The best phones to buy in 2025: Top smartphones compared

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It's hard to go wrong with most phones in the US today, and it's almost impossible to find a bad premium phone in 2025. Considering that, the "best phone" depends on your budget and priorities. Still, we can make a general assessment of the best phone overall.

Among the best phones available now, Apple's iPhone 16 is our top option for most people due to its balance of performance, camera quality, camera reliability, battery life, and ecosystem for the price. Samsung's Galaxy S25 is ideal for Android users for most of the same reasons as the iPhone 16. 

On the more affordable end of the spectrum, Apple's iPhone 14 and Google's Pixel 8a are superb devices that offer incredible value. These aren't exactly "cheap," but we think they're well worth the price considering their long-lasting performance, camera quality, and other premium features. 

Our top picks for the best phones

Best overall: iPhone 16 - See at Verizon

Best phone for Android users: Samsung Galaxy S25 - See at Samsung

Best budget iPhone: iPhone 14 - See at Verizon

Best budget phone for Android users: Google Pixel 8a - See at Amazon

Best camera phone: iPhone 16 Pro - See at Verizon

Best battery life: iPhone 16 Pro Max - See at Verizon

Best foldable phone: Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold - See at Amazon

Best overall

These days, most smartphone users fall into either Team iPhone or Team Android. If you're platform agnostic and want a phone that requires the fewest compromises, we recommend the iPhone 16. (Our best iPhone guide shows what else we recommend for those who prefer Apple.)

iPhones have stayed relatively consistent year over year, and Apple has largely stuck to a successful playbook for the iPhone 16: A phone that delivers a great user experience that revolves around a stable and familiar operating system, best-in-class camera system, and popular apps.

The iPhone 16 includes several noteworthy upgrades over the iPhone 15, which was already a substantial upgrade over the iPhone 14. Its new A18 processor is incredibly powerful, and the phone incorporates the Action button that was previously an iPhone Pro model exclusive. It also features the new Camera Control button and a refreshed camera design, which houses an improved ultrawide camera that now takes macro photos.

The biggest "new thing" about the iPhone 16 is support for Apple Intelligence AI features. In our testing of Apple Intelligence's initial iterations, we've found the AI promising, especially since iOS 18.2's ChatGPT integration and new features like the AI-generated Genmoji. Apple continued to refine its existing Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.3, like enhancements to notification summaries and added capabilities for Visual Intelligence. However, the suite could still use polishing and expansion.

While the newest Android phones aren't anything to sneeze at, we still recommend the iPhone for most people due to the polished hardware and software, ease of use, an unmatched ecosystem of devices, and Apple's physical retail presence to get support.

Those who could use Apple's latest high-end features should consider the iPhone 16 Pro models, which exclusively offer absurdly powerful A18 Pro processors, new larger displays, pro-level video recording options, dedicated zoom lenses, and faster USB 3 data transfers. They also feature premium 120Hz ProMotion displays, which Apple has continuously denied to its base iPhone models, including the iPhone 16.

Read our full iPhone 16 review, and see our guide to the best iPhone 16 cases to protect the phone. 

Best phone for Android users

With its triple-lens camera, class-leading performance, AI features, and excellent battery life, the Samsung Galaxy S25 is the complete package. No other current, comparably priced phone offers as much from a specs standpoint as the Galaxy S25, even among iPhones.

Indeed, the Galaxy S25's three cameras set it apart from other Android phones in its 6.2-inch size range and $800 price range. By including a 3x zoom lens, the Galaxy S25 offers a more versatile camera experience, allowing you to take better-quality photos of subjects further away.

Battery life is also excellent, though we would have preferred that its 25W charging speed was upgraded to 45W to match the rest of the Galaxy S25 series.

Overall, the Galaxy S25 is our top pick among the best Android phones. Its stellar performance and high-end features, at a reasonable price point, are likely to satisfy most people specifically looking for an Android phone. 

For those who prefer larger displays, the Galaxy S25 Plus with a 6.7-inch display is the clear option. It's basically a larger version of the base Galaxy S25 with 45W charging speed.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S25 review, and see our guide to the best Samsung Galaxy S25 cases to protect the phone. 

Best budget iPhone

If you're looking for the best iPhone experience for the lowest price, go for the iPhone 14 rather than the iPhone SE (2022). Yes, the iPhone 14 has a $599 starting price, which stretches the definition of "budget" compared to the iPhone SE's $429 starting price. However, we feel the iPhone 14's extras are well worth it. 

The iPhone 14 runs on Apple's A15 Bionic processor (the same as the iPhone SE, coincidentally). Although three generations old, we took it for a test drive after the latest iOS 18 update and found it can still easily handle any app or game in the App Store, except for AAA games that are exclusive to iPhones with certain processors, like the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 series.

The iPhone 14 also features Apple's modern design rather than the iPhone SE's antiquated look with its top and bottom bezels. It also includes Face ID, a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, a dual-lens camera, and support for Apple's MagSafe wireless charging and accessories. To top it all off, the iPhone 14 has significantly better battery life than the iPhone SE. 

With all this in mind, we think you'll better enjoy the experience with the iPhone 14 for the years you'll use it. Based on Apple's support cycle, we'd estimate Apple will support the iPhone 14 for another four generations. 

However, if budget matters more than features and design, you'll still be happy with the iPhone SE (2022), as it remains another top option among the best cheap phones available. But be aware that the iPhone SE uses an outdated design with a small screen and Touch ID, and Apple is expected to release a new version of the phone soon.

Read our full iPhone 14 review.

Best budget phone for Android users

Starting at $499, Google's Pixel 8a offers the best bang for your buck for Android users. No doubt, you can easily find Android phones with price tags around $200, but if you're at all discerning with a budget to spend, you won't regret going for the Pixel 8a.  

Most importantly, you won't feel the need to buy another phone for a long time thanks to the Pixel 8a's fast and smooth performance, coupled with its seven-year support window (until May 2031) for Android upgrades and security updates. The Pixel 8a runs on the Google Tensor G3 processor, so performance is on par with the previous flagship Pixel 8 models, which run the same processor. 

Combine the Pixel 8a's performance with its smooth 120Hz display and 1080p resolution, and the experience is nothing short of premium. It's an OLED panel with superior colors, brightness, and contrast than any LCD or LED display, and it includes a high-end always-on display feature.

The Pixel 8a's cameras also compete with phones that cost twice as much. Even sub-par cameras on less expensive Android phones serve their purpose of capturing memories, but the Pixel 8a's premium-quality cameras simply do it better, especially in reliability and versatility. The Pixel 8a (like any of the best Google Pixel phones) doesn't need ideal conditions and perfectly steady hands to take good, clear, focused photos.

The Pixel 8a is also just a good-looking phone with its frosted matte-texture plastic back and eye-catching color options. 

Our only complaint with the Pixel 8a is its relatively slow 18W charging, but it does feature 7.5W wireless charging. That's also slow, but it's still a nice option for all-day desk charging, and it's not one you'll usually find on budget-friendly Android phones. We would also have liked to see an option with a larger display, but that would surely mean a higher price. 

If you aren't looking to take advantage of carrier deals (and potentially get locked into a long-term contract) to get a higher-end phone for free or at a significant discount, you can't go wrong with the Pixel 8a, the best budget Android phone on the market. 

Read our full Google Pixel 8a review, and see our guide to the best Google Pixel 8a cases to protect the phone. 

Best camera phone

The three-camera system on Apple's iPhone 16 Pro models outperforms all competitors with its consistency, versatility, and collection of high-end features.

The iPhone 16 Pro is the first base iPhone Pro model with an identical camera system to the contemporary Pro Max model, so there's no camera-related upgrade in opting for the larger and more expensive phone. Both models now include a 5x optical zoom lens, whereas previous Pro models had a 3x zoom.

The iPhone 16 Pro also features Apple's useful new Camera Control button for quickly accessing and adjusting photo and video capture in the camera app; no high-end Android phone in the US has a similar feature. Another point of separation from most Android competitors is the iPhone 16 Pro's new and expansive suite of advanced features, including Dolby Vision 4K video recording at up to 120 frames per second (fps), support for LOG video recording, ProRAW photos, ProRES video encoding, and a studio-quality four-microphone system.

For those not interested in Apple's phones or ecosystem, our top camera pick among the best Android phones is the Google Pixel 9 Pro. Its three lenses offer plenty of versatility (including a 5x zoom lens) and consistently produce natural colors and depth that outclass any of the best Samsung phones.

Read our full iPhone 16 Pro review, and see our guide to the best iPhone 16 Pro cases to protect the phone.

Best battery life

Apple claimed the iPhone 16 Pro Max offered the longest battery life of any iPhone to date at its launch. Our testing corroborated the claim, as the iPhone 16 Pro Max finished our intensive battery test with a 74% charge remaining, the best result we've seen from any iPhone or Android phone.

With its large battery, afforded by a huge 6.9-inch display size, the iPhone 16 Pro Max gives you the best chance of any phone to last two days on a single charge (depending on usage).

If you're looking for the best battery life in a base model iPhone for a less expensive option than the iPhone 16 Pro Max, the iPhone 14 Plus and iPhone 15 Plus remain available and are still top performers (both achieved a 73% result). The iPhone 16 Plus surprisingly scored a lower 70% in our tests, but it's still a superb result.

Among the best Android phones for battery life, the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL offered the longest battery life in our testing with a 70% result, followed by Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra with 64%.

Our battery tests include a simulated mix of light and heavy usage with three hours of screen-on time. We put every phone we test through a two-hour video stream, two runs on the intensive 3D Mark Wild Life Stress Test, five runs of the Geekbench 6 CPU test, and one hour of music streaming while connected to a Bluetooth speaker. See our guide to the best phone battery life for more information.

Read our full iPhone 16 Pro Max review, and see our guide to the best iPhone 16 Pro Max cases to protect the phone. 

Best foldable phone

We prefer book-style foldable phones that unfold into compact tablets for their superior functionality and performance relative to clamshell foldables, which fold into compact squares. 

Among the current phone-tablet hybrid foldables available in the US, the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold is our favorite option for its premium build, large 9-inch tablet display, regular phone-style 6.3-inch cover display, performance, and cameras. It tops the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6, mostly due to Samsung's awkwardly narrow cover display.

All phone-tablet hybrid foldables essentially offer the same level of performance, top-of-the-line displays with premium specs, like 120HZ refresh rates and OLED panels, excellent camera quality, and superlative battery life. 

What sets the Pixel 9 Pro Fold apart among the best foldable phones is its eight-inch tablet display, the biggest available in a foldable in the US. It's also the thinnest hybrid foldable, and its thinness is especially noticeable in tablet mode.

Our only gripe with the Pixel 9 Pro Fold is its slow wired and wireless charging speed compared to the rest of the Pixel 9 series.

We still love the OnePlus Open for the same reasons we love the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, but it's more than a year old, and its previous-generation processor offers less long-term value.

Read our full Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review, and see our guide to the best Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold cases to protect the phone.

Which is the best phone to buy right now?

Overall, Apple's iPhone 16 is the phone we'd recommend to most people, at least those who live in the US. Android phones these days are fantastic, but they still lack certain key features, like advanced biometric authentication that's on par with Apple's Face ID. Even minor features, like Apple's Dynamic Island, make us lean toward the iPhone 16, and no Android phone maker can match Apple's physical retail presence, which is invaluable to receiving support.

How we test phones

We test iPhones and Android phones as if they were our daily drivers for at least a week, often longer, to get a feel for their performance, battery life, cameras, and new features. We have extensive experience testing various phone models from different companies at various price points, which lets us quickly identify any issues.

In addition to real-world usage, we conduct standardized tests on all phones reviewed and included in our guides.

For performance, we put phones through a series of benchmarking apps to check for discrepancies between devices. We use Geekbench 6 for general performance and the 3DMark Wild Life Stress Test to gauge extended heavy gaming performance. These tests help us estimate how long a phone could maintain its performance relative to comparable phones.

For camera testing, we photograph a consistent set of scenes with every phone and compare the results with their direct competitors. We take photos and videos with each lens on each phone and evaluate the differences. We also assess our own personal photos taken with each phone. We even compare budget camera phones to premium options to evaluate the image and video quality discrepancies.

For battery life, we run phones through a stress test that simulates a range of typical daily workloads, like streaming video and music, and high-intensity activities, like playing demanding games. This 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 a Bluetooth speaker connected. The tests accumulate to three hours of screen-on time. At the end of the test, we note the phone's remaining battery percentage.

FAQs

How much storage should a phone have?

These days, 128GB is the standard minimum storage option on most phones. Anything lower than that, like 64GB, can be quite limiting in terms of how many apps you can install, and you can basically forget about storing a significant number of photos, videos, and music.  

128GB of storage can be enough, especially if you use cloud storage for photos and often stream videos and music. Depending on how many apps you use, you can also get by downloading videos and music for flights.

You should opt for more than 128GB of storage if you tend to download your music rather than stream it or store lots of photos and videos on your phone. More storage can be helpful if you have many apps and games.

How long should a phone's battery life last?

A phone's battery should last you through a typical day, even for heavy users with extensive screen time. Thankfully, most phones tend to have good enough battery life to do so.

Larger phones tend to have longer battery lives than smaller ones, so users with lots of screen-on time would benefit from a larger phone if not for the larger display.

As detailed in our guide to the best phone battery life, the best option for a phone that can last longer than a day routinely is Apple's iPhone 16 Pro Max. Android users with high battery requirements should go for the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL.

What is a good camera for a phone?

More than anything, a good phone camera should give you confidence that you'll get a high-quality photo or video without making you feel like you need to check and retake your content.

In this regard, we tend to trust Apple's iPhones and Google's Pixel phones the most. Correspondingly, our top overall picks for phone camera systems are Apple's iPhone 16 Pro and Google's Pixel 9 Pro, which both offer a dedicated 5x zoom lens. 

Best phone overall: iPhone 14

Pros: Enhanced value after recent $100 price drop, stellar performance, excellent camera quality, excellent battery life, valuable safety features

Cons: 60Hz display feels outdated, no dedicated zoom lens

Apple has released the iPhone 15 generation, and once we've reviewed those phones, one of those models will likely replace the iPhone 14 as the best phone overall. For now, however, the iPhone 14 is still technically our pick for the best iPhone and best phone overall, and that's especially the case now that its starting price has dropped by $100 down to $699.

The iPhone 14 offers a hard-to-beat balance of features, battery life, camera quality, and performance for its price, which all combine to make it our top recommendation for most people. 

Some might point out that Samsung's Galaxy S23 devices, which are among our best Android picks, don't make the same compromises as the iPhone 14 does, like a 60Hz display, or a camera system with "only" two lenses. These are valid points, but looking at the overall picture, the iPhone 14 is still the phone we can most widely recommend. 

Apple's ecosystem is still a major hook for the iPhone, and while Samsung is building out its own ecosystem, it's not there yet. Popular Apple devices, like the Apple Watch, Macs, AirPods, iPads, and iPhones work seamlessly with each other to offer access to popular services like iMessage, FaceTime, AirDrop, taking and making phone calls, and instant mobile hotspot connectivity. 

The safety features Apple introduced with the iPhone 14 series, including Emergency SOS via satellite and Crash Detection, especially, are valuable to have on hand, even if you hope to never use either. Both have proven to save lives, or at least been useful, in emergency situations. 

There's also something to be said about Apple's physical presence with Apple Stores — if iPhone users need help or repairs, the Apple Store is an easy, clearly defined place to go. To be fair, official repairs by Apple are often pricey. Still, at least it's a convenient option to get help, if imperfect, compared to the murkier options available for Android phone users.  

Read our full iPhone 14 review.

Best phone for Android users: Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus

Pros: Excellent performance, versatile triple-camera system, smooth 120Hz display, superb battery life, 45W charging speed

Cons: Occasional shutter lag, some unwanted bloatware

Chances are that if you're looking for a particular feature, or all the best phone features you can get in 2023, Samsung's Galaxy S23 Plus has what you need at a starting price of $1,000. 

The Galaxy S23 Plus, our best Android phone overall, is a delight to use thanks to its smooth 120Hz display and incredibly snappy performance from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor that's specially optimized for Samsung's Galaxy S23 phones. 

To be sure, the Galaxy S23 Plus with its 6.6-inch display is for those who like larger displays. But despite its screen size, the Galaxy S23 Plus maintains a comfortable 6.91-ounce weight, which is positively featherweight for a phone of this size.

Battery life is excellent and support for fast 45W charging speeds is a cherry on top. Wireless charging is included and rated for up to 15W on the Qi common standard. You can even charge other devices off the back of the Galaxy S23 Plus, albeit at a slow 4.5W that's best suited for smaller accessories, like wireless earbuds.

The Galaxy S23 Plus' versatile triple-lens camera offers nearly everything you would want in a premium phone, with sharp, clear, high-quality photos and video. 

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus review.

Best budget iPhone: iPhone SE (2022)

Pros: Excellent performance-to-price ratio, impressive single camera, lightweight, 4.7-inch display is comfortable to use one-handed

Cons: Antiquated design, lacks multiple cameras, 60Hz LCD display, short battery life compared to larger phones

The least expensive way to get the Apple experience, as well as access to its ecosystem of apps, accessories, and services, is the third-generation iPhone SE. Starting at $429, it's also less expensive than even our budget Android pick.

The iPhone SE runs on Apple's A15 Bionic processor, which also powers the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus. That means it's a powerful processor that opens and runs apps quickly now and for the next few years. 

For its relatively low price, the iPhone SE is missing some high-end features. It has a 4.7-inch LCD display, which not only is small, but isn't as high-quality as the OLED displays on other more expensive iPhones. Having a small display and overall size doesn't have to be a negative, as some may actively want a smaller screen for the most comfortable one-handed reachability. Plus, at 5.09 ounces, the iPhone SE is the lightest iPhone currently available.

The biggest caveat with small phones like the iPhone SE is a smaller battery, which leads to shorter battery life than bigger iPhones — it might need a charging top-up once or twice during the day, depending on your usage. 

The iPhone SE also has an antiquated design. Many liken it to the iPhone 8, but the design with large bezels above and below the display can be traced back to the iPhone 6 generation from 2014. 

Still, having such large bezels affords the iPhone SE an old favorite — Touch ID. While not as seamless as the more modern Face ID, Touch ID is still incredibly reliable, and some prefer to use their fingerprints rather than their faces to unlock their iPhones. 

Then there's the question of cameras, or a single camera, to be precise. The iPhone SE lacks the ultrawide and zoom lenses of more expensive iPhones, but its main camera can still hold its own with high-quality photos. Again, they're not as high-quality as those on more expensive iPhones, but anyone would be more than happy with the iPhone SE's photos for its sub-$500 price.

Best budget phone for Android users: Google Pixel 7a

Pros: Flagship performance on a budget phone, stunning dual-camera system, 90Hz display, wireless charging

Cons: mmWave 5G model is more expensive and a Verizon exclusive, thicker and heavier than premium phones its size

Budget Android phones often try to appear more premium than they are, mostly with smooth high refresh-rate displays and bunk "macro" cameras that few people will use. Most fall flat when it comes to performance or camera quality. Google's Pixel 7a, however, is the exception. 

Marked down from its typical MSRP of $499, the Pixel 7a is an especially great deal at its current starting price of $374, which easily makes it the best budget Android phone you can buy. 

The Pixel 7a has a smooth 90Hz display, but that's par for the course on budget Android phones. What's impressive is that it runs on the same Tensor G2 processor as Google's flagship Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, meaning it has high-end performance at an excellent value. 

The Pixel 7a's cameras also beat any other phone in its price range. In fact, the Pixel 7a's camera system comfortably competes with phones that cost twice as much. You don't get a dedicated zoom lens with the Pixel 7a, but it's not expected on a budget phone.  

Read our full Google Pixel 7a review.

Best camera phone: Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Pros: Exceptional quad-lens camera system, 10x optical zoom ability, stellar optical image stabilization, large screen and S Pen make on-device editing easier

Cons: Surprisingly lackluster battery life for its size, may be too large for some people, occasional shutter lag

Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra has the most camera tech out of any other phone we've tested. It's the most versatile phone for taking photos thanks to its four lenses, including a main camera, an ultrawide, a 3x zoom, and a 10x zoom. 

The Galaxy S23 Ultra's 200MP camera takes 12MP photos by default, but you can set it to take photos at 50MP or the full 200MP for stunning clarity and detail. The caveat is that a 200MP photo can take up to 200 megabytes, so storage inside and out of the phone should be a consideration. 

Another perk of the massive 200MP sensor is better low-light performance, as more megapixels can combine to capture more light in a process called "binning." Indeed, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is also the best phone for taking high-quality photos in low-light situations.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra's 10x zoom lens is one of those things you never knew you needed until you tried it. I often wish I had 10x zoom when I'm using a different phone, as no other phone can capture far-away subjects as sharply and clearly as the Galaxy S23 Ultra. To take sharp photos at such a high zoom, the Galaxy S23 Ultra has impressive optical image stabilization, too, which also makes for incredibly stable video recording. 

Then, there's the S Pen — a built-in stylus that offers more precision and functionality than any finger could for editing photos right on the device, which is only made easier by the Galaxy S23 Ultra's larger-than-usual 6.8-inch display. There's no better phone if content capture is your top priority. 

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review.

Best battery life: iPhone 14 Plus

Pros: Large screen for sub-$1,000 price, best battery life on any phone we've tested

Cons: Previous generation processor, antiquated 60Hz screen

Once we've finished testing and reviewing it, the new iPhone 15 Plus could replace the iPhone 14 Plus as the phone with the longest battery life. For now, though, the iPhone 14 Plus still reigns in that department.

Apart from offering the big-screen iPhone experience for less than a Pro Max model, the iPhone 14 Plus also has the best battery life out of any phone we've tested to date. It ended our intensive battery test with 73% remaining, which is astounding. Out of the dozens of phones I've tested with our latest battery test, only one other phone obtained a result in the 70th percentile — the OnePlus 11 with a 71%. 

Otherwise, the iPhone 14 Plus is essentially a bigger version of our pick for the best phone overall, the iPhone 14. It runs on the same processor, has the same cameras, the same 60Hz screen, and the same features. 

Following the announcement of the iPhone 15 generation, Apple reduced the iPhone 14 Plus' price by $100 down to $799. That's a stunning deal for an iPhone with a 6.7-inch display, but you may find the iPhone 15 Plus warrants the $100 premium.

Read our full iPhone 14 Plus review.

Best foldable phone: Google Pixel Fold

Pros: Smooth flagship performance, excellent five-camera system, familiar-shaped exterior display, 120Hz displays inside and out, stellar battery life, thin and light as a tablet

Cons: Thick and heavy as a phone, prohibitive pricing

Between clamshell-style foldables like the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Motorola Razr Plus, and tablet hybrids like the Pixel Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 5, we've decided the hybrid design is the best form factor for foldable phones. That's primarily because clamshell phones sorely lack the battery life and cameras of traditional flat phones, while the best hybrid foldables are more comparable to high-end flat phones in those respects.

Out of the tablet-hybrid foldables we've tried and reviewed, Google's Pixel Fold tops our list thanks in large part to the exterior display's familiar, traditional phone shape. The tall, narrow displays on the Galaxy Z Fold series phones are more awkward to use and take more getting used to than the Pixel Fold's exterior display. (The new OnePlus Open foldable has a cover screen that strikes a welcome middle ground between the narrowness of the Z Fold phones and the width of the Pixel Fold, and it could take the Pixel Fold's spot here once we've finished testing and reviewing it.) 

The Pixel Fold runs on the same Tensor G2 processor as the Pixel 7 flagship lineup, so performance is stellar. It also comes with a total of five cameras, and when talking about Google's excellent Pixel cameras, more can only mean better — there are three cameras on the rear, a front-facing camera, and an interior camera for tablet mode. Not to mention, you can unfold the Pixel Fold and use its superior main rear camera to take selfies while using the exterior display as a viewfinder, which is a common perk in foldable phones. 

Both the Pixel Fold's OLED displays run at a smooth 120Hz for a seamless experience, inside and out. 

As with any tablet-hybrid foldable, the Pixel Fold is rather heavy and chunky as a traditional phone, even more so with its smaller 5.8-inch exterior display. Still, its small display means it's comfortable to use one-handed and offers superior reachability with your thumbs relative to large displays. To boot, the Pixel Fold is also thin and light as a 7.6-inch tablet.

Battery life is also excellent on the Pixel Fold, as it ended our intensive battery test with a 69% result while in folded phone mode — that's a result we'd expect for phones with larger, 6.7-inch displays. In tablet mode, the Pixel Fold scored 65%, which may not seem impressive for a 7.6-inch tablet, but it still means you can use the Pixel Fold exclusively in tablet mode all day, like you would your traditional phone, without worrying about battery life, though that'll depend on how intensively you use it. 

Read our full Google Pixel Fold review.

Best phones compared

Specs	iPhone 14	Galaxy S23 Plus	iPhone SE (2022)	Pixel 7a	Galaxy S23 Ultra	iPhone 14 Plus	Pixel Fold
Starting price	$699	$1,000	$429	$374	$1,200	$799	$1,799
Processor	A15 Bionic	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Optimized for Galaxy	A15 Bionic	Google Tensor 2	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Optimized for Galaxy	A15 Bionic	Google Tensor 2
Release date	September 2022	February 2023	March 2022	May 2023	February 2023	September 2022	June 2023
Screen size	6.1 inches	6.6 inches	4.7 inches	6.1 inches	6.8 inches	6.7 inches	5.8-inch exterior; 7.6-inch interior
Rear cameras	12MP main, 12MP ultrawide	50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x zoom	12MP main	64MP main, 13MP ultrawide	200MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x zoom, 10MP 10x zoom	12MP main, 12MP ultrawide	48MP main, 10.8MP ultrawide, 10.8MP 5x zoom
Storage	128GB, 256GB, 512GB	256GB, 512GB	64GB, 128GB, 256GB	128GB	256GB, 512GB, 1TB	128GB, 256GB, 512GB	256GB, 512GB

Best phone FAQs

What is the best phone to buy right now?

While we rigorously test the iPhone 15 series, Apple's iPhone 14 offers the best overall combination of performance, camera quality, battery life, and value with its new starting price of $699. If you want to buy into the Apple ecosystem at a more affordable price point, we recommend the third-generation iPhone SE starting at $429 as the best budget iPhone currently available. 

The best Android phone overall is Samsung's Galaxy S23 Plus for its comprehensive mix of high-end features. The best budget Android phone you can buy is Google's Pixel 7a, which offers an essentially premium experience for a new starting price of $374. 

Which phones get the most updates?

The new Google Pixel 8 phones have the best explicit support window of any phones on the market with their guaranteed seven years of Android operating system and security updates, and they'll likely take at least one spot on this list once we've finished testing and reviewing them.  

While Apple doesn't explicitly state how long it will support its devices, the company's recent history has shown that it will support iPhones for at least six years of software updates. That means the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, and third-generation iPhone SE included above should see iOS and security updates at least through 2028. 

Among the Android phones on our list, Samsung's flagship devices have the best current support window for software and security updates, as the company said its Galaxy S23 phones will get four years of Android software updates and five years of security updates from their February 2023 release. 

The Google phones included above, on the other hand, have a comparatively short support window. Google said that the Pixel Fold will see Android software updates until June 26, 2026 and security updates until June 25, 2028, while the Pixel 7a will see software updates until May 8, 2026 and security updates until May 7, 2028.