The Best Phones – Pocket Geek Tech Repair

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Best phone overall

Samsung’s new Galaxy S23 Ultra is undeniably the most complete smartphone you can buy right now. It’s built with a large 6.8-inch AMOLED display that produces vibrant visuals both in the brightest and dimmest environments, a reliable 5,000mAh battery, four cameras at the rear to help you capture a variety of shots, and an overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset.

That last bit is especially important given how much more powerful yet efficient the new Ultra flagship is, even when compared to last year’s S22 series. In my Pocket Geek Perth review, I mentioned that “the mobile platform brings meaningful improvements to the Galaxy phone experience, while Samsung’s done its part to optimize the S23 Ultra with a larger vapor cooling chamber and more efficient back-end processing.

Together, you get a phone that’s powerful enough for any type of user, including mobile gamers.” For a smartphone that’s not made specifically for gaming, that’s as high praise as it gets, right?

The S23 Ultra proves just as much of its worth through unique specs and features, ones that truly matter to day-to-day usage. That includes the base storage of 256GB (versus the industry’s 128GB standard), the integrated S Pen that gives you enhanced precision and inputs, Samsung’s five-year commitment to security updates, and even Samsung DeX, its mobile-to-desktop service that turns your S23 Ultra into a full-on computer when connected to a monitor or TV.

iPhone 14 Pro Max

Best iPhone overall

The iPhone 14 Pro Max is part of Apple’s latest lineup of smartphones, and it continues to prove why the company dominates the mobile space. The 6.7-inch display uses Apple’s Super Retina XDR panel for bright colors, finer details, and enhanced contrast. It even supports 4K resolution for video playback as well as Dolby Vision for HDR. But perhaps the most intriguing visual feature is the new Dynamic Island, which transforms that notch of dead space on previous models into a notification hub.

“Despite its silly name, Dynamic Island is both functional and elegantly designed. And there are now subtle and useful new animations for a whole host of activities, from FaceID unlock to AirPods pairing to live sports scores.”

New sensors are also present on the Pro iPhone, allowing users to use Apple’s new crash detection feature, which automatically knows when you’ve been in a car accident or have fallen and contacts emergency services. The 14 Pro Max is also equipped with the new satellite SOS system, which allows you to call for help even if you don’t have LTE service.

Just as important is the upgraded battery, now giving you up to 29 hours of use on a full charge. And with fast charging, you can get up to 50 percent battery with just 35 minutes of charging; which is perfect for when you forgot to charge overnight and need to top up on your lunch break or during a work meeting.

Can’t decide between the Pro and Pro Max? You can read our full comparison to see what differences there are between the two models.

Google Pixel 7 Pro

Best Camera Phone

Months later, the Google Pixel 7 Pro still impresses with a camera array that features a 50MP main lens, a 48MP telephoto, and a 12MP ultrawide that shoots better low-light photography than ever before. Pocket Geek Perth test both the Pixel 7 and the Pixel 7 Pro back in October and found the latter the most impressive for its new 30x Super Res Zoom, suggesting that “Someone (Google) finally showed Samsung how these fancy zoo features are supposed to look.”

Like the year before’s Pixel 6 Pro, the latest Google flagship complements the improved camera hardware with its tried-and-tested computational chops, including Magic Eraser for on-the-fly content-aware fill, a new Macro Focus for enhanced zoom-in shots (up to 30x), and more.

That’s not to take away from the overall design and performance of the Pixel smartphone. The Pro model still features the now-iconic Pixel camera bump that beams from side to side, polished aluminum build quality, and a vivid 6.7-inch LTPO display that refreshes between 1 to 120Hz. The larger footprint also gives room for a beefy 5,000mAh battery that should keep the Pixel running for hours on end.

At $899, the Pixel 7 Pro undercuts its closest competitors, the iPhone 14 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Even then, you can expect snappy performance thanks to the Tensor G2 chip, with at least five years of consistent software and security updates.

Motorola Razr Plus

Best Flip-Style Foldable Phone

Flip phones have made a (somewhat) triumphant return, even if teenagers and young adults are opting for the dumber option of the two types. The Motorola Razr Plus marks the return of the old-school handset, or as I put it in my full review, “a return to form, modernizing a classic flip phone into one of today’s best foldables.”

With the new Razr Plus, Motorola has equipped the outer cover of the phone with a 3.6-inch display, something we’ve yet to see from its closest and biggest competitor, Samsung. That may change when Samsung releases its 2023 refresh of the Z Flip 4 during its upcoming Unpacked event, but for now, Motorola takes the dual-screen cake.

Besides doubling as a rear-camera viewfinder, the external display basically serves as a secondary, smaller phone. You’re able to run the same apps and services that you would on the inner 6.9-inch panel, including making phone calls, text messaging, watching TikToks, and playing games.

The foldable form factor of the Razr Plus ultimately lends itself to an improved camera experience. Since you’re able to flex the display at an upright angle, it’s both easier to get everyone in the frame for group photos, take selfies, and capture long-exposure shots that would typically require a tripod or mounting accessory.

And if you can’t decide between the Motorola Razr Plus and Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4? You can read our full comparison to help you decide which is the right folding phone for you.

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G

Best Budget Phone

Believe it or not, Samsung’s best-selling smartphone last year was not one of its S-series or foldable devices, rather it was the humble Galaxy A53 5G, which delivered an uncompromising phone experience with a smooth-scrolling screen, reliable battery, and up to five years of software support. The device was priced at just $449, undercutting its more premium competitors and heavy-handedly beating Apple’s own mid-range handset, the iPhone SE.

This year’s A54 5G ticks just as many boxes as its predecessor but with a series of subtle yet useful upgrades. For example, the display is still a large 6.4-inch panel that ramps up to 120Hz refresh rate, but now shines at 1,000 nits of brightness (from 800 nits), the battery size is still a healthy 5,000mAh capacity, and the unit is now powered by an Exynos 1380 chipset. That’s a minor bump from last year’s Exynos chip, but a bump nonetheless.

The Galaxy A54 also features an exterior design that’s more in line with Samsung’s S-series phones and a new camera system that’s headlined by a 50-megapixel main lens. From our testing, the photo results — both in daytime and nighttime — were evenly lit and sharpened just enough for you to share with others with confidence. Video capturing is capped at 4K, though the 128GB internal storage that can be expanded via MicroSD card should be ample enough for use.

OnePlus 11

Best Fast-Charging Phone

A slow-charging phone can be a real pain point, especially if you’re always on the go. That’s why the OnePlus 11 carves out its own best category, beating Apple, Google, and even Samsung when it comes to charging speed. The latest model comes with 100W SuperVooc fast charging or 80W in the US, which is still great.

For reference, the highest-end iPhone 14 Pro Max has a charging speed limit of 30W and Samsung’s just-released Galaxy S23 Ultra caps out at 45W. From Pocket Geek Perth testing and comparisons, both of those devices take a least an hour to go from 0% to 75% battery, falling noticeably short of the OnePlus 11’s numbers.

In less than 27 minutes, the OnePlus can go from empty to full. That charging speed, and the fact that OnePlus includes its proprietary charger in the box, put it a step above the rest.

The best part is that the rest of the phone is no slouch either; you’re getting a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, a 5,000mAh dual-cell battery, and a competitive triple-camera array that gets the job done. In total, OnePlus is charging you a starting rate of $699, which is just as good of a value pickup as the best budget smartphone on this list.