Which Mobile Phone To Buy

We've painstakingly put every smartphone to the test, with the best coverage in the UK, so we can help you make a buying decision. Our best smartphone roundup is always kept up to date, so be sure to check back often.

which mobile phone to buy

Finding the right smartphone for your budget can be tricky, especially when there are so many expensive contracts to sift through. To make things easier, we've rounded up everything you need to know about buying your perfect smartphone, as well as what you need to know about picking out a contract.

Generally speaking, buying a phone unlocked and SIM-free is the best option, as you can use any SIM you like and sell the phone when you want to upgrade, but you do have to have the money upfront. If you can't stomach the upfront cost, go with a contract, but work out the total cost of it over the period to make sure you aren't getting ripped off: if you can afford a bit more upfront, you'll most likely save over the contract's length.

You'll only find iOS on Apple's own smartphones. Typically, iOS gets apps first and is a wonderfully slick OS. It isn't as customisable as Android, but there's no doubt that it's incredibly easy to use.

Android has a much wider reach than its Apple counterpart and is found on the majority of smartphones on the market. There are many different versions of Google's operating system available, though. Generally speaking, you'll want a phone running Android 11 or higher, as older versions will now be outdated. Manufacturers often customise their own versions of Android, which means that the experience can differ between handsets.

As most smartphones are controlled entirely with their touchscreens, the size and quality of a handset's display are very important. A larger screen will make everything easier to read and is particularly useful for web browsing, but a big display makes for a big phone that you may find harder to carry around.

Most smartphones are powered by octa-core processors these days. As a general rule, the clock speed of a processor (measured in GHz) shows how fast the phone is and will give you a rough indication of how fluid the operating system feels, as well as how the phone copes with running apps and games.

Alternatively, lengthy battery life is one of the biggest things you need to look for when picking up a new phone. Our battery tests help you make the right decision about the handset that's right for you, but generally speaking the bigger the phone's battery capacity (measured in mAh), the longer it will last on a single charge.

Generally speaking, a minimum of 64GB of onboard storage is fine if there's a microSD slot, but you'll soon find the internal storage filling up quickly. With more of an emphasis on smartphone cameras in recent years, it's likely that your Instagram snaps will be the main culprit in using up your storage so we recommend at least 64GB to get you started.

Next up is battery life. This is where we use our in-house video rundown test, which displays a looped video with flight mode enabled and the screen set to 170cd/m2 brightness. We simply play the video and record the timestamp when we first boot up the phone after it runs dry. A phone's cameras are put to the test in a variety of shooting scenarios, including scenic shots, low-light and indoor photography as well as rapid video panning in a range of modes.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a flagship smartphone of rare distinction. The most complete high-end handset the company has produced to date, it might cost you a bit more than other handsets on this list, but the S23 Ultra is the very best Android smartphone currently on the market.

Smartphone flagships are getting better and better, but with these top-notch innovations comes an increased cost. Paying almost four figures for the latest top-end smartphone simply isn't doable for most consumers, but thankfully Xiaomi's Redmi Note 11 provides a flagship experience at a vastly reduced cost.

Xiaomi's cheapo handset has seriously reset the benchmark of what to expect from a smartphone. Equipped with a surprisingly speedy Snapdragon 680 processor, the Redmi Note 11 outperforms phones that cost twice the price, and then some. Its quadruple-camera array is also excellent for the price, as is the large 6.43in FHD+ screen with 90Hz refresh rate.

In fact, the Redmi Note 11 doesn't really fail in any area, especially when you consider how little it costs. If you're in the market for a new phone in and don't have a huge amount to spend, then the Redmi Note 11 is absolutely where your wallet should be headed.

It's also the perfect flag bearer for Android 13. There's no better showcase of Google's latest version of its mobile operating system, so if you're a keen photographer, or you're simply after the very best that Android can get, then the Pixel 7 certainly won't disappoint.

Folding phones might still be getting off the ground, but the Galaxy Z Flip 4 is a non-conventional flagship worth buying. Offering peace of mind features such as IPX8-rated waterproofing, as well as a hard-wearing "Armor Aluminium" frame, the Flip 4 not only looks the part, but it's also a clumsy-proof folding phone as well. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 powers things, providing a huge processing boost over last year's model, and the main display's refresh rate is a generous 120Hz, too.

Best of all, however, is that the Flip 4 is still the cheapest folding phone on the market right now. Priced the same as a regular-sized flagship, the Flip 4 is a much more tantalising proposition. Now's the time to jump aboard the folding bandwagon.

The Nokia C21 Plus is a perfect example of not judging a phone based solely on how much (or in this case, how little) it costs. For less than 100, the Nokia C21 Plus does everything any other smartphone is capable of doing, and you can buy almost ten of these for the price of just one iPhone 13. Naturally, there are a handful of drawbacks; performance is a bit on the slow side and it only charges via Micro-USB but for the most part, the Nokia C21 Plus is a solid budget pick for those that don't fancy spending triple figures.

It benefits from Qualcomm's stonkingly fast Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, which in our tests proved to be quite efficient, outperforming its predecessor in the stamina stakes by over six hours. When the phone does (eventually) need to be recharged, you can also make use of the 80W fast charging, which gets the phone up to 50% from zero in just over ten minutes.

It also happens to be the sort of phone that turns heads when you pull it out of your pocket. The Find X5 Pro's unibody form factor is truly one-of-a-kind, with a reflective ceramic sheet seamlessly wrapping around the rear camera housing. It's quite special, and definitely the sort of thing that might edge it if you were undecided between this and the Galaxy S22 Ultra. And if you needed a bit more convincing, it's also 100 cheaper than Samsung's top-end flagship, too.

What's the best phone in 2023? It may seem like a simple question, but it's anything but. Smartphones are so good these days, and while it's great having so many excellent options to choose from, it also means that finding the perfect one for you can be a challenge.

That's why we're here to help. Below, you'll find our picks for the best phones you can buy right now. Whether you're a longtime iPhone fan, are a diehard Android user, or you're open to any smartphone, we think you'll find something on this list that'll suit you perfectly.

If you can afford it, the iPhone 14 Pro is absolutely the best iOS smartphone around right now. Apple has done it again, improving on the iPhone 13 Pro with a range of tweaks and upgrades, ensuring the iPhone 14 Pro is a must-buy. With top-notch performance, a stunning display, versatile cameras, and some exciting new additions, the iPhone 14 Pro is a triumph for Apple.

Under the hood, the iPhone 14 Pro doesn't disappoint either, with Apple's new A16 Bionic processor giving you another reason to choose the Pro model over the standard iPhone 14. Though there's no immediately noticeable performance boost compared to the A15 chip, you're getting Apple's latest and most powerful processor, which will handle anything you throw at it. Apple's solid update record ensures it'll stay that way for years to come, too. Storage options range from 128GB to 1TB, giving you ample room for photos, videos, and apps.

The phone's cameras are excellent too, and even the subtle enhancements on offer make a noticeable difference. The 12-megapixel wide-angle lens and 12MP telephoto lenses are still there, with a 48MP main this time around, ensuring plenty of detail and strong color accuracy. You can also shoot video in up to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second (fps).

The Apple iPhone 14 Pro is a must if you want the best from Apple, though it doesn't come cheap. Prices start from $999, but you can also find it on almost every major U.S. carrier. It's truly the best smartphone you can currently buy.

It's safe to say it's a gorgeous phone, with soft curves around the edges and a flat top and bottom. The S Pen has a dock at the bottom, and the massive 6.8-inch Super Dynamic AMOLED 2X display is broken only by a simple punch-hole for the selfie camera. Unlike most of the competition, the rear camera module isn't separated from the rest of the back, and it gives the device a clean design language of its own. The color choices are as subtle or stylish as you want them to be, and it's all backed up with Gorilla Glass Victus 2, Samsung's Armor Aluminum, and an IP68-rating for dust and water resistance.

We've seen the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in other phones, like the OnePlus 11 below, but the processor goes up to a new level in the S23 Ultra. It's the "Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy" now, which basically means it's been overclocked and optimized for Samsung's devices. Does that make a difference? As it turns out, yes. We couldn't do much to faze this processor, and it handled everything we threw at it. Add in the generous amounts of RAM and storage, and you have a performance powerhouse that should last for years. 041b061a72