Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Last week, I came across a now-deleted Reddit thread from a Google Pixel user who discussed their perceived satisfaction when using a Google Pixel 9a versus the more expensive Pixel 9 Pro. The original poster detailed their experience buying the most expensive Pixel out there, not being happy with it, returning it, and buying the Pixel 9a instead, and ending up much more content with the cheaper phone despite their (very tech-savvy) friends’ constant taunting about the 9a’s lower specs and cheaper build quality.
That thread hit a chord for me because it’s something I’ve experienced time and again when buying or reviewing phones for Android Authority, as well as when talking about phone purchases with my friends and family. Everyone is just happier with the cheaper phones; it’s anecdotal evidence, sure, but looking for the absolute best Android phone is bound to end in misery and dissatisfaction.
You can’t buy the best Android phone, even if you wanted to
Prakhar Khanna / Android Authority
If I had $5000 in my pocket and decided to buy the best Android phone out there today, I couldn’t. Not because it costs more, but because that phone just doesn’t exist.
$2,000 could get me the productivity beast that is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, but that phone doesn’t have the best camera setup, especially for zoom, and the outer display aspect ratio remains too tall compared to other foldables and most smartphones. €1,500 could get me the Xiaomi 15 Ultra, a photography, performance, and battery life champion, but I would have to deal with Xiaomi’s interface and limited AI capabilities. Even paying around $2,500 for the upcoming tri-fold HUAWEI Mate XTs with its phone-and-tablet-in-one form factor limits me to whatever HUAWEI’s current software situation is (read: not ideal).
Going down a notch, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is still bulky and unwieldy, and wastes a lot of internal space for the S Pen, whereas the all-around good Pixel 10 Pro XL doesn’t really excel at anything — there are better cameras, faster charging, longer lasting, better performing phones out there.
Chasing the 'best' Android phone is bound to end in misery.
You get the idea, right? The more I’m willing to pay for “the best,” the more picky I get, and the less I’m willing to tolerate minor issues. Bugs become more insufferable, hardware limitations more frustrating. Things that I’d generally consider niggles and unnecessary in my everyday use suddenly become big annoyances or downsides because I wanted the best, and this isn’t the best, darn it!
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