Top Phones for 2024
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 that’s periodically updated as new software updates arrive, or to compare it to new phones from competitors like Apple, Samsung, Google, and OnePlus.
Emergency SOS was first introduced on the iPhone 14 series, and we got to test out the feature to see how it works.
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 and 15 Pro Max, 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, as an easy, repeatable measure of raw battery life, which isn’t always included in the initial review but is sometimes added later in an update.
Performance measurement
We use benchmarking apps to measure each phone’s performance, as well as our own anecdotal experiences using the phone for our review. Most notably, we look at how the graphics and animations look. Are they smooth? Do they lag 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 also test every phone we review for basic functions, such as calling.
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
