The Best Android Phones

Samsung's smartphones are the crème de la crème of the Android world, with top specs, refined hardware, and excellent software support. None of that has changed with the new Galaxy S25 series (7/10, WIRED Recommends), but that's mostly because they're not too different from their predecessor. Outside of the usual spec changes, the phones are largely unchanged, and Samsung instead emphasized artificial intelligence. The best part of the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, and Galaxy S25 Ultra is the chipset and heat management—the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite is a powerful chip, and combined with improved cooling mechanisms, there's a noticeable improvement when playing demanding games for lengthy periods (the phone doesn't get super hot fast and games, which in turn means games don't stutter as frequently).

The big AI features fall a little flat. It's nice that Gemini is now the default assistant instead of Samsung's Bixby (which still exists), but the new features are not all that impactful. Samsung's wireless charging implementation is more annoying—the phones support Qi2 but do not have magnets built in. Officially, they're “Qi2 Ready,” which means you need a magnetic case (we've rounded up our favorites here) to enable it. Even with the lackluster improvements, it's hard to be dissatisfied with these devices when they excel in every category, from stunning AMOLED displays to versatile cameras and day-long battery life. The Galaxy S25 is a fantastic compact size, and the Galaxy S25+ matches it in features but sizes up. The S25 Ultra doesn't feel as Ultra anymore, but you still get a more durable build, an extra 5X optical zoom camera, and the S Pen stylus.

Check out our Best Samsung Galaxy Phones guide for more.

OnePlus has always been the flagship Android smartphone I recommend for anyone not interested in a Samsung or Google device. The company has focused on innovating in the battery and charging space to stand out—the OnePlus 13 is the only phone in the US that can go from zero to 100 percent in a mere 36 minutes, provided you use the included charger. It is also one of the few phones with a silicon-carbon battery, providing greater power density without increasing thickness. (It has a whopping 6,000-mAh battery and is thinner than the OnePlus 12, which has a smaller cell!) It's a shame there's no Qi2 wireless charging here, which would have introduced a magnetic charging system like Apple's MagSafe, though OnePlus does sell official cases with magnets embedded inside for a similar experience.

You can choose between the OnePlus 13 and OnePlus 13R (8/10, WIRED Recommends)—the latter is cheaper ($600) and isn't as feature-rich, nor does it have the same high-end specs. You can make do with the OnePlus 13R just fine, but I don't find it as good a value over the OnePlus 12R from 2024. Go for the OnePlus 13 instead. The display isn't as curvy as before, making it easier to grip, there's flagship-worthy water resistance of IP68/69, and performance is excellent. Battery life is roughly two days with average use, or about a day if you use the phone for many tasks. The triple-camera system is also pretty great. I routinely used the 3X camera and was very happy with my results. It's not the best camera system, but it's fun to use and slick, plus I like the Hasselblad-tuned filters.

Motorola's latest Moto G Stylus has it all, from great performance thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chip to an embedded stylus for signing documents or doodling. The bright, bold blue color is also striking and gorgeous, with a lovely vegan leather texture. Seriously, there's not much to complain about here, considering it has all the additional perks like wireless charging, a microSD card slot to expand on the already generous 256 GB of storage, and did I mention the headphone jack?

The 50-megapixel main camera is reliable, even in low light, if you stay still when capturing the photo. The ultrawide is only useful in bright conditions. The only real gripe is the lackluster software update policy, though it's better than years past. You get two Android OS upgrades and three years of security updates. Companies like Nothing and Samsung offer better software support for cheaper phones, and there's no reason Motorola can't match them.

Look above and you'll notice a lot of the same. That's where Nothing's Phone (3) (7/10, WIRED Recommends) stands out. This smartphone doesn't look like any other handset, with a fun grid and tri-column aesthetic, plus an unusual camera layout. Also unique is the Glyph Matrix, a circular display on the back that's an evolution of Nothing's Glyph LEDs. Instead of just lighting up when notifications come in, there are Glyph Toys you can cycle through, like Spin the Bottle, Magic 8 Ball, and Rock, Paper, Scissors. I also like the Essential Notifications feature, which limits what notifications come through when the phone is flipped down—the Glyph Matrix can show a custom image so you immediately know when a message from a loved one arrives.

This is the Nothing brand’s flagship phone, and it certainly feels high-end. However, it may not be the best value when you compare it to similarly priced devices like the Samsung Galaxy S25. If you're chasing specs for money, look elsewhere. But the Phone (3) offers a well-rounded smartphone experience, from great performance to a reliable triple-camera system, and it's gorgeous, quirky, and fun. We need more of that in the world.

Have you been wishing for a small phone? Well, it doesn't get smaller than this. The Razr Ultra (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is the latest folding flip phone from Motorola, and it gets a lot right, starting from the gorgeous designs you can choose from. It comes in a wood back, Alcantara, a leather-inspired finish, or a satin-esque look. It's fashionable!

The 4-inch OLED screen on the outside is more useful than ever, as you can add multiple widget panels for glanceable information, and if you open it up, the internal screen is bigger at 7 inches. You get the perks of a big phone but in a super compact design that'll fit any pocket or purse. The Razr Ultra's camera system is also pretty strong, though it's not as great as the cameras on the similarly priced competition. Motorola also doesn't have a great security update policy either. Despite these issues, this compact handset is super unique, fun, and a joy to use. If you're also considering Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip7, let me just say that, having used both, I prefer the Razr Ultra.

Read more about it in our Best Motorola Phones guide.

This is hands down the best phone for the money. The CMF Phone 2 Pro (9/10, WIRED Recommends) delivers some of the best performance on a smartphone under $300, thanks to the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro 5G chipset. The 6.77-inch screen is expansive and touts an AMOLED panel with a 120-Hz refresh rate. The 5,000-mAh battery easily lasts into the morning or afternoon of a second day, and the triple-camera system—almost unheard of on such a cheap phone—takes pretty decent photos.

The downsides are worth considering, though. CMF is a Nothing brand, and like the Nothing Phones above, it's sold through a beta program. This is just an extra step, but it also means that carrier compatibility isn't as simple as most of the phones in this guide. It'll work on T-Mobile, and 4G works on AT&T and Verizon, but you may have to contact the latter two carriers and make them whitelist the phone for 5G. Also, the Moto G Power 5G is almost the same price and has perks like wireless charging and an IP68 water-resistance rating, whereas the CMF only charges via USB-C and is IP54-rated. Still, I'd take the CMF's performance chops over those perks. A smooth-performing phone is a good phone.

It's a shame the company isn't bringing most of the accessory system that makes the Phone 2 Pro unique. There are modular camera attachments, a magnetic back cover, and a wallet/kickstand combo, but they're not sold in the US.

Want to hold onto your phone for several years before upgrading? The Fairphone (Gen. 6) (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is the most repairable smartphone, scoring a perfect 10 on iFixit’s scale. There are 12 easy-to-replace parts, from the battery to the camera, and it comes with the necessary screwdriver. Fairphone promises seven Android OS upgrades and eight years of software updates, and that's without mentioning the five-year warranty. Oh, and the company doesn’t just think about repairability, it ensures all the necessary components are fairly and ethically sourced. I can wax poetic about Fairphone, but you get the idea.

Good news: The phone's pretty good, too. Performance is flawless, battery life reliably lasted a full day with average to heavy use, and while the cameras may not match the competition, I managed to capture some pleasing shots. You get 256 GB of internal storage, and Fairphone includes a microSD slot, so you can expand that up to 2 terabytes. I did run into some software bugs, but an update fixed most of my issues, and there's a healthy community forum where you can see upcoming bug fixes.

Unfortunately, The Fairphone (Gen. 6) is not officially sold in the US. If you import it, you should be able to use it on T-Mobile and its operators just fine (I had no problems on Google Fi), but you're out of luck on AT&T and Verizon. The same is true if you buy the de-Googled version from Murena that runs the /e/OS operating system instead of Android.

After a few years of a stale design, Samsung made the right changes with its booklike folding phone, propelling the Galaxy Z Fold7 (7/10, WIRED Recommends) to the top in its category. The Fold7 is shockingly thin, just 8.9 mm when folded and 4.2 mm when unfolded. For comparison, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is 8.25 mm, and the Z Fold7 is actually lighter than the single-screen iPhone. It's truly a marvel of engineering.

What you get is a svelte experience that is no longer annoyingly cumbersome to hold and use. The front 6.5-inch screen feels very much like a normal smartphone and is primarily where you'll spend your time. But then you have the beautiful 8-inch screen for split-screening apps, watching videos, playing games, or just viewing any app in a larger size. The main camera finally matches the quality of Samsung's flagship candy-bar phone, the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but battery life remains unimpressive. You'll most likely need to top up before the end of the day. This is also one of the priciest phones you can buy, and it's hard to say outright that the folding capabilities are worth the price.

If you're outside the US, you have a wealth of smartphone options at various prices. It's enviable! Our current standout recommendation is the Honor Magic 7 Pro (8/10, WIRED Recommends), which my colleague Simon Hill says is “nearly flawless.” This is a high-end phone through and through, mimicking the OnePlus 13 in a lot of ways with a silicon-carbon battery, Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and the ability to recharge from zero to 100 in 33 minutes. Even the triple-camera system is reliable and versatile. There's a raft of AI features, but it's difficult to say how useful they are. Thankfully, Honor has made a special effort to polish the overall software experience, and it shows.

Read our Best Phones You Can't Buy in the US guide for more options.