Best Android phones of 2021: All Android phones are made but not all Android phones are built equal. Some Android phones are made to target gamers, some are made to target photo freaks and still there are other Android smartphones made for the average users.
So, in the various categories of Android smartphones, which is the best? Well, whatever categories you fall into, we’ve made this list of best Android Phones so far.
See Also: 6 Best Android Phones Under $300
If you’re interested in getting a 5G Android phone that’ll cost you less than £300, we also made this list of best 5G smartphones under £300.
Let’s get started with the best Android phones in each categories. We’ll start from the camera and go all the way to the best budget Android phones of 2021 so far.
The Best Android Phones of 2021
1. Best Camera: Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
The Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra is the best camera Android Phone of 2021 so far. It’s not the smartphone with the most camera features but it offers the best quality. It is equipped with a 50MP main sensor that can do lots of impressive things.
The camera of this device has Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and the Dual Pixel Pro feature which improved its auto focus speed and accuracy. It also has ISO Pro feature that helps it capture HDR+ photos instantly.
See Also: 5 Best Android Phones Under €500 in Europe
Still on the camera, this phone has a 48MP ultra-wide camera with 128 degree angle lens. It also has a 48MP telephoto lens that offers 5x optical zoom and 10x hybrid zoom. The rear cameras can record 8K videos which is really impressive.
Upfront, you get a 20MP selfie camera that can record 1080p videos and have steady video mode feature. The Snapdragon 888 chipset plays a key role in the quality of photos you get from this device.
Where to buy Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
| Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra | Price |
| Buy on eBay | £1,499 |
Runner Up: Google Pixel 5
If there is one phone that can give you quality photos at a very lower price is the Google Pixel 5. Although its chipset is not as powerful as that of the Mi 11 Ultra but its camera lens and photo quality is very close to what you get with the Mi 11 Ultra.
See Also: 5 Best Android Phones Under £300 in the UK
The 12.2MP main camera of the Pixel 5 is truly incredible. And if you can’t afford to buy the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra above, then the Pixel 5 is the best camera Android Phone you would buy at a cheaper price.
Where to buy Google Pixel 5
| Buy Pixel 5 | Price |
| Buy on BestBuy | $650 |
| Buy on eBay | £550 |
| Buy on Amazon UK | £739 |
| Amazon Germany | €800 |
2. Best Android Phone: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
If you’re looking for an all-around best Android Phone, then you should look the way of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. You might want to buy this phone not just because it’s one of Samsung’s premium smartphones but because it’s arguably the best Android phone of 2021.
See Also: Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra vs Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra: Comparison
From its display to its camera and battery, everything about this device just seem to be spot on. It has a 6.8-inch QHD+ display with 120Hz refresh rate. It’s powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset with 12GB of RAM and 128GB storage.
It is also the first Samsung Phone outside the Galaxy Note to support S-Pen. And it is accompanied by a 5,000mAh battery which can give you full day use – under heavy usage.
See Also: 5 Best Android Phones Under £500 in the UK
If you’re the photo type, then you will find all the cameras of this device very useful. You can even make use of the 100x zoom feature that comes with this device. So, when we said this phone is an all-around device, we meant it.
Where to buy Galaxy S21 Ultra
| Buy Galaxy S21 Ultra | Price |
| Buy on BestBuy | $1,199 |
| Buy on eBay | £1,199 |
| Buy on Amazon US | $999 |
| Buy on Amazon UK | £1,095 |
| Amazon Germany | €990 |
Runner up: Galaxy S21 Plus
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus is as good as the S21 Ultra and it’s cheaper. You get to enjoy same chipset, storage size, display quality and photo quality.
See Also: RealMe 8 5G Vs Samsung Galaxy A22 5G: Which should you buy
If you’re looking for a device to buy instead of the Galaxy S21 ultra, then you should look the way of the Galaxy S21 plus. It offers almost same value as the ultra-version at an affordable price. Note that the camera sensor is tuned down and the 100x zoom feature is reduce to 50x.
Where to buy Galaxy S21 Plus
| Buy Galaxy S21 Plus | Price |
| Buy on BestBuy | $999 |
| Buy on eBay | £899 |
| Buy on Amazon US | $800 |
| Buy on Amazon UK | £769 |
| Amazon Germany | €999 |
3. Best Value: OnePlus 9
It’s not very often you see a smartphone with premium flagship below $900. And somehow the OnePlus 9 manages to come with the top end Snapdragon 888 chipset and its price is about $800. This Android phone is the best value phone you can in 2021.
It has a 6.55-inch FHD+ Fluid AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10+ and peak brightness of 1100 nits. The display you get with this device is bright and the T-Mobile version of this device is water resistant (has IP68 rating).
There is a triple rear camera with 48MP omnidirectional main lens, a 50MP ultra-wide lens, and an impressive 2MP monochrome. OnePlus partnered with Hasselblad to fine tune the color of the photos you get with the cameras.
See Also: OPPO Reno6 Pro+ vs Xiaomi Poco F3: Full Comparison
This device can shoot 8k videos and its powered by a 4,500mAh battery with 65W fast charge and 15W wireless charge. All these specs along with Snapdragon 888 chipset and Adreno 660 GPU for less than $800.
Where to buy OnePlus 9
| Buy OnePlus 9 | Price |
| Buy on BestBuy | $650 |
| Buy on eBay | £640 |
| Buy on Amazon US | $688 |
| Buy on Amazon UK | £599 |
| Amazon Germany | €660 |
Runner up: Galaxy S20 FE
The Fan Edition of the Galalxy S20 is definitely a good runner up for this device. If you think getting a phone with the number one android chipset for less than $900 is insane then you should read below.
Galaxy S20 FE comes with the second best Android chipset – the Snapdragon 865 5G – and it’s priced below $700. To get this clear, the Snapdragon 865 is as powerful as the Snapdragon 888. Only, the Snapdragon 888 chipset come with newer CPU and GPU cores.
See Also: Samsung Galaxy A22 5G Price and Specs: CPU, GPU, Camera, and More
And to get you the right value, Samsung used flagship camera sensors in this phone. It has a 12MP main sensor, 8MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultra-wide camera.
It’s equipped with a 4,500mAh battery with 25W fast charge and 15W wireless charge. This phone also has IP68 rating – which means its water and dust proof – and it packed a 6.5-inch super AMOLED display with 120Hz, and HDR10+ features.
Where to buy Samsung Galaxy S20 FE
| Buy Galaxy S20 FE | Price |
| Buy on BestBuy | $700 |
| Buy on eBay | £299 |
| Buy on Amazon US | $580 |
| Buy on Amazon UK | £484 |
| Amazon Germany | €489 |
4. Best Affordable 5G: Google Pixel 4a 5G
Google is taking this category with the Pixel 4a 5G. The search engine giant surely spent their time making sure the bring a powerful 5G phone that has very affordable. And the Pixel 4a 5G is the best affordable 5G Android smartphone you can buy.
This because it uses a very good chipset from Qualcomm – the Snapdragon 765G 5G. Its display is 6.2-inc OLED panel with HDR features, always on display and protected by Gorilla glass 3.
See Also: OnePlus Nord CE 5G vs Google Pixel 4a 5G: Which should you buy
It has a 12.2MP main camera with a 16MP ultra-wide lens. The phone has OIS, can record 4K videos, and has gyro-EIS feature. The battery capacity is 3,885mAt with 18W fast charge. All these you get when you buy the Google Pixel 4a for just $500.
Where to buy Pixel 4a 5G
| Buy Pixel 4a 5G | Price |
| Buy on BestBuy | $600 |
| Buy on eBay | £450 |
| Buy on Amazon US | $509 |
| Buy on Amazon UK | £489 |
| Amazon Germany | €589 |
Runner Up: Galaxy A52 5G
Priced at same $500, the Samsung Galaxy A52 5G is arguably the second best 5G Android smartphone – considering the features and price.
It comes with Snapdragon 750G 5G chipset which is one generation behind the chipset used in the Pixel 4a above. This phone has 64MP main camera with OIS feature that can record 4K video.
See Also: OnePlus Nord CE 5G vs Samsung Galaxy A52 5G: Which is best for you
You also get a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, and 800 nits of peak brightness. It is also protected by Gorilla Glass 5 and it is rated IP67 – i.e. it is water and dust resistant.
A device with good chipset, good camera, good display, its water and dust resistant, it has 5G and cost $500 is a really good affordable 5G smartphone. The only reason why it’s not toping the Pixel 4a on this list is the chipset.
Where to buy Samsung Galaxy A52 5G
| Buy Galaxy A52 5G | Price |
| Buy on BestBuy | $450 |
| Buy on eBay | £525 |
5. Best Budget: Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro
Xiaomi is not only popular for making high end smartphones, the company is also very popular for making good smartphones at a very cheap price. Take the Redmi Note 10 Pro for example. This device is priced at about $300 and its way better than some devices that cost $500.
See Also: AT&T is offering 50% discount for the Galaxy Tab A7 lite
It uses the Snapdragon 732G chipset, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5, and its display is 6.67-inch AMOLED with 120Hz refresh rate, HDR10, and 1200 nits peak brightness.
In the camera segment you get a whooping 108MP sensor along with 8MP ultra-wide, 5MP macro, and 2MP depth sensor. You can also record 4K videos with the rear camera which has the Slow-Mo feature.
See Also: 5 Best Places Where You Can Safely buy a Used Cell Phone
And the battery is 5,020mAh with 33W fast charge. All these you get when you purchase this device for just $300. There is hardly any Android smartphone that can beat the value the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro brings to the table at such an affordable price.
Where to buy Redmi Note 10 Pro
| Buy Redmi Note 10 Pro | Price |
| Buy on Amazon US | $330 |
| Buy on eBay | £165 |
| Buy on Amazon UK | £259 |
| Amazon Germany | €280 |
Runner up: Google Pixel 4a
The Google Pixel 4a makes the runner up in this category. Its chipset is just a little that of the Redmi Note 10 Pro above. Pixel 4a uses a Snapdragon 730G chipset which is a generation behind the Snapdragon 732G chipset used in the Redmi Note 10 Pro.
See Also: List of Samsung Galaxy devices to receive Android 12 and One UI 4.0 Update
Google priced the Pixel 4a at $350 which makes it more expensive than the Redmi Note 10 Pro above. But it’s still a very good buy if you don’t want to spend much and if you’re not a Xiaomi fan.
Pixel 4a comes with 5.81-inch OLED display with HDR feature. It is protected Gorilla glass 3. It has a single 12MP main camera which is surprisingly good in every task you throw at it. The single camera can triple as ultra-wide, telephoto and your main camera.
Judging by the photo qualities of the Pixel 4a, you won’t even miss having other camera sensors when using this phone. You can record 4K videos with the camera and it also come with OIS and gyro-EIS feature.
It is powered by a 3,140mAh battery with 18W fast charge. And for just $350, you can own the Pixel 4a, an Android phone that is better than most expensive ones out there.
Where to buy Pixel 4a
| Buy Pixel 4a | Price |
| Buy on BestBuy | $300 |
| Buy on eBay | £430 |
| Buy on Amazon US | $420 |
| Buy on Amazon UK | £279 |
| Amazon Germany | €349 |
6. Best Gaming: Asus ROG Phone 5
If you’re looking for an Android Phone to play graphics intensive games, then you should look the way of the Asus ROG Phone 5. It has the latest Snapdragon 888 chipset with a massive 6,000mAh battery.
The cooling system and gaming triggers available is also very impressive. You also get to enjoy lots of customization features. Plus, you have lots of storage options with huge RAM – 8GB / 12GB / 16GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage.
Plus, if you also like taking photos once in a while, then the 64MP camera will be just okay for you. But as a true gamer, one of the best gaming phone to buy right now without regrets is the Asus ROG Phone 5.
Where to buy ROG Phone 5
| Buy ROG Phone 5 | Price |
| Buy on eBay | £850 |
| Buy on Amazon US | $870 |
| Buy on Amazon UK | £820 |
| Amazon Germany | €996 |
Notable Mentions
- Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Ultra
- OnePlus 9 Pro
- Vivo X60 Pro
- Sony Xperia 1 III
- Nokia 9 PureView
Note: This list compiled with price and value for money in each category. For example, there might be 5G smartphones that are more expensive than the one listed here, but does it offer better value for money?
So, this is the list of best android phones so far in 2021. Do you think there is a smartphone that didn’t make the list that deserves to be here? Please don’t hesitate to tell us by using the Contact Us page or via your comments below.
