Best Android Phones (2019): Budget, Mid-Range and Latest Models

So, you want to buy an Android phone, huh?

It is often said that one of the strengths of the Android ecosystem lies in the huge number of manufacturers producing devices, but it also means intimidating quantity of devices to choose. More than 400 Android devices were launched in 2018 and the idea of ​​buying a single device and living with it for years can be daunting. Add tons of different price, carrier compatibility and user preferences, and "Which Android phone should I buy?" can be a very complicated question.

We are here to review the absolutely crazy choices and indicate the phones that we think would be best for most people. These are the best Android phones that you can buy.

But first, let's talk about methodology and all that can go wrong when a company makes an Android phone. You can go directly to the recommendations here or via the table of contents.

Note: Ars Technica can earn compensation for sales from links on this post via affiliate programs.

Contents

Potential pitfalls of Android production

The biggest problem with buying an Android phone is to find something that gives the right package. Android devices are created through a traceability chain involving multiple companies. A good Android device relies on the good work of every company in the chain.

Different component manufacturers such as Qualcomm and Samsung manufacture the chips and the individual display panels. Google manufactures the Android operating system and many main applications. Phone manufacturers have everything set up: selection of case elements, design of the device's exterior, porting of Android on the hardware, application of various modifications to the version of the device. Google's Android and choice of the selection of packaged apps. Cellular operators can also participate in the process and can make other changes to the Android operating system or load more apps. There is also the problem of operating system updates, in that all members of the chain of custody must work together to create a new version of Android for each individual device. All links in the chain must commit to doing so throughout the life of the device, and they must be motivated to do so quickly.

If building an Android device seems like a good deal of cooks in a kitchen where a lot of problems can arise, you're absolutely right! Chances are against an Android producer making an effective product. From the buyers' point of view, choosing an Android device usually comes down to finding a balance between one compromise and another.

Finding high quality material is easy enough and quite obvious. You are looking for something with good specifications, the right materials and a design that you like, and you can get an idea of ​​all this from the datasheet and some pictures. A datasheet is, literally, a detailed list of hardware components provided by the manufacturer, and represents a ton of information about the hardware. In addition, although there are hundreds of Android device manufacturers, each of them buys its components from the same handful of component vendors. As for the internal components, the Android ecosystem is not as diversified as one might think. Prices, design and software are the areas where differentiation really differentiates.

Software

The software is harder to pin down because you usually need to have the device on hand to get details about how it works, unless you read one of our detailed reviews. The open source nature of Android means that phone manufacturers and phone operators have considerable control over the final software of their Android devices, resulting in great variability. Not all companies connect Android to their device with the same level of skill. Not all companies are working to optimize their Android version to make it run smoothly and consistently. All companies do not consider your interests when you want to create an Android version.

Some software problems arise from the simple fact that some companies do not want to build the best device possible. Instead, some manufacturers and operators use their software privileges to protect their business interests and increase their profit margins. Many Android devices are affected by "crapware", that is, unwanted preinstalled applications. Sometimes these apps come from a business associated with your phone. In this case, it can be essentially advertising for other products of the company. Other times, it is only slot machines for applications sold to the highest bidder, which increases profit margins. Sometimes these apps can be removed and sometimes not. Imagine that you are not a Facebook user, but that you still have the Facebook application permanently installed on your device, and you see the idea.

skins

Android skins are another problem. Google creates the basic Android operating system with a particular design. Google Apps applications, some of the most popular of the operating system, also have a suitable design. It offers design documents to third parties. As a result, many third-party applications also follow this design style. This means that, by default, Android, Google apps and third-party apps match or, at least, that everything is directed to a common set of UI rules.

Again, however, Android's main operating system is open source, and some device makers are taking advantage of it to dress up Android. Usually these appearances boil down to a new image of Android. Businesses change the appearance of the operating system to hide the fact that they use Android. However, manufacturers can only change the appearance of the main operating system and not the Google applications or third-party applications. This does not help users, but makes the user interface less consistent. But for companies that do not have enough confidence in their hardware, changing the operating system allows them to claim to play an important role in the software. I guess that makes executives somewhere better to trust Google.

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