The best Android phones in 2023
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Weighing your options for a new Android phone is more difficult than it is for iPhone users. There are many Android brands, each with distinct approaches to hardware and software, and price tags vary widely.
To help you sort through the Android landscape, we've tested nearly a dozen current phones to land on a definitive list of the five best Android phones you can buy depending on your priorities, with top recommendations for battery life, small screen size, camera quality, and budget value.
The Android models listed here from Samsung, Google, and OnePlus achieved their rank thanks to their superior performance in daily use and in long-term testing.
Our top picks for the best Android phones
Best overall: Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus - See at Amazon
Samsung's Galaxy S23 Plus simply has the least compromises out of any phone here, and it has the best likelihood of pleasing the most people.
Best budget: Google Pixel 6a - See at Amazon
Google Pixel 6a offers unrivaled value, and its performance, cameras, and design punch far above its weight.
Best camera: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra - See at Best Buy
Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra has four camera lenses that take excellent photos, and it offers the most versatility with its unique 10x zoom lens.
Best battery life: OnePlus 11 - See at Best Buy
The OnePlus 11 scored the best result in our battery stress test out of any Android phone, and it comes with an incredible 80W fast charger.
Best small phone: Samsung Galaxy S23 - See at Amazon
Samsung's 6.1-inch Galaxy S23 is the smaller sibling of the Galaxy S23 Plus, our top Android pick.
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Pros: Lightweight for a large phone, excellent cameras, stellar performance, excellent battery life, smooth 120Hz display
Cons: Occasional shutter lag, some unwanted bloatware
The Galaxy S23 Plus is our top pick because we don't have to spend time talking about compromises like we do on most other Android phones — if you have a necessity in an Android phone, it's more than likely that the Galaxy S23 Plus has it, and it has it in high quality. The only trade-off for such a complete experience is its $1,000 starting price.
The Galaxy S23 Plus's performance goes beyond expectations for high-end Android phones in 2023 by running on a specially optimized processor that's exclusive to the Galaxy S23 series — the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Optimized for Galaxy. The gains aren't massive over the OnePlus 11 running on the standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but the Galaxy S23 Plus does occasionally open apps a little faster in side-by-side testing.
The rear triple-lens camera on the Galaxy S23 Plus delivers photos anyone would be happy with, even if it often processes and enhances photos with extra color saturation or heightened brightness. Samsung has also improved the selfie camera on the Galaxy S23 Plus, with surprisingly good HDR, portrait mode, colors, contrast, and brightness.
Battery life on the Galaxy S23 Plus is excellent and matches Apple's iPhone 14 Pro Max with a 67% battery result in our intensive battery test. That's saying something, as Apple had crushed Android phones in the battery department in the previous two years.
The Galaxy S23 Plus has a fairly large screen at 6.6 inches, which may be too large for some people, but its light weight at 6.91 ounces makes it comfortable in the hand. And, as expected for a premium Android phone, the Galaxy S23 Plus' display runs at a silky smooth 120Hz, which pairs beautifully with the phone's powerful processor — every swipe and animation on the screen glides effortlessly.
We realize the Galaxy S23 Plus' $1,000 price is high, which is why we also recommend the OnePlus 11 as a less expensive alternative that starts at $700. The OnePlus 11 offers a similar overall experience to the Galaxy S23 Plus, though it has compromises like a lack of wireless charging and a comparatively poor selfie camera.
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Pros: Superb price-to-performance ratio, premium design, excellent camera quality
Cons: Unimpressive battery life, lacks wireless charging, 60Hz display
Google's Pixel 6a is an incredible deal for its starting price of $350, and it's our first recommendation when it comes to value. Yes, it's a year old, but it punches way above its price tag. The Pixel 6a's performance easily keeps up, and its camera quality competes with phones that cost three times as much.
At this price point, you are compromising on certain features, like a high refresh rate and wireless charging, and connecting to your carrier's fast mmWave 5G network isn't an option (though you can connect to the slower sub6 5G networks).
If you'd rather make fewer compromises and are willing to pay a little more, we recommend the newer Pixel 7a as an upgrade option. Starting at $500, it has a newer processor, a 90Hz display, and wireless charging. Support for fast mmWave 5G networks on the Pixel 7a is limited to Verizon, and it's a separate model that costs more at $550.
Still, the Pixel 6a is a marvel that offers an incredible core phone experience for $350, and you won't find a better phone for the price.
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Pros: Largest display, four excellent versatile cameras, improved selfie camera, smooth 120Hz display, S Pen stylus
Cons: Pricey compared to competition, may be too large for some people
Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra is the ultimate camera phone with its four lenses, including a 200-megapixel (MP) main camera, a 12MP ultrawide, a 10MP 3x zoom, and a 10MP 10x zoom.
Despite the very high-resolution main camera, you might not notice much of a difference in photo quality compared to other premium phones with around 50MP cameras — most high-end devices achieve a similarly good balance of color, brightness, contrast, and sharpness.
What really sets the Galaxy S23 Ultra apart is its fourth 10x zoom lens. It takes crisp, clear photos in full detail significantly further than any other phone, making it the most versatile camera phone you can buy in the US.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with a built-in stylus, which comes in handy for editing photos on the phone's giant 6.8-inch screen — it offers precision and functionality that simply can't be achieved with a fingertip.
In case the Galaxy S23 Ultra's $1,200 price is over your budget, you also have the rest of Samsung's Galaxy S23 series to pick from that take similarly excellent quality photos. You'll just have to make do with three camera lenses. Alternatively, we love the OnePlus 11's camera, which produces stunning colors and contrast.
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Pros: Remarkable battery life for Android, 80W fast charging with included charger, excellent performance, stellar rear cameras
Cons: Slow charging with third-party chargers, no wireless charging, sub-par selfie camera
The OnePlus 11 obtained the best result in our battery stress test among Android phones, ending the test with a 71% charge remaining.
To finish the test with 71% remaining after five runs of the Geekbench 5 app, two runs of the incredibly intensive 20-minute 3DMark Wild Life Stress Test, two hours of video streaming, and one hour of music streaming while connected to Bluetooth headphones is astonishing.
Other Android phones with similar screen sizes couldn't get above 70%, including the Galaxy S23 Plus (67%), Galaxy S23 Ultra (61%), and Pixel 7 Pro (57%).
Still, in practical terms, the OnePlus 11's result doesn't mean you'll dramatically change your charging habits — you might only need to plug in the phone later than usual.
Speaking of charging, the OnePlus 11 also has the fastest charging speeds of any phone in the US at 80W. Those charging speeds are only possible with OnePlus' proprietary charger and cable, which comes in the box with the phone — a unique rarity these days.
Just note that the OnePlus 11 can only charge up to 18W speeds with any third-party charger, even if that charger supports 100W charging speeds. It also lacks wireless charging.
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Pros: Lightweight, excellent cameras, stellar performance, excellent battery life, smooth 120Hz display
Cons: Occasional shutter lag, slower charging speed (25W) than expected, some unwanted bloatware
The Android phone market is flooded with large screens, and you'd think fans of smaller phones in the 6.1-inch range are underserved, but not when Samsung's Galaxy S23 is around.
The Galaxy S23 is essentially a smaller version of our pick for the best overall Android phone, the 6.6-inch Galaxy S23 Plus — same premium performance, same cameras, and same design.
Its battery life isn't quite as good as the Galaxy S23 Plus (56% vs. 67%), but that's understandable and expected in smaller phones. The only baffling compromise is its 25W charging speed compared to the Galaxy S23 Plus' 45W charging speed, as well as a lower base storage option at 128GB.
Starting at $800, the Galaxy S23 is on the expensive side, which is why we also recommend the Pixel 7a or the Pixel 6a, both of which have 6.1-inch screens and start at $500 and $350, respectively.
The Pixel 7a, especially, has few compromises despite its price tag. The main trade-offs include decreased performance relative to the Galaxy S23 and making do without a zoom lens, though the 7a's camera quality is otherwise comparable to the Galaxy S23. The 7a runs on the same processor as Google's flagship Pixel 7 phones, and its 90Hz display delivers an overall comparable experience to the Galaxy S23's 120Hz display.
The Pixel 6a offers incredible value, but with more compromises. Primarily, its performance and 60Hz display are not in the same league as the Galaxy S23, and it doesn't come with a zoom lens or wireless charging. However, the Pixel 6a's cameras are on par with phones that cost three times as much. For $350, it's the ultimate device for a bargain hunter.
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We test Android phones as if they were our daily drivers for at least several days, and often much longer. That way, we can get the best anecdotal feel for their performance, battery life, cameras, and new features.
We also conduct standard tests on all the phones we review and include in our guides.
For performance, we put the phones through a gamut of benchmarking apps to check for performance discrepancies between phones, at least on paper. These benchmark tests also help us evaluate how many years a phone could maintain its performance compared to other phones. We use Geekbench 6 for general performance, and the 3DMark Wild Life Stress Test to get a sense of extended heavy gaming performance.
For camera testing, we photograph a set gamut of scenes with every phone (you may have seen our barn photos over and over again!). We take photos with each lens on each phone and compare them to their direct competitors. We even compare premium phone cameras to budget options to evaluate the difference.
For battery life, we run each phone through a stress test that simulates a mixture of typical daily workloads, like streaming a video and music, as well as high intensity workloads, like playing demanding games. The battery stress test includes five runs of the Geekbench 6 app, two runs of the 3DMark Wildlife Stress Test, two hours of video streaming at a set average brightness, and one hour of music streaming with Bluetooth headphones connected. At the end of the test, we note the remaining battery percentage on the phone.
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Reviewed by mimisabreena
on
Friday, May 26, 2023
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