What Is the Best Phone
Buying guide
Answer in brief
The best phone right now is the iPhone Duo ($1,999), Apple's first foldable and our editor's choice. If you don't want to spend that much, the iPhone 17 ($799) is the best phone for most people. On Android, get the Google Pixel 11 ($899). For the longest battery life, get the OnePlus 15 ($899), and on a budget, the Google Pixel 10a ($499).
The editor’s choice is an editorial pick, not a measured ranking. The other picks follow the consensus of independent reviews and published tests.
Updated . US launch prices; check before you buy.
Editor's choice
$1,999
Apple's first foldable, and the best phone you can buy if price isn't the question. The iPhone Duo is a 5.4-inch iPhone that opens into a 7.6-inch tablet-style screen, running on Apple's A20 Pro chip with 12GB of RAM. Reviewers agree it's the most polished foldable yet: T3 gave it a Platinum Award, Tom's Guide called it the best-designed foldable so far, and Wired found far less jank than early Android foldables, with a crease that's hardly visible.
Best phone for most people
$799
Most of what the Pro does, for $400 less. The iPhone 17 gets you most of the Pro experience for $400 less than the iPhone 18 Pro, starting with 256GB of storage. Stuff.tv ranks it the best phone overall and calls it Apple's best all-rounder yet.
Best Android phone for most people
$899
Clean Android, Google's AI first, and 256GB to start. The Pixel 11 runs the cleanest version of Android and gets Google's AI features first. It starts at 256GB, double the Pixel 10's base storage, but costs $100 more. Reviewers call the Tensor G6 chip its weak spot. Even so, Android Authority calls it the best value in the Pixel 11 series and CNET names it the best Android phone for most people.
Best camera, longest-lasting iPhone
$1,299
The best camera on any phone, and the longest-lasting iPhone ever. Its battery is the biggest Apple has made (5,567 mAh on the eSIM model): 18 hours 27 minutes in Tom's Guide's battery test, versus 16 hours 40 minutes for the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The camera adds a variable aperture and new Pro controls.
Best Android flagship
$1,299
The most fully featured Android phone you can buy. Built-in S Pen, a flexible zoom camera system, and a privacy display that blocks side-angle viewing. TechRadar calls it the best Android phone ever, and Tom's Guide calls it easily the best Android phone you can buy.
Best battery life
$899
The longest battery life of any phone tested. Its 7,300 mAh battery lasted 25 hours 13 minutes in Tom's Guide's battery test, nearly seven hours longer than the iPhone 18 Pro Max and the longest of any phone they tested. TechRadar gave it a perfect score and called it the best battery life its reviewer had experienced.
Best budget phone
$499
Seven years of updates for under $500. Reviewers agree this is the best phone under $500, and it gets 7 years of software updates. Prices have been unusually volatile: retailers have listed it anywhere from $424 to $599 for 128GB, so check the current price.
Cheapest current iPhone
$599
The cheapest way into a current iPhone. The iPhone 17e is the cheapest current iPhone, with 256GB of storage. For $200 more, the iPhone 17 is a noticeably better phone and the better buy for most people.
Best Android foldable
$1,899
The best Android foldable, $100 less than the iPhone Duo. Its wider design makes it feel like a normal phone when closed, and Tom's Guide calls it the best Android foldable for most people. Reviewers mention middling cameras and some heat under load. It ran 16 hours 30 minutes in PCMag's streaming test, behind the iPhone Duo. The Z Fold 8 Ultra ($2,099) has better hardware but is heavier.
| Phone | Best for | Main drawback | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone Duo | Editor's choice: the best phone overall | $1,999 to start, up to $3,199 for 2TB | $1,999 |
| iPhone 17 | Best phone for most people | No telephoto zoom | $799 |
| Pixel 11 | Best Android phone for most people | Tensor G6 is slower than rivals | $899 |
| iPhone 18 Pro Max | Best camera, longest-lasting iPhone | Incremental over the 17 Pro | $1,299 |
| Galaxy S26 Ultra | Best Android flagship | Battery still 5,000 mAh | $1,299 |
| OnePlus 15 | Best battery life | Weaker night photos | $899 |
| Pixel 10a | Best budget phone | Retail price swings | $499 |
| iPhone 17e | Cheapest current iPhone | The iPhone 17 is worth the extra $200 | $599 |
| Galaxy Z Fold 8 | Best Android foldable | Middling cameras | $1,899 |
The iPhone Duo ($1,999) is our editor's choice. The best smartphone for most people is the iPhone 17 ($799), and the best Android smartphone is the Google Pixel 11 ($899).
The iPhone 17 ($799), or on Android the Google Pixel 11 ($899) or OnePlus 15 ($899).
If you want one device that works as both a phone and a small tablet, yes; reviewers call it the most polished foldable yet. If you just want a great phone, the iPhone 17 at $799 is the smarter buy.
Stick with what you have unless something bothers you. Messages, AirDrop and Apple Watch make leaving iPhone harder than leaving Android. Starting fresh, the iPhone 17 and Pixel 11 are both safe picks.
Not for most phones; the iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, Pixel 11 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 all launched this year. The standard iPhone 18 is expected in spring 2027.
What Is the Best Phone. “What Is the Best Phone? Best Smartphones of 2026, Ranked (November).” whatisthebestphone.com, updated November 11, 2026. https://whatisthebestphone.com/