In this piece, we will take a look at the 21 best Android phones to buy for 2023. For more Android phones, head on over to 5 Best Android Phones to Buy for 2023.
Smartphones are the bedrock of modern day technology as they have proven to be one of the most, if not the most, consequential products of the past two decades. In fact, no one would have thought that the entire Internet would be in the palm of a user's hand even at the turn of the current century. Yet today we have billions of devices that have been shipped all over the world by a variety of firms to a multitude of users with different usage requirements.
In the smartphone industry, there are two device categories in terms of software. One of these is iOS devices, which are made and sold by Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and the other is Android smartphones. iOS is available only for Apple's smartphones, since the Cupertino, California technology giant is known for keeping tight control of its gadget ecosystem due to its belief that user experience can only be maximized by designing the hardware and software together. On the other hand, Android is developed by Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), which allows the operating system to run on any device provided the manufacturer agrees to place the YouTube, Play Store and other applications on the gadget - to provide Google with a steady source of revenue not only through licensing its software but also by driving user engagement to its platform.
In terms of market size, Android is vastly bigger simply due to the fact that countless manufacturers are able to use the software on their devices. According to Google, there were a whopping 3 billion+ active Android devices in the world as of May 2022, out of which one billion were added in the previous year alone. According to Apple, there were a little over 2 billion active Apple devices as of December 2022, with the tally also counting other gadgets such as Macs and Apple Watches.
Taking a broader look at both the markets in the smartphone world, a recent research report from Counterpoint Intelligence outlines that global smartphone sales dropped by 14% annually as of last year's December quarter. However, iOS weathered this storm better, as Apple's devices dropped by 12% annually while the Android gadgets saw sales slow down by 16% annually. This lackluster performance in the smartphone market came at a time when both developed and developing economies are facing a historic inflationary storm fueled by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and generous fiscal largesse in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to Counterpoint, Apple's overall smartphone market share touched a record high in Q4 2022, as it was aided by the fact that the firm only sells premium smartphones. Users that buy such devices generally have stronger purchasing power than the wider population, and their resilience enabled Apple to maintain its bearing in a turbulent economy. Despite this, Android was still the market leader as it commanded a strong 76% of the total market, with iOS coming in at second place by holding a 22% market share.
In terms of monetary value, the global smartphone market is one of the most valuable industries in the world. According to a research report from Verified Market Research, the global smartphone market was worth $823 billion in 2021 and it will grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.4% between 2023 to 2023 and sit at an estimated $2 trillion by the end of the forecast period. If you think that's high, then keep in mind that Apple's smartphone sales for only the three months that ended in December 2022 were worth $66 billion, and the firm had sold $205 billion worth of iPhones during its fiscal year that ended in September 2022. By making some assumptions of our own, we can estimate that the 22% market share quoted from Counterpoint above would value the smartphone market at $903 billion last year. Of course, this back of the envelope estimate has the caveat of assuming that all iOS gadgets in operation are the newer iPhones which command a premium price as opposed to older devices which are quite cheap.
Shifting gears to look at the smartphone market in terms of units shipped, a report from Infiniti Research Limited believes that the smartphone market will add 226 million units between 2022 and 2027 to mark a 3.44% CAGR. On the topic of units, the industry is now recovering from the supply chain shocks of the coronavirus pandemic, with Apple's chief executive officer Mr. Tim Cook sharing during the firm's recent earnings call that:
On a constant currency basis, we grew year-over-year and would have grown in the vast majority of the markets we track. The second factor, which we described in a November 6 update was COVID-19-related challenges, which significantly impacted the supply of iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max and lasted through most of December. Because of these constraints, we had significantly less iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max supply than we planned, causing ship times to extend far beyond what we had anticipated. As we always have every step of the way throughout the pandemic, we continued to prioritize people and worked with our suppliers to ensure the health and safety of every worker. Production is now back where we want it to be. The third factor was a challenging macroeconomic environment as the world continues to face unprecedented circumstances, from inflation to war in Eastern Europe, to the enduring impacts of the pandemic.
With this backdrop, let's take a look at some great Android smartphones to buy for 2023.
21 Best Android phones to buy for 2023
Leszek Kobusinski/Shutterstock.com
Our Methodology
To compile our list we consulted eleven different sources and rankings, including New York Times, Expert Reviews, Tech Advisor, PC Mag, Wired and CNET. Each time a gadget appeared on a list it was awarded a single point. The more the number of recommendations from the reliable sources we consulted, the better a device's ranking is on our list.
Best Android Phones to Buy for 2023
21. Motorola G Pure
Insider Monkey's Score: 1
Motorola G Pure is one of the older Android smartphones where today's fast upgrade cycles are concerned. It was launched in October 2021.
20. Motorola Moto G Power (2022)
Insider Monkey's Score: 1
Motorola Moto G Power (2022) is a 6.5 inch smartphone announced in November 2021 and released in February 2022. It runs on a 12 nanometer processor designed by MediaTek and comes with up to 128GB of storage.
19. Oppo Find X5 Pro
Insider Monkey's Score: 1
Oppo Find X5 Pro was announced in February last year and is powered by a 4 nanometer processor designed by QUALCOMM Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM). It has a 6.7 inch display and up to 512GB of storage.
18. Vivo X90 Pro+
Insider Monkey's Score: 1
Vivo X90 Pro+ is one of the latest Android smartphones in the market. It was released in December 2022 and runs on the Qualcomm SM8550-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 - a 4 nanometer chip.
17. Vivo X80 Pro
Insider Monkey's Score: 1
Vivo X80 Pro is the older variant of the X90 Pro and was launched in April 2022 and released a couple of days later. It has a 6.78 inch screen and runs on either Qualcomm's or MediaTek's processors.
16. Samsung Galaxy A53
Insider Monkey's Score: 1
Samsung Galaxy A53 is powered by the Exynos 1280 processor and is a medium range offering in Samsung Electronics' Galaxy smartphone lineup.
15. Samsung Galaxy S22+ 5G
Insider Monkey's Score: 1
Samsung Galaxy S22+ is a flagship smartphone that was released in February 2022. It is powered by 4 nanometer processors from Samsung and Qualcomm and has a 6.6 inch screen.
14. OnePlus 10T
Insider Monkey's Score: 1
OnePlus 10T is another flagship smartphone. It was announced in August 2022 and comes with a 6.7 inch display and up to 256GB of storage.
13. Motorola Edge 30
Insider Monkey's Score: 1
Motorola Edge 30 is a mid tier smartphone powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ 5G processor built on the 6 nanometer semiconductor manufacturing process.
12. Nokia C21 Plus
Insider Monkey's Score: 1
Nokia C21 Plus is a budget smartphone that is unique in the sense that it is powered by a UNISOC system on chip SoC. It was released in April 2022.
11. Xiaomi Redmi Note 11
Insider Monkey's Score: 11
Xiaomi Redmi Note 11 is a Chinese smartphone released in February 2022. It has a 6.4 inch screen and a 6 nanometer processor.
10. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4
Insider Monkey's Score: 2
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is one of the more unique smartphones out there since it has a foldable screen. It was released in August 2022.
9. Galaxy Z Flip 4
Insider Monkey's Score: 3
Galaxy Z Flip 4 is another unique smartphone, which combines a touchscreen with a flip design. It was released in August 2022.
8. Samsung Galaxy S23
Insider Monkey's Score: 4
The Samsung Galaxy S23 is the latest flagship smartphone in the world as it was launched in February 2023. It runs on the Qualcomm SM8550-AC Snapdragon 8 Gen 2.
7. Samsung Galaxy S23+
Insider Monkey's Score: 4
The Samsung Galaxy S23+ is the larger variant of the Galaxy S23+, with a 6.6 inch screen. It was launched in February 2023.
6. OnePlus 11
Insider Monkey's Score: 4
The OnePlus 11 is another latest flagship Android smartphone which was launched in January 2023. It is powered by the Qualcomm SM8550-AB Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 4 nanometer processor.
