Best Smartphones of 2027
Fourteen current phones across OnePlus, Apple, Samsung and Google, scored on performance, battery, camera, display and value using official specs and the consensus of the reviews we trust most.
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max Tested Sep 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Longest-lasting iPhone battery ever measured by Tom's Guide
- Same flagship A20 Pro chip and variable-aperture camera as the Pro
- Fastest charging yet on an iPhone
OnePlus 15 CPH2749 North America 512GB 16GB Infinite Black Tested Sep 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Largest-in-class battery with very fast charging
- Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 handles anything
- 165Hz display excels for gaming
Apple iPhone 18 Pro Tested Sep 2026 by Team RankingRight
- First 2nm chip in a smartphone, no throttling under load
- Variable-aperture camera adds real optical control
- 35% smaller Dynamic Island
OnePlus 13 CPH2655 North America 512GB 16GB Arctic Dawn Tested Sep 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Two-day battery life for most users
- Snapdragon 8 Elite matches pricier flagships on benchmarks
- Useful telephoto lens
OnePlus 11 5G CPH2451 North America 256GB 16GB Titan Black US Tested Sep 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Stellar, above-average battery life in independent testing
- Hasselblad-tuned camera performs well in low light
- Fast charging even without wireless charging
Apple iPhone 17 Tested Sep 2026 by Team RankingRight
- A19 chip delivers flagship-class performance
- Noticeably better low-light photos and selfies than the iPhone 16
- All-day battery life, improved over the prior generation
OnePlus 12 CPH2583 North America 512GB 16GB Flowy Emerald US Tested Sep 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Excellent all-round camera, strong in low light
- 80W wired + 50W wireless charging
- Flagship performance well below flagship price
OnePlus 13R CPH2647 North America 256GB 12GB Astral Trail Tested Sep 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, ages well
- Excellent battery and fast wired charging
- Bright, high-refresh display
OnePlus 15R CPH2771 North America 512GB 12GB Charcoal Black US Tested Sep 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Huge 7,400mAh battery, top of its class
- Best-rated water/dust resistance in the lineup
- Near-flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 performance
Google Pixel 10 Tested Sep 2026 by Team RankingRight
- 5x optical zoom on a non-Pro phone for the first time
- Comfortably lasts a full day of mixed use
- 7 years of promised software updates
OnePlus Open North America 512GB 16GB Emerald Dusk US Tested Sep 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Best foldable multitasking interface, per reviewers
- Bright displays inside and out with Ceramic Guard protection
- Cheaper than the Galaxy Z Fold 5 with comparable or better cameras
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Tested Sep 2026 by Team RankingRight
- New 50MP ultrawide is a real, measurable upgrade
- Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy handles multitasking smoothly
- Excellent display
OnePlus 12R CPH2611 North America 256GB 16GB Cool Blue US Tested Sep 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Same display tech as the pricier OnePlus 12
- Long battery life
- Genuinely flagship-level performance for a mid-range price
OnePlus Nord N30 5G Tested Sep 2026 by Team RankingRight
- 108MP main camera rare at this price
- Fastest charging in the US budget segment
- Headphone jack and microSD expansion
What separates the top picks on this page?
Two phones sit at the top with a 9.1: the Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max and the OnePlus 15 CPH2749 North America 512GB 16GB Infinite Black. Just behind them, the Apple iPhone 18 Pro scores 9. The rest of the list runs from 8.8 down to 8.4, so the gap between the leaders and the mid-pack is real but not huge.
Scoring weights explain a lot of the ordering. Performance and battery each carry 25 points, camera 20, display 15 and value 15. That means a phone can win on battery life and raw speed even if its camera is only average. The OnePlus 13 CPH2655 North America 512GB 16GB Arctic Dawn at 8.8 and the OnePlus 11 5G CPH2451 North America 256GB 16GB Titan Black US at 8.7 are close enough that the right pick depends on what you care about most.
What should you check before buying?
Start with storage and memory, because those are fixed for the life of the phone. Several models here come in 512GB with 16GB of RAM, including the OnePlus 15, the OnePlus 13 and the OnePlus 12 CPH2583 North America 512GB 16GB Flowy Emerald US. The OnePlus 13R CPH2647 North America 256GB 12GB Astral Trail and the OnePlus 11 5G step down to 256GB and 12GB or 16GB, which is fine for most people but tighter if you shoot a lot of video.
Then weigh the scoring criteria against your habits:
- Battery (25 points): the heaviest single factor after performance. If you are away from a charger all day, this matters more than a small camera upgrade.
- Performance (25 points): drives how the phone feels in three years, not just on day one.
- Camera (20 points): the differentiator between the 9.1 leaders and the 8.6 Apple iPhone 17.
- Display (15 points) and value (15 points): where the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 13R earn their places.
If you want the highest overall score
The Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max and the OnePlus 15 CPH2749 both score 9.1. Pick between them on platform preference and the 512GB/16GB configuration, not on the number.
If you want Apple without the largest model
The Apple iPhone 18 Pro scores 9, and the Apple iPhone 17 scores 8.6. The Pro is the closer match to the leaders.
If you want value from OnePlus
The OnePlus 13 CPH2655 at 8.8, the OnePlus 11 5G at 8.7, the OnePlus 12 at 8.6 and the OnePlus 13R at 8.4 cover a spread of storage and memory options. The 13R is the lowest score on the page, so check its 256GB and 12GB against how you actually use a phone before deciding.
For the top score, the Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max and the OnePlus 15 CPH2749 North America 512GB 16GB Infinite Black both sit at 9.1, so choose on platform and configuration. If you want Apple in a smaller body, the Apple iPhone 18 Pro at 9 is the closer match. For OnePlus value, the OnePlus 13 CPH2655 at 8.8 leads that group, with the OnePlus 13R CPH2647 at 8.4 as the entry point.
*Scores: Performance 25 · Battery 25 · Camera 20 · Display 15 · Value 15; score = Σ ÷ 10. Prices shown were checked on the date beside each and may change. Affiliate links are added only after a score is locked and can never change it. How we rank.