Best smartphones of 2024 - buyer’s guide

GSMArena team, Last updated 19 October 2024.

Last updated: October 19, 2024

Welcome to the always-up-to-date GSMArena Smartphone Buyer's Guide where we round up the best smartphones you can buy.

You will find the different categories of phones below with our top pick as a highlight. Click on the category to see the other suggested options.

Flagship phones

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Specs

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.

Flagship killers

The Xiaomi 14T Pro is still among the best phones you can get for about €700. It delivers on every single promise and has plenty of flagship-grade, class-leading features. It's among the fastest charging phones in the industry and it's got a 144Hz display, and that's in addition to a high-end chipset and a camera system that only falls short in one or two niche areas.

Camera phones

Xiaomi 14 Ultra

Specs

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.

Gaming phones

Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro

Specs

Nobody does smartphone gaming quite like Asus. Four iterations into the ROG Phone line, that remains a fact.

Battery life champions

Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max

Specs

We are putting the iPhone 16 Pro Max as our top pick here for being not only one of the best flagships, but also one of the phones to offer the longer battery life nowadays.

Compact phones

Motorola Razr 50 Ultra

Specs

Goodbye iPhone 13 mini, hello Moto! Yes, we are putting a clamshell for the first-time as our top pick for this category, but it surely deserves it! The Motorola Razr 50 Ultra offers a ton of flagship features in its super compact body.

Premium all-rounders

Xiaomi 14T

Specs

Despite facing heavy competition, the Xiaomi 14T is an easy recommendation in our books. The handset covers all bases with a good display, adequate chipset, fast enough charging and nice-sounding speakers.

Midrange phones (around €400)

Motorola Edge 50 Fusion

Specs

The €350 Motorola Edge 50 Fusion is undoubtedly a gorgeous device through and through, one that deserves a special spot on this list, the top one.

Midrange phones (around €300)

Nothing Phone (2a) Plus

Specs

The Nothing Phone (2a) Plus model is a solid overall package. All of the unique Nothing design and aesthetics are there.

Midrange phones (around €200)

Xiaomi Poco X6

Specs

The Poco X6 is an excellent upgrade over the Poco X5, improving on almost every single aspect - design, display, battery and charging, speakers, performance, camera, software even. And it is as well-rounded as every other Xiaomi-made phone and offers great bang for the money. No wonder we picked it as our top phone in this category.

Entry-level phones

Xiaomi Redmi Note 12

Specs

Just like our previous top pick - the Redmi Note 12 4G, the affordable Redmi Note 12 5G is a solid all-rounder with little to complain about. It has a solid OLED panel, decent battery life, although we expected more, competitive fast charging, a dependable main camera and a dedicated microSD card slot.

US market phones

Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max

Specs

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is Apple's current best iPhone and we think it’s the best phone you can buy in the US. 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 performance with great photos and exceptional videos. The great battery life doesn't hurt, and the introduction of USB-C means one fewer built-in shortcoming too.