is a reviewer with 10 years of experience writing about consumer tech. She has a special interest in mobile photography and telecom. Previously, she worked at DPReview.
Haven’t you heard? Phones are boring now. And that’s just fine! Most people buying a new phone just want something familiar that works better than the device they’re replacing. If that’s your MO, then you’re sure to find something reliable in my recommendations below.
But even if you’re looking for something a little more extra, you’ve got some great options. They’re going to be pretty iterative compared to whatever you’re using now — we’re in more of a software era than a hardware innovation cycle these days — but you can find a delightful new device. We finally have a folding phone that feels like the right size and shape, flip phones offer a lot more than just nostalgia, and you can still buy a phone with no fewer than four cameras on the back. Not bad for a boring season of phone hardware.
A lot of people in the US get their phones through carrier deals, and no judgment here if that’s the route you take — it’s how I bought mine. Just be sure you know what you’re getting into and how many years you’ll need to stay on that Super 5G Everything Unlimited Plus plan to keep the monthly device reimbursements coming.
What I’m looking for How we test smartphones Collapse There’s no shortcut to properly testing a phone; I put my personal SIM card (physical or otherwise) in each phone I review and live with it for a minimum of one full week. I set up each phone from scratch, load it up with my apps, and go about living my life — stress testing the battery, using GPS navigation on my bike while streaming radio, taking rapid-fire portrait mode photos of my kid — everything I can throw at it. Starting over with a new phone every week either sounds like a dream or your personal hell, depending on how Into Phones you are. For me, switching has become so routine that it’s mostly painless. Top-notch software support Collapse The phones listed here have powerful processors and enough RAM to keep up for years, so it’s fair to expect more than a handful of OS updates throughout the life of your phone. Four years of new OS versions and five years of security updates is a healthy benchmark for this class, and many of the phones here meet or exceed that standard. A fantastic camera Collapse Most phone cameras can perform well in good lighting conditions, from the flagship class down to $300 budget phones. The devices listed here offer a little something extra, like a useful telephoto lens, a great portrait mode, or impressive low-light shooting — and many include all three. Stabilization for the main camera unit to help in low light is a must in this category. Best-in-class build quality Collapse The very best devices come with robust IP68 ratings, durable glass on the front and back, and sturdy aluminum exterior frames. Value Collapse In addition to the very best devices at any price, I look for phones that offer the best mix of must-have features for good prices. That might lead to a recommendation of a lower-tier model if it’s particularly feature-rich for its price or last year’s model if it’s still sold new and this year’s device doesn’t offer many upgrades.
If you’re looking to spend a little less and still get the best smartphone on a budget, you can find something really good for under $600. For those recommendations, check out our guide to budget smartphones.
The best iPhone for most people
Screen: 6.1-inch, 2556 x 1179 OLED, 60Hz refresh rate / Processor: A18 Cameras: 48-megapixel f/1.6 main with sensor-shift IS; 12-megapixel ultrawide; 12-megapixel selfie / Battery: Not advertised / Charging: 27W wired, 25W wireless MagSafe, 15W Qi2, 7.5W Qi / Weather-resistance rating: IP68
From a hardware perspective, the iPhone 16 (or the 16 Plus) is an easy upgrade choice. If you’re switching from an iPhone 13, 12, or even older, those four or five years of incremental performance improvements add up. But there’s something entirely new this time around — well, two things: the Action Button and the Camera Control button.
The customizable Action Button, which replaces the mute switch on the left edge of the phone, is a hand-me-down from the 15 Pro series. You can set it to open a particular app, turn on the flashlight, or almost anything else you might want at the press of a button. On the other side of the phone is the Camera Control, which you can use to launch the camera app. With the camera open, it acts as a shutter button with a full press, and a light press brings up other exposure options you can adjust. Even if you only ever use it to launch the camera, it’s pretty handy, and it frees up the Action Button.
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