Best flagship phones 2024 - buyer’s guide
![](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/19/buyers-guide/thumbs/-728x314/gsmarena_002.jpg)
Last updated: August 25, 2024 (Changelog)
If you are after the very best on the smartphone market, you've come to the right section of this buyer's guide.
The highest of high-end phones are in this category. The latest Galaxy and iPhone are the default choices at this level, but big names out of China have their own takes too, of course. Both Xiaomi and Oppo can offer you no-compromise handsets with build and features to match or even beat Apple and Samsung. Foldables can be found here too.
Editors' choice
![Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/24/samsung-galaxy-s24-ultra/-728x314/gsmarena_003.jpg)
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
- Traditional Note form factor, still premium as ever
- Tougher materials and build all around, the titanium frame is nice to the touch, the target audience will likely appreciate the return to a flat screen
- The new display glass offers an improved viewing experience, and the display itself is plenty bright
- Battery life is towards the top of the class; charging is faster than Pixels or iPhones
- The S Pen is just as unique a proposition in 2024 as it has been for years
- Exciting One UI with plenty of AI, DeX support, and great connectivity options
- Camera system as versatile as ever thanks to an even more useful telephoto and overall improved processing
- Charging speed is still behind the curve; the phone is picky about adapters, and the bundled cable is 3A only
- Illogical image quality disparity between 10x and slightly lower zoom levels
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is not the perfect smartphone, this year we even have a cons section, but it is the ideal all-round flagship and for that it becomes our top pick in this category.
Indeed, the Galaxy S24 Ultra remains Samsung's ultimate smartphone, and it's the most complete package you can buy today. Samsung didn't just coast for another year, which we felt was the case with the S23 Ultra. We got more new stuff this time around than we could have predicted. The new materials in the build don't just feel nice; they also improve the visual experience. After years of enjoying the coolness of curved displays, we've now grown up to realize that flat screens have their benefits, and Samsung's now giving us flat screens across the range.
Without much fuss around that subject, the S24 Ultra is one of the longest-lasting Androids you can buy, and even if the big names from China charge three times as fast, the Pixel and the iPhone don't. An always-with-you stylus remains elusive outside of the Samsung flagship, and you may not know you want or need one until you've had one.
The camera system is also mostly a source of satisfaction. The rethinking of the telephoto setup is a forward step that adds another layer of versatility. The rest of the rear modules we'd almost call stale next to what we're seeing from Chinese brands and their impressive hardware, but Samsung has managed to squeeze out such performance out of these otherwise uninspired bits that it doesn't feel like we're getting less than what is right.
Yes, there were display issues. And, yes, the charging is far from great. But In the end, Samsung's ultimate smartphone comes easily recommended.
Read full review![Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/23/apple-iphone-15-pro-max/-728x314/gsmarena_003.jpg)
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
- 'Best iPhone ever'
- Robust build - Titanium frame, Ceramic Shield, IP68 and then some
- Most potent chipset on the market
- Large 120Hz Dolby Vision OLED, even if notched
- Four flagship cameras, LiDAR scanner, excellent video stabilization
- Top-notch battery life
- Upgraded connectivity across the board, UWB2, too
- Class-leading speaker quality
- At least 5 years of firmware updates
- The GPU throttles down to 50% of its max performance under load
- No charger, no headphones in the box
- Not the fastest to charge
- Apple iOS is not for everyone
You do not get the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max for its Titanium frame. Or its 5x telephoto camera, or USB-C port, or even the console-level. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is worth getting for its well-rounded user experience, luxurious design, its premium services and warranty, for its clockwork iOS, and for its versatile camera experience with great photos and exceptional videos. And a thousand other little things we cannot fit in here.
One of the biggest improvements targets videographers and will go under the radar for the masses. We are talking about capturing 4K60 ProRes videos straight onto an external SSD drive or memory card, which might open use cases and workflows that have never been possible before.
The new model delivers on most of its promises, even the carefully worded ones like performance improvements. Apple has never targeted the tech-savvy smartphones users with the iPhone and instead won their large base with consistent quality, a high level of service and convenience and (some) pro features. And the formula is still working, better than ever if you ask us.
So, should you get the new iPhone? It is the best iPhone ever made, you know. It has a stunning design, an outstanding display, great performance, impressive speakers, pro-grade cameras with a consistently good photo and class-leading video quality, long battery life and likable if weird iOS.
And even if there is a potential issue with performance and some image processing imperfections, it remains among the best smartphones on the market right now.
Read full review![Xiaomi 14 Ultra](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/24/xiaomi-14-ultra/-728x314/gsmarena_002.jpg)
Xiaomi 14 Ultra
- A built do remember
- Impressive Dolby Vision display
- Superb charging speed
- Top-class performance under sustained load
- Thoroughly great camera system, nearly flawless
- Particularly great video recording
- Unique accessory package (if optional and not exactly cheap) It is finally a global phone
- Pricey, even for what it is, with little hope for discounts down the line.
- Battery life is below average
- Selfie camera takes average quality stills, lacks AF
The new Ultra is a global phone and the Xiaomi fans have certainly rejoiced! It is also a nearly perfect flagship, one that's so easy to love. Its unique design is beautiful and we do appreciate the ingress protection. Then there is one of the best displays in the industry - a 1440p LTPO OLED with 12-bit color depth, dynamic 120Hz refresh, and Dolby Vision support.
Then there is the most current Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset with class-leading performance. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra also has excellent thermal handling and offers great sustained performance, We certainly cannot praise the battery life (it’s an average one), but we can praise the the charging speed. Kudos for including the 120W charger in the box, too, as this has become a rare thing lately. We also liked the speakers' loudness and quality.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is one of the best cameraphones in 2024. A favorite cameraphone in the office, the 13 Ultra didn't leave a lot to ask for, yet Xiaomi did find a few areas to touch up for the 14. Close-focusing telephotos have become the latest trend, and the two ones here are possibly the finest at that, but also excel at a distance. The variable aperture on the main camera is also welcome if you'd like that much control over DoF, though we don't see that as quite the transformational development.
An unrivaled selling point of the 14 Ultra is the Photography kit. Realizing its appeal and its potential to drive Ultra sales, Xiaomi has continued to develop the contraption and add features to it. Indeed, it adds further cost to an already expensive phone, but the two combined will get you as close to a 'real' camera as a smartphone can in ergonomics and experience.
In the end, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is quite probably the finest camera with a phone attached to it that you can buy today.
Read full review![Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/24/samsung-galaxy-z-fold6/-728x314/gsmarena_001.jpg)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
- IP48 rating - protection against solids in addition to the water resistance
- Some of the best displays
- Some of the best speakers
- Feature-rich software with great multi-tasking functionality and S Pen support - Galaxy AI too, of course
- Dependable cameraphone across the board
- Top-notch performance
- Glacial charging speeds
- A larger and wider cover screen (like the competition's) could have made it more practical to use closed
- Same camera system for a third gen in a row - and it wasn't exactly cutting edge when it came out either
The Galaxy Fold6 offers the best foldable and best flagship experience on the market – both hardware and sofware. The S-Pen Slim Case is an excellent accessory to expand the Fold capabilities, too.
The Fold6 offers improved ingress protection, displays, performance. It also impresses with its speakers.
The lack of real competition isn't helping the Galaxy Z Fold get better faster - Samsung is enjoying a rather trouble-free position in the large foldable space, and it's showing. The Galaxy Z Fold6 has the same cameras as the Fold4 from two years ago, and that's not a good look, alright as they may be. The slow charging is a long-standing issue of the Galaxy roster, and instead of improving on it, the latest model is somehow even slower.
The Galaxy Z Fold6 is the all-around best large foldable that you can buy in most places, and it makes more sense as a tool than it does as a cameraphone. It's just not meaningfully better than the previous generation. Read full review
![Motorola Edge 50 Ultra](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/24/motorola-edge-50-ultra/-728x314/gsmarena_002.jpg)
Motorola Edge 50 Ultra
- Standout design, wooden option
- Excellent screen
- Long battery life, super-fast charging
- Superb speakers
- Great photo quality
- Great performance
- Vanilla Android OS with a competitive set of extra features
- Throttles and heats up considerably under prolonged loads
- Video recording quality is mediocre
The Motorola Edge 50 Ultra is a powerful smartphone and one that is incredibly easy to like. Be it wooden or eco-leather, the Edge 50 Ultra's exterior is a showstopper, and it may seal the deal for many.
Then we have a superb 144Hz OLED, a powerful Snapdragon 8s Gen 3, impressive speakers, amazing photo quality, long battery life, and 125W fast charging.
Not everything is peachy, of course. The phone does throttle and heats up fast, and it offers largely unimpressive video recording quality.
But that's about it - everything else is in the class-leading ballpark - design, screen, battery life, charging speed, speakers, performance, photo quality. Once the price drops, it will certainly merit closer consideration.
Read full review![Google Pixel 9 Pro XL](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/24/google-pixel-9-pro-xl/-728x314/gsmarena_001.jpg)
Google Pixel 9 Pro XL
- Refresh design with sturdier panels
- Brightest display we've tested
- Longest battery life on a Pixel, fastest charging too
- Versatile photo camera with very good quality overall, superb selfies
- Android from the source, 7 years of updates
- All the AI smarts you can think of
- Battery life is still behind the competition
- Camera hardware could use an upgrade - you can only do so much with AI
- Video quality not up to scratc
- The Tensor G4 chipset doesn't compare well in raw performance or stability under load
The Pixel 9 Pro XL brings relatively major stylistic changes plus some hardware upgrades that do make it a better phone than the previous generation. The brighter display is a welcome improvement, of course, and it's possibly the brightest in the business, though it's not like the 8 Pro was lacking in this respect. Battery life has been a blemish for Pixels in head-to-head comparisons, and the new model is a step up in this respect, though it remains in a trailing position among its peers.
The Pixel's biggest selling point lies in its AI capabilities, Google wants us to believe. A bunch of software features are at your disposal for both work and play and image editing tools can help save a photo that circumstances tried to ruin. Having a phone that's made by the OS maker has its benefits even if they're hard to quantify.
We're not quite as thrilled with the camera system as we would have hoped to be, though. The Pixel is lagging behind some of the trends and just because AI can enhance photos and even make up stuff that wasn't there, doesn't mean it can be used as a replacement for state of the art camera hardware. The brand new selfie camera is pretty great, the others fail to excite.
Of course, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is a well rounded and fully capable high-end smartphone - that's beyond debate. This generation prioritizes the phone's development as a vehicle for Google's AI pursuits - if you're into that and want to ride the AI wave, by all means go for it. There are also meaningful improvements on some of the fundamentals to appeal to the AI skeptics. The camera enthusiasts, on the other hand, will probably not be overly... enthused.
Read full review![OnePlus Open](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/23/oneplus-open/-728x314/gsmarena_000.jpg)
OnePlus Open
- Outstanding design and build, IPX4 splash proof.
- Excellent foldable OLED, 120Hz, bright, color-accurate, Dolby Vision
- Superb cover OLED, 120Hz, bright, color-accurate, Dolby Vision
- Good battery life, fast to charge
- The Dolby Atmos 3-speaker setup works quite well
- Flagship-grade performance, dependable stability
- Impressive photo and video quality from the rear cameras
- Superb portraits and selfies with the rear cameras
- Feature-rich software, great for multi-tasking
- No HFR gaming
- The cover selfie produces hazy photos
- The tele camera should fire more often at night
The OnePlus Open is a great addition to the foldable segment. The Open has a classier and supposedly sturdier design than the Galaxy Fold; it's thinner and lighter. And it became evident it has better displays - both are of higher resolution, higher color bitrate, and support Dolby Vision. The cover one also offers a much more convenient aspect ratio.
The OnePlus Open runs on the still relevant Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, and its cooling solution and software optimizations make for a nicely stable performance with no harsh throttling or frame heating.
The Hasselblad cameras are thoroughly impressive with natural rendition and overall impressive photo and video quality across the board, day and night. We are particularly fond of the selfies, portraits, and closeups shot with this setup.
The two dedicated selfie cameras are average at best, the cover selfie cam has some haziness, too. But we don't see these used for actual selfies, their main purpose should be video calls anyway.
Finally, the OxygenOS 13 is incredibly feature-rich and highly customizable, while the foldable-exclusive Open Canvas multi-tasking is super clever once you get the gist of it. OnePlus is promising 4 years of major Android updates and another one of security patches, too.
The OnePlus Open is not the perfect foldable, even if it came very close. It doesn't support HFR gaming, the cover camera captures hazy photos, but the most frustrating thing we experienced was the camera app avoided using the actual telephoto camera for zoom photos at night, which is a shame as it snaps superb photos.
The OnePlus Open is an excellent alternative to the Fold5 if a stylus is not a must and if you don't plan on taking it underwater. And it has presented itself as the more versatile and higher-spec smartphone. And, yes, we enjoyed this OnePlus, both Open and Closed. It is one of the best combinations of a smartphone, tablet, and cameraphone, and we highly recommend it.
Read full review![OnePlus 12](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/24/oneplus-12/rev23/-728x314/gsmarena_002.jpg)
OnePlus 12
- Excellent display, with Dolby Vision too
- Great battery life, super-fast charging, wireless option is back
- Universally great stills camera performance from the rear cameras, particularly good in low light
- Selfies are better than most
- Superb video stabilization
- IP65 rating when submersion-grade IP68 is the prevalent spec in the high-end segment
- Daylight video quality somewhat unimpressive
OnePlus may have lost its distinct character as the brand grew into maturity, but that doesn't mean they're not making great phones still. Sure, OxygenOS is now just another name for Oppo's ColorOS, but why should ColorOS be a bad thing. Certain issues we had with the OnePlus 11 have been resolved on the 12 and it’s only the sub-standard water protection that remains - essentially all other high-end phones are rated for submersion, while the 12 isn't.
Excellence on the fundamentals should go without saying, after all we’ve out the phone on this list exactly for this. Even in this context, however, the OP12 is among the better ones in terms of battery life, charges faster than just about anything else mainstream, and has a display that does more HDR than a lot of competitors.
Sure, we're not quite fond of the 12's video output during the day, though we're almost convinced that the spectacular stabilization makes up for shortcomings elsewhere. Selfies are also unusually good, but more important, we feel, is the overall great stills performance from all rear cameras in all conditions.
In the end, the OnePlus 12 makes it quite easy for us. It's so great in many ways and only has small-ish missteps in just a couple of areas - that sounds like grounds for a recommendation.
Read full reviewMost recent updates
August 25, 2024: Replaced the Galaxy Z Fold5 with the Galaxy Z Fold6. Replaced the Google Pixel 8 Pro with the Pixel 9 Pro XL. Removed the Honor Magic6 Pro. Added Motorola Edge 50 Ultra.
April 13, 2024: Replaced the Galaxy S23 Ultra with the Galaxy S24 Ultra (new top). Replaced the Xiaomi 13 Pro with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Replaced the Honor Magic5 Pro with the Honor Magic6 Pro. Added the OnePlus 12. Removed the Motorola Edge 40 Pro.
November 2, 2023: Replaced the iPhone 14 Pro Max with the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Replaced the Galaxy Z Fold4 with the Galaxy Z Fold5. Added the Google Pixel 8 Pro and the OnePlus Open. Added the Motorola Edge 40 Pro. Removed the Huawei Mate X3 and the iQOO 9 Pro.
June 13, 2023: Moved the Oppo Find X5 Pro to another category. Removed the Oppo Find N2.
May 18, 2023: Added the Huawei Mate X3.
March 20, 2023: Added Galaxy S23 Ultra (new top) and Oppo Find N2.
March 13, 2023: Replaced the Xiaomi 12 Pro with the Xiaomi 13 Pro. Replaced the Honor Magic4 Pro with the Honor Magic5 Pro. Added the vivo X90 Pro. Removed the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra.
October 21, 2022: Replaced the Galaxy S22 Ultra with Galaxy Z Fold4 (new top). Added Honor Magic4 Pro and the Motorola Edge 30 Ultra. Replaced the iPhone 13 Pro Max with the iPhone 14 Pro Max. Removed the vivo X80 Pro, the Galaxy Z Fold3 and the Pixel 6 Pro.
June 29, 2022: Replaced the Galaxy S21 Ultra with Galaxy S22 Ultra (new top). Replaced the Oppo Find X3 Pro with the Find X5 Pro. Replaced the vivo X70 Pro+ with the vivo X80 Pro. Replaced the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra with the Xiaomi 12 Pro. Added iQOO 9 Pro. Removed the Huawei Mate X2.
Nov 5, 2021: Added Google Pixel 6 Pro.
Oct 20, 2021: Replaced the Galaxy S21 Ultra with the Apple iPhone 13 Pro Max as our Editors' choice. Also replaced the vivo X60 Pro+ with the vivo X70 Pro+, the Galaxy Z Fold2 with the Galaxy Z Fold3. Removed the Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max.
May 11, 2021: Replaced the Galaxy Note20 Ultra with the S21 Ultra as our Editors' choice. Also replaced the Oppo Find X2 Pro with the Find X3 Pro, the Mi 10 Pro with the Mi 11 Ultra. Added the vivo X60 Pro+ and the Huawei Mate X2 as niche choices, and removed the Zenfone 7 Pro, OnePlus 8 Pro and the Mate 40 Pro.
Nov 23, 2020: Replaced the Apple iPhone 11 Pro Max with 12 Pro Max.
Best phones by category
![Flagship killers](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/19/buyers-guide/thumbs/-347x151/gsmarena_016.jpg)
Flagship killers
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Camera phones
![Gaming phones](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/19/buyers-guide/thumbs/-347x151/gsmarena_004.jpg)
Gaming phones
![Battery life champions](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/19/buyers-guide/thumbs/-347x151/gsmarena_005.jpg)
Battery life champions
![Compact phones](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/19/buyers-guide/thumbs/-347x151/gsmarena_006.jpg)
Compact phones
![Premium all-rounders](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/19/buyers-guide/thumbs/-347x151/gsmarena_007.jpg)
Premium all-rounders
![Midrange all-rounders](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/19/buyers-guide/thumbs/-347x151/gsmarena_010.jpg)
Midrange all-rounders
![Entry-level smartphones](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/19/buyers-guide/thumbs/-347x151/gsmarena_008.jpg)
Entry-level smartphones
![Best phones of 2021 (US market edition)](https://fdn.gsmarena.com/imgroot/reviews/19/buyers-guide/thumbs/-347x151/gsmarena_023.jpg)
US market smartphones
Reader comments
- Sin
- 02 Aug 2024
- 0Fh
Forgot about Sony as also as there flagship phone's have the best screen on the market
- Super Android 22
- 29 May 2024
- yat
This list is awful lol, its like looking at the top 10 hits (music) list played on every radio station, most blind and mainstream friendly list. How the s24u wins anything is a laugh and seems ti not have "stupidly expensive" or "...
- Sin
- 14 May 2024
- HCj
Why isn't there a ZTE ultra on this list Forgot about zte which always has 16gb ram & 1tb of storage on there's flagship with under the screen selfies camera on there oled screens It probably have every phone on this list outclas...