The best Android phone 2023

Pixel phones have always been about the camera, and the 7 Pro’s camera – while not quite our favourite right now – is absolutely fantastic, with versatility thanks to the inclusion of an ultrawide and a periscopic telephoto.

The bigger edge to the phone is Google’s software though. The 7 Pro runs the best version of Android around, with the clean simplicity of stock Android plus all of Google’s excellent Pixel-exclusive upgrades, now powered by the company’s second-gen in-house Tensor chip.

You’ll have to put up with slow charging (and buy your own charger to boot), and accept the fact that this is a big phone with a divisive design – you may well love it, but there are plenty out there who don’t. The regular Pixel 7 is a little smaller (and cheaper), but lacks that telephoto camera and has a slightly more basic display.

The Galaxy S23 Ultra is another Samsung Ultra phone that does just about everything – including unique S Pen stylus support – offering as much phone as you could ask for.

The camera is one of the best in any phone, with a 200Mp main shooter backed up by an ultrawide and two telephoto lenses at different zoom levels. The 12Mp selfie camera is a let down though – skip this if that’s a priority.

The expansive 6.8in LTPO AMOLED display delivers both high WQHD+ resolution and adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz, and with S-pen stylus support it comfortably fills the productivity niche of the former Note phones.

Throw in top performance from the customised Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip inside and all-day battery life, and you have a whole lot of phone – quite literally, as other than the high price, the main downside is its sheer size, which won’t be for everyone.

If you can’t afford the Pixel 7 Pro or 7, then Google has another option for you: the decidedly affordable Pixel 7a.

This mid-range phone packs the same flagship Tensor chip as its bigger brothers, along with a familiar design. But it’s a slightly smaller phone, and made from plastic rather than glass.

There are downside, of course. The camera specs aren’t quite the same, though it still impresses. You’ll also get slower charging and only a 90Hz refresh rate on the display – the same as the regular 7, but not as smooth as on the Pro. If you can live with those downsides though, this is an excellent option for the price.

If you want an Android smartphone with top specs in 2023 that’s designed to stay fast and will have software support till 2028, the OnePlus 11 is a great choice. It’s also one of the cheapest high-end phones to offer this.

The absence of wireless charging shouldn’t be a dealbreaker for most people. After all, this phone has an excellent screen, top cameras, good battery life and truly fast charging, and some of the best performance in any Android phone thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. The lack of full waterproofing is more annoying to us.

The OnePlus 11 is a fine flagship and one of the best phones you can buy for a price that undercuts many competing products.

Samsung’s first few attempts at foldables were fun, but sometimes felt like novelties. With the Galaxy Z Flip 4, the Korean tech giant has unequivocally got it right.

Core specs are top-tier throughout, with a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 in tow, and the 12Mp main camera is as capable as almost any around – though you may miss having a telephoto lens.

Even battery life is now impressive, comfortably lasting a full day’s use when its predecessors simply couldn’t. You’ll just have to be willing to take a chance that the folding screen will last as long as Samsung says.

If you want something bigger, the Z Fold 4 is pretty great too, but the higher price, dodgy under-display camera, and software quirks make it less of a home-run than its smaller sibling.

Not every phone needs to cost the world, and you can often get plenty by spending less. But even if you’re looking at budget phones, you might struggle to find another phone that gives you exactly what the Moto G62 does.

While it fails to stand out in any one particular area, the combination of a 120Hz display, a fairly current Snapdragon 480+ processor, 5G connectivity, and an affordable price tag is surprisingly difficult to come by. Its stamina is excellent, and Motorola’s light-touch UI continues to be the best on the affordable phone scene.

The major drawback here is a familiar one. With margins so tight at this end of the market, 5G connectivity feels like a luxury. It’s one that takes an inevitable toll on performance, storage, and charging speeds.

If you want more power for the price, look to the 4G-only alternatives. But if you insist on 5G connectivity, the Moto G62 is one of your best bets at the price.

The Galaxy S23+ isn’t the best phone on the market at any one thing. But it’s a great phone at almost everything, with few flaws so long as you can manage the fairly steep price.

A slick, simple design is paired with top Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 performance, long battery life, and a versatile triple rear camera array. Throw in Samsung’s promise of five years of software support and this begins to look like an incredibly practical choice.

Besides the price the main downside is the 45W wired charging, which is fine, but slower than other options at the price. The smaller Galaxy S23 is a little cheaper, but slightly harder to recommend thanks to even slower charging and shorter battery life, though you may find those trade-offs worth it for the smaller size.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro is a top-tier flagship, but what stands out most is its main rear camera, featuring an enormous 1in sensor that captures more light for stunning results.

That main shooter may be the standout, but all of the Leica lenses impress, though the trade-off is putting up with an enormous rear camera bump.

The software experience can be frustrating too – we don’t love Xiaomi’s MIUI – but performance from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is absolutely fantastic, with its improved power efficiency and a larger battery delivering significant battery life improvements.

The Zenfone 9 is a full-force flagship in a small size, and with remarkably few compromises for it.

The 5.9in display makes this one of the smallest phones on the market, especially on the Android side, and comfortably the smallest with specs this strong.

The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 and up to 16GB of RAM mark this as a serious performance phone, though cooling problems do leave that power slightly throttled. The 8+ Gen 1 is also partly to thank for the excellent battery life however, which puts other compact smartphones to shame.

The gimbal-stabilised main camera impresses, especially at night, though with a few visual glitches and issues in bright environments it’s clear Asus has some software tuning to do. Some may also miss the variety offered by rivals, especially the lack of a telephoto lens here.

Given the phone is so good, it’s frustrating that Asus is only promising two years of support, so this will only suit those who know they’re on a regular upgrade schedule. The overall experience is excellent though, with smart software and welcome touches like the IP68 rating and headphone jack.

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 may still pip it for the best foldable right now, but Oppo’s Find N2 Flip comes remarkably close to de-throning it.

The Oppo phone packs a larger and more useful exterior screen, a better pair of cameras, and faster charging. It doesn’t look quite as stylish as Samsung’s offering, but the improved hinge design allows the Find N2 Flip to close completely flat and feel more solid as a result.

It’s also cheaper than the Samsung – at least in the UK – but because of that you’ll have to give up niceties like wireless charging and waterproofing. We’ve also found Bluetooth performance a little spotty.

With a little more polish, this could be the flip phone to beat. As it is, it’s a worthy alternative to the Z Flip 4 and a great option for those who prioritise performance.