The Android flagship space has already seen some good smartphones in 2023 so far. Samsung and OnePlus kicked things off with their respective flagships, and we've also received some solid mid-rangers in the form of Galaxy A54 5G and Pixel 7a. Samsung's foldable lineup also has some new entries for 2023, so there's no shortage of reliable Android phones in 2023. So if you are in the market to buy a new Android flagship and can't figure out which one's better, then you've landed on the right page. I have highlighted some of the best phones in each category in the roundup below, so check out the listings to find the one that suits your needs and budget.
Best Android phones in 2023
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
The best flagship on the market, hands down
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is one of the best phones on the market, packing an all-new 200MP sensor, a refined design, a custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset, and One UI 5.1.
- The most versatile camera system
- Excellent performance
- S Pen included
- Too big and unwieldy to use with one hand easily
- Other than the main camera and new chip, not a major upgrade over the S22 Ultra
Considering the Galaxy S21 and S22 Ultra held this spot for almost all of 2021 and 2022, Samsung didn't need to do much for the Galaxy S23 Ultra to claim this spot immediately upon release, particularly in the U.S. market. And while Samsung retained mostly the same display, design, and internal components except for the newest Qualcomm chip, it does bring a major update: the main camera is now a 200MP sensor, capable of shooting actual 200MP photos or 12.5MP shots using 16-in-1 pixel binning.
The new camera allows the Galaxy S23 Ultra to make further improvements to low light photography, as a normal binned photo will contain almost twice as much image information as the S22 Ultra's main camera shots. You can also shoot in full 200MP, after which you can crop in significantly and not lose as many details as other mobile camera photos. While the other cameras on the rear — a pair of 10MP zoom lenses and the 12MP ultra-wide — remain unchanged from the S22 Ultra, Samsung's improved computational photography plus the newer ISP in the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip make for improved photos with better exposure and colors.
The fully integrated S-Pen, 5,000 mAh battery, along with gorgeous 6.8-inch Super AMOLED panel with excellent peak brightness and energy efficiency all make their return, making for a polished and powerful device. Throw in Android 13 with four guaranteed years of Android updates and then another year of security updates, plus great Samsung software features like Samsung DeX, and you have a do-it-all, well-rounded flagship that offers more than what any other phone has to offer. If you want the most reliable, capable, and widely available Android phone, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is still it.
Motorola Edge+ (2023)
A surprisingly good alternative to phones from Google & Samsung
The 2023 flagship Edge+ brings an impressive spec sheet and an affordable price. From the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor to the 165Hz pOLED display, Motorola is offering North Americans perhaps its most complete high-end phone in years.
- Great overall performance
- Reliable software experience
- Excellent battery life
- Zoom past 5x on the cameras is a mess
- Not available at carriers
The 2023 model of the Moto Edge+ is a high-end phone that once again brings Motorola into the flagship conversation. It offers a long list of features that makes it worth it in 2023 over other options out there. The Edge+ (2023) brings a lot of improvements over its predecessor to become a great alternative to flagships from Samsung and Google.
One of the highlights of this phone is its design. The Edge+ (2023) features curves on both front and back for a quad-curved design that looks beautiful and feels premium to hold. It also sports a 6.67-inch OLED panel with support for up to 165Hz refresh rate. The phone is powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip to deliver excellent performance, and it also packs a massive 5,100mAh battery for reliable battery life.
My only complaint is the availability because the Edge+ (2023) is not available at any carriers in the U.S. That's a potential deal-breaker for those who prefer bundling their phones with qualifying plans for monthly payments instead of buying them unlocked. But if that's not stopping you, then I can't recommend the Moto Edge+ (2023) enough. There's a lot to like about this particular smartphone, and you can learn more about it in our Motorola Edge+ (2023) review.
Google Pixel 7a
A better deal than the flagship Pixel 7
Google's latest mid-ranger brings several improvements over last year's model, making it a great option for the budget conscious. The Pixel 7a packs the flagship Tensor G2 chip, flagship-tier cameras, an improved 90Hz display, more RAM, better durability, and wireless charging support.
- Overall performance very close to the flagship Pixel 7
- Good set of cameras for the price
- Looks and behaves like a flagship
- Slow charging speeds
Google's latest offering in the affordable Pixel A-series offers excellent value for your money, which is why it's the best value pick in this particular roundup. It's not the most affordable Android phone on the market right now, but it delivers almost the same experience as the flagship Pixel 7 for $100 less. So you'll get a phone that looks and behaves like a flagship while keeping the price low.
So, you get the same Tensor G2 chip along with 8GB of RAM and up to 128GB of internal storage. You also get a 90Hz OLED panel on the affordable model, which is just as good for gaming and media consumption as the one you get on the Pixel 7. The new affordable Pixel phone has a dual-camera setup at the back, which, as mentioned in our Pixel 7a review, can capture some great photos and videos thanks also to Google's camera processing prowess. Really, the only differences are the build materials, the screen is slightly smaller than the one on the Pixel 7, and the camera sensor is slightly smaller.
Some other noteworthy features of the Pixel 7a include a 4,385mAh battery with support for wireless charging, 5G support, and an IP67 rating.
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
Samsung Galaxy experience for less
The Samsung Galaxy A54 5G is a great mid-range phone. It offers a sleek design, a beautiful 120Hz display, plenty of power under the hood, and a triple camera setup on the back.
- Excellent screen at this price point
- Solid main camera
- Glass body instead of plastic
- Useless macro camera
- A bit slower than pricier phones
Samsung's Galaxy A54 brings a 120Hz vibrant OLED display, a strong 50MP, f/1.8 main camera, and a glass body at a mid-range price. Previously, Samsung's A series used a plastic body, so this new construction is an immediate step up. The phone also packs a large 5,000mAh battery and keeps expandable storage, which is very rare in modern smartphones.
The A54 runs Android 13 with Samsung's OneUI, and the software experience is pleasant. Despite the phone running on an Exynos chip — which doesn't get the best rep — overall performance is relatively smooth. The phone isn't going to zip around as fast as a flagship Samsung or even the OnePlus 11, but it's not a slow phone either.
The main camera uses Samsung's improving software processing to produce lively images, and even in low-light situations, it performs well. The ultrawide camera is just average, however, falling to the usual soft details and noise in low-light situations. However, add in official IP67 water resistance and stereo speakers, and the A54 is a very good mid-range option.
OnePlus 11
Still the fastest and smoothest phone around
The OnePlus 11 is the company's return to form, offering an almost-flagship experience at a lower price point than what Samsung charges.
- Fast, zippy UI
- Very good main camera
- Fast charging with included charger
- No official water resistance rating even though cheaper phones offer it
- No wireless charging
Look, I know OnePlus' OxygenOS has lost a bit of its identity over the past year, ever since OnePlus and OPPO finally admitted to being the same company and OxygenOS began looking more and more like OPPO's ColorOS. But here's the thing: ColorOS is good, and this "colorfied" version of OxygenOS running in the OnePlus 11 is still one of the zippiest and smoothest software around.
Every Android flagship offers a 120Hz refresh rate these days, but OxygenOS' (and ColorOS') animations just zip around noticeably faster and smoother than, say, Samsung's OneUI, which sees dropped frames from time to time. Google's Pixel UI has pretty smooth animations, and a case can be made for that software taking this spot, but OxygenOS is just a bit more customizable, with a better always-on display and more useful shortcut gestures.
The OnePlus 11 itself is a fine phone, too, running on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, with a visually striking design that sees the camera module spill over the sides and blends into the chassis. It also has a very good Hasselblad camera system headlined by a 50MP IMX890 main camera plus a 48MP ultrawide shooter, and a 32MP 2x telephoto zoom lens. Photos captured by the OnePlus 11 are vibrant with punchy colors and excellent dynamic range.
The OnePlus 11 ships with a 100W fast charging brick (80W in the U.S.) that can top up the phone from 0-100% in under 25 minutes. Overall, the OnePlus 11 is a good-looking, polished Android phone that should satisfy your need for speed, and it's priced a few hundred dollars cheaper than the Galaxy S23+.
Google Pixel 7 Pro
Google's AI camera magic
The Google Pixel 7 Pro comes with a 6.7-inch OLED display. It comes with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus protection, but a screen protector will go a long way in keeping it in pristine condition.
- Arguably the best camera system in any smartphone
- Google's image processing means you can just point and shoot
- Pixel UI easy to use
- Display doesn't get bright enough
- Tensor G2 chip is slower than Qualcomm flagship chips
The first three Google Pixel phones were hands-down the best still camera phones around, mostly because Google's computational photography was so far ahead of the game at the time, in the years since other phone brands have stepped up their computational photography game. Add in the fact that Google didn't bother upgrading its camera hardware for the Pixel 4 and 5, and the Pixel was no longer the undisputed best camera phone around by 2019 or so.
Google regained the point-and-shoot crown last year with the Pixel 6 Pro after upgrading the camera hardware, and this year's Pixel 7 Pro brings further refinement. The main camera of the Pixel 7 Pro is identical to the 6 Pro in terms of hardware — a 50MP Samsung GN1 sensor with a 1/1.31-inch image sensor and fast aperture. But the Pixel 7 Pro's new silicon, the Tensor G2, improves performance, particularly in low light scenes where the Pixel 7 Pro no longer takes a long time to snap a night shot.
While the Pixel 7 Pro still lacks the awesome video capabilities of an iPhone 14 Pro, it's arguably the best phone for people who just want to point their phone, tap the shutter button, and then get a shot they can post to social media immediately without tweaks or edits. The reason for this is software. Google's computational photography makes taking photos a joy. You don't need to stress it; just point and shoot, and you're going to get a shot that's almost always perfectly balanced, with just the right amount of boosted colors and contrast (without going overboard like Samsung), accurate white balance, and enough sharpness. This is a camera that just works.
Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate
A phone built for serious mobile gamers
The Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is one of the most powerful smartphones that you can buy on the market in general, and it packs everything and the kitchen sink into one device.
- Everything you could ever need in a smartphone
- Impressive performance
- Innovative cooling solution
- Expensive price tag
- The cameras could've been better
Last year's ROG Phone 6 Pro was our pick for the best overall gaming phone, but I've now replaced it with its successor, the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate. This particular phone offers pretty much everything you'd ever need in a smartphone, and it also has unique gaming-centric features. It's very easy to recommend this phone to those who are looking to buy a performance flagship for gaming, which is why it's the best overall gaming phone to buy in 2023.
ASUS has left no stone unturned in the performance department, and the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is packed with all the latest and the greatest hardware. From Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset to UFS 4.0 storage and 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, everything about this phone screams performance and gaming. It also comes with the AeroActive Cooler 7 accessory in the box, so you don't have to worry about heating or throttling issues. You can read our ROG Phone 7 Ultimate review to learn more about its performance.
The ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is also a unique-looking phone with subtle gaming aesthetics. It doesn't necessarily scream "gamer," which a lot of other gaming phones on the market do. It also sports a beautiful 6.78-inch display with support for up to 165Hz refresh rate and 1,500 nits of brightness. Some other highlights of the phone include an under-display optical fingerprint scanner, a headphone jack, dual front-facing speakers, and even a second USB-C port.
You can also choose to go with the regular ROG Phone 7 instead of the Ultimate edition, but neither of them is officially available in the U.S. The ROG Phone 6 Pro is still a solid option for folks in the U.S., so be sure to check it out. There's also the new RedMagic 8S Pro with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, but it's not as featured-packed as the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate and has questionable software support.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
More of the same flagship foldable experience
Samsung's latest Galaxy Z Fold 5 is a further refinement of the Z Fold lineup. The smartphone looks similar to past Z Fold iterations, featuring a 7.6-inch main screen and a tall cover screen. On the inside, it's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip and a 4,400mAh battery.
You can score up to $1,000 off with trade-ins at Samsung.com.
- Improved in-hand feel thanks to hinge that folds flat
- Lighter than its predecessor
- Upgraded flagship for better performance
- Design starting to look very dated
- Brings back the exact same cameras as last year's Fold 4
Samsung's new Galaxy Z Fold 5 is only a minor upgrade over last year's model, bringing a new chipset, a slightly better hinge, and a couple of other tweaks. That, however, doesn't affect its spot in the best foldables list, mainly due to the lack of competition in the U.S. Samsung also managed to retain the same pricing as last year's foldable, although that does mean it's one of the most expensive options on this list.
However, one of the highlights of this year's new Galaxy Z Fold 5 is its new hinge. Samsung is using a new one for this particular model that finally allows it to fold fully flat. The updated hinge also reduces the overall weight of the phone, making it a few grams lighter. The result is a folding phone that looks and feels more premium to hold and use. And that might be worth the upgrade for you.
As an upgraded model, the new Galaxy Z Fold 5 also comes with the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip, along with a couple of other minor improvements, including better Gorilla Glass protection, Bluetooth 5.3, and more. This all results in the best large foldable on the market, even if the cameras are still just alright compared to other flagships, and the design is starting to look dated.
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5
Evenly matched with the Moto Razr+
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the latest compact foldable from Samsung, offering a flexible 6.7-inch internal display, a 3.4-inch external display, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, and much more.
You can score up to $600 off with trade-ins at Samsung.com.
- Compact form factor
- Bigger outer screen offers more usability
- New hinge improves the form factor
- The camera still needs work
- No DeX support
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, just like its predecessor, is a fun foldable phone that's significantly more affordable than its bigger sibling. Unlike the Fold 5, which is a better phone for power users, the Flip 5 is a pocketable phone that's only meant to make your smartphone experience more fun. I'd say it's a good entry into the world of foldable, and you should consider buying one if you fancy a phone that'll make you stand out.
Unlike other Samsung products this year, the Z Flip 5 got one big upgrade. It now sports a much bigger cover display on the outside, which lets you do more things without unfolding the phone. It's almost the same size as the one you get on the Moto Razr+, but Samsung makes it a bit harder to use applications on it. The Flip 5 also gets the same hinge as the Fold 5, meaning it folds completely flat. Notably, it's also powered by the same Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip for Galaxy, so it's just as powerful as Samsung's other flagship Galaxy phones this year.
I suggest you stop by our Galaxy Z Flip 5 review to learn more about it before picking one up. It's similar to the Moto Razr+ in many ways, and I'd say they're both evenly matched when it comes to compact foldable phones in the U.S. But the Z Flip 5 edges it out slightly in software and power.
Best Android phones: The final say
You'll find plenty of good phones in this roundup, so I highly recommend exploring all the listings to find the right phone. But if you don't want to spend time looking at all the options and don't mind splurging to get the best phone, then I suggest picking the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It's one of the most well-rounded phones you buy right now, as it gets a lot of things right for the price. Premium features like the new 200MP camera and the included S Pen make it the best in the Android space, and you can't really go wrong with it.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
The best of the best
The Galaxy S23 Ultra is one of the best phones on the market, packing an all-new 200MP sensor, a refined design, a custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset, and One UI 5.1.
Phones like the OnePlus 11 and the Pixel 7 Pro also offer good value for your money, but they miss out on some features, thereby forcing you to compromise. All things considered, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra remains the undisputed champion, and it's still the phone to pick if you're looking for a reliable all-rounder.