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Best phones in 2023
Want a new smartphone and are overwhelmed with options? Here's our expert guide on the best smartphone for you.
We're over halfway through 2023 and have already seen some great smartphones from the likes of Samsung, OnePlus, Motorola, and Google. There are still plenty of phones to look forward to this year, but it's time to reflect and spotlight some of the best phones available so far. In addition to flagships — like the iPhone 14 Pro and Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra — to affordable flagships and best value picks, like the OnePlus 11 and the "almost flagship" Pixel 7a, I have added budget picks and other categories to provide a good mix of options. We here at XDA test almost every smartphone released to the public, so you can count on this roundup to find the right phone that suits your budget and needs. Let's dive in!
Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate review: The best gaming phone gets even better
If you want to play games on the go, you can't go wrong with everything the Asus ROG Phone 7 Ultimate has to offer.
When it comes to gaming phones, Asus' ROG series is probably the cream of the crop. They're not the most popular compared to conventional smartphones, but anybody who's serious about mobile gaming has heard of them. Past devices like the Asus ROG Phone 6 Pro went all out on specifications, and the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate is no different. There's a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, a headphone jack, dual front-facing speakers, and even a second USB-C port.
The new ROG Phone 7 Ultimate has a massive thermoelectric cooler with built-in subwoofer
The Asus ROG Phone 7 pushes the boundaries of mobile gaming with its impressive specifications, functional additions, and custom cooling.
Asus continues to push the envelope when it comes to gaming smartphones, and its latest ROG Phone 7 series is no different. Like its predecessor, which was crowned the best smartphone for gaming, the ROG Phone 7 series brings top-of-the-line performance with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, LPDDR5X RAM, and UFS 4.0 storage. If all of that wasn't enough, the smartphones feature an advanced GameCool 7 thermal system, AirTrigger haptic controls, and has been tuned to provide the best results possible. The handset will be made available in Europe and China.
The ASUS ROG Phone 5 will pack up to a whopping 18GB of LPDDR5 RAM
The ASUS ROG Phone 5 is the first phone in the world to use the new 18GB LPDDR5 module from South Korea's SK Hynix
How much RAM does a smartphone really need? If you're an Asian phone brand making gaming phones, the answer is "as much as technically and humanly possible." That's the approach ASUS is taking with the ROG Phone 5, which will pack up to 18GB of RAM.
ASUS is bringing the headphone jack back with the ROG Phone 5
The upcoming gaming smartphone from ASUS, the ROG Phone 5 could bring back the 3.5mm audio jack which was axed from its predecessor.
We have an official launch date for the next gaming smartphone from ASUS, the ROG Phone 5. A bunch of features and specifications have leaked online, but now we can confirm that ASUS will be bringing back the 3.5mm audio jack on the upcoming smartphone. This is noteworthy because its predecessor (the ROG Phone 3) ditched the legacy port which meant users had to rely on a USB-C dongle (or the AeroActive Cooler attachment) to plug in wired headphones.
The ROG Phone 5 could have a dot matrix on the back for Aura Lighting
The ASUS ROG Phone 5 seems to have a dot-matrix display on the back for Aura Lighting like the Lightning Armor cases from earlier devices.
The ROG Phone from ASUS is the quintessential gaming phone. It has the most powerful chipset in an Android phone, shoulder buttons, an uninterrupted display, an active cooling attachment, and RGB lighting. The ROG logo that lights up on the back hasn't changed in the 3 generations of ROG Phones that ASUS has released, but it looks like the Taiwanese brand will shake things up with the next phone in the series: the ROG Phone 5. (We don't know exactly what it'll be called, but there's a chance ASUS will refrain from marketing it as the ROG Phone 4 given the popularity of the tetraphobia superstition in East Asian countries.)
[Update: Leaked hands-on video] ASUS ROG Phone 4 could launch soon with 65W fast charging
ASUS is soon expected to launch the next-gen ROG gaming smartphone which would be a successor to the ROG Phone 3 from last year.
ASUS was rumored to be working on a new ROG gaming smartphone for 2021 in collaboration with Qualcomm right before the launch of the Snapdragon 888. It was also speculated that the new smartphone would be unveiled by the end of 2020 followed by a launch in the first half of 2021. While that hasn’t materialized, ASUS has certainly started teasing the upcoming smartphone, which means that the launch could happen soon.
[Update: Render] ASUS ROG Phone 3 specs reveal massive 6000mAh battery, overclocked Snapdragon 865, 16GB of RAM, but no headphone jack
The beastly ASUS ROG Phone 3 gaming smartphone is coming, and it'll have a massive 6000mAh battery, an overclocked Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, and more!
Chinese regulatory agency TENAA has published detailed specifications and a few renders of the upcoming ASUS ROG Phone 3. This is the third smartphone in the ASUS ROG Phone line, and it's poised to feature ludicrous hardware just as before. Here's what we know so far.
ASUS finally rolls out Android Pie for the first gen ROG Phone
Asus has finally started rolling out an Android 9 Pie update for the first-gen ROG Phone, bringing new features and changes to ZenUI.
Asus has been doing a fine job of delivering updates to its latest flagship devices. Earlier this month, the company rolled out a stable Android 10 build for the ZenFone 6/6Z and recruited beta testers for the ROG Phone II. Most recently, the company rolled out a stable Android 10 update for last year's ZenFone 5Z. However, it hasn't extended the same priveledges to some other devices. For instance, the company dropped plans to update the ZenFone 4 to Android Pie late last month. Thankfully though, it doesn't seem like the first-gen ROG Phone is going to get the same treatment.
[Update 3: TENAA Listing] The ASUS ROG Phone 2 will have a 120Hz display
The ASUS ROG Phone 2 will have a 120Hz display, outperforming the OnePlus 7 Pro and contending with both of the Razer Phones.
With high refresh rate displays becoming all the rage in recent months, the ASUS ROG Phone 2 has been confirmed to have a 120Hz display. The confirmation comes in the form of a blog post on the company's Weibo account announcing a partnership with Tencent Games and the Chinese webcomic "Under One Person". "Under One Person" is published by Tencent China, and the game will be the first to fully support the 120Hz display on the ROG Phone 2.
[Video] Asus ROG Phone vs Razer Phone 2 - Which gaming phone should you choose?
XDA TV's TK Bay sat down and compared the Razer Phone 2 and the Asus ROG Phone in a full video review. Check it out in the post.
The "gaming phone" market really picked up steam in 2018. Two of the top gaming smartphones were from manufacturers that are well-known in the gaming community. The Asus ROG Phone was launched in June as the company's first attempt at a gaming smartphone. Meanwhile, Razer launched their second device, the Razer Phone 2 in October. XDA TV's TK Bay sat down and compared these two devices in the video below. Check it out.
Download ASUS PixelMaster Camera ported from the ASUS ROG Phone
We have extracted the latest ASUS PixelMaster Camera app from the ASUS ROG Phone and ported it for use on other devices. Download it now!
If I were to sum up the world of smartphones so far in 2018, a few of the trends that I would point out include the display notch, facial recognition, lack of a headphone jack, an increasing number of camera sensors, and gaming phones. A few of the gaming-centric smartphones that have been released this year include the Nubia Red Magic, Honor Play, Xiaomi Black Shark, and ASUS ROG Phone. The ROG Phone stands out from the rest of the pack with its display capable of a 90Hz refresh rate, overclocked Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, and series of accessories that would seem overkill for any ordinary smartphone. Although the phone was announced back in June, it has yet to actually go on sale anywhere outside of China. But since it has gone on sale in China, we now have access to the device's release firmware. We extracted the latest ASUS PixelMaster Camera app from the ROG Phone and have ported it for use on other devices.
Download ASUS ROG Phone Wallpapers, Live Wallpaper, and Theme
We have extracted the wallpapers, theme, and live wallpaper from the ASUS ROG Phone. If you can't afford the ROG Phone but want the look, download these!
The ASUS ROG Phone is ASUS' first Android smartphone with a gaming focus. It has an overclocked Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, a display capable of 90Hz refresh rate, a couple of really neat accessories, and other high-end specifications. This gaming phone will certainly cost you a pretty penny once it eventually launches outside of China, but for those of you who want the look and feel of the software without spending a dime, you can now download the ROG Phone's wallpapers, live wallpaper, and theme.