Best Smartphones in February 2024: to maximize your budget

If you look at our list of the best smartphones in 2024, great year for new phones. The new Samsung flagships came out at the start of the year, and the iPhones and Pixel phones came out in the last few months. All of these phones had great cameras, batteries that lasted a long time, and bright screens. You may already know which smartphone you want to buy next. But there are more good options than ever before. Many companies now make great phones that cost about the same and have about the same set of features.

Still, the choice isn’t always clear-cut. It’s a little easier to make a choice if you already know you want an iPhone. You have even more choices and questions to answer before you spend any money if you use Android. We regularly review smartphones and have tested dozens of them over the years. Whether you’re interested in the newest iPhone or Google’s new Pixel phones, we can help you figure out which is the best smartphone for your needs.

What Makes a Smartphone the “Best”?

When it comes to smartphones, the word “best” is subjective and can mean different things to different people depending on their preferences and needs. But there are a few key things that are usually taken into account when judging smartphones:

???? Performance: A top-of-the-line smartphone should have a powerful processor, enough RAM, and fast storage so that it can handle running multiple apps at once, playing games, and running other demanding apps smoothly.

???? Display: The quality of the display is very important. Things like resolution, color accuracy, brightness, and refresh rate are all important. Whether you’re watching videos, playing games, or reading content, a good screen makes the whole experience better.

???? Quality of the camera: For many users, the camera is the most important feature of a smartphone. A good camera should be able to take clear, colorful photos in a variety of lighting situations and have advanced features like optical zoom, night mode, and image stabilization.

???? Battery Life: Heavy smartphone users need a battery that lasts a long time. The best smartphones should have batteries that last all day or longer, depending on how they are used.

???? Software and Updates: You need to update your software regularly to make sure it is safe and to get the newest features and improvements. Smartphones with the most up-to-date operating systems are easier to use.

Best Smartphones Comparison Table

Choosing the best smartphone this year can be hard because there are so many to choose from. Our detailed comparison table shows the top contenders, taking into account things like performance, camera features, battery life, and the quality of the screen. Find the device that fits your needs and your budget with ease.

iPhone 15 Pro Max and Pro

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Reasons not to buy:

“Let’s charge the iPhone 15 Pro Max before going to bed,” I thought to myself after a long day at Apple Park. Even though the device, which I had just gotten out of the box a few hours before, still had at least 80% of its power left, I wanted to make sure it wouldn’t die the next day. I didn’t want to waste any of the time I had with a new review unit on a dead phone.

I dragged myself to the desk in my hotel room, unplugged my iPhone 14 Pro, and plugged the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s Lightning charger into it. Nothing happened. I tried a few more times to get the cable into the port while I was still tired. Overall, this is one of the best Smartphones you can buy right now.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Titanium Yellow is the colour of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, a bold flagship phone. With 512GB of storage, this AI-powered powerhouse lets you capture epic moments with the revolutionary 50MP zoom camera. Every detail comes alive, from sunny landscapes to candid close-ups. The integrated S Pen unleashes creativity, while the long-lasting battery keeps you powered. Unlock and explore the future of smartphones with the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Still, it is one of the best smartphones that you can consider.

iPhone 15 and 15 Plus

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The regular iPhone 15 or the 15 Plus, if you want a bigger screen, is the phone for you if you have a three- or four-year-old iPhone 12 or 11 that isn’t keeping up or has a badly cracked screen. Or maybe you’re a teenager getting your first phone that wasn’t given to you by your parents or older siblings.

You use your phone to talk to people, have fun, use social media, take pictures, and do all the other things that modern life tells us we need a smartphone for, but you don’t need the most expensive device to do those things. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus have a lot of new features and a lot to like. Overall, this is one of the best Smartphones you can buy right now.

Google Pixel 8 Pro

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As someone who just got the new Google Pixel 8 Pro, I can really feel the pain because it costs more than the Pixel 7 Pro I had last year. As of right now, it costs $999 instead of $899. I have to pay an extra $100 for the top-of-the-line Pixel phone. It’s even worse that it only has 128GB of storage. When it comes to storage, Apple stepped it up with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, which has 256GB of space, but it costs $1,199 more. Overall, this is one of the best Smartphones you can buy right now.

There were a few design changes that stood out to me as soon as I saw the Pixel 8 Pro. There’s a new matte finish that changes everything. It looks great and is easier to hold on to. It’s a big change from the last few generations of Pixel phones, which had a smooth metal and glass finish. For my part, I’m pretty happy about this change. But there’s one thing about the design that worries me: Google chose to put all three cameras in a single piece of glass.

Samsung S24 Plus and S24

The Samsung Galaxy S24 is more than a phone. Every shot is enhanced by the 50MP AI camera to capture memories in stunning detail. Use smart photo editing, note-taking, and call translation. Multitasking and gaming are instantaneous with the latest processor. Long-lasting battery lets you charge less and stay connected all day.

Galaxy S24+ Plus is a powerful, versatile smartphone with a sleek design and cutting-edge features. Enjoy immersive entertainment and stay connected all day with the large display and long-lasting battery. The powerful processor and AI-powered 50MP camera let you quickly take stunning photos and videos. For the best, the Galaxy S24+ Plus is carrier-unlocked. This smartphone suits gamers, photographers, and power users.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

The best android smartphone overall

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With its 200MP camera and other changes, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra wants to take smartphone photography to the next level. And based on my testing, this flagship phone’s camera system and almost everything else live up to the hype. What can you do with 200 megapixels? The sensor can combine 16 pixels into one for brighter, more detailed photos, or you can shoot in full 200MP mode, which gives you a lot more freedom when cropping and resizing your photos.

Other improvements to the Galaxy S23 Ultra include a sharper 12MP front camera, a new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip made just for Galaxy that makes graphics run faster than on the iPhone, and a screen that works better with the S Pen. If you can’t decide between the S23 Ultra and the S23, check out our comparison of the two. Overall, this is one of the best smartphones you can buy right now.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

The best samsung galaxy fold phone you can buy now

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When you look at the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, you can’t tell it apart from the Galaxy Z Fold 4. When you put the two phones next to each other, the difference is again very small. The LED flash on the back is now in a different place, which makes the camera bump smaller. The camera lenses sit a little higher, and there are fewer holes in the speaker grilles. If you look closely, you might also notice that the left side of the front display frame is a little narrower on the older phone.

But if you turn these phones on their sides, you’ll see how different they are. I say it’s huge, but the difference is only a couple of millimeters: the two halves of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 fold flat together. In the 2023 version of Samsung’s flagship folding phone, the two halves fit together without a gap at the hinge. This is because the hinge was changed. Thus, this is one of the best smartphones you can buy right now.

Google Pixel 8

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Reasons not to buy:

As soon as I got the Google Pixel 8, I knew it would change everything. Google’s cutting-edge Tensor G3 chipset powers the device, and it’s amazing how much better the user experience is as a whole. Because AI is so powerful, I’ve seen big improvements in both new and old software features, especially when taking pictures and videos. What really excites me is how much better software support has become.

Compared to the Pixel 1, the Pixel 8 gets OS updates for more than twice as long, which is a big plus. The Pixel 8 also has some other improvements that stand out and make it an unbeatable package. The best part? You can get it for a very reasonable starting price of $699. Overall, this is one of the best Smartphones you can buy right now.

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

The best iPhone you can buy

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I would recommend the iPhone 14 Pro Max to power users. Why? Well, based on my tests, it has the best cameras of any phone, a new display that stays on all the time, and a smart feature called “Dynamic Island” that replaces the notch with a smaller area that shows alerts and live activities on the fly. I also had a lot of fun taking videos with the camera’s new Action mode.

There are other phones with a similar feature, but the iPhone 14 Pro Max’s high-quality video and super-stable footage make it feel like magic. The eSIM feature on this top-of-the-line phone makes it easy to switch between multiple phone numbers, which is also magical. However, some people will miss the physical SIM card tray. Thus, this is one of the best smartphones you can buy right now.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5

The best samsung galaxy flip phone you can buy now

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Flip phones that fold up are no longer unusual. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip line set the standard for the category for many years. It showed consumers that foldable phones have the features and performance to compete with the best smartphones on the market. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 looks like its predecessor, but it has a new design, a bigger screen on the outside, and a faster processor to keep up with the competition.

But in recent months, something big has changed: Samsung’s competitors have closed the gap. In our head-to-head matchup, the Motorola Razr+ beat the Galaxy Z Flip 4, so there’s a lot riding on the newer Galaxy Z Flip 5 to fix its flaws and win back the crown. Overall, this is one of the best smartphones you can buy right now.

Asus Zenfone 10

The best small phone to buy right now

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The Asus Zenfone 10 could have easily stayed one of the best small phones in the world without making any major changes from the Zenfone 9. We’re lucky that Asus made enough changes to make the new version a worthwhile upgrade on its own, while keeping it competitive with other phones that are bigger. When it comes to how much a smartphone can do per square inch, Asus is still the best.

The same is true for battery life, even though it’s a shame that photography and software updates aren’t as good as on Samsung and Google’s top phones. Still, if you read this Asus Zenfone 10 review, you’ll see that our overall impression is very good, and we’re sure that this would be a great purchase for any Android phone buyer, whether you want a small phone or not. Still, this is one of the best smartphones you can buy right now.

OnePlus Nord 3 5G

The best budget phone with everything

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The OnePlus Nord 3 is a lot like the OnePlus 11R Lite, which is good news for people on a budget. The 11R is one of the most interesting new phones from OnePlus in recent years. The Nord 3 is a lot more exciting because it has most of the same bells and whistles but costs even less. Overall, this is one of the best smartphones you can buy right now.

The design is clearly more practical, but it looks nice. And styling, very Nord CE 3 Lite-like. The back is made of Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The frame is made of flat, smooth plastic, and there are two finishes to choose from: matte black and glossy green. You can get either, and you can be sure that it will have a premium touch. OnePlus also gave this phone an IP54 rating, which is something that the 11R doesn’t have.

Nothing Phone 2

the best value phone

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Reasons not to buy:

The Nothing Phone (2) wants to change one bad thing about smartphones today. Except for the best foldable phones, most smartphones today have pretty standard designs. Phones are flat pieces of glass and metal held together with bezels. People used to stop me on the street and ask what phone I was using. For now, this is one of the best smartphones you can buy right now.

But Nothing, the company started by Carl Pei, the creator of OnePlus, and maker of the new Nothing Phone (2), puts design at the center of its products. The Nothing Phone (1), which came out last year, was a low-cost smartphone with a new design style and an eye-catching lighting system called the Glyph Interface. The Nothing Phone (2) seems to keep that going.

Motorola Razr 40 Ultra

Best mid-range Android smartphone

Reasons to buy:

Reasons not to buy:

Motorola showed off some new phones that fold up last week. People in the United States will get the Motorola Razr 2023 and the Motorola Razr+ later this month. The Motorola Razr 40 and Motorola Razr 40 Ultra are already on sale in the U.K., where I live. So I’ve already been able to get the Ultra model and give it a try. Overall, this is one of the best smartphones you can buy right now.

It’s not clear how closely the Motorola Razr 40 Ultra and Razr+ will match up, but if they are as similar as they look at first glance, the U.S. version should be a very nice phone. The Razr 40 Ultra is slim and small, and the bigger display on the back cover is already proving to be very useful. The screen on the inside is also nice, but I’m still getting used to that wild 165Hz refresh rate.

Google Pixel 7A

Best value flagship phone

Reasons to buy:

Reasons not to buy:

Google’s Pixel smartphone family has always found ways to impress, and the Pixel 7 line, which ranks among the best smartphones, may be the best example of this. It built on what the Pixel 6 did and made some important improvements. But since the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are so good, the new Pixel 7a has a lot of work to do.

The Pixel 7a, which costs $500, is the cheaper model in the Pixel 7 line. However, the Pixel 7, which is the higher-end model, starts at only $100 more, and it is often on sale for less than the price of the Pixel 7a. So, let’s see where the new phone fits in and what it does (or doesn’t do) to stand out. Overall, this is one of the best smartphones you can buy right now.

Factors to Consider Before Purchasing a Smartphone

Before you buy a smartphone, you should think about a few important things to make sure it fits your needs and preferences. Here are some important things to remember:

???? Budget: Determine your spending limit and search for phones within that price range. ???? Consider which features matter most to you and evaluate them against the price.

???? Operating System (OS): Decide between Android and iOS based on your preferences and familiarity with the platform. ???? Each has its own ecosystem, app selection, and user interface.

???? Performance: Seek a smartphone with sufficient processing power (CPU and RAM) to ensure smooth performance in your daily tasks such as web browsing, social media, and gaming.

???? Storage: Assess your storage needs for apps, photos, videos, and files. Some devices support microSD cards for expanding storage capacity.

???? Display: Examine the screen size, resolution, and quality. Consider factors like OLED vs. LCD screens and the aspect ratio to match your preferences.

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