We tested a lot of Android phones. We like the ones below, but you’ll be better off with one of the options above. If you haven’t already, check out our guide to the best budget phones for more information.
Motorola Moto G Play 2024 for $150: On a tight budget? This Motorola phone does not have NFC for contactless payments nor is it compatible with 5G. You will also get only one Android OS update. That said, performance was quite good when I tested it and the 6.5-inch LCD screen was readable in sunny conditions.
Samsung Galaxy A35 5G for $400: There are better phones for $400, but if you can get it at a high deal, it’s a solid phone. The Galaxy A35 (7/10, WIRED recommended) mainly suffers from mediocre performance. It’s fine, but you will notice the slowness and choppy interface quite often. That just makes it annoying to use. There’s also no wireless charging, although this phone will receive four Android OS updates and five years of security updates.
Google Pixel 7A for $421: The Pixel 7A (8/10, WIRED recommended) has a successor, but it’s still a great phone. Try to avoid paying more than $375 for this phone. Anything more and you can also buy the newer Pixel 8A. The performance is excellent, the cameras are excellent, and the screen is smooth and bright. There’s even wireless charging and long software support (although not as long as the new Pixel 8A). Just know that the battery life is average.
Samsung Galaxy S23 FE for $600: I used this phone for several weeks and found that it was more than enough to meet my needs. The cameras are surprisingly decent – you even get a usable 3X optical zoom, although their results are not. as Excellent like the ones on the Galaxy S23. Performance didn’t give me any problems and the battery often lasted a little more than a day with average use. The 6.4-inch screen is a pretty nice size, neither too big nor too small, and you still get perks like wireless charging and a 120Hz screen refresh rate. It’s down to $400 during Black Friday, so I recommend that you wait for an offer.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Series ($700+): It looks like last year’s Galaxy S23 range (9/10, WIRED recommends) may be disappearing faster than usual, as stock is low at a variety of retailers. If you can find them, the Galaxy S23 6.1 inch, the 6.6-inch S23+and the huge 6.8-inch S23 Ultra They’re packed with high-end features, from the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset that keeps even the most demanding games running smoothly to the smooth, bright 120Hz AMOLED displays. Battery life has improved across the board. – The S23 comfortably lasts more than a day and the S23 Ultra hits almost two full days with average use. The triple camera systems are the highlight and offer remarkable results whether 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 to be able to capture clear photos of distant objects. It’s the only phone of the trio with the built-in S Pen stylus if you like to doodle. Try to avoid the MSRP since they are one year old; Sometimes these prices match those of the latest models, which is a bad deal.
OnePlus opened for $1,400: The OnePlus Open (7/10, WIRED recommended) is OnePlus’ first foldable smartphone and it’s surprisingly good. OnePlus has some clever software tricks to make multitasking on this foldable book simple and effective. The camera system delivers good results, the screens get very bright and the battery life is excellent. I just wish the water resistance was better and it had wireless charging.
Google Pixel 6A for $349: Google continues to sell the 2022 Pixel 6A (8/10, WIRED recommended) at a discounted price. Still excellent value for money and a worthy purchase. It’s powered by Google’s first-generation Tensor chip, which means you get the best performance for your money and supports the same great (and useful) software intelligence as the flagship Pixel 6 series. It has an OLED display, a decent camera and long software support. There is no wireless charging and it has a 60Hz screen.
Xiaomi Poco X6 for €319 and X6 Pro for £369: Not in the United States? You should check out the Poxo X6 or Poco X6 Pro (7/10, WIRED recommended). These are fast phones considering the low prices, with great screens 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 mediocre cameras.
Google Pixel 7 Pro for $449: The Pixel 7 Pro 2022 (8/10, WIRED recommended) is a good buy if you can find it at this price (or lower). You get a 6.7-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate. There’s Face Unlock, but it’s not secure like the Pixel 8 version, so you’ll have to rely on the fingerprint sensor to access sensitive apps. . Cameras are a big part of Pixels, and the Pixel 7 Pro remains one of the best with an improved ultrawide with autofocus, allowing for a macro focus mode for close-ups. Its telephoto camera also has an excellent 5X optical zoom.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5 for $1,800: The Fold5 (7/10, WIRED recommended) is still an excellent large-screen foldable smartphone. The cameras can take great photos, the screens can get surprisingly bright, and Samsung promises long software support. But the introduction of the Pixel Fold has shown me how much more I prefer the wider front screen. The Fold5’s external screen feels too narrow and some apps feel squished (although it’s a little easier to grip when closed). It’s often available for $1,499, so try not to pay more.
