The best Android smartphones of 2024: Google, Samsung and Sony specs

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the best phone Samsung has ever made. It builds on the already excellent S23 Ultra, and improves it in several ways: a faster processor, a new display, and an improved rear camera array. 

The S24 Ultra is a big phone that few people will manage to use one-handed. Its 6.8-inch display is now flat, rather than the curved screen of its predecessor, while the titanium case has helped to reduce its weight slightly. The QLED display is incredibly bright, while the 120Hz refresh rate means browsing, gaming and watching content is an ultra-smooth experience. 

The phone uses a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, and the 12GB of RAM means this is a blisteringly fast phone for intensive uses, such as gaming. These specs also support all the AI tools Samsung has installed on the S24 Ultra, including image processing. And the camera itself is nothing short of spectacular. The 200MP main shooter is accompanied by a new 50MP zoom periscope camera, which improves the telephoto capabilities of the device.  

There’s little not to be impressed by with the S24 Ultra. And while the price tag might be a little eye-watering, the camera, the processor, and all the software combine to make this the best Android smartphone you can currently buy.

One of the benefits of owning a Google handset is that it gives you access to the purest version of Android available. That means less bloatware, and a snappy and responsive operating system. You also get up to seven years of software updates. 

The Pixel 8a is the latest in the Pixel line-up, and the most budget-friendly of the current generation of Pixel phones. Its RRP of £499 is a full £200 less than the standard Pixel 8 (RRP £699), but the two devices have lots in common. Pound for pound, the 8a is excellent value. 

The Pixel 8a has a relatively small 6.1-inch display and may be preferable for those who prefer smaller handsets. Internally, the Pixel 8a shares the same Tensor G3 processor that’s found in both the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro and has a generous 8GB of RAM. You’re getting a flagship processor in a cheaper package, and Google’s software helps to make this device stand out, with features such as Circle to Search, Call Screening, and superb photo processing features. 

While the camera specs aren’t quite as eye-catching as its more expensive siblings, the software is so good that it compensates for plenty. With features such as Magic Editor, Best Take, and Audio Magic Eraser, which removes background noise from your videos, you can be confident that the Pixel 8a will help you capture some wonderful images.

The ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro is expensive, with an RRP of £1099.99. And while it isn’t as polished as the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or the Pixel 8 Pro, when it comes to gaming, it’s tough to look past.

It has the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip as Samsung’s flagship device, but it also has up to 24GB of RAM (and up to 1TB of storage) making it one of the most powerful Android smartphones available.  

The huge 6.78-inch AMOLED screen has an adaptive refresh rate of between 1-120Hz, and a 165Hz fixed refresh rate for maximum smoothness on supported games. The 5,500 mAh battery holds its charge better than most flagship devices, while the built-in cooling system helps prevent it from overheating when in use. 

Crucially, it’s also a very respectable phone in its own right, with a decent camera and an advanced optical image stabilisation system to help keep things steady. It does everything you’d expect a phone to do – but it’s for gaming where this really shines.

Having been around since 2023, the Samsung Galaxy A54 has dropped in price. With an original RRP of £449, it’s now routinely available for less than £300, making this an excellent mid-range smartphone, at a budget price. 

It borrows from the Galaxy S23 in terms of its design, and the 6.4-inch AMOLED display has the same 120Hz refresh rate of many more expensive devices. It uses a Samsung Exynos 1380 chipset, which isn’t quite as snappy as some others, but for most people, will still be fine for everyday use. There’s also a sizeable battery that Samsung claims can last for up to two days between charges.  

Images are very respectable for a phone at this price point, making use of Samsung’s post-processing smarts to deliver vibrant images. It’s not as strong as some other devices in low-light conditions, however. 

If you want a good camera, several years of software support, and don’t want to break the bank, the Samsung Galaxy A54 is one to consider.

If you want a foldable with a slightly less eye-watering price tag, then a flip phone might be the answer. And right now, Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 6 is our favourite choice for most people. Featuring a durable design and seven years of software support, this is a handset that could last you years and years. 

Happily, you aren't just paying for the fact that this phone is foldable. The Z Flip 6 is packed with powerful features. This includes the flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, which is the fastest chipset currently available for Android phones. 12GB of RAM is punchy (though not the best) and 512GB of internal storage gives you plenty of room for saving all your photos. Overall, it performs brilliantly, and better than many conventional flagship handsets. 

Speaking of photos, there's a 50MP wide lens, a 12MP ultra-wide, and 10MP selfie camera. This is ok, and for a flip phone, probably about as good as it gets. But again, it can't compete with the best camera phones overall. You'll get decent photos with this, but if you're hoping to match the best phones on the market, you may be disappointed.  

That aside, this is a flagship flip phone that currently stands out from the competition as the best of its type.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is one of the best camera phones currently available. So good, in fact, we think it's better than the cameras offered by many of the "big beasts".

A variable aperture paired with a 1-inch Leica sensor means this phone can deliver exceptional images in almost any conditions, including low light. The camera array is similarly impressive, featuring four lenses with six different focal lengths that vary from 12mm to 240mm. The lenses all benefit from a 50MP image sensor, meaning that whether you're up close, or zooming in from a distance, you'll still get impressive results.

There are plenty of extras to help, too. A 120mm periscope lens is great for zooming in, while a Master Portrait mode and street photography mode help when you want to create a specific vibe in your image. There's even a professional photography kit for the phone, which effectively turns it into a compact camera. The RRP of £179 it adds an extra cost to an already expensive handset. But it does have a 1500mAh battery built-in, to keep the camera rolling when you're out all day.

The camera is undoubtedly magnificent. And the Xiaomi 14 Ultra excels in other aspects, too. The gorgeous 6.72-inch,120Hz AMOLED display is ultra-smooth, and 16GB of RAM makes this quick enough to handle even the most demanding of tasks. This is supported by Snapdragon's 8 Gen 3 processor, and a Qualcomm Adreno GPU helps give graphics processing a boost. 
If you want the best camera phone currently available – this is it. But it's a powerful flagship in lots of other ways as well.

If you want the purest Android smartphone experience possible, you’ll need a Google handset that uses stock Android. And the best Google handset right now is the Pixel 9 Pro, Google’s current flagship device. It actually comes in two sizes, the 6.3-inch Pixel 9 Pro, or a 6.8-inch XL version.

The XL version has slightly higher screen resolution, and a larger battery. But for us, the smaller handset gets the nod because it has all the critical features of the larger variant, but it's cheaper and fits in your pocket more easily.

The Pixel 9 Pro has a custom-built Tensor G4 chipset and 16GB of RAM, which allows it to support all the software features that Google has crammed in. This includes voice transcription, language translation, call screening, AI wallpaper, and an outstanding range of photo editing tools that make the Pixel Pro one of the very best camera phones on the market. 

Notable features here include the Magic Editor tool, which means you can perfect any blemishes on the images you capture with the already impressive 50MP main camera. There are loads of Gemini-AI related features on offer, too. These include image generation, a new Reimagine tool, that lets you add new features to your photos, and the Add Me camera tool, which is a genuine game-changer for whoever misses out on being in all the group photos because they're behind the camera.

The 6.3-inch screen is sharp and bright (one of the best around, in fact), and Google’s built-in power management tools mean the battery lasts longer than you might expect. And like the Pixel 8a, this phone also enjoys up to seven years of software updates. It’s a great phone, built to last.

OnePlus used to be renowned for delivering flagship phones at mid-range prices. While the £999 RRP for the OnePlus 12 is hardly mid-range, it’s still a phone that offers exceptional all-round quality, and will appeal to people who want an alternative to the AI-focused devices from the likes of Samsung and Google. 

The OnePlus 12 shares the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip used in the S24 Ultra, offers 12GB or 16GB of Ram, and 256GB or 512GB of storage. The 6.82-inch OLED display is clear and smooth thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate. It sticks with the OxygenOS operating system that OnePlus has used for years. This is a clean and user-friendly version of Android, that some people may prefer to the stock Android found on Pixel devices. It also has a huge battery that promises to last even under heavy usage, and OnePlus’s hugely impressive fast-charging capabilities. 

The camera is made in collaboration with Hasselblad. It takes a little more work to deliver great photos than some other devices, but it does deliver some fantastic images, especially for portraits and selfies. 

While it’s a great phone, it isn’t water resistant like many handsets, and software support is more limited than on some other flagship devices. But it’s excellent value for a strong all-rounder.

Foldable phones have come a long way in a relatively short space of time, and Google latest offering – the Pixel 9 Pro Fold – is our current pick of the bunch. Finally, there's a folding phone that looks like a normal phone when folded (trust us, that's been rare up until now).

But it isn't just because Google seems to have finally cracked the design that this is our top pick. It's got many of the same specs as the standard Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL, including the Tensor G4 chip and 16GB of RAM. It also runs Google's pure version of Android, so if you like Android, but don't love the bloatware often found on other handsets, that's a big tick. The outside screen is a 6.3-inch 120Hz OLED display, while the inside screen is a gorgeous 8-inch 120Hz OLED.

There are three cameras on the back, plus one selfie camera on the front, and one on the inside screen. The main camera is 48MP, while a 10.5MP ultrawide and a 10.8MP telephoto lens with 5x zoom are about as good as – if not better than - you'll find on any foldable (although not quite as good as the cameras on the best conventional phones). It also benefits from the myriad AI supported features that make the Pixel 9 Pro range so strong as a camera package. This includes features such as the Add Me feature, and the Made You Look tool, which helps to keep children looking in the right place while you take a photo.

Of course, none of this comes cheap, and the RRP of £1749 is a full £750 more expensive than the regular Pixel 9 Pro. But if you want the best foldable phone, this is the current leader.

Nothing has been generating a buzz since the first Nothing Phone launched back in 2022. The Nothing Phone 2 builds on that distinctive styling that will appeal to anyone who values form as well as function. 

The LED glyph lights on the rear of the device make the Nothing Phone 2 stand out from its competitors – subtle it is not. But it isn’t just disco lighting - the lights are used to alert you to notifications, phone calls, and provide other functions such as countdown timers.  

This phone has a 6.7-inch OLED display, a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 processor, and 8GB or 12GB of RAM. It also runs Nothing OS 2, which is built on Android 13. Nothing presents apps in black and white, designed to reduce the allure of that screen by removing colour (this is optional). It won’t be for everyone, but it’s a clean and simple interface that some users will love.  

Given the RRP of £579, the cameras are a little disappointing – there are better camera phones that will cost less than this one, if that matters to you.  

This phone’s design may make it something of a Marmite device – but those who like the design may well love this handset. It’s a great choice for anyone who wants something a bit different and is content with a capable mid-range Android smartphone.