Among the sea of Android manufacturers, the likes of Samsung and OnePlus have already come out of the new year swinging, with the Galaxy S23 series and the OnePlus 11, respectively, hitting stores last month. Also: Best Samsung phones you can buy right now So, the expert team at ZDNET, along with a pool of industry professionals, has tested and reviewed all the latest Androids to determine which ones are actually worth your hard-earned cash. You can find the list below, with hand-picked devices for virtually every consumer need.
Last year’s Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra took the crown for best Android phone overall, and its newly-released successor, the Galaxy S23 Ultra, is on track to earn back-to-back titles for the Korean giant in 2023. From testing, it’s clear that Samsung is once again taking the “everything but the kitchen sink” approach with the new Ultra flagship – and it still works. The device comes with arguably the best-looking display on the market with excellent brightness and a quad-camera setup on the rear that’s headlined by a high-resolution 200MP camera. Plus, it still features an integrated S Pen stylus for notetaking, sketching, and more. That’s only the tip of the iceberg, of course. Review: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra There are several more subtle upgrades to this year’s S23 Ultra, including storage configurations that start at 256GB (versus last year’s 128GB), a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset that’s one of the most performant mobile platforms we’ve tested, and a more boxy form factor that makes the phone easier to hold and write on. Unsurprisingly, all of this comes with a lofty price tag: $1,199 to start. But if you want the most uncompromising phone available, and our top Android pick so far, the S23 Ultra is the one to get. Foldables are inching closer and closer to mainstream acceptance but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to hop on the innovation wagon. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is the company’s most polished 2-in-1 smartphone yet, and it’s also the best one on the market. (You can also make the argument that its Galaxy Z Flip 4 sibling is better with its smaller learning curve and practical design!) Review: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 With the latest model, you’ll get up to 12GB of RAM, a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor powering the system, a flexible display that can expand from 6.2 inches to 7.6 inches, and all the software perks of Android 12L. Samsung has also made some improvements to its industrial design to create a more uniform, durable, and lightweight form factor. To summarize ZDNET’s testing with the Z Fold 4, here’s a quote from my full review: “The Z Fold experience is one that keeps giving, with new use cases and software tricks that unravel as you flex the device throughout your daily life.” Is there a stark contrast between using a foldable and a traditional slab? Sure. But as with most technology products, it’s the experience of learning how to use it that’s the most powerful. Phones are getting faster and more powerful, but they’re also taking up more space in our pockets. That’s why the Asus Zenfone 9 shines in the sea of 2023 smartphones. The device has a relatively compact 5.9-inch display and weighs just 169 grams, but those dimensions don’t hold it back from boasting flagship internals, like a 120Hz refresh rate, a capable Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, and 8GB of RAM. Review: Asus Zenfone 9 Rarely will you see a compact phone that’s not compromising on aspects like battery life and performance, but the Asus Zenfone 9 is built differently – and for the better. I reviewed the handset back in July and found its dual camera system dependable as well, with Asus opting for just two lenses: a 50MP wide and a 12MP ultra-wide, and not overloading the back cover with unnecessary camera parts. The latest flagship Pixel from Google is also its most refined and capable one yet. The 6.7-inch model is now fitted with a more uniform glass-to-aluminum body and sees an updated Google Tensor G2 chip at the helm. With the new processor, the Pixel 7 Pro gets a boost in efficiency, performance, and a series of practical software features like Unblur and Guided Frame, along with last year’s fan-favorite, Magic Eraser. Review: Google Pixel 7 Pro It’s this focus on “accessible creativity” that gives the Google phones a wonder that’s absent from almost every other smartphone brand. I sat down with one of the company’s product managers, Navin Sarma, late last year to talk about the philosophy behind the Pixel 7 Pro’s camera system. The main takeaway was that Google isn’t catering to a specific demographic of users with the Pixel camera. “If you have any inclination to take a picture, then this (Pixel) camera’s for you,” said Sarma. To the Pixel 7 Pro’s credit, the triple camera array, paired with the company’s computational chops, is what puts it ahead of the competition. From the natural-colored photo and video capture to the new 30x Super Res Zoom that can snap crisp and surprisingly detailed close-up shots, the flagship Pixel’s camera system is more capable than ever before. The $899 price tag, which undercuts Samsung and Apple’s very best, is the cherry on top. OnePlus has had its ups and downs over the past three years, pivoting from value-driven smartphones to ultra-premium, and then back to square one with the new OnePlus 11. The phone starts at $699 and here’s everything you get for the price: a large 6.7-inch AMOLED 120Hz display, a 5,000mAh battery, a triple camera setup with a competent 50MP main lens at the helm, the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, and more. Again, $699. Review: OnePlus 11 Putting the bang-for-your-buck aspect aside, the OnePlus 11 shines above the competition with its charging speed, something you’ll quickly take for granted once you realize that phones don’t have to be sitting by an outlet for two hours every day. “The 80W charger is a significant increase in charging speed compared to current market standards and we expect more OEMs to increase fast charging support with future devices,” Maurice Klaehne, Senior Market Research Analyst at Counterpoint Research, told me. The 100W charging brick (80W in the US) that’s included in the box can take the OnePlus 11 from 0 to 50% with just a 10-minute charge, or 0 to 100% in less than 30 minutes. Google’s Pixel 6a checks all the boxes of a competitive, mid-range smartphone. Instead of focusing on premium-grade materials and flashy features, the Pixel 6a is a simple, user-friendly device that makes you question if you’ve been paying too much for your smartphone. Review: Google Pixel 6a For as low as $249 (with some digging), the Pixel 6a offers a useful dual 12MP camera system, with Google’s Tensor chipset powering all that’s within. That means you get the same software tricks as flagship Pixels, like Magic Eraser and Live Translate. If you can live with a 6.1-inch display and have a tight budget, then the Pixel 6a is the budget Android to buy. If there’s one area that Android completely dominates iOS in, it’s gaming. Whether you game on existing mobile apps or take to the cloud for streaming, Android manufacturers have spent the past years forging a new category of gaming-tailored smartphones. If you want the best, check out the Xiaomi Black Shark 5 Pro. It’s not the most expensive gaming phone on the market, and it certainly doesn’t need a big price tag to do the talking. Review: Black Shark 5 Pro To start, the phone can be configured with up to 16GB of RAM for high-graphics gaming and enhanced app management. Then, there’s the external hardware like the 144Hz refresh rate display that makes gameplay look buttery smooth, the two side trigger buttons that can retract into the phone when not in use, and RGB designs etched throughout the body of the phone – because Xiaomi wants you to game in style. Camera performance across the board is solid for just about every phone on the list, but some are better than others. If you plan to capture photos as your primary function, then you should look to Google, Samsung, or even OnePlus. If you plan to spend $1,000 or more, then you may also want your phone to last for at least a couple of years. You should consider companies with a good track record of regular updates, notably Google and Samsung. Over the past year, I tested new Android phones from Google, Samsung, OnePlus, Sony, Motorola, and several others.
