June 1, 2023

$440 at Amazon

Nothing Phone 1 with LEDs turned on

Nothing Cellphone 1

A flashy, inexpensive cellphone (Replace: Low inventory)

Apple’s iPhone is not the one alternative should you’re out there for a brand new cellphone. Android has a number of benefits over iOS, and one of many largest is the sheer number of gadgets you possibly can select from. From the supersize Galaxy S23 Extremely to the extra modest and inexpensive Pixel 6A, Android telephones can be found in an enormous vary of sizes and costs. However this sprawling number of telephones could make it troublesome to know which of them are value your hard-earned cash. If you happen to aren’t positive the place to start out, you are in the appropriate place: We have examined and researched all the perfect Android telephones you should buy in 2023.

A terrific cellphone ought to have high-quality cameras, lengthy battery life, compelling software program options and 5G help. We thought-about these elements when placing collectively our checklist of the perfect Android telephones in 2023, which you’ll take a look at beneath. CNET’s workforce updates this checklist periodically as we evaluate new merchandise. 

What’s the greatest Android cellphone?

The Google Pixel 7 Professional sits on the prime of our checklist of greatest Android telephones, largely as a result of it has among the greatest cameras discovered on any cellphone offered right now and represents top-of-the-line values in your greenback on this checklist. The Pixel 7 Professional additionally packs quite a few handy options which are distinctive to it. There are calling instruments like the power to attend on maintain and notify you when a consultant turns into obtainable. You can too sharpen previous pictures which are out of focus to make the topic look clearer. After which there’s the power to robotically caption movies, podcasts, cellphone calls and extra.

There are many different glorious selections on the market, nonetheless, despite the fact that the Pixel 7 Professional is our present favourite.

Finest Android telephones of 2023

Pixel 7 Pro face down on a wooden table next to a cup of coffee
Google

Like:

• Refreshed design seems nice
• Very good cameras
• Clear and gratifying interface

Don’t love:

• Battery life may very well be higher

Google’s newest flagship cellphone, the Pixel 7 Professional, is not an enormous overhaul from the already glorious Pixel 6 Professional Google launched final 12 months. However it’s taken that profitable components and made some key tweaks to nearly each aspect, leading to an outstanding cellphone that is bliss to make use of. The refreshed digicam can take gorgeous pictures too, incomes its spot among the many greatest flagship telephones round. It sometimes sells for $899, however Google at present has it on sale for $150 off.

Learn our Google Pixel 7 Professional evaluate.

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
James Martin/CNET

Like:

  • Quick efficiency
  • Wonderful important digicam
  • Vivid display screen
  • Included stylus
  • Double the storage within the base mannequin
  • 4 generations of Android OS updates

Don’t love:

  • Excessive value
  • Photographs do not at all times look pure
  • No enhancements to quick charging

The Galaxy S23 is so much, however in a great way. It is greater than most individuals want in a cellphone, however that does not make it any much less spectacular. Samsung made enhancements to the digicam’s decision (200 megapixels in contrast with 108 megapixels), shade tones and dynamic vary, whereas retaining the identical edgy design and big 6.8-inch display screen as its predecessor. There’s additionally a brand new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor that is been optimized particularly for Samsung’s telephones, which brings quicker efficiency in contrast with the Galaxy S22 Extremely. 

It might be an understatement to name this cellphone costly: It begins at $1,200. However folks prepared to pay extra for a large display screen and a high-quality, versatile digicam will not be disillusioned. Learn our Samsung Galaxy S23 Extremely evaluate.

Pixel 7
Patrick Holland/CNET

Like:

• Smooth design
• Nice worth 
• Most important digicam is Google’s greatest

Don’t love:

• Battery life is sweet however not nice
• Not as a lot Android model help as Samsung

At round $600, the Google Pixel 7 presents a good way to place a few of Google’s greatest tech in your pocket with out emptying your financial institution stability within the course of. It undercuts the totally specced 7 Professional mannequin by a way, however nonetheless packs the identical Tensor G2 processor, a wonderful display screen and an incredible important digicam. 

Just like the 7 Professional, its refreshed design seems elegant and trendy, whereas its Android 13 software program is clutter-free and simple to make use of. The battery life may very well be higher, however with cautious use you will get by means of a day on a cost. It lacks the telephoto zoom and a few the opposite bells and whistles of the 7 Professional, however should you’re after a stable on a regular basis cellphone at an honest value, the bottom Pixel 7 is a superb possibility.

back of Samsung Galaxy S23 phone, held up in front of a plant
James Martin/CNET

Like:

  • Longer battery life
  • Engaging design
  • 4 generations of Android OS updates
  • Quick efficiency

Don’t love:

  • Cameras are principally the identical as final 12 months
  • Costly
  • No enhancements to quick charging
  • No improve to base storage

Android followers on the lookout for a petite cellphone haven’t got a lot to select from. However the 6.1-inch Galaxy S23 gives a compelling possibility for many who desire a cellphone that feels compact however nonetheless gives sufficient display screen area. The Galaxy S23 comes with routine upgrades like a contemporary processor (a model of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 that is been optimized for Samsung’s telephones), a barely new design and a higher-resolution selfie digicam. However it’s the Galaxy S23’s bigger battery that makes it value recommending. Learn our Samsung Galaxy S23 evaluate.

The back of Google's Pixel 6A phone
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET

Like:

  • Good display screen
  • Speedy efficiency
  • IP67 waterproof
  • Inexpensive value

Don’t love:

The subsequent-gen Pixel 6A is a stable alternative if you need 5G on a budget. This Pixel cellphone has a high-end chipset, nice rear cameras, show and common battery life. It is one of many least expensive good 5G smartphones you should buy proper now.

Learn our Google Pixel 6A evaluate.

oneplus-11-review-cnet-lanxon-promo-17

Like:

  • Unbelievable efficiency for gaming
  • Slick, refreshed design
  • Hyper-fast charging
  • 5 years of safety help

Don’t love:

  • Cameras are good however not nice
  • Higher waterproofing on rivals

The $700 OnePlus 11 is a strong cellphone that is effectively outfitted to deal with gaming, video streaming and different frequent duties. In typical OnePlus style, this cellphone can be cheaper than the $800 Galaxy S23 and $900 Pixel 7 Professional. The cameras aren’t the perfect, however they’re advantageous for informal photographers who simply wish to seize their subsequent trip or an evening out. What units the OnePlus 11 aside from lots of its rivals is its blazing 100-watt quick charging, which might replenish the battery in simply 25 minutes. (The US model solely helps 80-watt charging, however that is nonetheless an enchancment over the Galaxy S23 Extremely’s 45-watt charging). General, the OnePlus 11 is good for individuals who desire a highly effective cellphone that costs shortly and will not break the financial institution. Learn our full evaluate of the OnePlus 11.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 in burgundy unfolded displaying wallpaper
Sarah Tew/CNET

Like:

  • 120Hz cowl display screen
  • Water resistance
  • Enhanced pill expertise
  • Software program enhancements for multitasking and Flex Mode

Don’t love:

  • $1,800 continues to be costly

Foldable telephones have not actually hit the mainstream, remaining as an alternative solely within the attain of these prepared to spend prime greenback on the newest in cell innovation. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 is the perfect folding cellphone round, providing top-notch efficiency, an incredible digicam setup and a wide range of tweaks to its folding expertise that make this Android smartphone extra fascinating than its predecessor.

Galaxy Z Flip 3 unboxing
Patrick Holland/CNET

If the Galaxy Fold is a pill that folds in half to turn out to be a cellphone, the Z Flip is a cellphone that folds in half to turn out to be a smaller cellphone. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 is a era older than the newly launched Galaxy Z Flip 4. However we advocate it over the Z Flip 4, because it’s cheaper whereas nonetheless providing lots of the identical advantages. The Z Flip 4 has a brand new processor, bigger battery, a brand new important sensor for taking higher low-light pictures and a barely tweaked design. That may sound like so much, however these modifications come collectively to make solely a barely improved expertise over the earlier era Flip 3.

With the Z Flip 3, you are still getting a 6.7-inch show that folds in half and might simply slide right into a denims or jacket pocket. The duvet display screen can be the identical measurement on each telephones, and the Z Flip 3 and 4 every have related cameras and 5G connectivity. At round $1,000, it is now essentially the most inexpensive foldable cellphone Samsung sells. Until yow will discover the Z Flip 4 at a reduction that makes it the identical value because the Z Flip 3, we advocate going for final 12 months’s cellphone.

Like:

  • Higher battery life than earlier than
  • Nonetheless the perfect flip cellphone to get into foldables
  • Water resistance

Don’t love:

  • Cameras are good however a step down from the Galaxy Fold
  • Cowl display screen nonetheless might do extra

The Sony Xperia Pro
Patrick Holland/CNET

Like:

  • Skilled degree video monitor options
  • Strong utilitarian construct
  • Dwell broadcast streaming over 5G
  • As a cellphone, it is primarily the Sony Xperia 1 II

Don’t love:

  • Worth is excessive, limiting its slim attraction
  • 2020 specs and Android 10
  • Cannot document video through HDMI enter

At a whopping $1,800 checklist value, the Sony Xperia Professional is not for everybody. However should you’re a photographer or videographer on the lookout for professional-level digicam cellphone options, you possibly can’t go improper. The Xperia Professional is basically 4 merchandise in a single: a cellphone, a digicam monitor, a speedy picture file switch gadget and a 5G machine appropriate for broadcasting and livestreaming.

Learn our Sony Xperia Professional evaluate.

Nothing Phone 1 with LEDs turned on
Andrew Lanxon/CNET

Like:

• Flashing design
• Strong efficiency
• Inexpensive value

Don’t love:

• Cameras are solely OK
• Not extensively obtainable within the US

The Nothing Cellphone 1’s inexpensive value, stable efficiency and good-enough digicam setup already make it a stable possibility to contemplate should you’re on the lookout for an Android cellphone on a funds. However this cellphone takes the pizzazz up a notch with its suite of flashing LED lights on the rear, which definitely make it stand out in opposition to its opponents. 

It is an incredible cellphone, which we loved reviewing, however there’s a draw back: As of proper now, there are no plans to launch the cellphone extensively within the US. You will get it unlocked on Amazon, nevertheless it’s GSM-only so it will not work on Verizon. The corporate’s subsequent cellphone, the Nothing Cellphone 2, shall be coming to the US later this 12 months. 

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How we check telephones

Each cellphone on this checklist has been totally examined by CNET’s skilled evaluations workforce. We truly use the cellphone, check the options, play video games and take pictures. We assess any advertising and marketing guarantees that an organization makes about its telephones. And if we discover one thing we do not like, be it battery life or construct high quality, we inform you all about it. 

We look at each side of a cellphone throughout testing:

  • Show
  • Design and really feel
  • Processor efficiency
  • Battery life
  • Digital camera high quality
  • Options

We check all of a cellphone’s cameras (each back and front) in a wide range of situations: from outdoor beneath daylight to dimmer indoor locales and evening time scenes (for any obtainable evening modes). We additionally evaluate our findings in opposition to equally priced fashions. We have now a collection of real-world battery assessments to see how lengthy a cellphone lasts beneath on a regular basis use.

We bear in mind extra cellphone options like 5G, fingerprint and face readers, styluses, quick charging, foldable shows and different helpful extras. And we weigh all of our experiences and testing in opposition to the worth so you recognize whether or not a cellphone represents good worth or not.

Learn extra: How We Check Telephones

Cellphone FAQs

How dependable is an Android cellphone?

Android telephones are available in all styles and sizes. Costs vary from only a couple hundred {dollars} for a primary smartphone to $1,800 for state-of-the-art foldable telephones. All of the telephones on this checklist are sturdy, have an IP ranking for water and mud resistance and years of software program help.

How lengthy does an Android cellphone final?

Whereas each cellphone on this checklist varies in what number of years of software program help you get and the way lengthy you possibly can lengthen the guarantee, most ought to final you a number of years if no more.

Extra cellphone and Android suggestions

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