[CNMO Technology] Compared with iPhone, Android phones are powerful, stylish and highly customizable. With so many choices, users can easily find Android phones that meet various budget needs, as well as top performance phones suitable for the most advanced enthusiasts.
While finding Android phones that meet your needs, of course, you may also find phones with too many functions that you will never use. For this reason, foreign media techadar has selected five Android phones of the year 2024. These phones can easily handle all the necessary needs, but they won't let you waste money on functions you can never use.
The most suitable Android phone for most people: Google Pixel 8
Google Pixel 8 is a typical Android phone. Now Google provides seven years of Android updates. For most people, it is the best Android phone. You can also buy Pixel 8a at a cheaper price. It is also powerful, but compared with it, Pixel 8 has a better camera, which is very important, so it is the first choice.
Google's Android system has evolved into a simple and more elegant interface, and there are no more customization options that used to slow down the process. If you like customization, you can still run your favorite launcher on the top, but Google makes things simple without losing the best features.
In fact, Google's AI function makes Pixel 8 more popular than Samsung's S24. Google AI performs slightly better, especially voice and language model functions, such as Pixel Recorder application, and Gemini AI built into Gmail, Messages and other applications.
Google also has the best photo editing software. You can even edit photos not taken with Pixel 8.
Best high-end Android phone: Samsung S24 Plus
S24 Plus is no longer a negligible intermediate product in the Galaxy S family. This time, S24 Plus has made great progress in all aspects compared with S24. In addition, it has all the top performance of S24 Ultra, but does not have all the functions that users do not need.
Do you really need a pen for your mobile phone? The S24 Ultra was previously rated as the best mobile phone, but most people do not need so many. The S24 Ultra is larger, heavier, and more expensive than the S24 Plus, without much additional benefits.
The display resolution of the S24 Plus is as clear as that of the S24 Ultra, but the screen is only a little smaller, actually only 0.1 inches. It has the same processor and RAM, with a starting capacity of 256GB, twice that of S24.
The S24Plus camera is close to the iPhone 15 Pro, but slightly inferior to the Ultra. It doesn't matter, because it is Samsung's shooting mode and software that make its camera so excellent, not its specifications. S24 Plus is the best choice from any angle. Of course, if you really need more, then Ultra is the next choice.
The best Android phone for camera: Samsung 24 Ultra
You can't find a phone with more powerful functions than the S24 Ultra, but what really makes this phone stand out is its camera function. If it only has a 200MP sensor and a zoom lens, it is a great camera phone, but the Ultra has more functions.
In addition to the large sensor, the Ultra also provides 5x optical zoom. This sounds worse than the 10x optical zoom on the S23 Ultra, but the sensor used on the S24 Ultra zoom lens is much larger than its predecessor, and the image quality it takes is higher. Whether you want to take wonderful photos or just take photos for children on the court, the S24 Ultra is competent.
In fact, it is competent for every task, because it has such a rich lens array. The 5x zoom uses a 50MP sensor, and a 3x zoom lens uses its own 10MP sensor. There is also a 12MP sensor for ultra wide angle shooting and ultra stable photography.
Samsung did not let Google enjoy all the fun of AI editing function, but built AI directly into camera applications. The camera will try to recognize the scene and optimize it accordingly. Not only does the moon look better, but when S24 Ultra is used to shoot food, monuments, portraits and many other scenes, they all look great.
Android phones with the best battery life: one plus 12R
When I first saw One Plus 12R, it was hard to find a prominent feature on this cheap mobile phone, making it a real flagship killer. Is it the incredible brightness of the display? Is it an excellent camera configuration? Is it Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 mobile platform? When I got the phone, I found it was a battery. The battery life of one plus 12R is the best of all Android phones and smartphones that we have tested for many years.
One plus 12R achieved nearly 18 hours of endurance in endurance test. The iPhone 15 Pro Max lasted only 14 hours in the same endurance test. Samsung's best mobile phone is 15 minutes shorter than 17 hours. One plus 12R beat all mobile phones, although one plus 12 was close behind.
One plus 12R has a built-in 5500mAh battery, which is usually the capacity seen on super large game phones. Even high-end flagship phones will not be equipped with such a large battery: the S24 Ultra is 5000mAh, just like previous generations of Ultra phones.
What's more crazy is the fast charging speed of one plus 12R. With the special charger attached to the mobile phone, the charging power in the United States is up to 80W, and the charging power in the world is up to 100W.
In contrast, the charging power of the S24 Ultra is 45W, which can charge the power to about 65% in 30 minutes. In the same time, a 12R battery can be charged to 96%, which can be fully charged in just a few minutes.
Best budget Android phone: Google Pixel 8a
Google Pixel 8a meets all our demands for Android phones at a price of less than 500 US dollars (about 3600 yuan), 500 pounds (about 4600 yuan), and 850 Australian dollars (about 4200 yuan). Because it uses the same Tensor G3 chipset as Pixel 8 Pro, we get the best performance from Google. This also means that it has won Google's commitment to provide Android operating system updates for seven years from the launch date in May 2024.
Pixel 8a has a small display screen, which is pleasing to the eye. It has several bright colors, including Google's favorite new bay blue and bright aloe green, and is more rounded and curved than the previous Pixel A series phones.
Unfortunately, it has the same battery problem as Google's cheap phones in the past, but this is Google's choice. You won't miss the best AI function on this phone. It has the same Google Gemini LLM and Magic Editor function in Google Photos as Google Pixel 8 Pro. Pixel 8 Pro is our newly selected best AI phone.
The biggest advantage of Google's A series may be that there is a discount all year round, but this phone is worth it now. The photos taken by it are very excellent, very similar to those taken by Pixel 8 Pro, and they are excellent in all aspects of the Pixel phone we expect.
Which is the best Android phone?
For most people, the best Android phone is Pixel 8, because it can get all the best new AI functions of Google and Google's exquisite Pixel interface and software at an affordable price.
The best high-end Android phone is the S24 Plus, because it provides incredible performance, amazing clear and bright display, and super long battery life, and there are not many functions you don't want (such as stylus).
Which brand of Android phone is the best?
Google invented Android, so its Android version is considered the gold standard. But Samsung has perfected Android, so if you want to try the most advanced Android features, you need a Samsung phone. Other mobile phone manufacturers, such as OnePlus, Motorola, OPPO and Xiaomi, also have advantages. Competition is one of the reasons why Android is such an excellent mobile operating system.
Is Android better or iOS better?
The foreign media techadar said that Apple's iOS 17 is a better mobile operating system than Android, because it is easier to use and has more advanced functions, which can let iPhone users know other iPhone users. Android is a more complex operating system, and the interface becomes stagnant due to unused settings and functions. However, Android allows users to customize their phones and interfaces according to their own wishes, so Android may be a better mobile operating system than iOS, but it needs to pay more efforts (spend more energy).
