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What sets Android apart is the freedom of choice it offers. The best Android phones cater to every budget, so whether you’re spending AU$499 or AU$2,499 there’s a device that fits your needs. The trick is figuring out which features matter most to you.
Last year brought some incredible devices, and this year is already on track to be just as epic. We recently added the Google Pixel 10a to our list, and now the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra joins the ranks of the best Android phones in Australia. Keep reading to discover more about them and our other top picks for 2026.
The best Android phones you can buy today
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Best Android phone overall
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra cements Samsung's status as the top Android manufacturer by successfully bridging the gap between high-end hardware and futuristic software. Unlike its predecessors, which often focused on incremental spec bumps, this model introduces meaningful innovations like a thinner, significantly lighter chassis that makes the massive 6.9-inch device much more manageable. By weighing in at just 214 grams — notably lighter than the iPhone 17 Pro Max — Samsung has created a device that feels premium and refined, providing the most comfortable "Ultra" experience to date.
The centrepiece of the hardware experience is the new Privacy Display, a feature that single-handedly makes this the best choice for professionals and security-conscious users. By utilising a combination of dedicated narrow pixels and intelligent software, the screen can obscure sensitive information from shoulder surfers at the tap of a button or automatically for user-specified apps. While this technology does result in a slightly dimmer peak brightness and narrower viewing angles compared to the S25 Ultra, the trade-off is a level of utility and privacy that no other competitor currently offers.
Samsung is also leading the charge into the era of "agentic" AI, where the phone functions more like a personal assistant than a simple tool. Features like Now Brief and Now Nudge allow the S26 Ultra to anticipate a user’s needs based on the context of their messages, while upcoming Automated App Actions aim to perform complex tasks across apps via voice commands. When combined with the S Pen and the new Creative Studio AI tools — which can transform crude sketches into professional illustrations — the device offers a level of productivity and creative power that remains unmatched in the Android ecosystem.
On the photography front, the S26 Ultra continues to dominate through sheer versatility and improved low-light performance. By increasing the aperture on both the 200MP main sensor and the 50MP telephoto lens, Samsung has addressed previous criticisms regarding indoor and nighttime noise, producing significantly brighter and sharper images. The phone remains the industry leader for zoom photography, easily outclassing the iPhone and Pixel in long-range clarity. Furthermore, the new Horizon Lock feature for video is a game-changer for mobile creators, ensuring that footage remains perfectly level and stable regardless of how much the phone is tilted or shaken.
Despite its excellence, the S26 Ultra is not without its flaws, most notably a big camera bump that causes the phone to wobble significantly when placed flat. Additionally, power users may be disappointed by the lack of built-in Qi2 magnets for accessories and the decision to skip the next-generation silicon-carbon batteries found in some rivals. However, with a stellar battery life of over 16 hours and a software ecosystem that is now smarter than ever, these negatives are minor hurdles. For anyone willing to pay the starting price of AU$2,199, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is undeniably the most capable, innovative, and powerful Android phone you can buy today.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review
Best alternative Android phone
Google has loaded its flagship phones with an impressive lineup of AI features, headlined by the Pixel 10 Pro XL, which outshines the AI capabilities of Samsung's Galaxy S25 series. In fact, Google's AI claimed the top spot in our AI phone face-off, excelling in most head-to-head tests against other devices.
Building on previous generations, Google introduced the "Magic Cue," a localised assistant that brings up relevant info like delivery details, 2FA codes and calendar appointments right when you need them. Although it takes a bit of time to adapt, it could become a game-changing tool.
Additionally, the phone boasts a 100x Super Pro Res Zoom and the "Ask Photos" feature, letting you request specific edits for your pictures. Smaller but handy additions like Pixel Journal and Camera Coach also add extra value to the device.
If that's not enough, the Pixel 10 Pro XL also comes with major upgrades to its display and charging. In the Tom's Guide review, it set a new record for brightness with a peak output of 2,555 nits on its 6.8-inch Super Actua display. Charging is faster too, with 45W wired and 25W Qi2.2 wireless speeds, complete with built-in MagSafe-style magnets.
However, the phone does come at a higher price, as Google has dropped the 128GB storage option, making 256GB the new starting point.
Read our full Google Pixel 10 Pro XL review.
Best mid-range Android phone
At first glance, the Google Pixel 10a feels like a letdown compared to the Pixel 9a, with nearly identical hardware and only minor changes to speak of. The biggest disappointment is that Google decided not to include the Tensor G5 chipset found in the rest of the Pixel 10 lineup, sticking instead with the same G4 chip that that was introduced on the Pixel 9 range back in 2024.
That said, the Pixel 9a remains a fantastic deal, so it’s tough to be upset about the Pixel 10a's familiar feel — especially when it's launched at the same price as its predecessor. And if you look hard enough, you will find some meaningful new features.
It still packs the same 6.3-inch super-bright display, comes in at an affordable AU$849, and features a subtle redesign that tucks the camera bump completely inside the phone, leaving both the front and back perfectly flat with no hint of a bump in sight. Take note, Samsung.
One of the better features to carry over from the main Pixel 10 line is satellite SOS connectivity, making the Pixel 10a one of the more affordable devices that you can rely on in an emergency.
Of course, the decision to stick with G4 chipset does mean that the Pixel 10a misses out on some of the new AI features that were introduced with the regular Pixel 10. There are still plenty of AI features to be found, but it's missing many of the bigger stars like Magic Cue. Likewise, the cameras, flat as they may be, haven't changed compared to last year.
Sure, the Pixel 9a’s photography was (and still is) impressive, but a hardware upgrade would have been nice. On the bright side, its AI-powered Camera Coach and Auto Best Take features have carried over from the regular Pixel 10, which could help you take better shots.
Thankfully, battery life has improved significantly on the Pixel 10a, lasting almost two hours longer in our benchmark tests. It also charges faster now, with support for 30W wired charging (up from 23W) and 10W wireless charging (up from 7.5W). Regrettably, the Pixel 10a doesn't have any internal magnets, meaning it doesn't support the Pixelsnap feature that every other Pixel 10 device offers.
Read our Google Pixel 10a review
Best Samsung flagship for most people
The Galaxy S25 isn't Samsung's fanciest flagship — that would be the Galaxy S25 Ultra that leads these best Android phone rankings. Yet, by virtue of its lower price, more people are likely to purchase the AU$1,249 Galaxy S25 over the AU$1,849 Ultra. And I think when they do, they'll be quite pleased with the purchase — and not just because of that extra AU$600 they get to hold on to.
To be fair, not everyone's going to want to upgrade to the Galaxy S25. The phone's specs are too similar to the Galaxy S24 and even the Galaxy S23 to deliver noticeable performance upgrades, even with a much faster Snapdragon 8 Elite chip optimised for this particular model. The biggest gain from the Snapdragon silicon comes with the Galaxy S25's battery life. While this year's phone has the same size battery as the S24, it lasted around 2 hours longer on our battery test — a testament to the power efficiency of the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
People upgrading from older Samsung flagships will be more likely to appreciate those gains. But what you'll really like is the value — the same Galaxy AI features on the S25 Ultra are all accounted for on this much less expensive flagship. That includes advanced capabilities like cross-app actions that let you interact with multiple apps in one command and improvements to Circle to Search, our favourite addition to the Galaxy AI tools from last year.
The Galaxy S25 also takes better pictures, even with the same hardware specs as the last two entry-level Samsung flagships. That's likely because Samsung tweaked the ProVisual Engine on this year's models, resulting in truer colours and better performance in low-light.
Between the Galaxy AI capabilities, camera features and longer battery life, that's a lot of value packed into the Galaxy S25 before we even talk about its brighter screen. If you don't mind a compact 6.2-inch phone, this Samsung model is easiest on your budget of the new Galaxy flagships.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S25 review.
Most affordable Google flagship
The Pixel 10 represents a massive leap for Google's standard flagship, incorporating features typically limited to premium 'Pro' models. This value is immediately evident in the new 10.8MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom — a feature often excluded from non-Pro flagships (a small compromise was made, dropping the ultrawide camera to 13MP).
Beyond the hardware, the phone showcases Google's leadership in AI, introducing the new Pixel Journal and assistant tools like Magic Cue, alongside improvements to photo features such as Best Take and the new Ask Photos for quick, smart editing.
Under the hood, the 3nm Tensor G5 chip delivers a functional performance uplift, but more importantly, it helps extend battery life to 13 hours and 13 minutes — a healthy improvement from the previous model. The commitment is cemented by 7 years of guaranteed major Android and security updates, ensuring the Pixel 10 remains relevant and feature-rich for years to come.
Read our full Google Pixel 10 review.
Best flip-phone foldable
Samsung has upped its game to tackle the rising competition in foldable phones, particularly from Motorola, by introducing its best Galaxy Z Flip model yet. The improvements in the Galaxy Z Flip 7 have placed this phone back at the top for Android fans seeking foldable devices.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 shines with its bigger screens both inside and out, but the real highlight is its slimmer design and improved durability. The 6.9-inch main display still has a crease at the fold, but it’s less noticeable now, making for a better user experience.
Samsung's Galaxy AI is like a clever sidekick, packed with features optimised for folding phones. The Now Brief feature is just a swipe away on the 4.1-cover screen, and it's impressive how the Galaxy Z Flip 7's camera can now be shared with Gemini Live, letting the AI see what we're seeing — a trick that leaves other flip phones flipping out in envy.
The cameras remain unchanged in hardware, but the upgraded ProVisual Engine does deliver improved low-light photos based on our testing. If you already have a recent Flip, this upgrade might not be worth it since your current model's cameras aren't far off from what's offered here.
Similarly, we found the Exynos 2500 chipset powering the Z Flip 7 can't match the Snapdragon 8 Elite's performance on benchmark tests. But at least the silicon's power efficiency and a larger battery than before helped the Galaxy Z Flip 7 extend its result on our battery test past 12 hours, a big improvement from before.
You can save money by turning to the cheaper Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, but it lacks some of the more polished features of this model. The lighter, more compact design combined with more sophisticated features makes this the best flip phone out there.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 review.
Best Android phone design
We were certainly impressed by the 5.8mm thin Galaxy S25 Edge when it debuted earlier this spring. But the Galaxy Z Fold 7 takes things to an even greater extreme, opening up to reveal a 4.2mm profile. Even when its closed, that 8.9m thickness isn't that far off from what you'd expect from a more conventional phone.
This matters because up until now, opting for a book-style foldable meant the trade-off for a larger screen device was one that was bulky to tote around. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 removes that penalty, making for a more appealing mobile device — at least if you're not put off by the AU$2,899 starting price.
There's more than just a slender design to justify that lofty price, though. Samsung added a 200MP main camera and got rid of the under-display selfie cam for one that takes better shots. The end result is a more capable camera phone that produced some very detailed images in our testing. More impressive, Galaxy AI features take greater advantage of the phone's foldable design, as you can shift around AI summary boxes to anywhere on your display and you can compare generative AI edits side by side.
The high price of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 means this isn't a phone for everyone — that's why we think the Z Flip 7 is the better foldable phone for more Android users. But power users who want a big display that's not an even bigger hassle to carry around will like what they see from the newly evolved Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review.
How to choose the best Android phone for you
What are the best Android phones?
Here at Tom's Guide, we've taken the liberty of testing all of the major flagship Android phones in our quest to narrow down the best. Currently, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra stands out as the best Android device for most people, offering a sleek design, powerful performance, exceptional cameras, impressive AI features, and the convenience of a built-in S Pen.
The Pixel 9 Pro XL delivers the ultimate Google experience on an Android phone, no question about it. With its Tensor G4 chipset, it incorporates Google's latest advancements in AI and machine learning, making it the smartest Android device yet. However, it's noticeably pricier than its predecessor, the Pixel 8 Pro, so it's worth considering the pros and cons of each model before deciding to upgrade.
If you're looking for a flagship-level smartphone experience on a budget, the Pixel 9a is a fantastic choice. It shares many features with its larger sibling, including the powerful Tensor G4 chipset, making it hard to beat at around AU$849.
How to choose the best Android phone for you
When looking to purchase a new Android phone, the first thing you'll undoubtedly look at is price. As you move up to around the AU$749 mark, you'll start to find more compelling handsets, touting better processors, higher-grade materials and more camera lenses. Progress into the AU$999-and-up range, and the best phones offer flagship-caliber performance along with cutting-edge computational photography and special features.
The most premium Android phones offer foldable designs, though there's talk a new round of devices from Samsung could make foldables more mainstream — that is, make the prices more affordable.
How we test the best Android phones
How we test the best Android phones
Every smartphone Tom’s Guide evaluates is tested for several days in real-world use cases and benchmarked with a gamut of performance-measuring apps. In terms of performance, we used Geekbench 5 to measure overall speed and 3DMark Wild Life to measure graphics performance.
We also use our own video editing test in the Adobe Premiere Rush app to see how long it takes to transcode a clip, which we run on both Android phones and iPhone to compare performance. (This test is not always available for all phones we test due to app compatibility issues.)
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Geekbench 5 (single-core / multicore) | 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited (FPS) |
Galaxy S25 Ultra | 3031 / 9829 | 161.7 |
Pixel 10a | 1,694 / 4,501 | 58 |
Pixel 10 Pro XL | 2322 / 6286 | 81.03 |
Pixel 10 | 2345 / 6581 | 80.58 |
Galaxy S25 | 2916 / 9886 | 168 |
Galaxy Z Flip 7 | 2286 / 8079 | 114.6 |
Galaxy Z Fold 7 | 3052 / 9735 | 123.8 |
One of the most important tests we run is the Tom's Guide battery test. We run a web surfing test over 5G (or 4G if the phone doesn't have 5G support) at 150 nits of screen brightness until the battery gives out. In general, a phone that lasts 10 hours or more is good, and anything above 11 hours makes our list of the best phone battery life.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Battery life (Hrs:Mins) |
Galaxy S26 Ultra | 16:10 |
Pixel 10a | 15:16 |
Pixel 10 Pro XL | 14:20 |
Pixel 10 | 13:13 |
Galaxy S25 | 15:22 |
Galaxy Z Flip 7 | 12:24 |
Galaxy Z Fold 7 | 10:44 |
Last but not least, we take the best phones out in the field to take photos outdoors, indoors and at night in low light to see how they perform versus their closest competitors. We take shots of landscapes, food, portraits and more, and also allow you to be the judge with side-by-side comparisons in our reviews.
For more information, check out our how we test page for Tom's Guide.
