We’ve used 100s of phones, and here are our picks for the Best Android Phones you can buy right now!
The year 2021 has seen some major developments in the Android space. Samsung did the seemingly impossible and made foldables that were cheaper and more durable than before; Google introduced its own processor, which further pushed the Pixel into a unique state; and Vivo surprised many by putting out arguably the best camera system of the year.
OnePlus and Xiaomi continued to refine their products and released their most well-rounded flagships yet, and ASUS and Microsoft each put out very different smartphones that stood out from the pack.
In other words, if you want a new Android phone, now is as good a time as any. Every reputable brand has become very skilled at crafting a great device at every price range. The top-end flagships offer stunning screens and exceptional cameras; mid-tier phones are polished and could pass for a flagship for some; entry-level budget options are more powerful and better built than before. This is good news! When brands compete, we the consumers win. But if you’re not too well-versed in the industry, it could be a daunting task buying a new Android device. This is why we’re here to help.
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Best Android Phone Overall: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Released in late January, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has pulled off the impressive task of keeping the “best overall” top spot for nearly the entire calendar year. It helped that Samsung axed the Note series, which had traditionally brought improvements over the S phones, and that Huawei, perhaps Samsung’s biggest competitor from 2017 to 2019, has been crippled by ongoing sanctions. But nonetheless, the Galaxy S21 deserves this title, because Samsung threw everything but the kitchen sink at making this device. Every hardware feature that flagships are supposed to get, Samsung took it and went a step beyond.
For example, while a Periscope zoom lens is just about a standard feature in Android flagships, Samsung went beyond the typical 5x for a 10x zoom (the only other company that’s been able to produce such a lens is Huawei).
In fact, other than the noticeably slow charging speeds, the S21 Ultra offers one of the very top numbers in every hardware spec: like the 6.8-inch, razor-sharp “Dynamic AMOLED 2x” panel, which packs a 1440 x 3200 resolution, along with a variable refresh rate that can get as low as 10Hz, up to 120Hz. And it gets up to 1500 nits in maximum brightness.</…….