Best Android phones: The top 13 phones with Android right now

The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the most advanced phone in the S21 range and our top choice for any Android user seeking an upgrade in 2021. 

The S21 Ultra is a fantastic all-rounder and offers up plenty of improvements over its predecessor. Standout features include the WQHD+ 120Hz display and versatile quad-camera, but these are packed up by Samsung’s sizable RAM and storage offerings and the capable Exynos 2100 processor. 

One of the biggest upgrades found on the S21 Ultra is the adaptive refresh rate. While this feature was also available on the S20 Ultra, you couldn’t enable 120Hz while also running the display at its max WQHD+ resolutions. This time around, there are no compromises to be made with both features able to run at the same time. 
The quad-camera has also been dramatically improved with the addition of dual 10MP zoom lenses. We also experienced fewer issues focussing the camera and found it produced a beautiful bokeh effect when shooting with the 108MP f/1.8 lens – check out our review for some adorable puppy pics. 

If you can stomach paying over £/$1000 for your phone and don’t mind the extra weight, the S21 Ultra is one of the best Android phones available.

Reviewer: Max Parker 
Full review: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra review

The Oppo Find X3 Pro is one of the best Android phones around. If you’re not keen on the hefty size of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra then it does offer an alternative thanks to a far slimmer body.

It takes excellent pictures and has one of the best screens on any phone you can buy, with performance matching top releases from Samsung and OnePlus.

We heaped much praise on the X2 Pro last year mostly for its camera, and Oppo has once again impressed here. Both the wide and ultra-wide cameras are fantastic, with nice bright colour and plenty of versatility. We do bemoan the lack of a periscope zoom for superior zoomed shot though, something we loved about the X2 Pro.

What Oppo has improved in the year since the X2 Pro’s release is the software. The version of Android Oppo uses now is far cleaner, far more reliable and much more like Google’s vision. 

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: Oppo Find X3 Pro review

If you want the best OnePlus phone going then you need the OnePlus 9 Pro. When compared to the OnePlus 9, the Pro model has a sharper 1440p display, a full metal body, a proper IP68 water resistance rating and very fast wireless charging.

Other features here include a good Hasselblad-branded camera system with a main 48MP sensor and an excellent 50MP ultra-wide, along with a battery that can be fully recharged in about 30 minutes.

Performance is fantastic thanks to the Snapdragon 888 chipset and, aside from a slow camera app, the software is among the best you’ll find on any Android phone.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: OnePlus 9 Pro review

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro stands out in a crowded budget space thanks to a stunning 120Hz AMOLED display, capable 108MP camera and excellent battery life.

It’s not the prettiest handset on the market, and you’ll have to be prepared to make do without 5G connectivity. Even so, there aren’t many phones on the market today that give you more for your money. In terms of pricing, the official UK price hasn’t been announced yet, however a global price of $279 has been set so it should around that mark. 

Reviewer: Jon Mundy 
Full review: Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro review

The Samsung Galaxy S21 and its larger Galaxy S21 Plus sibling are both excellent choices if you want a new Samsung phone without paying above and beyond for the Ultra’s more advanced specs. 
Both these S series phones are powered by the same Exynos 2100 processor and pack the same future-proof 5G support as its Ultra sibling – all at a much more tempting price. 

The S21 includes a 6.2-inch FHD+ display with an adaptive 48/120Hz refresh rate to conserve energy while offering smooth, responsive scrolling. While the 1080p resolution is technically a downgrade from last year’s S20, the screen remains suitably bright and sharp and the introduction of an adaptive refresh rate is a welcome one. You’ll find all the same specs on the S21 Plus, just with a bigger 6.7-inch display.

These phones also pack a very reliable camera housed in a newly revamped module on the back. The triple setup includes a 12MP wide sensor, a 12MP ultra-wide sensor and a 64MP zoom sensor. There’s a 10MP selfie camera on the front and up to 8K video capabilities. The colours produced by this camera are vivid and the ultra-wide lens is one of the best we’ve tried, with detail and little blurring. 

Unlike previous years, there are very few differences between the S21 and S21 Plus – hence us combining them into one entry. You do get a glass back, as opposed to plastic, on the Plus model and as it’s bigger you’ll find a bigger battery inside.

Reviewer: Max Parker 
Full review: Samsung Galaxy S21 review 

Reviewer: Alastair Stevenson 
Full review: Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus review

If you want a phone for gaming, that really does look like a gaming phone then the Asus ROG Phone 5 should be your pick. The device is outlandish in several areas and likely overkill for many but we can’t help but love it.

Let’s just look at some of the high-end specs first. There’s a 144Hz OLED display, stereo speakers, up to 16GB RAM and a whopping 6000mAh battery.

You’ve also got RGB lighting on the back, a couple of touch-sensitive triggers that support tap and slide interaction on the top and a duo of USB-C ports. Multiple gaming-focused accessories are available too.
Of course, there are sacrifices made to make a phone like this. The camera system is good, not great, and there’s no telephoto camera. Wireless charging is missing too. 

Reviewer: Basil Kronfli
Full review: Asus ROG Phone 5 review

Samsung’s Galaxy A series is supremely popular and considering how good the Galaxy A52 5G is, its inclusion here should be of no surprise. For the price you’re getting an excellent display, good camera, long battery life and an IP67 rating for water resistance. 

Even if you miss out on luxurious extras like wireless charging and a flashy look, the A52 5G should tick all the boxes if you don’t want to spend too much on a new Android phone.

One of the highlights here is the screen, which packs a quick 120Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling and added responsiveness. The OLED panel is bright and colourful too, plus the 1080p resolution ensures visuals are sharp.

There’s 5G support thanks to the very capable Snapdragon 750G chipset and the majority of games should perform admirably. This isn’t the quickest phone around but it more than gets the job done for the price. You’ll also get three years of security updates from Samsung, which is always good to see.

If we had some criticisms it would be about the basic design (which is a tad dull), and the poor secondary cameras.

Reviewer: Max Parker 
Full review: Samsung Galaxy A52 5G review

Unsurprisingly, Pixel 4a continues to offer one of the best (and most stripped back) Android experiences on the market. The follow-up to the Pixel 3a may not have the sheer horsepower of some rivals but it does come with the easy-to-use Pixel Launcher and a three-year guarantee of swift software updates.

Elsewhere, the phone sports a stunning camera that is great in low-light and does a ton of image-processing heavy lifting to create a final product with just one sensor that many quad-cameras setups struggle to achieve.

These remarkable features are only made all the more remarkable by its super cheap price tag of just £349. £349 gives you a phone with a decent build quality that sits in your hand far more neatly than the edging-on-phablet phones of modern times.

Reviewer: Max Parker 
Full review: Google Pixel 4a review

Like the OnePlus 9, the Xiaomi Mi 11 offers a bunch of top-end specs for a more reasonable price.

Standout features here include a top-drawer 120Hz display, Snapdragon 888 5G chipset for strong performance and some very quick charging tech. This is a good all-around device, especially for the price.

The Mi 11 sits somewhere in the middle of Xiaomi’s 2021 flagship line – below the Mi 11 Ultra and above the Lite model.

In our review, we had particular praise for the excellent OLED display and the strong gaming performance. We were less enamoured with the buggy software and Xiaomi’s overbearing Android skin. We also weren’t won over by the choice of cameras and the lack of any IP rating.

Reviewer: Max Parker 
Full review: Xiaomi Mi 11 review

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3

Samsung’s flagship foldable

Trusted Score

Pros

• Strong display
• Excellent performance in all areas
• Likely far more affordable than similarly specced phones
• Quick to charge

Cons

• It’s very big, with no smaller option
• The software is buggy
• No IP rating
• Camera choices aren’t always the best

The Galaxy Z Fold 3 is the newest update to Samsung’s Fold line, which uses foldable display tech to offer what is essentially a smartphone and a tablet in one package.

The phone features a 6.2-inch exterior display that makes the Z Fold 3 appear similar to a regular phone when closed, along with a second 7.6-inch foldable OLED display on the inside. The two displays feature fast 120Hz refresh rates, along with Gorilla Glass Victus and an IPX8 IP rating to make sure they remain durable. 

The phone runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage and features a triple 12-megapixel rear camera on the outside, along with a 4-megapixel selfie camera inside the display so there’s no distracting notch. 

There’s also a 4400 mAh battery powering the phone, which is good but slightly too small for a phone with two 120Hz displays. 

Reviewer: Alastair Stevenson

Full review: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 Review

The Fold isn’t the only great phone in Samsung’s Z series line of foldables. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 also packs a folding display but in a more compact, clamshell form. 

The Z Flip 3 measures just 4.2-inches when folded and features a tiny 1.9-inch cover screen which displays notifications and acts as a viewfinder for the camera when the phone is closed. 

Open it up and you’ll find a larger 6.7-inch 120Hz display that looks closer to a regular, non-folding phone. Like the Z Fold 3, the Z Flip 3 is more durable than Samsung’s previous foldables thanks to its Gorilla Glass Victus screen and IPX8 IP rating. 

The phone features a dual 12-megapixel camera that can be used as rear or front cameras with the cover screen. There’s also a 10-megapixel sensor on the folding display for video calls and when you want to see yourself on the bigger screen. 

The Z Flip 3 packs the Snapdragon 888 chipset, along with 8GB RAM and 128/256GB storage. There’s also a 3300mAh battery, which is smaller than the one in the Z Fold 3. 

Reviewer: Max Parker

Full review: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Review

The Pixel 6 is Google’s newest smartphone and a more affordable alternative to the more premium Pixel 6 Pro. 

The phone marks the first to be powered by Google’s own Tensor processor, which powers new features like auto-translations and an array of AI camera tools, including the Magic Eraser and Face Unblur. 

Like the Pixels before it, the focus here is on the camera. The dual array on the back of the phone includes a 50-megapixel main lens and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and there’s also an 8-megapixel punch-hole camera on the front. 

The display itself is a 6.4-inch FHD+ OLED screen, but it lacks the 120Hz refresh rate found on the Pro’s larger display. The rear of the phone features the same three-tone design, however, and both models run Android 12 out of the box. 

The Pixel 6 also packs a 4600 mAh battery which will get you through a full day of use, but isn’t ideal for more intensive tasks. 

Reviewer: Max Parker

Full review: Google Pixel 6 Review

The Google Pixel 6 Pro is Google’s true 2021 flagship, offering a similar design and set of specs to the Pixel 6, along with a handful of upgrades that make it Google’s most advanced smartphone yet. 

Like the Pixel 6, the 6 Pro is powered by the Google Tensor chipset and was the first phone to run Android 12 out of the box. 

The phone includes a triple camera array, made up of a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor and a 48-megapixel telephoto lens – one more than the standard Pixel 6. There’s also a 11.1-megapixel camera on the front of the handset. 

The phone also has a bigger 6.7-inch display with a faster 120Hz refresh rate for a much smoother scrolling experience. 

However, the Pro suffers from a similarly disappointing battery life to the 6, with the larger 5003 mAh battery just about lasting one day of use. 

Reviewer: Alastair Stevenson

Full review: Google Pixel 6 Pro Review