Best Android phone 2017: which should you buy?
Update: Our best Android phone list has been upended by the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. Here's the update rankings for April 2017.
The best Android phones from a year ago have gotten better in 2017, with more advanced cameras, faster processors and fresh apps, and some of them are now available at cheaper prices.
That has made deciding between the overwhelming number of Android handsets a seemingly impossible task. The good news is that we're on top of it. It's sort of our job to write brilliant phone reviews.
Our official best phones list and best unlocked phones list serve their purpose for wider audiences, including iPhone lovers, and our AT&T plans, Verizon plans, T-Mobile plans and Sprint plans give you the best rates on service.
But there are also plenty of Google-powered phones with Android 7.0 Nougat that deserve extra focus. You demanded it.
Moto Z Play is the $400 Android phone that sometimes bests the top handsets from Samsung and LG. It's compatible with Motorola's innovative MotoMods, allowing you to magnetically fasten accessories like a battery pack, mini boom box, 10x zoomable camera or even a pico projector to the back.
Where is excels is in battery life. It's the longest-lasting phone we tested in the last 12 months thanks to a top-notch 3510mAh battery capacity and smart efficiency software tricks. No, it's not technically as powerful as the Moto Z and Verizon-exclusive Moto Z Force. However, it's fast enough for everyone who is willing to skip out on VR gaming and wants a phone that is all about endurance and creative MotoMod accessories.
- Read the full review: Moto Z Play review
LG loves being different. We saw that last year with the LG G5 and its short-lived modular accessory program. Now, the LG V20 has topped it. (We'll have to see how the LG G6 fares coming up.)
As a successor to the LG V10, it's an improvement in nearly every way. The V20 does good to slim down and shape-up with a stellar design without losing the military-grade durability we loved from the predecessor.
What's notable about the V20, other than the fact that it was one of the first phones to launch with Android Nougat, is that it has two screens. As if the main 5.7-inch Quad HD display wasn't enough real estate for your fingers, there's also a small, rectangular display that can show off your favorite apps or a personal reminder.
For some, the novelty of the second screen may wear away. But even if it does, you're still left with a modern smartphone that doesn't slouch on specs.
The V20 features 4GB of RAM, 64GB of onboard storage with microSD support and a respectable, but outdated as of now Snapdragon 820. It uniquely provides music lovers with a Quad digital to analog converter (DAC) internally which elevates your average listening experience by a few notches.
LG's dual-screen creation isn't without its faults though. Its price is quite high, sitting above the $700 mark unlocked at most carriers. Also, while having a removable battery is nice, what's less nice is its relatively small 3,200mAh capacity. You hope for a little more for a phone this pricey.
- Read the full review: LG V20
HTC takes eight place on our best Android phone list with the gorgeous HTC 10. The HTC 10 has a new design with but if you're a fan of the HTC look don't worry, it shares a lot of its design language with past HTC handsets.
It has a 5.2-inch 2K display, which makes watching video gorgeous, as well as some strong spec under-the-hood including 4GB of RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset.
The camera technology is a big focus for HTC, though. A 12MP sensor may not sound like much, but it makes some gorgeous images on the back and there's a 5MP front-facing camera to capture your selfies too.
- Read the full review: HTC 10
The new OnePlus 3T is a surprisingly, but welcomed mid-cycle upgrade to the OnePlus 3, and most of the changes come from the internal specs.
It still has an elegant, all-metal design, that rich 5.5-inch AMOLED display that's bright when you want it to be, and the always-fast fingerprint sensor. What's changed in the chipset and battery inside.
The Snapdragon 821 chip puts it on par with the Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL, and it's cheaper than either of those options. You won't find a microSD card here either, but at least the battery life is longer than last year's OnePlus phone.
- Read the full review: OnePlus 3T
Several $400 Android smartphones launched in 2016, and the ZTE Axon 7 was the best of the bunch. It combines a metal design with high-end specs that we've seen in flagship phones throughout the year. It also has some features not available in other pricier Androids, like dual-front facing speakers and 64GB of internal storage.
ZTE is offering a better value for a mid-range phone, and while the OnePlus 3 has nearly the same specs for an identical starting price, the Axon 7 includes a microSD card slot and and Quad HD 5.5-inch display. Sprint and Verizon users be warned, it won't work on CDMA carriers in the US, so it's AT&T and T-Mobile only. Everyone else will like this phone and its cheap price.
- Read the full review: ZTE Axon 7
The Moto Z is modular like the LG G5, but it's far better with extra add-ons and a much easier to use snap-on design.
It's powerful and the modular design means you'll be able to switch out elements for future accessories and could mean you can keep this phone for much longer than other devices that will date quicker.
Usually when we talk about mid-cycle upgrades, we're strictly talking about new software. Moto Z could take on new form at any time, and new mods like the Hasselblad camera have already proved useful. It doesn't reinvent the phone, but it makes it a whole lot more phone.
This may be the world's thinnest phone, but that comes at a cost with a reduction in battery size and the loss of the headphone jack – potential issues for some users. If you can overlook these shortcomings though you'll have a truly innovative device in your hands.
- Read the full review: Motorola Moto Z
The Google Pixel XL offers up a pure Android experience on a bigger, higher resolution display than its brother, the Pixel.
The clean, slick interface is a joy to use, while the 12MP snapper round the back delivers some quality shots.
A fingerprint scanner not only keeps the Pixel XL secure, it also uses gestures to give you easier access to the notification bar – saving you from overstretching your thumb to the top of the screen.
The price is on the steep side, it doesn't have stereo speakers and isn't waterproof. But this is a premium flagship device that's powerful in every other way, including being VR-ready for the Google Daydream View VR headset.
- Read our full review: Google Pixel XL
If you're looking for the ultimate Android experience without any over-complicated features the Google Pixel is the phone for you.
It takes the latest version of Google's software – Android 7.1 Nougat – in its natural form. There's no annoying third-party manufacturer overlay, it's Android as Google intended.
Add to that its premium design (although the glass patch on the rear is a little questionable), excellent camera and huge amount of power under the hood and you've got yourself a rather special smartphone.
The battery life is the weak point for the Pixel, and we'd recommend carrying a charger with you if you're out all day.
- Read our full review: Google Pixel
You're not going to find a bigger phone than the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus on the list thanks its its gigantic 6.2-inch display. Don't be alarmed, it's not much bigger than last year's Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge.
What Samsung has done was rid its 2017 flagship phones of needless bezel and replaced the home button and capacitive keys with on-screen buttons. We liked everything about this move except for the rear-located fingerprint sensor. It's off-center next to the camera, which makes it hard to reach and makes the camera lens prone to smudges.
But there's so much more to love about this big phone. It has the best camera on an Android and debuts Qualcomm's newest Snapdragon chipset capable of not only running your phone faster, but doing 3D VR gaming. If you want a big phone and are willing to pay for it, this is the one for you.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
The best Android phone in the US is an easy pick because it happens to also be the best phone in the US and the world. It's the Samsung Galaxy S8, the more reasonably sized and slightly more reasonably priced version of the Galaxy S8 Plus.
It has a stunning 5.8-inch display that fills almost the entire face of the device, ridding you of needless bezels and (for better or worse) the home button. We didn't like how the fingerprint sensor was relocated to the back and lies in an off-center location next to the camera lens. Also, we're still waiting for Samsung to launch the Bixby voice portion of its AI software.
There's so much to love about the Samsung Galaxy S8, though. It's curved, nearly bezel-less display is the best ever created for a phone, it has an improved camera over last year's S7 Edge (our previous favorite) and it debuts the new Snapdragon 835 chipset. Really, you can't do any better, unless you insist on owning an iPhone. Then go back to Number 2.
Full review: Samsung Galaxy S8