you even get a usable 3X optical zoom, though its results are not as excellent as the ones from the Galaxy S23. The performance gave me zero issues, and the battery often lasted me a little more than a day with average use. The 6.4-inch screen is a pretty nice size that’s not too big and not too small, and you still get perks like wireless charging and a 120-Hz screen refresh rate. It has dipped as low as $400 during Cyber Monday, so I highly recommend you wait for a sale.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Series ($700+): The Galaxy S23 range (9/10, WIRED Recommends) consists of the 6.1-inch Galaxy S23, the 6.6-inch S23+, and the massive 6.8-inch S23 Ultra are full of high-end features, from the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset that keeps even the most demanding games running beautifully to the fluid and bright 120-Hz AMOLED displays. Battery life has improved across the board, with the S23 comfortably lasting more than a day and the S23 Ultra hitting nearly two full days with average use. The triple camera systems are the highlight, delivering remarkable results whether it’s day or night. The S23 Ultra has the special 10X optical zoom camera, which is no longer available on the latest S24 Ultra, and I miss it. It was nice being able to capture sharp photos of objects far away. It’s the only phone in the trio with the embedded S Pen stylus if you like to doodle. Try to avoid the MSRP since they’re a year old; sometimes, these prices match the latest models, which is a bad deal.
OnePlus Open for $1,400: The OnePlus Open (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is the first folding smartphone from OnePlus, and it’s surprisingly good. OnePlus has some clever software trickery to make multitasking on this booklike foldable simple and effective. The camera system delivers good results, the screens get plenty bright, and the battery life is excellent. I just wish the water resistance was better and that it had wireless charging.
Xiaomi Poco X6 for £319 and X6 Pro for £369: Not in the US? You should take a look at the Poxo X6 or Poco X6 Pro (7/10, WIRED Recommends). These are speedy phones considering the low prices, with great displays, and decent battery life, plus the X6 even has a headphone jack! It’s a shame there’s a lot of bloatware, limited water resistance, and the cameras are lackluster.
