What Android phone should I get?

April 3, 2023 11:11 AM

I'm shopping for a new Android phone, criteria below.

What I'd like, roughly in order of preference:
- Unlocked
- Will receive OS and security updates for as long as possible
- Long battery life
- Good cameras
- Medium to large screen

What would you recommend?

posted by medusa to Shopping (15 answers total)

The Samsung Galaxy S series fits that criteria. The larger the number, the more recent the release, the longer you will get monthly security updates. They're at S23 right now.
posted by dobbs at 11:16 AM on April 3, 2023

Locked vs unlocked is mainly a matter of how/where you buy your phone, not the phone itself. If you buy from a prepaid carrier, the phone is likely to be locked; if you buy from the manufacturer directly, it's probably not going to be locked.

Five years seems to be the maximum for mainstream Android update support: both Google and Samsung have vowed five year support with other manufacturers trailing. But it's a recent policy so no phones have actually been around to get all five years of support.

If I were in the market, I'd get a Google Pixel 7 or 7 Pro.
posted by meowzilla at 11:43 AM on April 3, 2023

Do you have a budget? I'm sure the Pixel 7 Pro is great, but it's about three times the cost of the 6a, which I have and which does everything I want. (Also, what seems "good" to you depends heavily on what you're used to. If your current phone is 6 years old, even a mediocre new phone will seem amazing.)
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 11:49 AM on April 3, 2023

There's basically two leading choices: the Pixel series, or the Galaxy S-series (current generations are 7 and 23, respectively). The Pixel series tends to be priced a bit lower, and would be my choice (mostly because Google reserves some cool software tricks for its own phones), but you can't go wrong with either. Both are available in multiple sizes, with larger ones being a bit more expensive and coming with some other minor upgrades additional to screen size.

If you're looking to save money, the Pixel -A series is probably the best lower-priced option. The 7A should be released quite soon, or the 6A is available today.
posted by kickingtheground at 11:56 AM on April 3, 2023

I love the Pixel 7. It has a very good camera, decent battery life, and a nice big screen. The Pixel 7a didn't seem to be worth the extra money for the few additional features.
posted by Umami Dearest at 12:10 PM on April 3, 2023

Phone geek content: If you get a relatively popular modern phone, like a Pixel 6 or 7, which is not carrier-locked and has an unlocklable bootloader, you can get Android support for much longer than is supported by Google in the form of LineageOS (an open source Android based on Google’s AOSP) built for many different handsets. Installing Lineage is easy and it also enables you to eliminate bloatware and much tracking software shipped by Google. I am currently using a Pixel 2 (from 2017) with Android 12.1; it still works well but the built-in radios are limited to LTE. LineageOS is available for Samsung phones but the unlocking and flashing is a bit more difficult and depends on unsupported software (Odin). /geek

tldr: As above, I’d probably go with the newest Pixel with 5G capability which is in your price range.
posted by sudogeek at 12:18 PM on April 3, 2023

None of the androids are going to get updated as long as iphones do.

Google supported Pixel7/7pro, depending if you want the extra telephoto camera and such on the pro.

Alternatively you could wait for the cheaper 7a, its likely due out this summer ish. Last summers 6a should be on discount as well.
posted by TheAdamist at 12:20 PM on April 3, 2023

I've got a pixel 5a, and my partner has a pixel 6a, and they're both amazing. We had pixel 3as before that for years, and they were also great and constantly updated
posted by jaymzjulian at 1:44 PM on April 3, 2023

Different price range ( cheaper) options would be from Motorola;
Moto g stylus 5G or Moto g 5G

Decent enough specs with good battery life
Won't get as many Android updates , but you could just get another phone if needed.
posted by yyz at 1:53 PM on April 3, 2023

The A-series Pixels are great. They don't have the giant screens of the Pixel Pro series, if "giant" as opposed to "large" is important to you (Pro series are generally 6.7 in screens, A series are generally 6.1), but you could do a lot worse than waiting for the 7A. Google usually announces its new phones (at least the A series) at I/O, which this year is on May 10; last year's 6A was available for preorder the day after I/O and released in mid-July. If you can wait that long it would be worth it.
posted by pdb at 4:01 PM on April 3, 2023

One thing to keep in mind with manufacturer support commitments is that they're committing a number of years from time of release, not time of purchase. Don't expect to get a full 5 years of support from a phone launched a year or two ago.

I had similar requirements and ultimately went with a Google Pixel 7. Samsung's Galaxy S23 range would likely do you just fine and since they're newer you'll get a bit more supported life out of them, but I don't care for their flavor of Android and accompanying bloatware and they often lag behind Google in providing updates. They also tend to be more expensive than Google's offering for no particularly good reason that I can perceive. Both manufacturers commit to a total of 5 years of update support with roughly 3-4 years of mainstream updates.

I would not bother with other manufacturers if support lifetime is a primary concern; the only other manufacturers that come close is OnePlus with 3 years mainstream + 1 year security updates, and Motorola with 2 years mainstream + 2 years security updates.
posted by Aleyn at 7:16 PM on April 3, 2023

My Pixel 7 has been amazing. The photos are top notch, battery lasts me a whole day of heavy use, and it's way more one hand usable than my Moto G Power was.
posted by token-ring at 7:17 PM on April 3, 2023

Samsung phones come in an array of sizes. I think a trip to a store is in order. There is nothing like holding the thing in your hand.
posted by SemiSalt at 4:53 AM on April 4, 2023

I would avoid Google hardware at any costs if I were you, especially if you're a traveller. I discovered to my dismay that their warranty only applies in the country in which the device was purchased. Bought a Google laptop in America and had issues when travelling in Canada? Tough luck, they won't help you.

This happened to me twice with their hardware before I said, "Never again." (I've had 3 of their laptops and 2 of their phones and all but one needed service.)

I can't say how Samsung's service compares, as I've had 10 of their phones and, with the exception of a recall on the Note 7 (even though mine exhibited no issues), have never had a single problem.
posted by dobbs at 11:51 AM on April 4, 2023

I've been loyal to the Google Pixel since before it was called the Pixel... so I recommend the Pixel. I've been very happy with my phones, and unlike doobs above have never had an issue. You can probably get a good deal on a 6 right now.

One thing to recognize about the A series, they don't have wireless charging (though I think the 7a will finally have that capability). I prefer not to plug my phone in, so the A series has never appealed to me.
posted by yggdrasil at 1:20 PM on April 5, 2023