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The best iPhone keyboard apps in 2024

By admin March 29, 2024

The best iPhone keyboard apps in 2024, The iPhone’s default keyboard may not meet everyone’s needs. Its limited features may leave some users wanting more variety and flexibility, especially on larger devices like the iPhone 15 Pro Max or smaller models like the iPhone SE (2022).

We have conducted research and compiled a comprehensive list of the best third-party keyboards for iPhone, that can significantly enhance your texting experience. These keyboards offer a wide range of features and customization options, such as adjustable key size, swipe typing, themes, and easier access to emojis. Most of these keyboards are available for free, while some offer premium subscription options. Either way, you’ll easily be able to find a keyboard that suits your needs and preferences.

Microsoft SwiftKey AI Keyboard

Microsoft’s SwiftKey AI keyboard is a highly rated third-party keyboard that is favored by many people. The keyboard is powered by the company’s Copilot AI and is designed to learn your writing style. This allows it to recognize informal language, nicknames, and even your favorite emojis, which sets it apart from its competitors. The keyboard also offers various personalization options, including different themes, which enhance its appearance and appeal to the user.

DOWNLOAD SWIFTKEY

The best iPhone keyboard apps in 2024

Typewise Custom Keyboard

Typewise has a unique take on key shapes. The app keeps the QWERTY design but switches the traditional rectangle-shaped keys for hexagonal ones — which Typewise says creates more surface area so you can type more accurately. While there is a slight learning curve, Typewise includes a built-in game to practice typing. With swipe gestures, dark mode support, and autocorrect modification, this is a great alternative for those tired of the conventional iOS keyboard. Newer versions include automatic language detection, which switches the app between selected languages, an undo button, and text replacement for often-used phrases.

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Grammarly

The Grammarly iOS keyboard app offers sophisticated grammar review that goes beyond the usual spell check to provide advice on punctuation, spelling context, and misused words. It also helps you build your vocabulary and offers synonyms, which makes it an ideal app for students or business people. Grammarly also has emoji, a smart autocorrect feature, and allows you to build your own dictionary. You also get features that include swipe typing, home screen widgets, and focus filters that mute vibrations and sound effects.

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Facemoji AI Emoji Keyboard

The Facemoji Emoji Keyboard is a free tool that allows you to add a touch of personality to text messages and social media posts. With a wide range of emojis, fonts, and stickers available, you can easily create unique and engaging content for platforms like WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, Messenger, Facebook, Snapchat, and SMS. Whether you want to express your emotions through colorful emojis or add some flair to your text with stylish fonts, the Facemoji Emoji Keyboard has something for everyone.

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Phraseboard Keyboard

Phraseboard aims to take the pain out of the tedious job of typing the same responses and phrases repeatedly by allowing you to save them so you can select one of your prewritten answers to reply rapidly. You can create your own customized phrases and sort them by category. You can even quickly access the Phraseboard widget to create new phrases no matter what you’re doing with your iPhone. All your phrases sync with iCloud. The basic app costs $2, and subscriptions are available for some premium language and functionality features.

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Gboard – the Google Keyboard

Gboard is a keyboard from Google and includes everything you’d ever want within a single app. Whether you’re sending GIFs or emojis, searching Google for information, sending directions, or anything else, Gboard has you covered. With Gboard, you can search and send anything from Google, including information on nearby restaurants, videos, images, weather forecasts, news, sports scores — you name it. The app also offers Glide Typing, which allows you to type messages faster and more accurately.

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Fleksy- GIF, Web & Yelp Search

Fleksy offers users a fun and interactive way to type in their own style. You can customize your Fleksy keyboard with powerful extensions and more than 50 colorful themes. Some of the themes cost $1, but many are free. More than 800 emoji come with the app, and it also has its own built-in GIF search engine. The keyboard supports several languages: English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Italian, Portuguese, Turkish, Hebrew, and Dutch. It learns your typing habits as you go, enabling it to give you accurate predictions, which helps reduce typos.

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Fonts

Are you tired of sending your friends and family the same old boring messages? Spice things up with the Fonts keyboard app! You can customize your messages with a wide selection of fonts to fit your unique personality and style. Whether you’re feeling flirty, professional, or just plain silly, there’s a font for every mood. The Fonts keyboard works through iMessage, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, Clubhouse, TikTok, Telegram, Roblox, WhatsApp, Twitch, Discord, and more.

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Color Keyboard – Themes, Fonts

The king of keyboard customization is Color Keyboard. Sure, it gives you emoji and autocorrection and even allows you to tap and hold the space bar to move the cursor, but what really sets this keyboard apart is the option to change anything you want about the keyboard’s look. You can change the background using solid colors, gradients, textures, and even your own pictures.

You can also customize the buttons by changing the colors and borders, adding shadows, customizing the fonts, and changing the sounds. If your aim is customization, Color Keyboard takes things to the next level, but you have to subscribe to access everything, starting at $3 per week and rising for longer intervals and premium features.

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Bitmoji

Bitstrips

Bitmoji, a popular keyboard app, is ideal if you want to send an emoji that resembles you rather than using standard emoji or text. Bitmoji allows you to customize and send a personalized emoji, all from your keyboard. Use Bitmoji with any of your favorite chat apps, like iMessage or Snapchat. It’s never been easier to adapt a dynamic avatar with an ever-changing collection of stickers and moods. You’ll need your Facebook login information to sign into Bitmoji and initiate the avatar creation process.

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GIF Keyboard

Tenor

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a GIF can truly help get your point across. Get access to the massive library of animated and musical GIFs for free. From there, you can search for specific GIFs or use keywords to find animations that suit your mood. The GIF keyboard app is compatible with WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, Messenger, iMessage, and just about any other messaging app or social media site.

To send a GIF, press your finger on your chosen GIF and hold it down to browse options. Once you’ve found one, share its link, the GIF itself, or a video, or save the media to your photo library. You can also customize the tool to match your specifications and save your favorite GIFs using the keyboard.

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All Symbol Keyboard Fonts Aa

MelonSoup

For the visual among us, the All Symbol Keyboard is an exciting alternative to humdrum alphanumerics with all the custom fonts, symbols, fancy letters, special characters, and emoticons you could ever want — compatible with any app on your iPhone. It works with Instagram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, and many others. Whether you’re looking for high-impact symbols to enhance your keyboard, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter posts, or even your username, launch the app and start typing. Premium versions provide unlimited access to features like the All Symbol Keyboard (every single symbol) and Facemoji library, but there’s tons of free stuff to get you started.

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The best emoji keyboards for Android and iOS

Gone are the days when words were enough to fully express our thoughts and feelings. Emoji, a recently accepted form of pictographic communication that now serves as a kind of Esperanto for the internet age, plays a major role in interpersonal and international communications. Most major keyboards for both Android and iOS feature built-in support for emoji, but they are hardly front and center. If you’re looking for a keyboard to truly satisfy your emoji obsession, you may need a dedicated emoji keyboard to carry out the task of conveying your emotions visually via a text environment.

When you download a keyboard app in iOS, you must add it to your list of keyboards. To do this, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboards. Then, scroll to the Third-Party Keyboards section and choose the keyboard app. Then, tap on the keyboard app and toggle on Allow Full Access. For Android 10, you can install your new keyboard directly via the Google Play Store to your Android phone, if it is compatible with the app, and then launch and follow any directions it has.

Here are a few of our favorite third-party keyboard apps for iOS and Android.

Gboard

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Gboard is a highly functional keyboard from Google that concentrates on handy features like emoji search, GIFs, stickers, and glide typing. Best of all, it has the Google search app integrated into the keyboard — no more switching apps. Just search for anything from the weather to your neighborhood bodega and send, all from this nifty keyboard.

Emoji>

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Emoji> offers a ton of emoji characters you can use via the keyboard, and they’re split into different categories, making it easy to find the emoji you’re looking for. The keyboard also provides animated stickers and the ability to set up specific emoji as favorites, so you can access them at a moment’s notice without having to search for the ones you want. Updates include compatibility with iOS 14 and all of its attendant emoji, including smiling face with tear, disguised face, ninja, pinched fingers, heart and lungs, black cat, polar bear, seal, dodo sandal, bubble tea, and toothbrush. New emoji widgets are also on hand.

Microsoft Swiftkey

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Swiftkey is not an emoji keyboard per se, but it is the next best thing — an excellent keyboard that comes pre-loaded with hundreds of emoji for you to use. Swiftkey is already a great favorite because of its valuable predictive typing, which can also be applied to emoji. When you type a word or phrase, for example, the app suggests emoji that you can quickly use. The most recent versions include renaming the app to Microsoft Swiftkey, a new Messaging Center on the keyboard toolbar, haptic feedback, one-handed mode, 400 new languages, and new language layouts.

ai.type Keyboard Plus

As its name implies, ai.type was developed around artificial intelligence, aiming to assist people in typing quickly and accurately. It also allows you to personalize the keyboard to fit your individual needs, enabling you to adjust the keyboard’s layout, theme, and color scheme. This means you can set an emoji front and center and select from an extensive inventory of more than 1,000 characters.

Similar to many other keyboard applications, the keyboard can also propose emojis depending on what you type. The most current versions are compatible with the new Emoji 12.1 for 2020 and 517 new emoji. Around 23 new gender-neutral emoji icons have been added. Some of these include a gender-neutral firefighter, astronaut, a person in a wheelchair, and a judge. You’ll also have access to fun emoji objects like an otter, ringed planet, beverage box, and pinching hand.

Fleksy

Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you want to add a bit more fun and animation to your typing, Fleksy could be the keyboard that you’ve been looking for. Fleksy is compatible with a wide variety of extensions, letting you quickly add new features as necessary. Maybe the most remarkable thing about Fleksy is how simple it is to get to your emoji. You can browse through dozens of emoji in each section and change categories with a quick tap at the bottom of the keyboard.

Just like many keyboards, you can also establish a variety of attractive themes. Updated versions include features like Next Word Prediction, prepared in 28 languages, and Emoji Prediction so you can inspect the suggested emoji in regards to your conversation’s context.

Go Keyboard

Go Keyboard is a personalizable keyboard that permits you to put emoji, emoticons, stickers, and GIFs in noticeable areas. The app converts text into emoji and emoticons, and you can pick from over 1,000 emoji and stickers, plus over 10, 000 different themes. It supports over 60 other languages, too. If that’s not enough to impress you, you can also type with gestures and various fonts, as well as individualize your keyboard with your own personal photo theme. The Fancy Font feature gives you the opportunity to select your preferred keyboard font.

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Android

How to stop spam texts on iPhone and Android phones 2024

By admin February 23, 2024

How to stop spam texts on iPhone and Android phones 2024, Everyone from legitimate marketers to outright scammers wants to get your attention these days. With a mobile phone in nearly every pocket, many of these have turned to SMS text messages as a way to extend their reach. After all, it’s a fast means of communication that’s much more likely to be noticed than traditional email messages. Plus, there aren’t nearly as many spam filtering solutions available for dealing with text messages, making them ripe for abuse. Here, we explore your options for reducing spam, depending on your phone type.

Regardless of your smartphone platform of choice, the first rule of dealing with suspicious text messages is the same as for email: Don‘t interact with them in any way. Don’t reply to a spam text, even if it seems like there’s a valid “opt-out” option, as you’ll just be confirming your existence. And definitely don’t click on any links in a text, as some of these can lead to sites that will try to install malware on your phone. Contrary to popular belief, smartphones aren’t immune to such things. Instead, check out our guides below for ways in which you can deal with unwanted text messages.

Looking for tips on how to stop spam calls instead? See our guide on how to stop spam calls on iPhone and Android phones!

How to report spam texts on an iPhone

While it’s nearly impossible to avoid text message spam entirely, you can help cut down on it by reporting spam texts to your carrier and Apple. Thankfully, Apple has made this very easy to do in iOS 16 with a one-tap reporting feature. This can also be used to report the rare bit of text spam that comes through Apple’s iMessage service, but it’s best at helping you report SMS/MMS spam — as long as your carrier supports it. Here’s how to do this.

Step 1: Open the Messages app on your phone.

Step 2: Select a conversation that contains a spam text.

Step 3: Select the blue Report Junk link below the most recent message. As long as your carrier supports it, this should appear for any conversation for which the sender is not in your contact list, and to which you have not replied.

Step 4: Select Delete and Report Junk from the pop-up that appears at the bottom of your screen.

*Note that this does not automatically prevent future spam texts from this messager, but you can block the number manually. We’ll explain how to do that in the next section. *

How to stop spam texts on iPhone and Android phones 2024

How to block spam texts on an iPhone

You can block any number to prevent text messages from that number from getting through to your phone. Spam texts often come from a wide assortment of seemingly random numbers, so it probably isn’t worth your time to block every single one, but this can be handy if a large number of unwanted texts are coming in from the same number.

Step 1: Open the Messages app on your phone.

Step 2: Select a conversation that contains a spam text.

Step 3: Select the icon with the number at the top of the conversation.

Step 4: Select the Info button from the card that appears.

Step 5: Select Block this Caller at the bottom of the next screen. 

Step 6: From the pop-up that appears, select Block Contact to confirm.

This will block both texts and phone calls from the selected number — including FaceTime audio and video calls. Incoming cellular calls will be sent to voicemail, FaceTime calls will be ignored, and texts will be silently discarded. Note that texts coming in from a blocked number cannot be recovered even if you later unblock the number.

 You can view and manage your list of blocked contacts in the iPhone Settings app under Messages > Blocked Contacts.

How to filter spam messages on iPhone

You can automatically filter out messages from unknown senders — those not in your contacts list. Filtered messages will still appear in the Messages app, but they’ll be grouped into their own folder. You can also disable notifications for messages from unknown senders so they won’t disturb you or light up a badge on your Messages app icon. Here’s how to set this up:

Step 1: Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

Step 2: Scroll down and select Messages.

Step 3: Scroll down and find Filter Unknown Senders and select the switch to toggle it on.

Step 4: To also disable notifications for messages from unknown senders, scroll back up and select Notifications near the top of the Messages settings.

Step 5: Select Customize Notifications at the bottom.

Step 6: Toggle Unknown Senders off. Note that this setting only applies to notifications on your iPhone; you’ll need to turn it on separately on your iPad or Mac if you’re syncing your text messages to those devices.

Step 7: Once you’ve enabled the option to Filter Unknown Senders, a new Filters option will appear in the top-left corner of the conversation view in the Messages app. Selecting this will allow you to choose between viewing all messages or filtering the list by either known or unknown senders. There are also options here to filter by unread messages and view recently deleted conversations.

Step 8: Note that Apple considers any active conversation you’ve replied to as coming from a known sender, even if the number isn’t listed in your contacts. If you’ve replied to a spam text and want to revert that number to being treated as an unknown sender, you’ll need to permanently delete the conversation:  

1.In the Messages app, swipe to the left on the conversation you would like to delete and continue swiping until you feel some haptic feedback and see the red banner expand all the way across the screen.

2.Select Delete from the pop-up that appears.

3.Select Filters from the top-left corner.

4.Select Recently Deleted.

5.Choose the conversation you just deleted. A blue checkmark should appear on the left side to indicate it’s selected.

6.Select Delete from the bottom-left corner.

7.Choose Delete Message to confirm.

How to block spam texts on Android via Google Messages

Blocking spam texts on Android can be trickier since just about every handset maker has its own take on the operating system, which often includes its own app for handling text messages. Thankfully, the most popular smartphone makers have more recently standardized on Google Messages. Here’s how to block spam there:

Step 1: Open the Messages by Google app on your phone.

Step 2: Select your profile picture or initials in the top-right corner.

Step 3: Select Messages settings.

Step 4: Scroll down and select Spam protection.

Step 5: Select the toggle beside Enable spam protection to turn it on.

Messages that are identified as spam will go into a Spam & blocked folder that can be accessed from the three-line hamburger menu in the top-left corner of the Messages app (the one with three lines on top of each other).

How to report spam texts on Android

Unfortunately, enabling spam protection for the first time won’t scan your existing messages, meaning any messages you’ve already received will remain exactly where they are. However, you can manually report these as spam. Further, since Google’s algorithms aren’t perfect, some spam messages will slip through. Manual reporting will move these to the spam filter and help train your phone to better recognize similar patterns in the future. Here’s how to do this.

Step 1: Open a spam message in the Messages app on your phone.

Step 2: Select Report spam.

Step 3: Select the box beside Block to block the number permanently as well.

Step 4: Choose the Report spam button.

Step 5: Select the back arrow in the top-left corner to return to your message list. The reported conversation will no longer appear on the main list since it’s been moved to the “Spam & blocked” folder.

Step 6: You can also report a message as spam without opening it by long-selecting it in the Messages app and choosing the Block option from the three-dot menu in the top-right corner. This shows a pop-up box with the opposite behavior of the Report spam option; it blocks the message by default, with a separate checkbox to optionally report it as spam.

Other tools for stopping spam texts

Apple and Google both provide “hooks” in their messaging platforms that allow third-party apps to scan your incoming text messages to try to determine if they’re spam before passing them on to your phone. As a result, a number of developers have taken up the challenge of trying to build better anti-spam filtering than what Apple and Google’s messaging apps offer on their own.

These range from dedicated apps like Truecaller to more full-featured security suites like Malwarebytes for iPhone or Android.

If you opt for a third-party app, be sure to read the company’s privacy policies very carefully. By necessity, these apps need to scan your text messages to do their job, and that’s usually done by sending copies of the messages from your device to that company’s servers. Thankfully, Apple and Google offer some protections against this turning into a free-for-all on your messaging data, such as only allowing access to messages from unknown senders, but there are still privacy trade-offs with any of these apps, and some apps require that you expose more of your data, such as uploading your entire contact list to their servers.

How to identify a spam text

Traditional spam texts are usually pretty easy to spot, as they’re typically trying to sell you something. These are also fairly easy to ignore, but of course, the reporting and blocking options we explained above will help you filter out some of the noise.

Sadly, there’s a more insidious category of spam texts that fall more into the category of scams. These are most commonly used for phishing attacks designed to steal your passwords or make you give up other personal information. They’re often disguised as alerts from your bank or other financial institution, a government agency such as the IRS, or even just an online service like Amazon, Google, Facebook, or Apple’s iCloud. They can also appear in other forms such as job offers. Some of these phishing scams can even be used to install malware on your phone.

In every case, these messages should be considered highly suspect and treated with extreme caution. Do NOT click on any links in these messages, as they’ll usually just lead you to a fake website that looks just real enough to convince you to enter a password or credit card number to “confirm your identity.” If you’re worried one of your online accounts may be compromised, open a separate browser window and visit it directly by typing in the address rather than clicking on a link in an email or text message.

There’s another category of spam/scam texts that have been making the rounds in recent years that may seem much more innocuous on the surface. Rather than offering up links or alerts, these are incoming messages are phrased in such a way to make you think somebody simply sent a text to your number by mistake. They can begin with everything from a simple greeting to a message that looks like it’s following up on a referral or another conversation, such as the examples shown in the screenshots above about a “golfing party tomorrow” or “a pet dog for sale.”

These are almost never real texts. Instead, they’re designed to draw the recipient in to a conversation with a scammer as a form of “social engineering” attack. Many folks will be tempted to respond either out of curiosity or a genuine desire to be helpful by letting the person know they have the wrong number. The scammer will then try to engage you with some friendly banter that will ultimately lead to a request for some kind of help that will involve clicking a link they provide or sending them some money.

It’s usually easy to recognize these messages by the numbers they come from — folks in South Carolina or San Bernardino aren’t likely to be legitimately mistyping a Toronto number asking about a pet dog for sale or announcing a golfing party.

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The best phones to buy in 2024

By admin February 3, 2024

The best phones to buy in 2024, Fivu has tested just about every major smartphone released over the past year, including foldable Androids and the latest iPhone and Samsung Galaxy models. These are our picks for the best phones.

We’re in the early days of 2024, which means we’re at the start of another year of new phones expected from most of the big manufacturers. Samsung kicked off the year by unveiling its new Galaxy S24 line, the company’s first to build in generative AI features like real-time call translation.

Below, I’ve compiled the definitive list of top phones you can buy right now, based on over a year’s worth of hands-on testing. My pick for the best phone overall goes to Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra for its immersive and vibrant display, reliable battery life, and wealth of special features, including generative AI.

The best phones of 2024

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Best phone overall

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra specs: Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 | Display size: 6.8 inches | Storage options: Up to 1TB | Rear cameras: 200MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 50MP telephoto (5x), 10MP telephoto (3x) | Front camera: 12MP | Battery: 5,000mAh

Samsung’s newly-released Galaxy S24 line is the first to go all-in on AI, and the S24 Ultra is the most premium phone you can buy. The new Galaxy AI model embedded in the device brings a number of generative capabilities, including real-time phone call translations, the ability to circle an object on screen to perform an image-based Google search, AI-assisted photo editing and transcriptions, and a Chat Assist feature for figuring out how to phrase a message in different tones.

Like its predecessor the S23 Ultra, the S24 Ultra is built with a large 6.8-inch AMOLED display and a reliable 5,000mAh battery. Though the price has gone up to $1,299 ($100 more than the S23 Ultra), the phone’s upgrades make it well worth it: The S24 Ultra is made of a lightweight yet durable titanium frame, compared to last year’s aluminum, and features Corning’s new Gorilla Armor. It feels lighter in the hand, noticeably grippier, and more durable.

Under the hood, it includes an upgraded Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset for improved graphics and AI features, 12GB RAM (an increase from last year’s 8GB), and 2,600 nits of brightness — a big improvement over last year’s 1,750. The four-camera system also got an upgrade, with a 50MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom for higher-quality shots of distant objects, sharper images, and clearer shots in dimly-lit environments.

iPhone 15 Pro Max

Best iPhone overall

iPhone 15 Pro Max specs: Processor: A17 Pro | Display size: 6.7 inches | Storage options: Up to 1TB | Rear cameras: 48MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 12MP telephoto (2x), 12MP telephoto (5x) | Front camera: 12MP

The new iPhone 15 Pro Max offers everything a premium flagship smartphone should, including a brilliant 6.7-inch AMOLED display for all the media consumption — and mobile productivity, of course.

This year’s model also looks and feels different than any prior Pro Max devices, as it’s made of titanium instead of stainless steel and, therefore, significantly lighter in the hand. This makes the iPhone 15 Pro Max noticeably more comfortable to use.

Another major feature of the iPhone 15 Pro Max is the USB-C connector; particularly, one that supports faster charging and data transfers, the ability to charge other devices including the Apple Watch from your iPhone, and the ability to connect to an external 4K monitor. These benefits are game-changing for professional content creators.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max also features a new 5x zoom camera lens — the equivalent of a 120mm focal length on a mirrorless or DSLR camera. A new Action button lets you better customize shortcuts and easily open the apps you need, including firing up the camera with a press-and-hold. And the A17 Pro chip rounds out the year’s upgrades, offering improved graphical performance.

Apple is charging you more for this year’s iPhone 15 Pro Max, with a starting price that’s now been bumped up to $1,199. In turn, the device comes with a base storage of 256GB.

The best phones to buy in 2024

Google Pixel 8 Pro

Best camera phone

Google Pixel 8 Pro features: Processor: Google Tensor G3 | Display size: 6.7 inches | Storage options: 128GB/256GB/512GB/1TB | Rear cameras: 50MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 48MP telephoto | Front camera: 10.8MP

When it comes to camera performance, you really can’t go wrong with any of the flagship devices from the big three (Apple, Samsung, and Google). Depending on your preference for color temperature and feature set, you may lean towards one manufacturer over the other. But more often than not, it’s Google’s Pixel camera system that satisfies the most users, and the latest Pixel 8 Pro remains a champion both for instant capturing and post-processing.

This year’s model features a reliable triple lens setup, with a 50MP primary lens, a 48MP ultrawide that’s notably more capable at capturing macro and close-up photos, and a 48MP telephoto lens for far-distance shots. Should you want more granular control over the Pixel 8 Pro’s camera quality, there’s now a series of Pro controls that allow you to tweak settings like the exposure and shutter speed.

But real-time capturing is only half the battle with mobile photography; there’s also post-processing and how flexible devices are with editing and tweaking subjects around. To that regard, the Pixel 8 Pro may just have the most flexible and creative photo toolbox on the market, with AI features like Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, and Best Take that can turn any bad photo into a good one.

OnePlus Open

Best tablet-style foldable phone

OnePlus Open features: Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Display size: 6.3 inches and 7.8 inches | Storage options: 512GB | Rear cameras: 48MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 64MP telephoto| Front camera: 32MP (outer) and 20MP (inner)

The number of foldable phones on the market this year basically quintupled compared the 2022, thanks to the collective effort of just about every manufacturer, including Google with its Pixel Fold, Motorola with its Razr lineup, and OnePlus with the OnePlus Open. While Samsung has held the reins of the best foldable honor for years, I’m giving the top spot this year to the OnePlus Open.

Unlike its competitors, the OnePlus Open strikes the best balance of weight-to-size ratio. When folded, the phone is as light as an iPhone Pro Max, and when unfolded, it expands into a thin slate of visual goodness. OnePlus leverages the 7.8-inch display by offering some of the most intuitive multitasking features I’ve tested, headlined by “Open Canvas”. With it, you can open up to three apps at once, and as you tap into each one, the other one or two will tuck itself to the side, ready to reappear when needed.

The triple camera setup, while presented in a casing that sticks out more than I’d prefer, captures spectacular photos and videos, with an emphasis on blue and orangish hues that cinematographers and photography buffs know and love. By nature of the foldable form factor, the Open is also capable of taking hands-free selfies and group photos.

OnePlus got the fundamentals down pat with the Open, too, including 65W fast charging capabilities (with a charger in the box) that blow past Samsung and Google’s foldable standards, a base configuration of 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, and a crease-less inner display. The cherry on top for me is its $1,699 price tag, with OnePlus offering $200 off when you trade in any phone in any condition.

Motorola Razr Plus

Best flip-style foldable phone

Motorola Razr Plus features: Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 | Display size: 3.6 inches and 6.9 inches | Storage options: 256GB | Rear cameras: 12MP main, 13MP ultrawide | Front camera: 32MP

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. 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 same can be achieved with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, though you’d have to jump through a loophole or two.

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 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.

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G

Best budget phone

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G features: Processor: Exynos 1380 | Display size: 6.3 inches | Storage options: 128GB | Rear cameras: 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 5MP macro| Front camera: 32MP

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

OnePlus 11 features: Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Display size: 6.7 inches | Storage options: Up to 256GB | Rear cameras: 50MP main, 48MP ultrawide, 32MP telephoto| Front camera: 16MP

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 15 Pro Max has a charging speed limit of 30W and Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra caps out at 45W. From ZDNET’s 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.

Asus Zenfone 10

Best compact phone

Asus Zenfone 10 features: Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 | Display size: 5.9 inches | Storage options: Up to 512GB | Rear cameras: 50MP main, 13MP ultrawide | Front camera: 32MP

There’s no denying that, over the past five years, smartphones have become more and more unwieldy. Apple now offers Plus and Max-sized iPhones, Samsung has an “Ultra” beast, and even Google has a foldable that opens up to 7.6 inches. On the other end of the spectrum sits the Asus Zenfone 10, a device that deviates from the norm in favor of ergonomics and in-hand comfort, and the decision pays off.

Like last year’s Asus Zenfone 9, which I called “the iPhone Mini alternative for Android enthusiasts,” the newest model features a compact 5.9-inch AMOLED display, all the power you’d need in a modern-day phone thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, and two capable cameras on the rear.

The battery life on the Asus holds up surprisingly well, too, with my review unit recording nearly two days of usage before hitting 0%. Some smaller yet significant details to note include the 3.5mm headphone jack on top, a physical side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and a texturized back cover that looks and feels great in the hand.

What is the best phone?

Our pick for the best phone overall is the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. It features everything you could want from a smartphone including a large display, four cameras that can shoot 200MP photos and 8K video, up to 1TB of storage, a built-in S Pen for writing and drawing, and a 5,000mAh battery powering the system. Here’s how the S23 Ultra fares with the rest of our top picks.

Which phone is right for you?

Choosing a phone can be a daunting task. But having a list of your must-have features can go a long way toward narrowing down your options. If you’re a mobile professional or travel a lot for work, you’ll want to choose a phone that can provide you with at least a full day of use on a full battery as well as both LTE and Wi-Fi connectivity.

If you’re looking for your teen’s first smartphone, a budget-friendly and less feature-heavy option may be better to prevent overspending as well as misuse. And if you’re a content creator or other creative professional, you’ll want a phone with an excellent front and rear camera to capture photos and videos for your social media feed.

Choose this best phone…	If you want…
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra	A no-compromise smartphone that virtually any type of user can take advantage of. It’s the only 2024 smartphone with a built-in stylus.
iPhone 15 Pro Max	The best iPhone money can buy. It has a large screen, the longest-lasting battery out of all the models, and a toolbox of a camera system.
Google Pixel 8 Pro	A flagship camera experience at your fingertips. The Pixel 8 Pro differentiates itself with a slew of AI-powered camera tricks like Magic Editor and Best Take.
OnePlus Open	The best phone-to-tablet foldable that money can buy. And if you’re a power user, the multitasking and charging features especially will serve you well.
Motorola Razr Plus	A flip-style foldable that’s both compact and performant. With a large 3.6-inch external display and the market’s first dust-resistant build, this is the foldable to buy for most people.
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G	A more budget-friendly smartphone that doesn’t compromise on performance and battery life. The A54 5G is also eligible for up to five years of software and security updates, besting that of any phone of a similar price.
OnePlus 11	A phone that lasts long and charges from 0% to 100% in just 30 minutes. The OnePlus 11 is quietly good value, too, starting at $699.
Asus Zenfone 10	A compact phone that’s easy to pocket but doesn’t compromise on performance and specs. The Zenfone 10 is also competitively priced, starting at $699.

How did we choose these phones?

The process to make our phone selections includes real-world testing and researching about the phones for weeks, consulting with colleagues, industry experts, and analysts who also have hands-on experience with the smartphones, and then selecting the best from all of the available choices.

Ultimately, we weigh in the following aspects when curating this list:

Design: There’s only so much you can do with a slab design, but size differences, material choices, color options, and even the ability to bend a screen in half give shoppers enough diversity to have a preference. That’s why we have a recommendation for every form factor.
Performance: For many, smartphones are the center of our lives, which means the best ones are performant and can handle most, if not all, tasks you throw at them.
Camera: Arguably the most valuable feature of a smartphone; the consistency and reliability of a camera system can make or break the overall mobile experience. We test every device in broad daylight and in the darkest of nights when finalizing this list.
Battery: Every option in this guide should last you at least a day of moderate use. We also take into consideration what devices support fast charging and/or wireless charging.
Value: Price points are noted, but the most important thing with buying a phone is getting your money’s worth. With these picks, you can rest assured that you’re getting the best bang for your buck.

Which phone has the best camera?

It’s debatable between the iPhone 15 Pro Max, Google Pixel 8 Pro, and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. For long-distance shots, Samsung’s 200MP rear camera with 100x Space Zoom can capture subjects as far out as the moon. For point-and-shoot pictures and a rather simplified (but effective) camera experience, Google’s Pixel phones have always been at the top. If you’re a videographer at heart, then the iPhone 15 Pro, with Cinematic mode and Action mode, makes for an excellent tool to get the shots you need.

How long should a phone battery last?

The average phone battery gives you about 22 hours of use on a full charge, which is great for staying connected on your commutes, work flights, and at home in the evenings. But that’s just the average, actual use time varies by phone model and by what you’re using your phone for.

For example, the latest iPhone 15 Pro Max boasts a 29-hour battery life. But you’ll most certainly get less than that if you habitually scroll through social media or stream video and music. And the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 has just a nine-hour battery life, which is further reduced by streaming, social media, and making calls.

How much storage should my phone have?

Most smartphones have a base storage capacity of 128GB, which is plenty of space for average users to download apps and music, take photos, and shoot videos. However, if you’re a mobile or creative professional, you’ll need more space. Many smartphones have expanded storage options up to 512GB or even 1TB, and you can always sync your phone to your preferred cloud storage service to free up local storage space.

Which phones are also worth considering?

If you’re in the market for a new smartphone, there are tons of options out there. Whether you’re looking to upgrade or get your first smartphone, Apple, Samsung, and OnePlus have great choices:

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