Well folks, you know what they say: great minds think alike. You’ve spent thelast two weeks voting on your favorite Android phone of the year, and just like 2022 before it, our Readers' Choice pick is going to the same phone that earned our own internal award. ThePixel 8 Prois your pick for the best smartphone of the year — sorry, Samsung fans. Better luck in 2024.
We saw more than 5,000 votes this year roll in, but no Android phone was able to compete with Google’s latest flagship, absolutely sweeping the competition with 37 percent of total respondents. Samsung’sGalaxy S23 Ultracame in second place, but at just 20 percent of the vote, it just wasn’t a particularly close challenge.
If you’ve used the Pixel 8 Pro, it’s easy to see why. Google has crafted one of its best smartphones yet this year — certainly the best of the Tensor era. It’s a device that improves on its predecessor in some really meaningful ways, combining a matte glass back and flat display withsevenyears of OS upgrade support. Basically, it comes closer than ever to competing with the best of Samsung’s hardware while finally outcompeting it in the software game.
It’s also one of the first phones toreallyfocus on AI, and not just in the Photos app. Sure, plenty of noise was made about Best Take, but this hardware is Google’s playground for all sorts of AI-based experiments moving forward, including Gemini Nano. I might not havewalked away particularly impressed with my earliest impressionsof the company’s new on-device LLM, but thepromisealone makes me excited for where this phone goes in the future.
Elsewhere in the poll, the smallerPixel 8,OnePlus Open, andGalaxy S23all picked up a handful of votes to close out the top five. I really think the Open would’ve seen more votes if that phone was a little more accessible — it’s my personal pick for best of the year. If OnePlus is listening, its next-gen foldable needs to get into physical stores. Its hardware is remarkable and its software remains unmatched for this sort of form factor. But the tech press at large singing its praises can only get it so far.
Meanwhile, in the comments,Samsung’s Galaxy S23+— the middle child of its 2023 lineup — and theXiaomi 13 Ultraboth received some attention. I’ll admit Xiaomi serves as something of a blind spot for me, thanks to their missing presence in the US, but I’ve spent nearly a full calendar year being jealous of its camera prowess. I can’t blame those with easy access to the device for picking it over recycled ideas from Google and Samsung.
I’m curious to see if Google’s winning streak can continue from here, but the smart money’s on yes. We’re not too far from the unveiling of theGalaxy S24 lineupthough, so if you were rooting for Samsung’s latest flagship to take the top spot, rest assured you’ll see the company’s vision for the future of Android well before Google takes the stage for another announcement.
Google Pixel 8 Pro
The Google Pixel 8 Pro is still a good deal in 2025, with plenty of software support and a premium flagship experience. The Tensor G3 is powerful enough for most tasks, and you’ll enjoy plenty of Pixel extras on Android 15. If you’re in the market for a Pixel but don’t want to pay flagship prices, the Pixel 8 Pro is worth a look.
