We’ve used 100s of phones, and here are our picks for the Best Android Phones you can buy right now!
The Android phone scene is in very good shape right now. 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
Last year’s Galaxy Note 20 Ultra was our pick for the best Android phone of 2020, so it’s no surprise the Galaxy S21 Ultra — which improves on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in several ways — has dominated the top of this list all year. And since there was no Galaxy Note device this year, that means the S21 Ultra may just keep this spot through the rest of the year.
And it’s well-deserving too. Samsung basically threw everything but the kitchen sink at making this phone. Every single recent new smartphone breakthrough you can think of, this phone has it. For starters, there’s the screen, a stunning 6.8-inch, razor-sharp panel that Samsung calls “Dynamic AMOLED 2x.” It packs a 1440 x 3200 resolution, along with a variable refresh rate that can get as low as 10Hz, up to 120Hz. Whether it’s colors, viewing angles, maximum screen brightness (1500 nits), this is arguably the very best screen on a smartphone right now (although Xiaomi’s Mi 11 Ultra could challenge that).
Then there’s the redesigned camera system, housed in this unique module that blends into the chassis of the device. It’s headlined by a 108MP main camera with a relatively large image sensor of 1/1.33″ sensor, so you’re getting shots with shallow depth-of-field for that natural bokeh if you are shooting a subject or object up close. The larger sensor also helps the main camera take in a lot of light. Then there’s a 12MP ultra-wide with a really wide field of view. Finally, for zooming, Samsung gave this phone two zoom lenses: a 10MP, f/2.4 3x optical zoom, and a 10MP, f/4.9 10x Periscope zoom. The latter is insane — you can get 10x zoom images that don’t show any noticeable loss of sharpness. Around the front …….