The Best Smartphones of 2023

Android vs. iOS

When shopping for a smartphone, there are many factors to consider. First, you'll have to figure out which operating system you want that smartphone to run.

Android

Android is the most popular smartphone operating system in the world, and for a number of reasons. Unlike Apple, which only allows iOS to be used on its iPhones, Google licenses out Android to other companies. That’s why the likes of Samsung, HTC, Huawei, and Google use the Android operating system.

Android is usually better at working with those apps and services if you're a tried-and-true Google user. (Google Play Music streaming service, Google Drive cloud storage, other Google devices like the Google Home smart speaker, and more.)

iOS

In the U.S., Apple’s iOS is the dominant smartphone operating system. There are plenty of reasons to go for an iPhone—the phone that runs iOS—over an Android device. The main ones, however, are that Apple builds it, and as such, it’s both super easy to use, ultra-stylish, and plays nice with other Apple devices.

If you want a simple user interface, better Apple integration, and a phone that performs better for longer, then a phone with iOS is probably the way to go.

What to Look For in a Smartphone

Once you've decided on Android or iOS, you'll want to consider other factors, including the amount of storage, screen size, battery life, and camera quality. Budget is also a huge consideration, and iOS and Android have offerings that can fit your budget.

Processor

The processor is essentially the brain of a computer, or in this case, a phone. More powerful processors mean your phone can "think" faster, meaning tasks are completed quicker, multitasking is zippier, and your phone will perform longer. Longevity is essential here: A phone with a sub-par processor might be perfectly fine at handling current apps, but that may not be true of the apps being released in two years.

There are a few companies developing processors for smartphones. Apple designs its processors in-house, but the likes of Qualcomm, MediaTek, Samsung, and more all develop processors for Android phones. In the U.S., Qualcomm chips are the most common, and in 2018, the flagship Qualcomm chip was the Snapdragon 845. The higher the number here, the better.

If you want more powerful processors, look for ones with multiple "cores." Traditional processors can only perform one task simultaneously, but a dual-core processor can process two, and a quad-core processor can process four.

Storage

Storage is perhaps the most important thing for most people to consider. The more storage you have on your phone, the more files, apps, photos, videos, etc., you can keep on there. It’s easier to get by with less storage if you use cloud storage like Apple Photos or Google Drive, but some things can’t work without being stored on your phone. We recommend getting a phone with at least 16GB of storage (for light users), though 32GB is going to be much better, and 64GB or more should be enough for heavy users.

Some phones also allow external storage, usually through a MicroSD card slot. With this slot, you can buy a small card about the size of a SIM card, which can be used to store files. MicroSD cards start at a low price for low-capacity ones and range from there.

Camera

A few things make a great camera, but the most important is the software behind it. Two phones with identical camera specs can yield vastly different results. Unfortunately, it’s near impossible to shop for a phone with a great camera by only looking at specs on paper.

RAM

RAM, or Random Access Memory, is another form of storage, but instead of using it to save files, your system uses it to save things that it might want to pull up quickly. Open apps are usually held in RAM so that when you close them and open them again, they can show up on the screen without reloading.

Generally speaking, more RAM is better when buying a smartphone, but phones with more RAM often cost more. You’ll probably find phones in the 2GB of RAM range for a mid-range phone, but for most users, a device with 3GB or more is recommended.

Display Type

When it comes to phones, a screen isn’t just a screen. There are a few different types of displays, and they’re not all created equal.

The LCD or Liquid Crystal Display is the most common display type in mid-range and low-end phones. LCDs are inexpensive to produce, which is why they’re used so often, but the trade-off is that they’re not the best at conserving battery life and generally don’t produce the deepest blacks or brightest colors. There are two types of LCDs: TFT-LCDs, which are cheaper and the worst at color reproduction, and IPS-LCDs, which are a little better at color reproduction and wider viewing angles.

These days, high-end phones are doing away with LCDs in favor of OLED displays. Because OLED displays light up individual pixels rather than the display as a whole, saving battery life. On top of that, when black shows up on the screen, OLED displays don’t light it, meaning that blacks look deeper, and contrast ratios are higher. You might see “Super AMOLED” displays, which is Samsung branding for its OLEDs.

You’ll probably only notice the difference between LCD and OLED displays if you have a sharp eye, although you might find the battery improvements that come with OLED displays to be worth the extra cash.

Screen Size

Phone display sizes have gotten a lot bigger over the years, which might be important to you. Smaller displays come in at four inches, while larger displays can range up to seven inches.

Biometric Authentication

Gone are the days when you had to enter a PIN code to access your phone. These days, most smartphones have a fingerprint sensor built into them, ensuring you can get into your device quickly, easily, and at the touch of a sensor. Some higher-end phones also have other forms of biometric authentication, like iris scanning or facial recognition.

Many consider fingerprint sensors the easiest way to authenticate, though it depends on their placement. While some phones mount a fingerprint sensor on the front of the device, others have a sensor on the back, making it easy to quickly scan your fingerprint as you take your device out of your pocket.

Nowadays, some phones also have facial recognition, which is safer and sometimes easier to use. All you have to do to authenticate yourself with facial recognition is look at your phone, which does present some difficulty if your phone is on your desk, for example.

We recommend a phone with at least a fingerprint scanner, though other authentication methods can also be helpful.

Battery Capacity

Not all batteries are the same size, and a smaller battery can seriously impact how long your phone lasts on a single charge. Battery capacity is measured in milliampere-hours, or mAh—where a higher number represents a larger capacity. Of course, it’s not always as simple as “larger batteries make your phone last longer.” A phone with a larger battery but an equally high-resolution display and a power-hungry processor may not last as long as a phone with a smaller battery, lower-resolution display, and less intense processor.