Best Android Phone of 2024
We test every aspect of a new phone, from its battery and processor to its cameras.
We test each phone under real-world scenarios, focusing on features, design, performance, cameras, battery life, and overall value. We document our findings in an initial review, which is periodically updated as new software updates arrive or to compare against new phones from competitors like Apple, Samsung, Google, and OnePlus.
Photography
Photography is a major focus for most phones these days, so we shoot photos and videos of a variety of subjects in different settings and lighting scenarios. We try out all the new camera modes, like ProRes Log video that debuted with the iPhone 15 Pro or the Magic Editor photo tool that launched with the Google Pixel 8 series.
Battery life
Battery tests are conducted in a few different ways. We assess how long a phone lasts over the course of a typical day of use, and note how it performs during more focused sessions of video calling, media streaming, and gaming. We also include a video playback test, which isn’t always included in the initial review and will be added in a later update.
The Galaxy Z Flip 5 shares largely the same camera hardware as the Z Flip 4. But the new chip brings some improvements to image processing.
Performance
We use benchmarking apps to gauge performance, as well as our own anecdotal experiences using the phone for our review. Of particular interest is how graphics and animations look. Are they fluid? Or do they stutter or stutter? We also look at how quickly the phone switches between horizontal and vertical orientations, and how quickly the camera app opens and is ready to take a photo.
We perform tasks that require a lot of processing power, such as editing photos, exporting videos, and playing games. We evaluate whether a newer version of a particular phone has enough features to make it worth upgrading from older models.
Read more: How we test phones
