Mobile phones have become an indispensable part of our lives. We rely on them for communication, social media, work, and entertainment. With so many different models and brands on the market, it can be hard to know which one is right for you. That’s where we come in. In this guide, we’ll give you all the information you need to choose the best smartphone for your needs. We’ll compare the top models from Apple, Samsung, Google, and other leading brands, and help you decide which features are most important to you. So whether you’re looking for the latest iPhone or Android model, or want to find the best value for money, read on for our full guide to the best smartphones available right now.
Best Overall: iPhone 11 Pro
The iPhone 11 Pro is the best smartphone you can buy right now. It has an excellent OLED display, long battery life, superb camera quality, and fast performance.
The only downside is that it’s quite expensive, starting at $999 for the base model with 64GB of storage. But if you’re looking for the best of the best, the iPhone 11 Pro is the phone to get.
Best Value: OnePlus 7T
OnePlus 7T, $599 (unlocked for GSM networks)
The latest phone from OnePlus, the 7T is an excellent all-around device that offers great value for the price. It has a large 6.55-inch display, three rear cameras (including a telephoto lens), a fast Snapdragon 855 Plus processor, and a large 4,085 mAh battery. It’s also running the latest version of Android 10 with OnePlus’ OxygenOS skin on top.
Best Camera: Google Pixel 4
We’ve tested dozens of smartphones over the past year, and the Google Pixel 4 is our pick for the best camera phone you can buy. It has an excellent 12.2-megapixel main camera with dual-pixel phase detection autofocus, optical image stabilization, and dual LED flash. It also has a 16-megapixel telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom. The Pixel 4 can shoot 4K video at 30fps and 1080p video at up to 120fps. The Pixel 4’s camera is also great for low-light photography, thanks to its large 1/2.55-inch sensor and large ƒ/1.7 aperture.
And if you want to take even better low-light photos, you can enable the Pixel 4’s Night Sight mode, which uses long exposures and multiple frames to brighten up dark scenes. The Google Pixel 4 is not only our pick for the best camera phone, but it’s also one of the best overall phones you can buy. It has a fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor, 6GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage (with a microSD card slot for expansion). It also has a 5.7-inch OLED display with a resolution of 2160×1080 (full HD+), and it’s protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.
Best Battery Life: Asus ROG Phone II
With a massive 6000mAh battery, the Asus ROG Phone II will last you all day long, even if you’re a power user. And if you do need to recharge, Asus’s 30W fast-charging will top up the battery quickly elsewhere, the ROG Phone II has a great 6.59-inch AMOLED display with a speedy 120Hz refresh rate, making it great for gaming. It’s also got a top-end Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset and 12GB of RAM under the hood, so it’s speedy enough to handle anything you throw at it.
There are a few compromises – the design isn’t to everyone’s taste, there’s no wireless charging and there are (as yet) no mainstream apps that really take advantage of that speedy screen. But if you want the longest-lasting phone around, the Asus ROG Phone II is the one to get.
Best for Gaming: Razer Phone 2
Are you a mobile gamer looking for the best smartphone to give you an edge over your competition? Then you need the Razer Phone 2. This phone has the latest and greatest specs for mobile gaming, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a massive 4,000mAh battery. Plus, it has a 5.72-inch Quad HD+ display with a refresh rate of 120Hz, so you can be sure that your games will look and play great.
Best Design: Samsung Galaxy S10
The Samsung Galaxy S10 features an elegant design that is sure to turn heads. The phone is crafted from premium materials and features a beautiful OLED display. The bezels are extremely thin, and the overall design is sleek and stylish. The fingerprint sensor is built into the display, making it easy to unlock the phone. The camera is also top-notch, making this one of the best smartphones on the market.
Best for Audio: Sony Xperia 1
When it comes to the best smartphones for audio, the Sony Xperia 1 is at the top of our list. This Android phone comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack, 32-bit/384kHz Hi-Res audio playback, and Dolby Atmos support. In our tests, we found that the Xperia 1 had some of the best-sounding audio of any smartphone on the market. If you’re looking for a great phone for music and movies, the Sony Xperia 1 is a great choice.
Best for Budget: Moto G7
The best phone under $200 is the Moto G7. It scores high marks in our performance, battery life, camera, and display quality tests, and it comes with a clean version of Android that’s free of bloatware. The only drawback is that it isn’t compatible with Verizon or Sprint, so you’ll need to use another carrier if you want to use this phone.
The best smartphone right now is the iPhone 11 Pro Max. It’s not only the biggest and most powerful phone Apple has ever made, but it also has an excellent triple-camera system, a beautiful OLED display, and long battery life. The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus is still a great phone, and it comes in a few different sizes to suit different needs and budgets. It has an excellent Dynamic AMOLED display, a top-notch triple-camera system, and very good battery life.
OnePlus has consistently produced great phones at very reasonable prices, and the OnePlus 7T Pro is no exception. It’s got a massive display, top-of-the-line specs, three rear cameras, and very fast charging. If you’re looking for something a bit different, the Google Pixel 4 XL is worth considering. It has an excellent dual-camera system, face unlock, and motion sense features powered by Google’s Project Soli radar technology.