Best Smartphones of 2026, Lab-Tested and Reviewed
Want a cell phone with great battery life? An awesome camera system? A nice price? Take a look at these options from Apple, Google, and Samsung.
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Whether you’re looking for a cutting-edge phone or a more budget-friendly pick, there’s no shortage of well-made options in our smartphone ratings.
We test dozens of models each year, checking the basics, including battery life, how well the display performs, the image quality from multicamera setups, and the hinges on foldable phones.
This CR robot mimics real-world usage to test smartphone battery life. Top models can deliver 30 to 50 hours per charge.
Best iPhones for Most People
Apple phones frequently sit at the top of our ratings, but you don’t necessarily need a top-of-the-line model. Here are our recommendations, backed by rigorous lab testing.
Best Android Phones for Most People
If you’re in the market for an Android phone, you have solid options from multiple manufacturers. Here are some models that rank highly in our ratings and have high-quality displays, great camera systems, and lab-tested durability.
Best Low-Priced Android Phones
There’s an abundance of low-cost Android options. Here are a few solid picks from a variety of manufacturers. And no, you don’t have to compromise on performance.
Best Phones With Large Screens
If you want as much screen space as possible for immersive scrolling and streaming, here are a few of the top-performing phones with large displays from our ratings. The foldable phones featured below also offer extra-large displays when opened.
Best Foldable Phones
Many manufacturers now offer folding phones. (Check back soon for our in-lab evaluation of the new Apple iPhone Duo, including results on the phone’s hinge durability.) These versatile devices have dual displays of various sizes, and when opened, some have interior screens large enough to function like a small tablet. But they tend to come at a premium price.
