Best Smartphones 2024: The best phones tested

OnePlus phones have gone from strength to strength in recent years, and that trend looks to continue with the new OnePlus 12.

The Android flagship offers a competitive range of features at a cheaper price than many rivals featured in this chart, even with a slightly higher £849/$799 price tag than its predecessor.

That includes a slightly larger 6.8-inch AMOLED display with adaptive 120Hz refresh rate tech that lets it go as high as 120Hz and as low as 1Hz and an astonishing peak brightness of 4500nits. It also boasts support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR Vivid, and 2160Hz PWM dimming, and the slight curvature to the edges helps it sit comfortably in the hand.

It’s more than just a great display though; the OnePlus 12 is all about the camera, sporting a fourth-gen Hasselblad camera system. The 50MP main rear snapper sports the same sensor as the top-end OnePlus Open, delivering consistently detailed, vibrant images both during the day and at night. It’s arguably the new 3x periscope lens that’ll make the most difference though, delivering huge improvements to zoom shots compared to the previous 2x telephoto.

It boasts Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and 256GB of storage as default for solid everyday performance, although we’ve found it doesn’t perform quite as well as some 8 Gen 3 rivals in benchmarks, nor does it take advantage of the GenAI power of the chipset like Samsung’s Galaxy S24 range.

Inside, you’ll find a 5,000mAh battery that’ll last all day and then some, along with 100W SuperVOOC charging that’ll get you from flat to full in less than half an hour. There’s also the benefit of the highly customisable OxygenOS 14, along with OnePlus’ promise of four years of OS upgrades and five years of security updates to appreciate.

Reviewer: Lewis Painter
Full review: OnePlus 12 review

If you want the best possible phone for playing games on the go, our top recommendation is the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition. 

Performance is a top priority for gamers, which is why Asus has gone all-out with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and a whopping 24GB of RAM. Combined with Asus’ proprietary internal cooling tech and the optional cooler that straps to your phone, the ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition delivered consistently solid performance even in high-end demanding mobile games like Genshin Impact.

It’s the gaming-specific features that really stand out though, with the AirTriggers allowing you to use and hold the phone like a gamepad, while the Armoury Crate software allows you to display the frame rate and optimise performance settings. Honestly, there’s a bevvy of optional accessories for the phone to customise the experience to your liking.

The ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition is a different beast compared to other gaming phones though; it doesn’t look like a gaming phone. Asus has ditched the angular design of its predecessor for something that’s much more sleek, with a matte pattern on the rear that feels nice – though one that’s also pretty prone to scratches.

It has also shrunk the bezels of the display, and though it features a customisable LED panel on the rear, it disappears when not in active use. There’s also been an attempt to improve camera performance with an upgraded 50MP main snapper and 3x telephoto, though it’s still not quite at the same level as the likes of the Pixel 8 Pro or Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Costing over £1000/$1000, this is a seriously expensive phone. Those who want a more versatile phone may want to look elsewhere, as the camera quality is still behind that of the competition. But if you fancy a gaming phone that doesn’t look like a gaming phone, there is no better choice than the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition.

Reviewer: Ryan Jones
Full Review: Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition review

While the Z Flip from Samsung can be seen as the pioneer of the modern flip phone, the Z Flip 5 isn’t the very best phone we’ve tested with this design. In fact, the best clamshell foldable we’ve reviewed is the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra.

While the Razr 40 Ultra was impressive enough, the Razr 50 Ultra takes things to the next level. That’s mainly down to its cover display, which has expanded to a whopping 4 inches, taking up practically the entire front panel. it’s not just size though; the Razr’s cover screen allows you to do more than the competition, from opening any app on your phone to accessing Google Gemini from the cover screen.

Motorola has also ditched the ultrawide lens for a 2x telephoto lens, sporting the same 50MP resolution as the upgraded main camera. Both deliver impressive results, both in well-lit and low-light conditions, with decent 4x digital zoom capabilities too.

There’s also a boost in performance, up to the Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, and it ships with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage as standard, making its £999/$999 price tag all the more tempting.

Sure, it’s not the most powerful foldable, and its promise of 3 OS upgrades and 4 years of security patches isn’t the best ever, but we think the experience, on the whole, is among the best you’ll find on the foldable market in 2024.

Reviewer: Lewis Painter
Full review: Motorola Razr 50 Ultra

If you’re on the market for a book-style foldable that’s not thick and heavy, the impossibly thin Honor Magic V3 is the one to go for. It measures 9.2mm thick when folded, making it thinner than the 12.1mm Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and some regular candybar phones. And, weighing just 226g, it’s lighter than the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

But if you thought this was simply a thin foldable with no substance, you’d be wrong. Honor has thrown the kitchen sink at this thing, boasting a fully-specced out 6.34-inch OLED cover screen that sports flagship tech including a 120Hz LTPO refresh rate and 5000nits peak brightness, and that’s matched by the 7.92-inch inner display too. What’s more, Honor has made great strides in reducing the crease of the screen, down to just 78um. For context, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 has a depth of 217um.

There’s also a solid camera offering comprised of a 50MP main, 50MP 3.5x periscope lens and 40MP ultrawide that, while not truly in the leagues of the best cameras around, does pretty well for a foldable. It’s also powerful with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, and with a 5150mAh battery, it has no trouble lasting all day on a single charge.

The only weakness is Honor’s MagicOS. While it’s good enough for day-to-day use, it lacks the finesse of other foldables like the OnePlus Open and its Magic Canvas multitasking software and the impressive AI of the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, with Honor’s intent-based Magic Portal really only handy for niche use-cases.

Reviewer: Lewis Painter
Full review: Honor Magic V3 review

If you’re on the hunt for a compact phone that won’t put a dent in your wallet, the Pixel 8a is an outstanding choice. For the price, there are few better choices out there running Android and this is one of our reviewers’ favourite phones of 2024.

It fixes some big complaints with last year’s Pixel 7a, which we already thought was one of the best mid-rangers around, especially in the display department. The 6.1-inch OLED display has been boosted to the same 120Hz as the Pixel 8 while also borrowing the flagship’s Actua display tech to boost brightness to an impressive 2000nits. The bezel is pretty thick, but it’s not a dealbreaker.

It’s also just a nice design overall, with more rounded edges and a matte-finish rear that makes it nicer to hold than the flagship-level Pixel 8 that it’s based on, with IP67 dust and water resistance to boot.

Of course, as with most Pixels, the camera on the Pixel 8a is truly remarkable. The 64MP main sensor from the Pixel 7a returns, but don’t let that disappoint you. The camera excels in capturing accurate skin tones, delivering exceptional low-light performance, and ensuring vibrant and true-to-life colours, and AI-powered editing tools like Best Take and Audio Magic Eraser take the experience even further.

Inside, the Pixel 8a shares the same Tensor G3 chip as its more premium siblings, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. While some might desire even more power in the flagship range, at this price point, the Tensor chip offers perfectly adequate performance and handles various AI-driven features seamlessly. Notably, Tensor powers the phone’s intelligent call-screening capabilities and outstanding voice recorder functionality.

Battery life could be better, as with most small phones, with a 4492mAh cell that can just about get you through a full day’s use. But, without any substantial fast charging and the lack of a charger in the box, it’s a phone that’ll take nearly two hours to fully charge.

That said, the Pixel 8a still represents a compelling option for those seeking a smaller-sized Pixel phone. With its impressive camera, notable features like wireless charging, the Pixel 8a offers excellent value for the price.

Reviewer: Max Parker
Full review: Google Pixel 8a review

If your budget doesn’t quite extend to the heights of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and iPhone 15 Pro Max, the £349 Motorola Edge 50 Fusion should be one for serious consideration. Don’t let the budget nature fool you though; this is very much a capable phone that punches above its weight class in many respects.

Measuring 7.9mm thick and 175g, it’s a delight to hold and use, further complemented by a either vegan leather rear or silky plastic finish depending on the colour option you go for, of which there are three colourful options.

That’s further improved by premium features like full IP68 dust and water resistance and a 6.7-inch curved OLED panel with a 144Hz refresh rate that’s faster than most flagships. That makes the Neo particularly well suited to gaming, especially when paired with the snappy Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 and up to 12GB of RAM that allows it to compete with mid-rangers that cost £200 more.

Despite its svelte dimensions, Motorola has packed a 5000mAh battery into the phone that doesn’t struggle to last a full day, and with 68W charging and a 68W charger in the box, you’ll get 44% charge in 15 minutes and 75% in 30 minutes. That easily beats the likes of the Pixel 9 Pro XL, iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra in the charging department.

There’s also a 50MP main camera and 13MP ultrawide camera that performs pretty well in both well-lit and low-light scenarios, and stock Android 14 is a nice touch too. Seriously, what’s not to like?

Reviewer: Jon Mundy
Full review: Motorola Edge 50 Fusion review