Apple or Android? It’s the question most mobile phone users must answer at some point or another - usually when they’re shopping for a new handset or contract deal.
While Apple holds a certain allure, there’s no denying the choice and price range that come when shopping in the Android market.
From top-tier brands like Samsung, famous for cutting-edge tech and innovation as evidenced in its Galaxy Flip and Fold series, to Google’s Pixel, loved for its camera suite and whip-smart apps and features, and at the budget end of the scale, brands like Alcatel, Xiaomi and Motorola who’ll barely dent your wallet with prices as low as £60, it’s a smartphone smorgasbord out there.
Is buying a phone cheaper?
Buying a handset outright is the smart route to smartphone ownership. The initial financial outlay will pay for itself when paired with a cheap-as-chips SIM, saving you bundles more than you would by going down the contract deal route. You can often score free gifts too, from the physical - think a smartwatch or a tablet to go with your shiny new device - to services like free Amazon Prime or Disney+ subscriptions.
But where to start? As we’ve pointed out, the choice is huge. If you’re unsure what features you’re looking for, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
Well, that’s what we’re here for. We’ve put together a roundup of the best Android phones on the market right now from the biggest brands as well as the budget players. If nothing else it should nudge you in the right direction, at best you’ll find your next handset.
Old is gold
Don’t forget that buying refurbished tech can pay off in more ways than one. You’ll get an expertly renewed device, fixed to the highest standards backed by a warranty, for less than you’d pay if you bought brand new - and you’re diverting electronic waste from landfill too. Greener for the planet and greener for your wallet; everyone wins.
Shop the best Android phones for 2023 below
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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold5
Samsung’s latest rendition of the Fold, this folding handset has all the features of its predecessor, but with slightly sharpened specs.
Folded, the front screen spans 6.2 inches, but open it up and you’ll have 7.6 inches of viewing space to enjoy on the Infinity Flex Display. The 120hz refresh rate is a dream when streaming shows, scrolling your newsfeed or catching up on the latest headlines, not to mention remote working - especially with the Multi View feature which allows you to see up to three apps at once.
It’s a resilient thing too, built to withstand the trials and tribulations of modern life. Gorilla Glass Victus covers the main screen, which is also waterproof to an IPX8 rating (not a drop is getting inside this baby - well unless you crack the screen). The rest of the handset is made with an Armour aluminium frame and hinge for an even greater level of protection.
The flex hinge is one of the main differences between the Fold5 and Fold4: the newer model boasts a refined design that sees both sides of the ‘book’ design sit completely flush against each other.
Then there are the cameras. Designers have taken the inside selfie cam up a notch to 4MP, making self-portraits that bit sharper. This is in addition to the front (10MP), back 2MP Ultra Wide Camera, 50MP Wide-angle Camera and a 10MP Telephoto Camera plus 30x digital zoom
The biggest upgrade is the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which means smoother graphics and faster running with fewer glitches to trip you up when you’re immersed in a game or streaming the latest must-see series.
Available in blue, black and grey colours.
Buy now £1849.00, John Lewis
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5
The Fold’s sister phone is the Flip, which has also had an update and now goes by the name Flip5. This fun little phone bears more of a resemblance to the flip phones of old, but with miles more polish.
For your money, you can expect superior power in the palm of your hand with many of the features and durability that you will find in the Fold.
The cover display has morphed from 1.9 inches in the Flip4 to a whopping 3.4 inches in the shiny new Flip5. You can also take hands-free pics and use the cover display as your main screen, all without having to flip open your phone to full tilt.
Resolutions have been given serious firepower. The Flip4 had 260 x 512 resolution on a super AMOLED screen. The Flip5? How do resolutions to the tune of 720 x 748 on a super AMOLED screen sound? Flipping fantastic, if you ask us.
It boasts water resistance with an IPX8 rating, Gorilla Glass over the main and cover screens. Like its sister the Fold, this flip phone also benefits from an improved Flex Hinge, fitting nicely in your bag or pocket as well as your hands.
The cameras include a 10MP Selfie Camera on the front and 12MP Ultra Wide Camera and 12MP Wide-angle Camera on the rear with an 8 times zoom as the cherry on top.
The Flip also comes in a spectrum of colours, giving it appeal amongst the fashion-conscious crowd. Get it in - deep breath now - mint, dark grey, lilac, cream, blue, green, light grey and yellow.
Buy now £1149.00, Currys
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Currently the newest and most souped-up S series phone in Samsung’s lineup, the S23 Ultra is the culmination of everything the tech giant has learnt since its first launch in 2010.
One of the things it has taken on board is the environment; this is Samsung’s most eco-friendly device using recycled glass and PET film to accent the phone’s exterior. It may feel like small moves but it’s a good start - especially for a brand this big.
Coming to the design itself, you’re looking at a beautifully bold and bright 6.8-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED screen with an ‘Infinity-O Display’ that is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2. For gamers, readers and streamers, this thing is a delight with a 120Hz refresh rate, so that games and video content are smooth and sharp, allowing for full immersion into whatever you’re doing.
Camera-wise, you’re in for a treat. At the front is a 12GB selfie snapper, while the back of the device is home to a 12-megapixel Ultra Wide camera, a 10-megapixel Telephoto camera and – this is the mind-blowing one – a 200MP Wide-angle camera. Take an idle photo at home, and you can zoom in to see the individual fibres of the living room carpet in a snap taken from the kitchen. It’s bordering on the ridiculous.
Mind you, that zoom may come in useful on your next snorkelling session: the S23 Ultra boasts an IP68 waterproof rating which means it can be submerged for up to half an hour to a depth of 1.5m. If you want to add ‘amateur underwater photographer’ to your CV, this phone will get you a lot closer.
All of this runs on a Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and options on storage run from 256GB up to 1TB and RAM from 8GB up to 12GB.
Buy now £1399.00, Amazon
Google Pixel 8 Pro
While older models were designed to appeal to budget buyers, the Pixel 8 is punching into higher price brackets - with sharpened tech and features to justify it. The fanciest of the 8th iteration is the Pro handset with a 6.7-inch screen under which lies a custom Tensor G3 processor to keep content rolling glitch- and flicker-free.
It comes with 12GB of RAM and four incredible cameras: 50MP main, 48MP ultra-wide, 48MP telephoto, and a 10.5MP front camera for sharp selfies. The pixels aren’t the only draw; there are AI-powered features like Best Take and Audio Magic Eraser that offer unrivalled editing without needing to download extra apps.
Another clever feature is Live Translate, which gives instant translation from 49 languages - indispensable for frequent fliers.
Battery life is another boon, with the Pixel 8 Pro going past the 24-hour mark on a single charge, meaning you won’t be plunged into digital oblivion if you forget your charger or battery pack.
Read our Shopping Editor’s in-depth review here.
Buy now £1059.00, Amazon
Google Pixel Fold
Google’s very first foldable phone, the Google Pixel Fold, is here. Similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold series, the phone morphs into small tablet proportions with a 7.6-inch OLED main display to watch, connect and take pictures.
Closed, the 5.8-inch screen is about the same size as a standard phone. It’s packed to the hilt with features including the much-lauded Pixel camera for superior snaps, night or day. There’s also a foreign language translator, which will be useful on trips away and astrophotography for stunning photos of the cosmos.
This is all backed on a superior battery that promises to last for longer than a day. No more lugging portable chargers around, yippee!
Read our deep dive on the handset here.
Buy now £1749.00, Currys
Nokia XR21 5G 6.49” Smartphone
Nokia's XR21 is ready and waiting for action and adventure. The remarkably capable phone boasts a 6.5-inch FHD+ LCD display, with a 120HZ refresh rate, reasonable brightness, and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus shielding the lot.
A Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 keeps the action running smoothly and there's 128GB of memory and 6GB of RAM, which isn't as much as other Android models, but we're willing to forgive this for the other standout features.
Amateur photographers will delight in a 64-megapixel wide and an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera on the back and a 12-megapixel lens on the front, all capable of Flash shot mode, Night mode 2.0, AI Portrait, UW Capture fusion, SpeedWarp, and Action cam. There's also wizardry in OZO Spatial Audio capture which allows you to play with wind-noise cancellation so you can drown out background noise if you like.
Also Mil-Spec-810H-rated, the XR21 can withstand drops from 1.8-metres high, dust storms and utter extremes of temperature. Whatever adventures you have planned, this baby is ready to go with you.
Buy now £511.56, Amazon
Nothing Phone (2)
The second smartphone from the London-based tech startup is unlike other models on the market thanks to its design.
The distinctive transparent phone is perfect for tech nerds who like to know how everything works, exposing the components working within. It is fitted with a 50MP dual rear camera and a 32MP front-facing lens. Meanwhile, a 6.7-inch flexible LTPO AMOLED display makes for a sharp, bright screen, whatever the light conditions.
Nothing’s phone is a trailblazer in sustainability as it’s made with 10 per cent recycled aluminium and 50 per cent bio-plastic. The LED Glyph interface is a nifty addition that lights up the back of the phone for personalised notifications - the LEDs create unique light-up patterns to let you know who’s calling, app notifications and charging status.
Buy now £629.00, Nothing
Motorola Edge 40
Best for: Water-resistance without eye-watering cost
Launched in the UK back in April, Motorola’s latest addition to its Edge range is a particularly slick-looking number with a very vibrant 6.55-inch display coated in glorious Corning Gorilla Glass and an IP68 rating which means it can survive up to 30 minutes at a depth of 1.5-metres beneath the waves.
Running on the most recent iteration of Android, the Edge 40 features a powerful MediaTek Dimensity 8020 chipset giving flawless fast action, backed by a nicely spacious 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM.
Camera-wise, you get a 50-megapixel snapper round the back and a generous 32GB selfie-taker up front, so all your captured images will be stunningly sharp and, yes, you can take pics underwater too, while its dual stereo speakers come tuned by Dolby Atmos, so you can be assured of superior sound when back on dry land.
A beefy 4400mAh battery gives around a day’s life, depending on how you use it, obviously, but with a 144Hz refresh rate and HDR playback at your disposal, you’re probably going to use it quite heavily.
A decidedly sexy smartphone that comes with a sandblasted aluminium frame and in ‘Eclipse Black’, ‘Nebula Green’, ‘Lunar Blue’ or ‘Viva Magenta’ colour finishes, watching this drown before your teary eyes would be devastating, but thanks to that IP68 rating, that’s not something you need to worry about.
OS: Android 13
Display: 6.55-inch FHD+, 2400 x 1080-pixels
Glass: Corning Gorilla Glass V5
Chipset: MediaTek Dimensity 8020
Memory: 256GB
RAM: 8GB
Main camera: 50MP (main) and 32MP (front)
Protection rating: IP68
Weight: 171g
Buy now £440.99, Amazon
Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC
While budget inevitably means compromises, you won’t miss them in this phone from Chinese tech brand Xiaomi. The Poco X3 NFC impresses from the off with a pin-sharp display, complemented by 120Hz refresh rate.
Combining its punchy Snapdragon 732G chipset with a huge 6.67-inch display with 2400 x 1080-pixel resolution and you’ve got a handset that’s ideal for gaming, particularly once you add on the large 5,160mAh battery (which allowed this phone to last a couple of days in testing). The NFC functionality is also handy for contactless payments via Google Play, but the one major downside here is the lack of 5G.
The 64MP main camera should ensure high-quality photos but was a little disappointing, so expect to capture only decent images. Despite this, the Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC proves impressive, especially for the price.
If you’ve got the cash, spend a little extra on the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro (£178.28); it’s essentially an upgraded Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC.
Buy now £372.00, BackMarket
