For most of us, mobile phones are at the center of our universe. The typical feature set of these palm-size marvels is astounding. It's your phone, your messaging device, your web browser, your camera, your music player, your GPS, and more. The phone you choose affects your life in a multitude of ways. That's why we're here to help you pick exactly the right one.
Dial Up the Perfect Phone
We're a smartphone-dominated nation, with 4G LTE networks serving data faster than many home internet connections, and 5G spreading across the country. Though we're now down to three major wireless carriers, virtual carriers such as Google Fi, US Mobile, and Visible keep competition alive and push prices down. But some of our choices have constricted a bit: The smartphone OS marketplace is basically down to Apple's iOS and Google's Android, and it's hard to find a really good simple voice phone nowadays.
Here at PCMag, we review almost every smartphone released on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless, and many of their sub-brands such as Boost, Cricket, Metro, and Visible.
Rather than purely choosing the phones with the highest ratings here, we're trying to deliver a list of phones that are spread broadly across different price points. This list is generally focused on the hottest, newest devices, but you can also find great value in slightly older phones, so be sure to shop around.
What should you be looking for when buying a cell phone? Here are some key points to consider.
Which Cell Phone Carrier Should You Choose?
Despite all the recent hardware and mobile software innovation, your wireless service provider remains your most important decision. No matter what device you buy, it's a doorstop unless you have solid wireless coverage. Maybe you have friends and family on the same carrier that you talk to for free, and you don't want that to change with your next phone. Maybe you're lusting after a certain device—say, an unlocked smartphone for international travel. And of course, you should choose a carrier that offers fair prices and provides the best coverage in your area. These are all good reasons to put the carrier decision first.
The Best Phone Deals This Week*
*Deals are selected by our commerce team
- Samsung Galaxy S22 5G 128GB Unlocked Phone (Opens in a new window) — $751.60 (List Price $799.99)
- Apple iPhone 12 Pro 128GB Unlocked Phone (Renewed) (Opens in a new window) — $809.00 (List Price $899)
- Motorola One 5G Ace 128GB Unlocked Phone (Opens in a new window) — $299.99 (List Price $399.99)
- Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G 128GB Unlocked Phone (Opens in a new window) — $499.99 (List Price $599.99)
T-Mobile won our Fastest Mobile Network award last year, as it had the only meaningful US 5G network in 2021. During the past year, T-Mobile has expanded its "ultra capacity" mid-band 5G network to most of the US population, and that network's performance is head and shoulders above AT&T and Verizon where it's available. You need a 5G phone to take advantage of the new network, though, and it's mostly available in major metro areas.
AT&T excelled in rural coverage in our tests, with the best performance of the three carriers in areas away from cities and off the interstates. Verizon's millimeter-wave 5G is spectacular when you can find it, though it's still not widely available. Both AT&T and Verizon are starting to show dramatic network improvements in central cities as they begin to turn on new C-band channels for their 5G networks.
US Cellular is available only in about half the country. It has a reputation for good customer service but has been suffering recently in our surveys because readers have said its prices and LTE network quality don't match up to some of the alternatives.
There are also plenty of virtual operators that use the big three networks but offer lower monthly rates, cheaper international calls, or other benefits. They're usually better for lighter users and most don't have family plans.
AT&T owns Cricket, T-Mobile owns Metro by T-Mobile, Verizon owns Visible, and Google owns Google Fi. Verizon now also owns Net10, Page Plus, Simple Mobile, Straight Talk, Total Wireless, and Tracfone, although it may sell off some of those brands. We spotlight some of our favorite virtual operators in our roundup of the best cheap phone plans.
Do You Need a 5G Phone?
5G arrived in 2019, and most new smartphones now support some form of it. But though 5G may change everything in the future, it's not going to happen immediately.
As noted above, our Fastest Mobile Networks tests for 2021 showed huge gains by T-Mobile, mostly thanks to mid-band 5G in urban areas and low-band 5G in rural areas. If you're a T-Mobile customer (or thinking of becoming one), get a 5G phone to take advantage of that new network.
AT&T's nationwide "5G" network is often slower than its 4G coverage, which is very fast. The company has also said it won't roll out C-band as quickly as Verizon will. So you don't need a newer phone to get the best out of AT&T right now.
Verizon Wireless is famed for its top-notch network quality. It recently turned on C-band 5G in areas covering more than 100 million people, and data shows that it's making a difference. If you're in one of the C-band areas, upgrading to a C-band compatible 5G phone with Verizon is a good move. Otherwise, Verizon's "nationwide" 5G is only slightly faster than LTE and you don't need to concern yourself with it too much. You can find more 5G recommendations on our list of the best 5G phones.
(One note: you may see a "5G E" icon on your existing AT&T phone. That isn't 5G; it is a marketing ploy. Your phone is still running on 4G.)
Locked vs. Unlocked Phones
As carriers have moved to increasingly more confusing service and pricing plans, the value of unlocked phones has been rising accordingly.
Unlocked phones are bought from a third-party store or directly from the manufacturer, and aren't tied to a specific carrier. Usually, you can use them with AT&T or T-Mobile. But some popular unlocked phones work on all three major carriers. For the most flexibility, look for a recent Apple iPhone, Google Pixel, Samsung flagship, or Motorola phone. If you're subscribed to a low-cost MVNO service, it's worth making sure your unlocked phone will work on its network; we've received several emails stating that some MVNOs aren't supporting phones that are equipped to work on their networks.
In the past, unlocked phones typically worked on all the major carriers, but 5G phones are a different story. Apple, Google, and Samsung's 5G phones will work on every major US carrier, but many other brands either have limited band support or are only certified for specific carriers. AT&T customers should take extra caution before buying an unlocked 5G phone, because the carrier has not yet certified many of the phones that should theoretically on its network.
What Is the Best Smartphone?
As more people become accustomed to instant email, web, music, and messaging access at all times of the day, regardless of where they are, smartphones have become almost indispensable. That said, there's plenty of variety out there—not to mention devotees of specific OS platforms. Sometimes, a platform's user interface or app selection just speaks to you, and that's all there is to it. With that in mind, and at the risk of attracting flames, let's break it down as well as we can for those who aren't so fully vested.
There's actually less diversity in smartphone platforms and designs than there was a few years ago. Android and iOS are the two major smartphone platforms, both in US sales and in the availability of third-party apps. The iPhone has the best app store and the best media features. But Apple's tightly controlled ecosystem can feel stifling to some, and iOS isn't easy to customize or modify. There's far more variety among Android handsets, and Android's open-source nature makes it a tweaker's dream. But it also means fragmented third-party app compatibility, occasional bugs, carrier-installed bloatware you can't remove, and sporadic OS updates.
Phones are available in a wide range of sizes and shapes, to fit various types of hands. Samsung's Galaxy S22 and Apple's iPhone 13 mini are narrower than most other phones; they are easy to hold in one hand and still offer plenty of screen real estate. The iPhone 13 Pro Max, on the other hand, is gigantic, best for people who want a big window into their online world and/or a large camera viewfinder.
Strictly interested in Android? Head over to our roundup of the best Android phones. Baffled by the variety of iPhones? Here's how to decide which iPhone to buy. And if you want to document the world around you with your phone, we've rounded up the best camera phones too.
The Best Feature Phones
A good portion of the US population is still using simpler phones, but there are surprisingly few current choices out there. There are still reasons to get a simple, less-expensive device: They're easier to use, and they charge much lower monthly fees because data isn't involved. There are some killer deals for voice-only usage on virtual carriers such as TracFone and Consumer Cellular.
Recommended by Our Editors
Our favorite voice phone right now is the Sunbeam F1, a simple phone that comes in three feature-restricted models. We also like the Kyocera DuraXE Epic for AT&T, the Kyocera DuraXV Extreme for Verizon, and the Sonim XP3plus for T-Mobile. If your budget is tight, the lowest-cost voice phone worth getting is the unlocked $49.99 Nokia 225 4G.
Unlike smartphones, feature phones are a matter of "what you see is what you get." They don't receive software upgrades or run thousands of additional apps. For voice quality, read our feature on how to make your cell phone calls sound better. Wireless network coverage is always the biggest factor, but individual phones can vary in reception, earpiece quality, transmission quality through the microphone, and side-tone (the echo of your voice that helps prevent you from yelling at the other person). A phone with middling to poor reception quality can be almost impossible to use in a marginal coverage area, while one with excellent reception can make the best of the little signal that's available. Another point to consider: Some phones have much louder speakerphones than others.
For more, see our picks for the best phones for seniors. We also have a roundup of the best phones for kids.
What's the Best Time to Buy a New Phone?
The best time to buy a new phone is when you need one. If your phone took a header in the pool or met its demise on the pavement, get whatever's available that best meets your needs. But if you're watching your budget or riding the cutting edge, a little knowledge and planning can keep you from buying a phone that's about to be discounted or replaced with something newer and cooler.
The pandemic and the global chipset shortage have upended the usual phone release cycles, and we're not sure if that's going to change back. Based on 2020 and 2021, here's when we think some of the major flagship phones will appear in 2022. These are just guesses, though:
Apple: iPhone 14 in September 2022
Google: Pixel 6a in July 2022, Pixel 7 in October 2022
Samsung: New foldables in August 2022
By the way, if you're wondering where the Moto Edge+ and the OnePlus 10 Pro are, they aren't on this list; both have flaws that render them good rather than great.
Want to Spend Less on a New Phone?
This story tends to be headlined by very expensive phones, but you can get a perfectly good smartphone for under $300.
The Samsung Galaxy A32 5G is our favorite budget phone right now. The Galaxy A33 should be launching soon and we're keeping an eye out for it. On T-Mobile, the $282 OnePlus Nord N20 is quite good for the price. For under $200, the Moto G Power is the current leader. And if you still want a physical keyboard, we suspect that the Unihertz Titan Slim won't break the bank either (its price hasn't been announced yet).
At $429, Apple's 2022 iPhone SE is the least expensive new iPhone. Its major feature is 5G, but if you don't care about that, an older or used iPhone (such as the iPhone 11, the 2020 iPhone SE, or the iPhone XR) is a perfectly fine option.
For more on getting phones for less, see our list of the best cheap phones.
Finally, we update this story every time we review a new phone worth a spot on the list, so it changes often. Be sure to check back soon for our latest recommendations.
