Choosing the best Android phone can feel overwhelming as there are so many options from so many brands, it’s hard to know where to start. Unlike Apple, which sticks to its sleek lineup of iPhones, Android offers a world of variety. Whether you’re eyeing the latest flagship from Samsung, a budget-friendly smartphone from Motorola or something unique with a foldable design, there’s an Android device out there to suit your needs.
The beauty of Android is its flexibility. You’ll find phones with different screen sizes, camera setups, battery life and even quirky extras like stylus support or rugged builds. Plus, Android lets you customize your device to your heart’s content – something Apple fans might envy. We’ve tested and researched the top Android phones to help you find the right one for your budget, lifestyle, and tech preferences.
Best Android phones for 2025
Read our full Google Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL review
Processor: Google Tensor G4 | Display: 6.3-inch Super Actua, up to 120Hz | Cameras: Rear array (50MP wide, 48MP ultrawide with Macro Focus, 48MP 5x telephoto lens), 42MP dual PD selfie front camera with autofocus | Battery: 4,700mAh
Finally, a smaller Pixel Pro. Google’s Pixel series has long been one of the best Android phones around, with the Pro model being the superior version. But it was always a little too big and too cumbersome for those of us who have smaller hands or want our phones to fit in our pockets. Cue the Pixel 9 Pro, which is the littler version of the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Instead of a relatively large 6.8-inch screen like that on its bigger sibling, the standard Pro has a 6.3-inch display that is easy to maneuver. No more worrying about dropping your Pixel Pro just because you fumbled while trying to reach the top of the screen!
Better yet, with the Pixel 9 Pro, Google hasn’t sacrificed any key feature to get to the smaller size, meaning you’ll find the same camera setup and performance in both handsets. The only real differences are the screen size, battery and charging speeds, as the non-XL model recharges at a slightly slower rate. But the Pixel 9 Pro is also much longer-lasting than the XL, notching almost 25 hours on our battery test.
Those distinctions aside, the Pixel 9 Pro lineup is our favorite Android phone because of its top-notch camera performance, intriguing AI features and a general grown-up vibe. While previous Pixel flagships had a colorful, blocky design that felt fresh, this year’s devices feel solid and refined. And, dare we say it, almost like iPhones. Without the camera bars, they would be pretty hard to tell apart from Apple’s phones.
Possibly because it’s grown up so much over the years, but the Pixel phones now cost the same as iPhones. The Pixel 9 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro both start at $999, and though some of us have come to think of Google’s handsets as the more competitively priced option, this year’s model might be good enough to justify a premium price. If you still want something from the Pixel 9 family but don’t want to pay $1,000, the base Pixel 9 is still a solid handset for most people. But as it stands, the Pixel 9 Pro is the best Android handset money can buy. — Cherlynn Low, Deputy Editor
Pros
- Great camera features and improved telephoto camera
- A year of Gemini Advanced for free
- Incredible battery life
- A beautiful, bright screen that’s easy to use outdoors
- Tensor G4 runs cooler than its predecessor
Cons
- Slower charging speeds than the XL
- Not the best phone for gaming
$999 at Google
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Read our full Google Pixel 9a review
Processor: Google Tensor G4 | Display: 6.3-inch 1,080 x 2,424 pOLED, up to 120Hz | Cameras: Rear array (48MP wide, 13MP ultrawide), 13MP front camera | Battery: 5,100mAh
The Pixel 9a isn’t especially flashy and it doesn’t have any special features that aren’t already available on its more expensive siblings. In fact, it actually has slower charging and it’s missing support for some of Google’s homegrown software like the Screenshots app. But for everyone who just wants a simple phone with a solid design, a nice screen, excellent cameras and strong battery life, the Pixel 9a is really hard to beat. So while it’s not super fancy, the phone has all of its most important bases covered (and then some). But most importantly, starting at just $499, this phone feels like an incredible deal that punches well above its price. — Sam Rutherford, Senior Reporter
Pros
- Sleek design
- Awesome battery life
- Nice display
- Great cameras
- IP68 rating for dust and water resistance
Cons
- Charging could be faster
- No Pixel Screenshot app
- Macro Focus mode can be a bit finicky
$488 at Amazon
Photo by Sam Rutherford / Engadget
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite | Display: 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x QHD+, up to 120Hz | Cameras: Rear array (200MP, Dual Pixel AF, Digital Zoom 100x, 50MP Macro, 50MP UW), 12MP front camera | Battery: 5,000mAh
The S25 Ultra is a do-anything phone. It has a wide range of cameras including a 5x telephoto lens and a new 50-megapixel sensor for its ultra-wide shooter, a gorgeous 6.9-inch AMOLED display (which is 0.1 inches bigger than last year) and of course, Samsung’s signature S Pen. That said, for 2025, Samsung’s main focus was on its improved Galaxy AI features such as Now Brief, which creates a personalized feed of news, events and more. There’s also Drawing Assist that makes it easier to create AI-generated art, or you can turn to AI Select for help with taking screenshots, turning videos into GIFs or summarizing stories.
Unfortunately, aside from a new Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, the S25 Ultra doesn’t come with a ton of new hardware compared to its predecessor (or the S23U for that matter). So while Samsung’s latest flagship is a great phone, it doesn’t feel like an essential upgrade for people with flagship devices that are only a year or two old. — S.R.
Pros
- Excellent screen
- Great performance and battery life
- Anti-reflective Gorilla Armor 2 panels
- Slimmer bezels
- New 50MP ultra-wide sensor
Cons
- S Pen no longer suppers Air actions
- Same main and telephoto cameras as last year
- Not fully compatible with magnetic Qi2 accessories
- Expensive
$1,106 at Amazon
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review
Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite | Display: 8-inch 2184 x 1968QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X full display, 6.5-inch 2520 x 1080FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X cover display | Cameras: Rear array (200MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto), 10MP front camera | Battery: 4,400mAh
One of the biggest issues with foldable phones is the added size and weight that often comes with the inclusion of a flexible display. Samsung has made that a thing of the past on the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which sports larger screens — both inside and out — while being 26 percent thinner than before. And as if that wasn’t enough, the Z Fold 7 also features improved durability, increased performance and a new 200MP main camera, matching or exceeding what you get from traditional flagship smartphones. The main downsides are that at $2,000, it’s still far from affordable and for long-time Samsung fans, the loss of S Pen support may be a dealbreaker. But for those who want to experience new heights in foldable phone design, the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a masterpiece of modern gadget design. — S.R.
Pros
- Exquisitely thin design
- Sleeker hinge
- Big 200MP main camera
- Larger displays
- Top-tier performance
Cons
- Very expensive
- No S Pen support
- Mediocre charging speeds
$2,000 at Amazon
Sam Rutherford for Engadget
Read our full OnePlus 13 review
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite | Display: 6.8-inch OLED, 120Hz, 4,500 nits max brightness | Cameras: Rear array (50MP wide, 50MP ultrawide, 50MP telephoto), 32MP front camera | Battery: 6,000mAh
While the OnePlus 13 features some basic AI features like Google’s Circle to Search and Gemini assistant, it’s really just an old-fashioned flagship in all the best ways. That’s because instead of focusing on machine learning, OnePlus crammed the phone with tons of top-notch hardware. It sports a 6.8-inch OLED display with an incredible peak brightness of up to 4,500 nits. The OP13 also offers excellent performance thanks to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, along with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. There are also three 50-MP rear cameras including one with a 3x telephoto zoom and a massive 6,000 mAh battery that’s bigger than what you get in practically all of its competitors.
OnePlus didn’t skimp on the phone’s design either, as the OP13 still comes with the company’s signature Alert Slider. Plus, if you opt for the blue or white variants, you’ll get a durable and very touchable vegan leather back that helps the phone stand out among all its glass brick rivals. But the best part is that starting at $900, it costs less than an equivalent Galaxy S25+ too.
Pros
- Class-leading battery life
- Super-bright display
- Great performance
- Attractive design
Cons
- Photo quality could be a touch better
- Only six years of software support instead of seven
- Needs a case to fully support magnetic Qi2 accessories
$900 at OnePlus
What to look for in a new Android phone
Performance
When it comes to picking our favorite Android phones, the main things we look for are pretty straightforward: good performance (both compute and AI), a nice display, solid design, sharp cameras, long battery life and a significant commitment to ongoing software support. For performance, not only do we look at benchmarks and other metrics, but we also evaluate phones based on responsiveness. Regardless of whether you’re reading, text messaging, scrolling through social media or playing a game, no one wants a gadget that feels sluggish.
Display
When it comes to displays, we generally prefer OLED panels that can produce rich, saturated colors with at least 600 nits of brightness, though many of our top mid-range and high-end phones can hit 1,000 nits or more. And more recently, most of our favorite devices also support screens with fast refresh rates of 90Hz or 120Hz, which adds an extra level of smoothness and fluidity.
Design
Now we will admit there is a bit of subjectivity when deciding which phones look the best, but there are other design aspects like dust and water resistance or screen durability that can make a big difference to long-term survival. It’s also important to consider things like support for wireless charging, power sharing (aka reverse wireless charging) and UWB connectivity, which can have an impact on how your phone interacts with your other devices.
Cameras
Obviously, for photos we’re looking for sharp, colorful shots in both bright and low-light conditions. And we want video clips with high dynamic range, rich audio and smooth image stabilization. Extra cameras for ultra-wide and telephoto lenses are a plus. The best cameras should also include features like dedicated night modes, support for various video recording resolutions, and additional photo modes like timelapse, slow motion and more.
Battery and software
Finally, in terms of longevity, we’re looking for all-day battery life on devices that also delivered great results on our local video rundown test (at least 16 hours on a charge, but more is obviously better). Wireless charging capabilities have become almost ubiquitous over the past few years, and most of our top picks have this extra perk. Fast-charging is available on some Android phones, too. Finally, with people holding onto their phones longer than ever, we like to see companies commit to at least three years of software support, upgrades and regular security updates.
