Best Smartphones

Round-ups
By published

Best Smartphones

Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Best Low-End Smartphone

Best Mid-Range Smartphone

Best Flagship Smartphone

Alternate Flagship Pick
30 Months
24 Months
24 Months

Best Phablet
30 Months
24 Months
24 Months

MORE: How We Test Smartphones
MORE: Apple iPhone 6 & 6 Plus Review
MORE: Google Nexus 6 Review


MORE: All Smartphone Content

Matt Humrick is a Staff Editor at Tom's Hardware, covering Smartphones and Tablets. Follow him on Twitter.

Follow us on Facebook, Google+, RSS, Twitter and YouTube.

More about phones

Giving a new phone this holiday season? Don’t forget to add a case with Ostand from Torras

iPhone 16 battery needs a good zapping to debond the adhesive — the process takes a minute and a half when using a 9V battery

Sabrent's USB Type-C M.2 SSD Enclosure reduced to just $22 at Amazon
See more latest
16 Comments Comment from the forums
  • FritzEiv
    Archived comments are found here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2871290/smartphones.html
    Reply
  • basroil
    Seriously? The S6 and iphonie over the Xperia Z5? It's available in "north america" (canada for Z5, and USA for Z5 premium), it has less preinstalled garbage than both, it has better preinstalled software than both (music software is second only to Zune's stuff), and specs that beat both (premium is a freaking 4K 5.5" phone with better camera and great (if a bit hot) processor)
    Reply
  • Taintedskittles
    I have a Verizon Motorola Moto E (2nd gen). Wish I would of went with a phone with 2gbs ram instead. The 1gb ram just doesn't cut it anymore with android smartphones. Good for phone calls, basic apps, and web surfing(light gaming). Bad at multi-tasking, occasional browser crashes, and small storage 8gbs(32 SD card). But hey they're dirt cheap and reliable, got mine for $50,($30 now online).

    Hoping one day smartphones will have modular ram for upgrading, like SD cards.
    Reply
  • giovanni86
    Samsung needs to take "notes.". We want a better version of the Note 4. Not the Note 5. Still rocking my Note 4, the horizon says i will be here for awhile.
    Reply
  • wh3resmycar
    g4 > s6.. don't need that fragile "glass" body that'll eventually be wrapped in rubber.
    Reply
  • Non-Euclidean
    I'll have to grab a Note4 soon, it appears to be the last of the Notes with a removable battery and SD card. My Note3 is starting to give weird color flashes (like when it overheated), so I will have to see how long it can still go.
    Reply
  • jjb8675309
    How are the Nexus 5x and 6p not on this list? Pure Android.
    Reply
  • ldogg1981
    Low end pick should be the ZTE Zmax 2. 1280x720 resolution, 2GB of RAM. 16GB of storage, microSD card slot and snapdragon 410. All for $130. Your Motorola pick means you haven't actually looked for anything else.
    Reply
  • ldogg1981
    The low end pick should be the ZTE Zmax 2! For $130 you get the same processor, but higher pixel density, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, microSD card slot and a larger removal battery.
    Reply
  • DotNetMaster777
    Asus ZenFone 2 and IPhone 6 have quire similar characteristics but the difference in the price is big.
    Reply