The 20 best smartphones

The 20 best smartphones


Samsung Galaxy S7 cameraRafi Letzter/Tech Insider

They might all be the same general shape, and most of them might run on similar chips, but each smartphone is very different.

While the list hasn't changed very much since May, we've added a few upcoming phones you need to watch out for.

Here's our ranking of the best phones you can buy. 

Note: All prices below indicate how much the phones typically cost without a carrier contract. Prices may vary depending on the retailer.


20. BlackBerry Passport
BlackBerry
The BlackBerry Passport may look strange, but a lot of BlackBerry fans seem to love it. It has a really nice physical keyboard, but the key feature is its unique square design.

Price: $460

19. BlackBerry Classic
BlackBerry
If you were a BlackBerry fan back in the company's heyday, you're going to love the BlackBerry Classic. It looks similar to older BlackBerry models, but features a sharp touchscreen and an excellent physical keyboard.

Price: $339


18. Microsoft Lumia 950
Lisa Eadicicco
If you must have a Windows phone, there's only one device to consider: Microsoft's Lumia 950. Although reviews were pretty bad, this phone does hold some promise for people who need Microsoft apps to do everything. It also has a really nice camera and can connect to a keyboard, mouse, and monitor and let you run a lightweight version of Windows.

Price: $458

17. BlackBerry Priv
BlackBerry
The BlackBerry Priv is a huge departure for BlackBerry. Instead of running BlackBerry's own operating system, the Priv runs Android. While it may look like a standard Android phone, the Priv actually has a slide-out keyboard. This could be a great device for those who want a physical keyboard but still have access to Google's apps and services that aren't available on other BlackBerry devices.


Price: $420


16. Moto G3
Lisa Eadicicco
If you're looking for a great Android phone at a rock-bottom price, you should check out the Moto G. It's not the most powerful phone, but it will be good enough for just about anything the average user can throw at it. And it's tough to beat that price tag.

While it's still a fantastic budget Android smartphone, you should wait for the Moto G4, which is expected to be released in the next few months.

Price: $165

15. HTC One A9
Antonio Villas-Boas/Tech Insider
It may look like an iPhone, but the HTC One A9 is totally different on the inside. The latest device from HTC sports a premium hardware design and minimal changes to Android. It's a great experience if you don't mind the fact that some may confuse it for an iPhone.

Price: $400

14. iPhone 6 Plus
Business Insider
The iPhone 6 Plus is still one of the best jumbo-sized phones you can buy today. And by buying last year's model, you can get nearly the same experience as the new iPhone 6s Plus while saving $100.

Price: $649

13. iPhone 6
Steve Kovach/Business Insider
The iPhone 6 may be over a year old, but it's still a good option if you want to save some money on an iPhone. Plus, the iPhone 6 looks exactly like the iPhone 6s. No one will know you have last year's phone.

Price: $549


12. OnePlus 2
Steve Kovach/Tech Insider
The OnePlus 2 is an excellent choice if you're looking for a well-made phone with premium specs but don't want to spend too much. The device is made by a Chinese startup called OnePlus, and the only way to get one is by ordering through the company directly. But be patient. Supplies are extremely limited.

Price: $300

11. Moto X Pure
Antonio Villas-Boas/Business Insider
The Moto X Pure Edition is one of the most surprising new phones to launch in the last year. It runs a nearly pure version of Android, although there are some Motorola-specific apps and features. (They're not intrusive at all though.)

Price: $300

10. Samsung Galaxy Note 5
Antonio Villas-Boas/Tech Insider
The Galaxy Note 5 is a killer big-screen phone. Like previous versions of the Note, it has a large, vibrant display and a stylus for taking notes. The new metal and glass design is great too.

Price: $519

9. LG G5
Antonio Villas-Boas/Tech Insider
LG's G5 smartphone has a gorgeous new all-metal design. It also has a removable bottom that lets you swap out a dead battery with a fresh one. The removable bottom can also be exchanged with "modules" that offer new functions, like a camera grip with a zoom dial and a shutter button for better control.

If that weren't enough, it's also got a dual-lens camera, which gives you unmatched versatility when it comes to taking pictures.

Price: About $650

8. HTC 10
Antonio Villas-Boas/Tech Insider
The HTC 10 is a beautiful, extremely well-built smartphone. It runs a near-pure version of Android, and can be bought unlocked, which means you won't find annoying bloatware on the 10. 

Price: $700

7. Samsung Galaxy S7
Antonio Villas-Boas/Tech Insider
The Galaxy S7 sports the best camera we've seen on a smartphone, even beating the iPhone 6s Plus. It's also very powerful and it sports some great features, like water resistance and a MicroSD card slot for expandable storage.

You also get Samsung Pay, which works with almost any payment terminal in any store, which the iPhone's Apple Pay can't do.

Price: $610

6. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
Antonio Villas-Boas/Tech Insider
The Galaxy S7 Edge has a bigger 5.5-inch display and larger battery than the regular Galaxy S7, while retaining the same features (water-resistance, a MicroSD card slot for expandable storage, and Samsung Pay).

Price: $715

5. Nexus 5X
Ben Gilbert / Tech Insider
The Nexus 5X is one of Google's newest flagships, and it's one of the best phones you can buy today. The only true rivals it has are its big brother the Nexus 6p and the iPhone. If you don't want an iPhone and want to see the best of Android, then the Nexus 5X won't disappoint.

Price: $349

4. Nexus 6P
Antonio Villas-Boas/Tech Insider
The Nexus 6P is a slightly larger version of the new Nexus 5X. It's made by Huawei, a Chinese smartphone company with an excellent reputation for hardware. Like the 5X, you get timely updates straight from Google as soon as they're released, whereas other Android phones usually get updates several months later.

Price: $499


3. iPhone SE
Antonio Villas-Boas/Tech Insider
The iPhone SE with a 4-inch screen is the best small-form smartphone you can buy at the moment. You get all the best apps, ecosystem, support, and the same performance as the iPhone 6s for a relatively low $400 price tag.

It also comes with Apple Pay among other premium features, like Live Photos and a fingerprint sensor, not to mention the great battery life.

 Price: $399


2. iPhone 6S Plus
Antonio Villas-Boas/Tech Insider
The new iPhone 6S Plus is the best of the big-screen phones. It may look the same as the previous model, but the new A9 chip inside makes the iPhone one of the most powerful smartphones you can buy.

It also has some new features like 3D Touch, which can detect how hard you press down on the screen and open up a new layer of controls for you apps. It also has an incredibly fast fingerprint sensor, as well as Live Photos, which captures a three second video with audio when you press the shutter button.

Price: $749

1. iPhone 6S
AP
The iPhone 6S is the best phone you can buy. 

In addition to beautiful hardware, iPhone owners are guaranteed to always get the best apps first from third-party developers and reliable software updates with the latest and greatest features from Apple. No other device can offer that.

Price: $649


BONUS: ZTE Axon 7
Antonio Villas-Boas/Tech Insider
The Axon 7 is made by ZTE, a relatively unknown Chinese smartphone maker in the US.

Why does it deserve a spot on this list? Because it offers the same, if not better, specs as the top Android players here, and it'll cost under $500. That means if you don't like the Nexus devices, and you don't want to pay top dollar for a Galaxy S7 or HTC 10, the ZTE Axon 7 might just be the phone for you.

There's no official release date yet, but we expect it to arrive within the next few months.


BONUS: OnePlus 3
OnePlus
Smartphones from OnePlus are some of the most coveted smartphones in the world because you needed an invite to buy one. Since invites were limited, OnePlus phones were almost rare and were in extremely high demand.

Now, OnePlus is doing away with the invite system for the OnePlus 3, which means anyone can buy it the very day it launches on June 14 at 3 p.m ET. There's still no word on pricing, but if previous OnePlus phones are anything to go by, it'll be cheaper than most flagship Android smartphones.

That doesn't mean it'll be underpowered. On the contrary, OnePlus phone feature the latest and greatest specs. Combined with a low price tag, the OnePlus 3 could be unstoppable.


BONUS: Moto G4
Motorola
The Moto G 4 will be available in three different models, including the regular G4, G4 Plus, and G4 Play.

Each model comes at a different price point, offering you the option of spending as much as you want depending on what feature you want. 

There's no pricing or release dates yet for the Moto G4 smartphones, but it'll surely be worth the wait if you're a Moto G fan.