Best Android Phones 2018: All the top phones running Google’s mobile OS

Looking for a new Android phone? We’ve rounded up all the best right here

Whilst there’s a renewed spirit of variety among 2018’s newest iPhones; the iPhone XS, XS Max and iPhone XR, Android continues to be the platform for those who truly value choice. We’ve seen a wealth of worthwhile handsets from affordable to flagship hit the market this year and we’ve still got the likes of the Huawei Mate 20, Sony Xperia XZ3 and Google Pixel 3 to look forward to.

Things kicked off with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and the larger Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus but other key players like the Sony Xperia XZ2, Huawei P20 Pro and LG G7 have all left their mark as contenders for phone of the year.

If price is more of a concern for you then there are a wealth of excellent affordable offerings that have arrived this year such as the Moto G6, OnePlus 6 and newcomers like the Pocophone F1.

Related: When will my phone get Android Pie?

best overall android phone

Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus

Right now, the best overall Android phone if money is no object is the Galaxy S9 Plus. The 6.2-inch OLED screen is beautiful and the overall design remains appealing. Performance is no slouch and the cameras are also excellent. The dual aperture lens make the low-light performance excellent, too.

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How we test Android phones

Before scoring any Android phone one of our expert reviewers will spend at least a week using the handset as their primary smartphone. During that time we see how the phone handles with everyday use, but we also run it through a series of synthetic benchmarking and battery-burn tests.

All of these tests are repeatable, so we can accurately compare like for like between devices.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

Pros:

• Lovely display
• Loads of power
• Clever S Pen
• Big battery

Cons:

• Bixby button is an annoyance
• Uncomfortable to hold

If you’re on the hunt for an Android phone that ticks all the boxes (and you’ve got a £899/$999 to spend) then you won’t go wrong with the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

The huge 6.4-inch display is gorgeous, Exynos 9810 platform very fast and there’s 128GB storage as standard. It also impresses with endurance, comfortably lasting the day with its 4000mAh battery. You’ve even got the S Pen: a handy stylus that’s great for drawing or taking notes.

The camera system is very similar to the S9 Plus: you’ve got two 12-megapixel cameras on the back, one for zooming and one for regular shots. That main camera can also switch between f/1.5 and f/2.4 aperture, making it great for letting lots of light into the camera at night. There’s an 8-megapixel camera on the front for good selfies and video recording capabilities upto 4K 60fps.

OnePlus 6

Pros:

• Much improved design
• Really good OLED
• Great version of Android
• Dash Charge

Cons:

• No Qi charging
• No official water-resistance

With a price of £469, the OnePlus 6 is easily the best value smartphone you can buy right now. It looks fantastic, has a slick version of Android and is arguably the fastest phone you can get at any price.

The 6.3-inch OLED might have a notch, but it remains gorgeously bright and colourful. There’s a Snapdragon 845 inside, 6/8GB RAM and storage versions that top out at 256GB. Our only real complaint is the camera, which still lacks the quality of pricier phones. It can still take very good pictures, though – especially since its most recent update.

The 3300 mAh battery features the excellent Fast Charge tech (formerly Dash Charge) and takes only 90 minutes to fill up completely. We would appreciate slightly better endurance though, as we often had to charge the phone by about 9pm after a full day’s use.

Buy now: OnePlus 6 SIM free from £469 from OnePlus

Huawei P20 Pro

Pros:

• Feels great
• Really good OLED
• Loads of camera features

Cons:

• Buggy software
• No headphone jack

Our current favourite Android phone in 2018 is Huawei’s P20 Pro. Not only does it have three cameras on the back, but the main 40-megapixel sensor gives you serious freedom with your shots. There’s even a fantastic night mode.

The shiny back is lovely, the sides perfectly curved and the even the notched 1080p OLED display is far from an eyesore. This really is Huawei’s best phone yet.

But there’s one area that really needs improvement – the software. Huawei’s EMUI is a buggy skin over Android 8.1 that renders apps like Google Maps and YouTube often unusable. Hopefully, this will be sorted in an update.

Galaxy S9 Plus

Pros:

• Feels great for a big phone
• The OLED display is great and highly customisable
• Numerous camera features on offer

Cons:

• Battery life could be better
• AR Emoji are just bad
• Some lag with Samsung’s software

If you want a complete Android phone in 2018 then the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus should be for you. It has a lovely 6.2-inch OLED display, speedy Snapdragon 845/Exynos 9810, plenty of RAM and a clever camera.

The main 12-megapixel sensor can now switch between an f/2.4 and f/1.5 aperture, which should ensure your low-light snaps come out nice and bright. It works, mostly, but you might end up with overly bright shots if you’re not careful. There’s also a secondary 12-megapixel sensor that can be used for telephoto shots and add bokeh around subjects too.

Samsung’s display tech remains some of the best and the 6.2-inch OLED display is gorgeous. It’s brighter than previous Samsung phones and supports HDR content too.

This is certainly one of the best Android phones around, although the battery life doesn’t compare well with some of 2018’s other flagships.

Buy now: Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus SIM free for £869 / $839 from Amazon

Honor 10

Pros:

• Sleek design
• Powerful hardware
• Good value

Cons:

• EMUI Android skin is bloated
• Some performance bugs

If you like the look of the P20, but can’t stomach spending more than £600 on a phone, then the Honor 10 is the device for you.

It has a similar mixed metal and glass design to most other 2018 flagships, and ticks nearly all the right boxes when it comes to hardware. Highlights include a wonderfully bright and clear 5.84-inch 2280p x 1080p FHD+ screen, all-day battery life, and above-average rear camera.

The 24-megapixel and 16-megapixel, f/1.8 dual-camera doesn’t have the third sensor seen on the P20 Pro and is completely absent of any Leica branding. For the money, however, you’ll struggle to do better.

Thanks to the addition of a nifty AI mode, the camera is able to automatically optimise its settings for the shot you’re going for. It does have a tendency to overexpose in bright light, however; but for the most part, the tech works a treat.

The Kirin 970 CPU also makes it every bit as fast as Android phones that are close to £300 more expensive. This combination of factors makes the Honor 10 one of the best value Android phones on the market right now.

Moto G6

Pros:

• Fantastic software experience
• Lovely screen
• Well built for the price

Cons:

• Some performance frustrations, especially with the camera

The best Android phone for under £250 you can buy right now is the Moto G6.

Previous entries in the G series have been super devices, and the G6 doesn’t break the streak. It has a lovely FHD+ 5.7-inch 18:9 display, a simple software experience and it feels really good thanks to the glass body and ergonomic curves.

The Snapdragon 450 processor paired with 3GB of RAM churns through most tasks with ease, though it does struggle with some of the more intense games. There’s 32GB storage as standard, and you can also add a microSD card to expand this further.

Our only real disappointment is with the camera. The actual photos from the 12-megapixel shooter are good, but the slow camera app makes for a frustrating experience.

Buy Now: Moto G6 for £219 / $309 from Amazon

Razer Phone

Pros:

• Superb screen
• Great performance and cooling
• Best in class speakers

Cons:

• Terrible camera
• No IP rating

Despite Trusted Reviews going on about the benefits of using a close-to-unskinned Android OS for over half a decade, most big-name companies still insist on using custom skins.

Which is why we’re over the moon to see that Razer takes a refreshingly light touch with its first smartphone.

Described by Razer as “the first phone made by gamers for gamers,” the Razer Phone runs a close-to-untouched take on Android Oreo.

Running a pristine version of Nova Launcher Prime, the handset is pleasingly free of bloatware – and what little changes Razer has made are generally to the device’s benefit.

Highlights include improved display setting options designed to help you take advantage of the Razer Phone’s super-swish variable refresh rate display, and a booster mode that lets you increase the frame rate for specific apps.

This, plus the Razer Phone’s super-slick hardware and best-in-class speakers, still mean this one of the best Android phones available – albeit with more niche appeal than perhaps other entrants in this roundup.

Buy now: Razer Phone SIM free for £699.99 / $699 from Amazon

Huawei Mate 10 Pro

Pros:

• Great screen
• Pretty design
• Powerful performance
• Above average camera

Cons:

• EMUI software is still full of bloatware

It’s time as a flagship phablet may be drawing to a close, but the Huawei Mate 10 Pro is still a great phone.

This is a huge phone with serious power, a great camera and a lovely OLED screen. It’s a shame that Huawei’s software is still one of its weaker points, even with such a focus on AI intelligence. A lot of this AI power comes from the Kirin 970 CPU, which is Huawei’s fastest and most efficient chip yet.

The f/1.6 aperture rear camera takes excellent low-light shots, and the camera app provides great freedom to alter your shots by offering numerous modes. You can also shoot pictures in pure monochrome if you’re a fan of that retro look.

There’s no headphone jack – you’ll have to use the dongle or included USB-C headphones – and the device is rated IP67 for water-resistance.

Buy now: Huawei Mate 10 Pro SIM free for £529 / $649 from Amazon

LG G7

Pros:

• Lovely screen
• Stunning audio
• Nice wide-angle lens

Cons:

• Ugly software
• Cheap design
• Average battery life

The LG G7 stands out as a result of its 18:9 display, which is an impressive 1000 nit LCD panel. This is one of the brightest displays around and it can display HDR content through Netflix and YouTube.

Inside is a Snapdragon 845 CPU, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage along with a fairly small 3000 mAh battery. None of these components are groundbreaking, but they’ll comfortably get the job done.

Like the V30, there are two cameras on the back. One is your standard 16-megapixel sensor, while the other takes wide-angle shots, ideal for landscape photos. It’s a decent camera and it offers some impressive video recording options, too.

Buy now: LG V30 SIM free for £579.99 / $599 from Amazon

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

Pros:

•  Stunning design and build
•  Great screen
•  Well-implemented stylus and software
•  Superb cameras

Cons:

• Average battery life

Following the failure that was the Note 7, Samsung had much at stake with the Galaxy Note 8. Thankfully, the device is more than up to the job. This is a stunningly beautiful, achingly fast phone that still ticks all the boxes even though it has been replaced the Samsung Galaxy Note 9.

Big features include a secondary telephoto 12-megapixel camera for zoomed shots and a portrait mode, plus the useful S Pen for doodling and notes.

The Infinity Display is simply stunning; the processor is fast and Samsung’s software is the best it has been. We’d quibble about its lacklustre battery life though, and that’s really the one area where it disappoints.

Samsung Galaxy S8

Pros:

• Awesome display
• A phone that feels like the future
• Stunning camera
• It’s actually innovative

Cons:

• Awfully placed fingerprint sensor
• Bixby is a bit of a dud

It may be last year’s model, but the Galaxy S8 is still a great phone that has had a nice price cut since the S9 launched. It has a fantastic HDR WQHD+ 5.8-inch display with almost no bezel, and a sleek metal and glass design that’s curvy in all the right places.

It’s fast, too – obviously – and retains handy features such as an IP68 water-resistance rating, Qi wireless charging and a microSD card slot.

The 12-megapixel camera doesn’t have dual lenses, but it’s still one of the best out there. The 3000mAh battery is again great, although you’re still likely to need to charge the S8 every night.

Buy now: Samsung Galaxy S8 SIM free for £440/ $599 from Amazon

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL

Pros:

• Truly amazing camera
• The best version of Android
• Nice display

Cons:

• Boring design
• Huge bezel

Google’s second wave of Pixel phones are damn good. The Pixel 2 is a comparatively compact device offering up plenty of power and clean software.

The least surprising feature here is the excellent camera, which surpasses the Galaxy S8 and iPhone 8. It’s a 12-megapixel sensor, with OIS, which captures stunning snaps in any light. 4K video looks great, as do selfies as well.

The device is fast, too, thanks to the combination of speedy Snapdragon 835 CPU, 4GB of RAM and software built by Google.

Android has never looked so good, and the neat tricks Google has added simply make it even better. You can squeeze the sides to bring up the Assistant and Lens can identify what’s in your photos. A 2700mAh battery lasts the day, while charging is snappy.

It’s IP67 water-resistant, which is great, but there’s no headphone jack. It also looks, well, a little dull. That huge bezel might hide stereo speakers, but also makes it look as if it’s right out of 2015.

Buy now: Google Pixel 2 XL SIM free for £649.99 / $844 from Amazon

Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact

Pros:

• Small and curvy
• Decent camera

Cons:

• Poor design
• Lacks some camera features

If you’re looking for a phone that is on the smaller side, Sony has the only real high-end Android option in the form of the XZ2 Compact.

It has a good camera, nice 1080p screen and a lot more power than you’d normally find at this size. There’s a Snapdragon 845

inside, plus 4GB RAM, and the latest version of Android too. The body is a bit plasticky though.

Pocophone F1

Pros:

• Excellent value for money
• Superb performance
• Fantastic battery life
• Decent cameras

Cons:

• MIUI for Poco will take some getting used to
• Thick bezels
• Plastic build
• No NFC

Taking a leaf out of OnePlus’ playbook, the Pocophone F1 places performance and affordability above all else. Fronted by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 and either 6GB or 8GB of RAM, this thing flies and is more than equipped to handle the latest games and other intensive apps – usually benchmarking around the same of higher than entrants like the Galaxy Note 9 and OnePlus 6.

The phone also boasts liquid cooling, a whopping 4000mAh battery that can last up to two days and best of all it comes in at under £300/$300.

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