Best smartphones of 2024 - buyer’s guide

GSMArena team, Last updated 14 April 2024.

Last updated: April 14, 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

Xiaomi 13T Pro

Specs

The Xiaomi 13T Pro is one of the best all-round phones right now, with top-notch hardware, exceptional execution across the board and a mid-range price. Sounds like a flagship killer, doesn’t it?

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 15 Plus

Specs

Overall, the iPhone 15 Plus boasts a significant upgrade over its predecessor in a couple of key departments - display, battery life, performance, main camera and charging.

Compact phones

The new Apple iPhone 13 mini is a smaller version of the iPhone 13 and it's lost nothing. The most important updates over the 12 mini are the larger battery capacity, the smaller screen notch, and the doubled base storage. We sure don't think iPhone 12 mini owners should update, but we do consider the 13 mini as the best compact phone there is right now!

Premium all-rounders

Xiaomi 13T Pro

Specs

The now cheaper €600 Xiaomi 13T Pro remains one the best phones you can get right now. It delivers on every single promise and has plenty of flagship-grade, class-leading features. The new IP68-rated design, especially the one with the vegan leather back, is classy and stunning.

Midrange phones (around €400)

Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro+

Specs

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro+ is the best Redmi Note this year - it has the best design/display/chipset and the fastest charging solution among its Note peers. Plus, it is not that expensive, on the contrary.

Midrange phones (around €300)

Nothing Phone (2a)

Specs

We have to commend the company on preserving much of the experience of the flagship Nothing Phone (2) and carrying it over into the much cheaper Nothing Phone (2a).

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 4G

Specs

Xiaomi has struck a pretty nice balance with this year's Redmi Note 12 4G. The handset has an excellent display, long battery life, sufficiently fast charging, adequate performance, the latest MIUI + Android combo (unlike its siblings) and, although largely unimpressive camera performance, it's still rather decent for the price bracket.

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.