What kind of smartphone to buy

With a vibrant faux-leather rear, broken up by a racing-stripe black streak, the phone is quite the eye-catcher. While the phone doesn't have all the top specs other models on this list do, and we found photos sometimes came out oversharpened or overexposed, its low price offsets that.

If you don't want to pay the price of a super-powerful Android phone, this is a great alternative. Read more: Realme GT review. While the S20 Plus has a slight specs edge, thanks to a larger 6. Both have a highly capable camera array, with 12MP standard, 12MP ultra-wide, and 64MP telephoto sensors, and both also have high-end power, thanks to a Snapdragon or Exynos chipset depending on where in the world you are and up to 12GB of RAM.

They also both have a stunning x display with a refresh rate of up to Hz. Indeed, the screens and cameras particularly impressed us in our reviews. Read more: OnePlus 9 review. Samsung's latest super-premium Note smartphone is the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, with advanced features, a great-looking screen, and special features for the S Pen stylus which comes included in the phone, that give you added versatile ways to use your device.

Sure it's expensive, and pretty huge, and doesn't actually have all the bells and whistles of the Galaxy S21 Ultra. But those weaknesses are made up for with plenty of advantages that make it a top Android phone. This is a real top-end phone with impressive specs in every sector we were particularly impressed with the screen and the camera , so if your budget and hand can stretch to it, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra may really be one worth considering.

Read more: Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra review. Every phone in this list has been put through a rigorous review in which we tested every aspect of it. That allows us to say with confidence which Android phones are the best, and how they compare to each other. Screen size and resolution, battery life, power, camera performance and price tend to be the main things to consider when buying an Android phone.

The best ones will excel in most or all areas - but often at a high price. And when it comes to the screen, bigger isn't always better. If you have small hands or want to use your phone one-handed, then you may want to consider something more compact. No one Android phone brand is definitively the best, but Samsung's flagships tend to be among the very best Android phones.

However, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Oppo and others often bring out great phones too. James is Phones Editor for TechRadar, and he has covered smartphones for the best part of a decade bringing you news on all the big announcements from top manufacturers making mobile phones.

James is often testing out and reviewing the latest and greatest mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, virtual reality headsets, fitness trackers and more. Be sure to follow him on Twitter for all the latest smartphone news.

North America. There are a huge number of Android handsets, so picking out the best Android phones can be tricky, but our guide is here to help, as we've highlighted the best of the best. Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. Specifications Release date: January Weight: g. Dimensions: Getting a network signal remains the crucial factor in daily use of a smartphone, although more and more of us are taking advantage of hotspots and Wi-Fi areas to communicate via social networking.

But if you still use your smartphone for making phone calls, or you want to go online away from a Wi-Fi hotspot, you need good reception.

Before buying your next smartphone, make sure it's optimised for your mobile network. To make the situation very clear when buying your phone, confirm with the salesperson that the phone supports MHz if you're with Telstra or MHz if you're with Optus or Vodafone.

Picture and video capture quality is not just determined by your smartphone's resolution, but also the ability to deliver a good image in different lighting situations. All smartphones users find the inability to use a smartphone for any more than a day or so frustrating.

However, it's important to remember that the increased functionality of a smartphone with a large screen demands more power than a simple talk and text mobile. Skip to content Skip to footer navigation. There's plenty of choice in the smartphones market outside Samsung and Apple, and plenty of quality too - we regularly uncover Best Buys from rival brands. A popular 'budget' brand, Motorola has a range of very competitively priced models, and are a favourite among users who don't want to spend a fortune on a phone.

Our tests have shown that it's capable of both Best Buys and Don't Buys, so check our Motorola mobile phone reviews to make sure your money's spent wisely. If you're after a brand that provides value for money, look no further than Xiaomi. While it does produce high end phones, Xiaomi has a wide range of cheap yet feature-packed models that have seriously impressed. It is capable of producing a stinker though, so read our Xiaomi smartphone reviews before you buy.

Google aims for quality over quantity - it has a limited range but the phones are popular with budding smartphone photographers, and those who appreciate timely operating system updates - Google does own Android, after all. Browse our Google smartphone reviews to see if they tick the boxes elsewhere. OnePlus has really upped its game in recent years, and its flagships can now challenge those of Apple and Samsung.

Prices have risen as well, though, so you might want to consider a range of cheaper OnePlus models. Head to our OnePlus smartphone reviews to check them out.

We've tested nearly mobile phones to bring you a definitive verdict on your next model — from old-hands Sony and Nokia to new kids on the block Oppo and Realme.

Browse all our mobile phone reviews to find the perfect model. When buying a mobile phone, make sure you're handing your money over to a reputable seller. Check the retailer's returns policy and pay attention to customer feedback and reviews. For more details on shopping online safely and arranging refunds for faulty products, see our advice on shopping online.

Mobile Phones Direct, Argos and Carphone Warehouse are some of the most searched-for mobile phone retailers at the time of writing. Test score. Apple or Android? Cheap or premium? Find out how to choose right phone, get the best deal, and which brands are most reliable.

In this article Video: how to buy the best mobile phone How much do I need to spend for a good mobile phone? What size of phone should I buy? Which mobile phones have the best battery life? Should I buy a phone on contract or Sim-free? Should I buy a second hand phone? View more links. Video: how to buy the best mobile phone. Should I buy a Huawei mobile phone?