Ryan Haines / Android Authority
2024 was a 12 months of blended successes for the highest smartphone trade gamers, however the gadgets we bought had been a few of the greatest we’ve ever seen. There have been notable comebacks, a continued and welcome pattern of maturation within the foldable area, a distinctly much less welcome pattern of guarantees of future AI options that didn’t actually stay as much as the hype, and a sure August launch that threw the Android Authority‘s common content material plans for a loop (thanks for that, Google!).
By way of all of it, we delivered extra unique studies and deep dives than we’ve ever shared in any calendar 12 months, and we’re not stopping any time quickly. However now isn’t the time to look ahead, it’s time to solid an eye fixed again as we crown our Editor’s Alternative smartphone of the 12 months 2024. Learn on for our prime 5!
How we selected our winner
Robert Triggs / Android Authority
Earlier than we get to our prime 5, right here’s how we selected them. Our Editor’s Alternative award for smartphone of the 12 months isn’t a mantle we bestow frivolously. The general winner and the runners-up are all telephones that transcend success on a spec sheet.
Over the previous 12 months, we’ve reviewed over 40 telephones. That course of included intensive testing in efficiency, battery, and charging benchmarks, in addition to subjective evaluation of images, {hardware} design, software program smarts, replace insurance policies, and far rather more. Our knowledgeable product testers spend numerous hours digging into what makes these gadgets tick, and whereas everybody has their very own favorites and preferences, relating to choosing the 12 months’s greatest, we deliver all of our senior editors and product testers collectively and replicate on our highest-reviewed telephones as a collective of specialists.
In 2024, we reviewed over 40 telephones. Our knowledgeable product testers spend numerous hours digging into what makes these gadgets tick.
The category of 2024 was made up of 20 telephones from 12 manufacturers from all around the globe. From there, every member of the jury assigned votes to their prime 5 picks, ranked from fifth to first. Fifth place earned a single level, fourth took two factors, and so forth, as much as a most of 5 factors for the highest decide. The cellphone that obtained essentially the most factors took residence the grand prize.
With all of the votes tallied, our winner took our most prestigious annual award in an absolute landslide…
Android Authority‘s Editor’s Alternative cellphone of the 12 months 2024
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
4 years on the prime for a Pixel, however we’ve by no means seen such a dominant win as this. With simply shy of double the quantity of votes as our runner-up, the Google Pixel 9 Professional takes the crown.
With the Professional-tier Pixel profitable in 2022 and 2023, this isn’t an enormous shock — we’re clearly massive Pixel followers right here. Nonetheless, what actually stands out this 12 months is the very fact the Pixel 9 Professional managed such a large factors hole regardless of the vote being break up for the primary time ever not between two Pixel flagships, however three.
But, as a lot as we nonetheless liked the bigger Pixel 9 Professional XL (gentle spoiler for later on this record), the newly shrunken Pixel 9 Professional was the one which left the most important impression. Whereas it wasn’t precisely a return to the Pixel 5-style small cellphone type issue, Google realized all the most effective classes from the iPhone Professional vary and delivered a reasonably-sized flagship (with a touch of iPhone inspiration to the general design), whereas nonetheless managing to squeeze in all the most effective of the collection — Gemini, Tensor, the images chops, the most intensive software program help assure within the enterprise, and extra.
So, congrats to Google and the Pixel 9 Professional, our Editor’s Alternative smartphone of the 12 months winner for 2024, and a cellphone that we instructed you was coming, however nonetheless managed to shock us when it did.
Google Pixel 9 Professional
Spectacular AI-powered options • Glorious construct high quality • Versatile, succesful cameras • Dependable replace dedication
All Professional, in a compact bundle.
The Google Pixel 9 Professional is the Pixel gadget many have been begging for for a very long time: Google’s perfect smartphone {hardware} and software program options, in a extra compact type issue. With similar dimensions to the common Pixel 9, it retains the identical nice specs because the a lot bigger XL mannequin, plus 16GB of RAM, as much as 1TB of inner storage, and the Tensor G4 chipset.
Runner-up
In the event you can guess on one factor to ship high quality throughout the board yearly, it’s Samsung’s Galaxy S Extremely collection. Lengthy gone are the times once we see something notably new from Android’s de facto ultra-flagship, however you’ll be able to’t knock it for consistency.
The Galaxy S24 Extremely might have dropped half a star from its perfect-scoring predecessor in our evaluation because of a $100 value hike that didn’t fairly really feel earned, and a few persistent digicam movement woes, however the sheer brilliance throughout the board was plain. Additions just like the then-bleeding-edge Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset and the brand-new titanium body joined the same old hallmarks of excellence we count on from Samsung’s prime canine. There was additionally the debut of Galaxy AI, which, whereas not fairly as mature as Google’s AI choices, has grown over time so as to add actual worth to the Galaxy expertise.
It didn’t come near snatching the highest spot, but it surely did comfortably safe the runner-up place. With Samsung’s iron grip on the smartphone trade beginning to slip a bit of, can the upcoming Galaxy S25 Extremely do one higher in 2025? We’ll have to attend and see.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely
Highly effective, versatile cameras • Glorious replace dedication • Good flat show
The perfect of the most effective within the S24 collection
Samsung’s true flagship gadget, the Galaxy S24 Extremely provides the perfect specs and options from any Galaxy cellphone up to now. Ai and digicam features are the secret, with a 200MP major digicam, 50MP 5x telephoto, 10MP 3x telephoto, and 12MP ultrawide shooters. Smaller show bezels, 2,600 nit show, 5,000 mAh battery, a complicated cooling vapor chamber, as much as 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage, and 12GB of RAM make for a robust cell computing system. The brand new ProVisual Engine provides AI-powered digicam instruments for picture and video seize.
Third place
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
Effectively… right here’s a first-ever in our yearly roundup.
Sure, we’re Android Authority, however you’ll be able to’t speak with any precise authority in regards to the gadgets and platform we dedicate ourselves to with out testing out and intimately figuring out what the competitors is as much as. And yep, it seems that the iPhone 16 Professional is a reasonably wonderful cellphone.
Whereas a few of its shine was dampened by the delayed rollout of Apple Intelligence (and its pretty underwhelming present state), the iPhone 16 Professional nonetheless stood out, very like the Pixel 9 Professional, as one other regular-sized flagship cellphone that refused to compromise. iOS 18 is best (and extra Android-y!) than ever, the Motion Button and total design blueprint are being copied by Android manufacturers for a motive, and the decreased actual property didn’t result in a lack of energy beneath the hood.
It didn’t do sufficient to persuade many people on the group {that a} everlasting change can be value it (myself included — no thanks), however the iPhone 16 Professional’s bronze medal is a reminder of how succesful Android’s largest rival continues to be.
Apple iPhone 16 Professional
Glorious {hardware} • Versatile cameras • Strong software program help
The perfect of the iPhone 16 collection, in a compact type issue.
The iPhone 16 Professional provides a smooth 6.3-inch show with ultra-slim bezels for a refined, fashionable design. It options an upgraded 48MP ultrawide digicam, 5x optical zoom on the telephoto lens, and a brand new touch-sensitive shutter button for a DSLR-like images expertise. Powered by a sooner chip optimized for AI, the iPhone 16 Professional delivers top-tier efficiency in hanging colours like gold titanium.
Fourth place
2024 was a banner 12 months for the Google Pixel line, with important features in market share and rising consciousness amongst smartphone customers beginning to show that the Huge G can lastly turn into an enormous participant within the {hardware} sector, too. The Google Pixel 9 Professional XL was the head of that promise — the Pixel collection’ greatest specs within the largest potential bundle.
As a lover of super-sized telephones, this was my private prime decide, and whereas the Pixel 9 Professional romped residence with the general victory, the XL-ent bigger mannequin may be pleased with its fourth place end.
Google Pixel 9 Professional XL
The perfect specs within the Pixel 9 collection • Attractive show • Seven years of software program updates
Pure XL-ence.
Google reserves its greatest {hardware} for the biggest gadget within the line. The Google Pixel 9 Professional XL provides a 6.8-inch show, the most important battery we have ever seen in a Pixel cellphone, and 37W wired charging. In any other case, the Pixel 9 Professional and the Pixel 9 Professional XL share nearly all different {hardware} and software program options, giving customers the choice between show sizes with prime {hardware}.
Fifth place
Okay, that’s not precisely truthful. The OnePlus Open deservedly took the runner-up spot in 2023, however there was no OnePlus foldable challenger in 2024 (aspect word: our top-ranked foldable was the Motorola Razr (2024), which got here in joint sixth alongside the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE). However the OnePlus 12 turns into the primary slab-style cellphone from the Android stalwart to crack the highest 5 in our end-of-year Editor’s Alternative record for the reason that OnePlus 7T manner again in 2019.
A Professional-grade cellphone with out Professional within the identify, the OnePlus 12 summoned a few of that old-school flagship killer spirit, providing ridiculous energy and speedy charging whereas undercutting a lot of its contemporaries on value.
OnePlus 12
Vivid, sharp show • Blistering-fast charging • Approachable value
The flagship killer returns.
The OnePlus 12 is a vital replace for the model that by no means settles. The cellphone provides the most recent and greatest expertise, together with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, 50W wi-fi and 80W wired charging, next-gen Hasselblad cameras, and extra.
That’s a wrap on our Editor’s Alternative cellphone of the 12 months award right here at Android Authority, however we’ve bought lots extra coming your manner in the course of the vacation season, together with another finish of 12 months roundups, in addition to options taking a peek at what’s arising within the cell world in 2025. We’re additionally already gearing as much as deliver you the absolute best protection from CES 2025 in January, whereas additionally persevering with to consider new and thrilling methods to deliver you the most effective evaluation, opinions, and reporting at Android Authority all through 2025 and past.
Till then, from our households to yours, we hope you all have a cheerful holidays!
