Haven’t you heard? Telephones are boring now. And that’s simply tremendous! Most individuals shopping for a brand new telephone simply need one thing acquainted that works higher than the machine they’re changing. If that’s your MO, then you definately’re certain to seek out one thing dependable in my suggestions beneath.
However even in case you’re on the lookout for one thing just a little extra further, you’ve acquired some nice choices. They’re going to be fairly iterative in comparison with no matter you’re utilizing now — we’re in additional of a software program period than a {hardware} innovation cycle as of late — however you’ll find a pleasant new machine. We lastly have a folding telephone that looks like the suitable dimension and form, flip telephones provide much more than simply nostalgia, and you may nonetheless purchase a telephone with no fewer than 4 cameras on the again. Not unhealthy for a boring season of telephone {hardware}.
Lots of people within the US get their telephones by provider offers, and no judgment right here if that’s the route you are taking — it’s how I purchased mine. Simply ensure what you’re moving into and what number of years you’ll want to remain on that Tremendous 5G Every little thing Limitless Plus plan to maintain the month-to-month machine reimbursements coming.
What I’m on the lookout for
There’s no shortcut to correctly testing a telephone; I put my private SIM card (bodily or in any other case) in every telephone I evaluation and reside with it for at least one full week. I arrange every telephone from scratch, load it up with my apps, and go about residing my life — stress testing the battery, utilizing GPS navigation on my bike whereas streaming radio, taking rapid-fire portrait mode images of my child — all the things I can throw at it. Beginning over with a brand new telephone each week both appears like a dream or your private hell, relying on how Into Telephones you’re. For me, switching has change into so routine that it’s principally painless.
The telephones listed right here have highly effective processors and sufficient RAM to maintain up for years, so it’s truthful to count on greater than a handful of OS updates all through the lifetime of your telephone. 4 years of recent OS variations and 5 years of safety updates is a wholesome benchmark for this class, and most of the telephones right here meet or exceed that customary.
Most telephone cameras can carry out effectively in good lighting circumstances, from the flagship class right down to $300 price range telephones. The gadgets listed right here provide just a little one thing further, like a helpful telephoto lens, an incredible portrait mode, or spectacular low-light capturing — and lots of embody all three. Stabilization for the primary digital camera unit to assist in low gentle is a should on this class.
The easiest gadgets include sturdy IP68 scores, sturdy glass on the back and front, and durable aluminum exterior frames.
Along with the perfect gadgets at any worth, I search for telephones that provide the perfect mixture of must-have options for good costs. Which may result in a suggestion of a lower-tier mannequin if it’s significantly feature-rich for its worth or final 12 months’s mannequin if it’s nonetheless offered new and this 12 months’s machine doesn’t provide many upgrades.
Should you’re seeking to spend rather less and nonetheless get the perfect smartphone on a price range, you’ll find one thing actually good for underneath $500. For these suggestions, try our information to price range smartphones.
The very best iPhone for most individuals
Display: 6.1-inch, 2556 x 1179 OLED, 60Hz refresh fee / Processor: A18 Cameras: 48-megapixel f/1.6 primary with sensor-shift IS; 12-megapixel ultrawide; 12-megapixel selfie / Battery: Not marketed / Charging: 27W wired, 25W wi-fi MagSafe, 15W Qi2, 7.5W Qi / Climate-resistance ranking: IP68
From a {hardware} perspective, the iPhone 16 (or the 16 Plus) is a straightforward improve selection. Should you’re switching from an iPhone 13, 12, and even older, these 4 or 5 years of incremental efficiency enhancements add up. However there’s one thing completely new this time round — effectively, two issues: the Motion Button and the Digicam Management button.
The customizable Motion Button, which replaces the mute change on the left fringe of the telephone, is a hand-me-down from the 15 Professional collection. You may set it to open a selected app, activate the flashlight, or nearly anything you may want on the contact of a button. On the opposite aspect of the telephone is the Digicam Management, which you should use to launch the digital camera app. With the digital camera open, it acts as a shutter button with a full press, and a lightweight press brings up different publicity choices you’ll be able to regulate. Even in case you solely ever use it to launch the digital camera, it’s fairly helpful, and it frees up the Motion Button.
The iPhone 16 and its bigger 16 Plus sibling use Apple’s A18 chipset, which is in the identical household because the 16 Professional’s processor. That bodes effectively for the telephones staying on the identical software program improve cycle. They each obtained Apple Intelligence within the fall, which included AI-powered writing instruments and notification summaries in its earliest iteration, and finally grew to assist ChatGPT and a brand new Visible Intelligence characteristic. However regardless of the similarities, the common 16 fashions lag behind the Professionals in two vital departments: the display screen and the digital camera.
The Professionals include devoted 5x lenses and up to date primary cameras that perform a little higher in low gentle. And also you’ll solely get a ProMotion show on the Professional fashions; the common 16 encompasses a slower 60Hz display screen. Principally each different high-end telephone available on the market gives a 120Hz show, in order that’s a disappointment. If these two drawbacks don’t trouble you — and most of the people in all probability received’t thoughts them — then the iPhone 16 makes for an incredible improve.
The very best Android telephone for most individuals
Display: 6.3-inch, 1080p 120Hz OLED / Processor: Tensor G4 / Cameras: 50-megapixel f/1.7 primary 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
The Android ecosystem has been on the lookout for a telephone just like the Pixel 9 for some time now. It’s simple and unfussy, takes reliably good images, and comes with the polished {hardware} you’d count on from a high-end telephone. It doesn’t have a devoted telephoto lens, which the equally priced Galaxy S25 does, however the software program is much less quirky than Samsung’s, making for a greater total expertise.
Exterior of zoom capabilities, Google’s Pixel digital camera is simply as dependable as ever. The telephone comes with a Tensor G4 chipset that powers AI options aplenty, each inside and outdoors of the digital camera app. Some are promising and some are worrying, however there’s nothing right here that looks like a real game-changer. Which is ok.
The vital factor is that the Pixel 9 has the suitable stuff the place it counts. It’s simple to make use of, and among the Pixel collection’ persistent issues like poor thermals and buggy software program appear to be underneath management on this era. The 9 Professional is a worthwhile improve if you need that telephoto lens and a barely nicer display screen, however in any case, the Pixel 9 looks like a top-notch machine, inside and outside.
The very best high-end Android telephone
Display: 6.9-inch, 1440p, 120Hz OLED / Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite / Cameras: 200-megapixel primary with OIS; 50-megapixel 5x telephoto with OIS; 10-megapixel 3x telephoto with OIS; 50-megapixel ultrawide; 12-megapixel selfie / Battery: 5,000mAh / Charging: 45W wired, 15W wi-fi, Qi2 prepared / Climate resistance: IP68
Samsung’s “Extremely” S-series telephone continues to be your greatest wager for a maximalist Android telephone, even when extremely doesn’t fairly imply what it as soon as did. You continue to get 4 rear cameras — together with a 3x and 5x telephoto — a large display screen, and a built-in S Pen stylus. The battery goes all day, the processor is top-notch, and there are AI options aplenty in case you’re into that kind of factor. There’s simply no different telephone fairly prefer it.
This 12 months, Samsung eliminated the Bluetooth options from the stylus. That stings just a little, particularly contemplating that the corporate swapped a 10x zoom for the shorter 5x digital camera the 12 months earlier than. It nonetheless quantities to an incredible telephone, nevertheless it’s one of many priciest slab-style telephones you should purchase and Samsung appears to be chopping options with out including again any further worth. It’s nonetheless “extremely” alright, nevertheless it doesn’t really feel fairly as particular because it used to.
The very best telephone for round $500
Display: 6.1-inch, 1080p OLED, 120Hz / Processor: Tensor G3 Cameras: 64-megapixel f/1.89 with OIS; 13-megapixel ultrawide; 13-megapixel selfie / Battery: 4,492mAh / Charging: 18W wired, 7.5W wi-fi / Climate-resistance ranking: IP67
It’s exhausting to beat the Pixel 8A on sheer ROI. For $500, you get an excellent price range telephone that comes with seven years of OS and safety updates; most telephones at this worth will solely see a handful of OS upgrades, if that. The 8A additionally comes with a great digital camera that covers the fundamentals. It’s not as fancy because the Pixel 9 or 9 Professional, nevertheless it received’t stop you from capturing that once-in-a-lifetime shot.
The Pixel 8A offers plenty of different stuff you wouldn’t essentially count on from a $500 telephone, like wi-fi charging and an IP67 ranking for resistance in opposition to full water immersion. In fact, you’ll be able to’t have all the things. The 8A’s again panel is matte plastic quite than glass, sadly, and its 6.1-inch 1080p display screen isn’t the perfect in its class.
There are different telephones out there for underneath $500 price contemplating, a lot of that are coated in our information to the perfect cheap telephones. However in case you’re on the lookout for absolutely the most worth you will get from a $500 telephone, then look no additional than the 8A.
$999
The Good
- New tone management in digital camera allows you to dial again HDR processing
- Who doesn’t love a bodily shutter button?
- Your video director associates will spend hours gleefully taking 4K120 video portraits of individuals at avenue festivals
The Unhealthy
- Digicam Management button is just a little fiddly
- Default picture processing is extra aggressive than ever
- Essentially the most incremental of incremental upgrades over the iPhone 15 Professional
Display: 6.3-inch, 2622 x 1206 OLED, 120Hz refresh fee / Processor: A18 Professional Cameras: 48-megapixel f/1.8 with sensor-shift IS; 12-megapixel 5x telephoto with OIS; 48-megapixel ultrawide; 12-megapixel selfie / Battery: Not marketed / Charging: 27W wired, 25W MagSafe wi-fi, 15W Qi2, 7.5W Qi / Climate-resistance ranking: IP68
Like all mainline iPhone 16 fashions, the 16 Professional gained the brand new Digicam Management button, nevertheless it acquired one other vital replace, too: a 5x telephoto lens. Within the 15 collection, that longer telephoto lens was reserved for the larger Professional Max mannequin. This time round, it’s on the smaller Professional, too, making it an incredible possibility for somebody who desires to improve with out upsizing their telephone.
Just like the Professional Max, the iPhone 16 Professional makes use of an A18 Professional chipset designed to assist Apple Intelligence, which began rolling out within the fall of 2024. The primary replace included issues like notification summaries and the brand new glowing-border Siri UI, which Apple centered its launch occasion on. Subsequent updates introduced ChatGPT integration and Visible Intelligence. However don’t count on something radical — not less than at first.
Exterior of AI, the 16 Professional is a reasonably iterative replace. The brand new Digicam Management makes it simpler to launch the digital camera and get proper to taking images, and it additionally frees up the Motion Button in case you had been utilizing it as a digital camera shortcut. The display screen is just a little greater at 6.3 inches in comparison with 6.1 inches, although the telephone is principally the identical dimension. You may report 4K video at 120fps now. And the brand new Photographic Types, which can be found on all iPhone 16 fashions, allow you to take extra management over your images than ever.
There’s nothing right here that somebody with an iPhone 15 Professional ought to improve for, nevertheless it’s an all-around stable machine that may please Apple devotees, particularly those that want a telephone that isn’t too huge.
Display: 6.7-inch, 1080p, 120Hz OLED internal display screen; 3.4-inch, 720p, OLED cowl display screen / Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 / Cameras: 50-megapixel f/1.8 primary with OIS; 12-megapixel ultrawide; 10-megapixel selfie (internal display screen) / Battery: 4,000mAh / Charging: 25W wired, 15W wi-fi / Climate resistance: IP48
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 isn’t essentially the most enjoyable flip telephone you should purchase proper now; that might be the 2024 Motorola Razr Plus. However enjoyable solely goes up to now, and the Z Flip 6 is the extra dependable of the 2. In terms of the machine you employ day in and time out, reliability counts for lots.
Motorola’s tackle the fashionable flip telephone embraces nostalgia with cute animations and a mode that sends the entire machine again to the early 2000s. The Z Flip 6 lacks this type of allure, however you do get an up to date cowl display screen UI that’s extra customizable than the Z Flip 5’s. The Flip 6 additionally comes with seven years of software program updates, which matches the perfect software program insurance policies available on the market. The {hardware} will in all probability give out lengthy earlier than the software program, actually.
That’s the opposite aspect of the flip telephone coin: long-term sturdiness is iffy. Certain, the Flip 6 is constructed to resist full water immersion, nevertheless it nonetheless doesn’t have any formal mud resistance. For that purpose, it isn’t a telephone I might suggest to simply anybody.
That stated, the Z Flip 6’s outer display screen does turn out to be useful. You are able to do loads with the prebaked widget choices out there to make use of, and in case you’re just a bit adventurous, you’ll be able to run any app you need on the little display screen. Beginning a Strava exercise or sending a fast textual content is a cinch, which is a giant a part of the attraction of a flip telephone. Simply, , maintain this telephone away from the seashore.
Display: 8.0-inch, 2076p, 120Hz OLED internal display screen; 6.3-inch, 1080p, 120Hz OLED cowl display screen / Processor: Tensor G4 / Cameras: 48-megapixel f/1.7 primary with OIS; 10.8-megapixel 5x telephoto with OIS; 10.5-megapixel ultrawide; 10-megapixel selfie (cowl display screen); 10-megapixel internal selfie digital camera / Battery: 4,650mAh / Charging: 21W wired, 7.5W wi-fi / Climate resistance: IPX8
It’s exhausting to convey simply how good the Pixel 9 Professional Fold is to make use of. It’s the primary book-style folding telephone that totally delivers on the promise of a foldable: it’s a pill once you want it and a daily telephone once you don’t.
Samsung’s Z Fold collection feels just a little too slender and cramped in its closed configuration, and the unique Pixel Fold was too cumbersome and heavy to make use of comfortably. The 9 Professional Fold is lighter, and utilizing its 6.3-inch outer display screen feels principally like utilizing a traditional telephone, which is a giant win.
That’s actually the theme of the Pixel 9 Professional Fold: it simply feels regular. However there are a few decidedly not-normal issues to think about: worth and sturdiness. The 9 Professional Fold prices $1,799 — principally the going fee for a book-style foldable however nonetheless some huge cash for a telephone.
And long-term sturdiness is unclear, particularly on condition that that is solely Google’s second folding telephone. It’s rated to resist full water immersion, however as with every foldable, mud is a priority, so that you’ll wish to take just a little further care with this machine. All that stated, somebody with the abdomen (and pockets) for the 9 Professional Fold will discover it a really rewarding machine.
The very best telephone for one thing utterly completely different
Display: 6.7-inch, 1080p, 120Hz OLED / Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 / Cameras: 50-megapixel F/1.9 primary with OIS; 50-megapixel ultrawide; 32-megapixel selfie / Battery: 4,700mAh / Charging: 45W wired, 15W wi-fi / Climate resistance: IP54
The Nothing Telephone 2 isn’t for everybody, however for the correct of individual, it’s an excellent different to the Galaxies and Pixels of the world. It’s a style-driven machine, from the dot-matrix-inspired UI to the flashing gentle strips on the again panel. Will its distinctive {hardware} and software program options enable you take again your consideration span as Nothing claims? Eh, in all probability not. Principally, it’s only a cool-looking gadget and a thoughtfully designed machine.
The Telephone 2 is provided with a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, which is a barely older however nonetheless very succesful processor. Its 6.7-inch, 1080p display screen helps a quick 120Hz high refresh fee, and its lowest 1Hz refresh fee permits it to supply an information-rich always-on show. The digital camera system is sweet, although not fairly as constant because the Pixel 7’s. There’s wi-fi charging, quick 45W wired charging, and an all-day battery.
That’s all the excellent news. The unhealthy information is that it’s solely rated IP54, that means it’s not totally dustproof, and it’s solely immune to splashes quite than full immersion in water. Most different telephones at this worth provide a full IP68 ranking, and a few cheaper midrange telephones, just like the Pixel 8A, nonetheless embody IP67 water resistance. The Telephone 2 additionally lacks official assist for Verizon’s community, which guidelines it out for lots of people within the US.
There’s the Glyph Interface, too — these lights on the again of the telephone. It’s a neat thought with some attention-grabbing purposes in case you make investments just a little time in tweaking it. You may flip it over to silence notifications once you want a while to focus and handpick sure “important” alerts to gentle up the Glyph. Personally, I discover it much less useful than a conventional focus mode and even the Telephone 2’s always-on show. However others may discover it helpful, and if nothing else, it appears neat.
The Telephone 2 isn’t the only option for sheer worth — the Pixel 8A is a significantly better deal. It’s not the only option for somebody who simply desires a telephone to get them by their day with minimal problem. But it surely’s undeniably completely different, and in case you’re on the lookout for one thing exterior of the odd with a sure visible attraction, then it’s a worthy candidate.
- The Samsung Galaxy S25 is an excellent machine, and it’s principally the final small-ish Android telephone you should purchase within the US. I discover the software program to be fussier and extra cluttered than the Pixel 9’s, so it’s not my total choose, nevertheless it’s a dependable machine — and your greatest wager for a telephone that isn’t gigantic.
- The 2024 Motorola Razr Plus is a pleasant flip telephone with tons of nostalgic vibes, with a giant cowl display screen that’s helpful for accessing fast duties with out opening the telephone. However Motorola’s observe report for well timed software program updates isn’t nice, making it exhausting to completely endorse the Razr Plus.
- The iPhone 16E is a good telephone that makes plenty of attention-grabbing trade-offs. Apple’s newest entry-level telephone begins at $599 and comes with the corporate’s newest A18 processor, USB-C and wi-fi charging, a 60Hz OLED show, and the customizable Motion Button discovered on Apple’s extra premium handsets. The 6.1-inch telephone doesn’t have MagSafe assist or a Digicam Management button, although, and it’s restricted to a single 48-megapixel Fusion digital camera (sorry, ultrawide stans). That makes it exhausting for us to suggest over the usual iPhone 16, even when it does begin at $200 much less.
- Samsung is getting ready to launch two new price range telephones, the $399 A36 and the $299 A26, each of which can assist Google’s Circle to Search characteristic and among the AI-powered enhancing instruments already out there on Samsung’s S25 collection telephones. Each have a 6.7-inch full HD Plus show with an as much as 120Hz refresh fee, a 5,000mAh battery, and ship with Android 15; nonetheless, the A36 gives a speedier Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip and 45W wi-fi charging, to not point out a “bigger vapor chamber” for higher efficiency.
- The price range follow-up to the Pixel 8A, the Pixel 9A, will reportedly arrive on March twenty sixth and begin at $499 for 128GB of storage. The most recent rumors point out it would sport a 6.3-inch show with a 120Hz refresh fee, 8GB of RAM, a 5,100mAh battery, and Google’s Tensor G4 chip. It might additionally ditch the digital camera bump if leaked renders are to be believed, permitting it to lie flat when positioned on a desk.
Replace, March third: Adjusted pricing/availability and added a point out of a number of new telephones, together with the Google Pixel 9A and Samsung’s Galaxy A36. Brandon Widder additionally contributed to this publish.