We test a ton of Android phones. We like the ones below, but you’ll be better off with one of the options above. If you haven’t yet done so, check out our Best Cheap Phones guide for more.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Series for $700+: Yes, last year’s flagship Samsung phone lineup is totally fine to still buy (9/10, WIRED Recommends). It consists of the S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra. They’re quite similar to the Galaxy S23 series up above, though battery life isn’t as nice (still pretty good). They’ll keep getting software updates for a really long time too. Just try to buy them during sale events, where I expect prices to dip even lower now that there’s a successor on the market.
OnePlus 10 Pro for $550: OnePlus’ 2022 flagship phone is good but not great (7/10, WIRED Recommends), though it’s a smart buy at this price. It’s spiffy and has powerful hardware, including a 120-Hz AMOLED screen that gets bright, speedy performance, and some of the fastest wired and wireless charging you’ll find in the US. (Yes, unlike the new OnePlus 11, the predecessor has wireless charging support). It’ll get two more OS upgrades and three years of security updates. You should know that there’s no millimeter-wave 5G here, just sub-6, which is odd for a flagship. Also, the T-Mobile model has an IP67 water-resistance rating, but the unlocked version doesn’t—it should be fine when submerged in water, but it’d be nice to have extra peace of mind.
Motorola Edge 2022 for $500: A Motorola smartphone with contactless payment support, 5G, wireless charging, plus a promise of three OS upgrades and four years of security updates? Say it ain’t so! The Motorola Edge (7/10, WIRED Review) finally matches its peers on several counts and exceeds them in some ways. It has a bright 144-Hz OLED screen, it’s lightweight, and its 5,000-mAh battery nearly lasts two days. It’s also the first Moto that comes in 100 percent recycled packaging. The downsides? The cameras are lackluster, and it’s rated at only IP52 for water resistance. Its MSRP is $600 but try to buy it for $500.
Motorola Moto G Stylus 2022 for $180: Technically this phone retails for $300, but you can almost always find it for under $200. The Moto G Stylus 2022 (6/10, WIRED Review) can easily get two full days of battery life and performance is good enough for running the usual slate of apps. You get a headphone jack, a MicroSD card slot, and a 90-Hz LCD screen, which are pretty great inclusions for the price. There’s a stylus too if that’s your thing. Sadly, it doesn’t have any 5G support and there’s no NFC for tap-to-pay contactless payments (aka no Google Pay). It will get updated to Android 12 (not the current Android 13), though Motorola will offer two more years of security updates.
OnePlus 10T for $600: Always in a hurry? You might like that this phone recharges from 0 to 100 percent in a shocking 20 minutes. The OnePlus 10T (5/10, WIRED Review) is speedy, has daylong battery life, and has a pretty good software update policy. However, the camera is just OK, there’s no wireless charging, and it has an IP54 water resistance rating, which is not good enough for the price.
Google Pixel 6 for $399: You can now buy 2021’s Pixel 6 series (9/10, WIRED Recommends) at a steep discount. Stock is starting to dwindle, so once they run out, you’re out of luck. For $399, you’re getting nearly everything you’d want in a flagship phone, plus some of the best cameras for the price.
OnePlus Nord N20 5G for $230: The Nord N20 5G (7/10, WIRED Recommends) packs a ton of features despite the low price. The first caveats I need to mention are that 5G does not work on AT&T, and this phone isn’t compatible with Verizon at all. It will also only get one Android OS update (though it will receive three years of security patches). If none of that matters to you, you’re getting an AMOLED screen, great performance, NFC, a microSD card, a headphone jack, and daylong battery life. Not bad at all.
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