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    Best Smartphones of 2023

    Searching for a smartphone with great battery life? Awesome cameras? A reasonable price? Take a look at these options.

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    Google Pixel 6a, iPhone 14 Pro Max, Galaxy A42
    Top picks in smartphones (left to right): Google Pixel 6a, iPhone 14 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy A42.
    Photo: Google, Apple, Samsung

    Whether youā€™re looking for the latest and greatest flagship phone or a more modest model for talking and texting, thereā€™s no shortage of well-made devices in our smartphone ratings (available to CR members).

    Consumer Reports tests dozens of smartphones each year, checking the basics, including how long the batteries last and how bright the displays are, along with premium features such as multicamera setups and the hinges on ā€œfoldableā€ phones.

    But even the most lackluster of smartphones represents a leap in technology from a decade ago. And that means you donā€™t have to buy the No. 1-rated phone to get a great product.

    All but 19 of the 55 smartphones currently in CRā€™s ratings have earned our recommendation. And the top 20 are separated by just a few points.

    So which is the best smartphone for you? Well, that depends. Are you willing to spend a little or a lot? Is daylong battery life your first priority, or is it a cutting-edge camera setup?

    To help you out, hereā€™s a range of smart options, based on our extensive lab testing.

    Best iPhone

    Overall Score: 86
    List price: $1,100 and up
    Appleā€™s supersized, 6.7-inch flagship phone offers handy features such as an always-on display and what the company dubs the Dynamic Island, an interactive pill-shaped cutout at the top that can show system alerts and notifications.Ā 

    CR testers give the cameras (front and back) top marks for selfie, still image, and video quality. The phone also has an impressive battery life, clocking in at 50 hours on one charge in our labs. That is slightly less than the 52.5 hours logged for the iPhone 13 Pro Max, which has the longest battery life of the phones in our ratings but is no longer available directly from Apple.

    On the flip side, the Pro Max is significantly heavier than the 6.1-inch 14 Pro and can be tough to use one-handed, even for people with long fingers. So if youā€™re wary of bulky phones, you might be happier with the Pro, which also performs admirably in CRā€™s tests and costs $100 less.

    Interested in other iPhone models? Take a look at which iPhone you should buy.

    Best Android Phone

    Overall Score: 82
    List price: $1,200 and up
    The S21 Ultra is the first device in Samsungā€™s S series lineup to support on-screen scribbling with an optional ($40) stylus, borrowing that capability from the now-extinct Galaxy Note line. The new Galaxy S22 Ultra comes with an S Pen tucked inside an onboard silo, fully embracing the Noteā€™s design, but it scores just a hair below the older model in our tests.

    All the Galaxy S21 and S22 phones performed well in our labs, but perhaps the most mind-blowing thing about them is that they cost $200 less than the comparable S20 models that debuted in 2020.Ā 

    With the S21 Ultra, you also get those premium big-phone perks weā€™ve all come to expect: great battery life, a fancy zoom camera, and a huge, 6.8-inch Netflix-worthy display.

    Prefer a phone not made by Samsung? Check out these other great Android smartphones.

    Best Low-Priced (Under $500) Android Phone

    Overall Score: 72
    List price: $450 and up
    Googleā€™s latest entry-level smartphone offers a lot for a relatively small price tag. It has a bright, 6.1-inch OLED display; two rear cameras instead of the one typically found in phones in this price range; and a clean and simple Android interface.

    The Pixel 6a runs on the companyā€™s home-brewed Tensor chipset, which Google says enables the phone to perform advanced tricks like digitally erasing people and objects from your photos. CR testers give the phone high marks for still image and video quality, as well as for the deviceā€™s overall performance.

    On the downside, the Pixel 6a lasted just 30.5 hours on a single charge in CRā€™s battery-life tests, which is significantly lower than the now-discontinued Pixel 5aā€™s 43.5 hours.

    Best Low-Priced (Under $500) iPhone

    Overall Score: 75
    List price: $430 and up
    The iPhone SE has a 4.7-inch display and starts at $430, making this the smallest and least expensive model from Apple. But donā€™t let that relatively modest price tag fool you: The SE earns a Very Good rating overall.

    The camera setup is pretty basic for an iPhoneā€”just one 12-megapixel camera on the back and a 7-megapixel camera on the frontā€”but the still image quality and video quality impressed CRā€™s testers.

    What else do you give up at this price? The SE has a retro-y home button rather than support for Face ID to unlock the device, and it lacks Appleā€™s MagSafe technology for quickly connecting the device to wireless chargers and other accessories. Battery life is about average, at 30 hours.

    Learn more about great low-priced smartphones.

    Best Android Phone for Battery Life

    Overall Score: 70
    List price: $400 and up
    At just under 53 hours, Appleā€™s iPhone 13 Pro Max boasts the longest battery life in our smartphone ratings. Its smaller sibling, the iPhone 13 Pro, clocks in at 40 hours.

    But there are great Android phones with long battery life, too.

    The Samsung Galaxy A42 5G delivers an impressive 49 hours, for instance. Itā€™s a budget model with midrange scores for performance and camera quality. But for $400, it delivers a very good 6.6-inch display and even has a memory card slot for expanded storage. Not too shabby.


    Headshot of CR author Melanie Pinola

    Melanie Pinola

    As a service journalist, my goal is to help people get the most out of their technology and other tools. Prior to joining CR, my work appeared online and in print for publications including The New York Times, Wirecutter, Lifehacker, Popular Mechanics, and PCWorld. When I'm not researching or writing, I'm playing video games with my family, testing new recipes, or chasing the puppy. Feel free to reach me on Twitter (@melaniepinola).