There are a lot of great smartphone options available at any given moment, so it can be a challenge to sort through them all if you’re trying to choose the absolute best one. The stakes here can’t be understated: your smartphone is the most important gadget in your life, and you ll probably be living with the one you buy for at least a year, if not two or three.
Most of the time, there’s a phone that stands out from the pack in all the areas that matter: performance, value, camera, and support. But this year, depending on who you ask, you could get as many as four different answers for what the best phone is to buy. And depending on what kind of phone user you are, any one of them could be the ideal phone for you.
The answer has been the iPhone for years, and as long as expensive Android flagships don’t get updates and the Google Pixel is only available in three countries, that’s not going to change any time soon – whether Android people like it or not.
It seems almost irresponsible to me that news websites promote a $700 phone as the “cheaper” option, and a $1,000 phone as the best…
I use a $100 Nokia 2 that works very well. (Battery even lasts more than two days, though it is noticeably RAM-constrained.) (And I’ll use it till it breaks.)
Some price difference is understandable, but 7-10x seems almost scam-like.
It *IS* a scam. Most of these news websites don’t tell you that they get various kick-backs for hyping these phones,just like Windows shareware “review” sites did for the shareware software they gave “awards” to.
Edited 2018-06-23 05:23 UTC
Do you have any evidence that The Verge gets money from Apple and Samsung to label their phones as the best? You should publish that evidence, because you’d score a MAJOR scoop.
Whoever said kickbacks had anything to do with money?
Kickbacks can be acess to free use of phones for “review” purposes, “leaked” info about products,ect,ect,ect.
Edited 2018-06-25 01:04 UTC
Not about phones, but still applicable imo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aGNqw0mDm8
Edited 2018-06-23 01:06 UTC
If it costs more than $500 AUD it can fuck right off.
As far as I’m concerned, the Nokia 6.1 is the best phone right now. Several years of updates, and it’s less than half the price of an iPhone/Galaxy/etc.
That being said, I’m saving up for the Librem 5, because Google and Apple can both get stuffed, a device running vanilla GNU/Linux is vastly preferable to one riddled with proprietary crapware.
Eh, the BlackBerry KeyOne (and about-to-be-shipped Key2) costs more than $500 but receives very frequent updates, usually monthly and is supported for three years (the upcoming Key2 as well). So not all >$500 phones are crap. But I will agree that if you’re not in the market for a PKB, then the current Nokia line-up is the best.
Edited 2018-06-23 10:24 UTC
You’re kinda missing the point.
Not all phones over $500 are crap. They’re likely to be quite good all things considered.
All phones over $500 are expensive.
The Librem is only worth more than that to me because it’s a small business trying to make a FOSS mobile device.
If you’re in the market for an Appgle iDroidOS device though? Yeah nah.
Not all are crap, that’s what I said.
I support the Librem phone, btw, but I won’t be getting one. I’m not particularly of Android and I use Linux as my daily driver on my laptop, BUT I can’t stand on-screen keyboards. And BlackBerry is the only one still making PKB phones, so that’s why I’ll be choosing the Key2 over the Librem phone despite the OS. Although Android P will make up a lot with the new webOS-style multitasking, which I still dearly miss since moving on from webOS. Now if the Librem will ever get a PKB variant, then I’ll be among the first ones to pre-order one
Your original reply seemed to imply I thought expensive phones are crap, is all; we’ve been on the same page this whole time.
I used to want a physical keyboard, but I kinda just gave up on the idea.
I would enjoy building a DIY slider case with a bluetooth keyboard for the librem though.
I feel like maybe BB need to charge a premium because those hardware keyboard devices just don’t sell in the quantities needed for economies of scale like Xiaomi can rely on.
Apple/Samsung/Google charging > $400 for a device is just profit gouging though
For my next phone it will be a Librem.
True story, at work we were talking about having a ‘Switch’ party to play Mario Kart. Next thing I know my phone buzzes and the eBay app was listing discounts on Mario Kart 8 on the Switch.
Considering the eBay app doesn’t even list permissions to have access to the mic, I figured it must be Bixby, so that got turned off (not that I ever use it, just forgot to turn it off after I’d factory reset to try to fix the system UI from randomly crashing after the Oreo update…)
So yeah, this will be my last Android phone. I stay away from Apple products because they refuse to step in line and use standard ports/cables/protocols.
One thing I have found makes android more bearable is dropping most apps and using the websites.
Firefox gives you much more granular control over mic/camera/notification permissions for sites.
I flashed a build of LineageOS from microg (FOSS play services reimplementation) and haven’t looked back.
I wish I could switch to the Librem phone, but no PKB = no Librem phone for me.
Id buy Nokia too, or maybe iPhoneSE if I wasnt Applephobic.
Unless developing off-store apps without MacOS and a yearly developer account fee is a non-negotiable feature.
The Pixel 2 XL is also available here in the Netherlands: https://www.belsimpel.nl/google-pixel-2-xl
https://tweakers.net/pricewatch/862139/google-pixel-2-xl-64gb-zwart….
Edited 2018-06-23 22:10 UTC
When you say that the best phone is $1000 and the cheap alternative is $700 you’re somewhat divorced from the financial reality of most people.
Apple fans can say what they want but as long as Apple phones aren’t reasonably priced they’ll never be the best, and certainly not cheapest, choice for most people.
The best for me is one with a replaceable battery and makes use of a memory card.
If they don’t have either of those, they are “best” thrown in the bin!
Isn’t that the truth.
I sacrificed the replacable battery for the Note 7/8 and my N9 made it less than user friendly…
But I won’t sacrifice the microSD card! It just makes it far easier to transfer things across phones without having to upload my data elsewhere.
You know, “best” is a relative term… there is no such thing as absolute best. There is your personal set of needs, which can be fulfilled “best” by a device or another.
For a good while my phone was a midrange (sub-200€) Lenovo, because the criteria was the price/performance ratio. Now I moved to a Huawei P20 simply because I didn’t have to pay for it and wanted for a while to play with one of the awesome P-series cameras.
The answer has been the iPhone for years, and as long as expensive Android flagships don’t get updates and the Google Pixel is only available in three countries, that’s not going to change any time soon – whether Android people like it or not.
if you’re a simpleton, everything has a simple answer.
My Galaxy S[something] was is still the best phone to me personally. I’ve spent 350€ in 2014 an it’s still going strong – apps are being updated on a regular basis, OS does it’s job as it shout (keep to itself in the background and supporting the apps).
to someone else, the latest ang greatest iPhone or Samsung will be the best.
unless of course, if you’re a simpleton like the author of this article – then it’s a one way answer for all the people in all the world.
Edited 2018-06-23 11:11 UTC
Instead, try being the best at an equal price! That requires at least *some* effort for a company.
This is like saying the Rolls Royce Phantom is the best car. Yes, it should be, because it’s one of the most expensive cars here. I expect no less of it for that price.
What SHOULD matter in these kind of comparisons is which phone is the best given an acceptable price (range). That’s where innovation starts playing its part. That’s where companies can make a difference.
Flagships are nice, sure, but they only exist to give the company a certain reputation. They don’t serve the masses. They aren’t what most people buy.
Cf. the success of the Motorola Moto G series, THAT is a phone in the correct price range for a whole lot of people (and even then some find this kind of phone too expensive).
The tendency of flagships to up the price is regrettable, but understandable, because it’s a game of trumps.
But what I don’t understand is that all of these websites try to give everyone the feeling that they NEED the flagship phone, that only the flagship models are worthy of your use and money. Try focussing on what people actually buy, perhaps? Or doesn’t that draw enough attention? Hm.
Edited 2018-06-23 11:19 UTC
Totally in agreement with you. I’ve been using a Moto G4 Plus since it hit sales channels and couldn’t be happier with it. I know a lot of people that purchased iPhones and Samsung Galaxies since then that can’t say the same thing. A coworker had a Samsung S8 that the back literally fell off. His previous S7 had a defective LCD panel. He still keeps buying Samsung phones though……
Consider this – Apple and Samsung command insane margins for their devices, so why would I pay 4 or 5 times as much for devices that really don’t do much more than mine and cost very little more to make?
Let’s ponder this for a moment…..
One problem is that often, going below the flagship gives an awful experience with poor update availability, horrific CPUs that can’t keep up with the modern web, and all of that.
Granted, Apple at least has the policy of selling the two previous generations of flagship, and now has made the “standard” iPhone not a flagship, and a 2 year old iOS flagship is almost certainly a better idea than a similarly priced Android device if you’re fine with iOS.
If you’re not, though…
Samsung Galaxy S5 from a popular refurbished phone vendor. It has a removable battery and SD card, both features that are disappearing too rapidly. I put a lean build of LineageOS on it. It performs quite well, is far more open source, and the operating system serves me better than anything out of the box from any of the phone carriers!
You know, I thought a site like OSNews would promote something more like this.
Oh theverge, where the score is something that matters, eg. Huawei Mate 10 Pro is a 6.5 device with disaster software, while the almost identical P20 Pro (yes, better camera, notch, etc BUT THE SAME EXACT SOFTWARE) is a great device at 8.5.
Trustworty…
Does it run Kodi? No? Emulators? No? The iPhone is a cautionary tale about how lack of sideloading WILL allow (if not encourage) the OS vendor to restrict app choices in the App Store.
And given the fact that iOS is sliding down quality-wise while Android is improving, nope.
BTW Thom you can save those $700 and buy two Android phones over the 5 year timespan.
Edited 2018-06-23 20:36 UTC
I guess this article isn’t written for nerds. The areas that matter are totally subjective. I would say form-factor and freedom (regarding unlocking bootloaders and releasing kernel source) are more important to me.
The iPhone isn’t the perfect phone for me. I need a Phone that is *mobile*. All iPhones have too big dimensions except for SE, but that phone isn’t waterproof. I sold my car and always use my bike. After a previous smartphone got ruined by a little moisture, I never buy non-waterproof phones.
For mobility I thus require:
1) a waterproof phone
2) a phone that fits in all my pockets without the risk to fall out during biking
Ideally, my perfect smartphone also matches the battery life of my old Nokia to get extended mobility, but that does not yet exist within my required specs.
At this moment I have a small Sony Xperia but I am not yet satisfied about its battery specs.
“The best” for whom?..
I have iPhone 8 that is powered off in my drawer. It has been of for nearly half a year now because I can’t find any use for it. Whatever I need from a phone, iPhone fails miserably in all areas except camera.
Edited 2018-06-24 12:04 UTC
I really don’t care what this author thinks about Flagship Android phones or the state of upgrades on Android. I’ve been perfectly happy with all of my Android phones over the years. I broke with tradition for the first time ever last April when I bought a Samsung S8 instead of my usual Google phone. (I didn’t like the Pixel.) Who cares about getting major Android updates promptly when my phone receives regular security patches and is rock stable. My experience with Google phones, especially the Nexus 6P was that frequent Android updates would break things and then I’d have to wait for the next point release to get it fixed. Users of Google phones are Google’s guinea pigs. I have found my experience with the Samsung S8 to be much more pleasant. Samsung actually adds quite a lot of cutting edge useful features to its version of Android that are not in stock Android.
Meanwhile Apple phones are exorbitantly priced, use non-standard ports; remove useful ports like the microphone jack and have no SD card expansion. For years iPhones lacked many flagship features that Android users had access to for years such as large screens and gorgeous AMOLED screens. We android users enjoy more memory, faster processors, fast and wireless charging and SD card expansion. Android is customizable has a sensible App drawer, multiple home screens and overall better notifications. No thank you Apple, you can keep your iPhone.
No a single mention of Essential PH-1? Pathetic. The PH-1 the second best Android phone available right now, after the Pixel 2. Cannot believe how many “professional” reviewers overlook Essential.
So, I used to do this thing where every other generation of phone I bought would be an Apple. But because of the Note 7 debacle, I’ve gone through three Android phones since it came out. I’m perfectly happy with my Note 8, apart from (a) the price and (b) the fact that, because I don’t use the stylus much, it probably would have made more sense to buy the S8+ or stick with the S7 edge. Because of the price (and not needing a stylus), I’m looking at getting a cheaper phone – such as a OnePlus 6T – this upgrade cycle, but if I don’t then I will just stick with the Note 8 for now. I certainly won’t be getting either a phone that’s an inch smaller than the one I already have, or one that’s even more expensive.