The best smartphones
October 2024 update.
Life would be so much less fun without phones. Notebookcheck does its best to test as many Android phones and iPhones as possible every month. This article is a list of the best smartphones that we have personally reviewed over the last few months.Daniel Schmidt (translated by DeepL / Ninh Duy) Published 🇩🇪 🇹🇷 ...
With ever more powerful processors and graphics chips, high-quality cameras and increasing screen sizes, smartphones can perform a variety of daily tasks. Traditional communication is increasingly taking a back seat in high-end cell phones; what is needed is maximum performance for gaming, multitasking and AI, camera modules that make a conventional camera superfluous, colorful displays and the longest possible battery life.
Competition at the top of the charts is fierce, with often only a few percentage points separating the individual models. We list the best cell phones here, tested by us over the past few months. For detailed information on the individual phones, we recommend the linked smartphone tests. The following overviews may also be of interest:
The best phones reviewed by Notebookcheck (new v8 ranking system)
Image | Model / Review | Price | Weight | Drive | Display | Screen / Body |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max Apple A18 Pro ⎘ Apple A18 Pro GPU ⎘ 8 GB Memory, 256 GB NVMe | 227 g | 256 GB NVMe | 6.90" 2868x1320 458 PPI Super Retina XDR OLED | 92 % | ||
OnePlus 12 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ⎘ Qualcomm Adreno 750 ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB | 220 g | 512 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.82" 3168x1440 510 PPI AMOLED | 93.5 % | ||
Apple iPhone 16 Plus Apple A18 ⎘ Apple A18 GPU ⎘ 8 GB Memory, 128 GB NVMe | 199 g | 128 GB NVMe | 6.70" 2796x1290 460 PPI Super Retina XDR OLED | 88 % | ||
Honor Magic V3 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ⎘ Qualcomm Adreno 750 ⎘ 12 GB Memory, 512 GB | 226 g | 512 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 7.92" 2344x2156 402 PPI OLED | 89 % | ||
Sony Xperia 1 VI Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ⎘ Qualcomm Adreno 750 ⎘ 12 GB Memory, 256 GB | 192 g | 256 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.50" 2340x1080 396 PPI OLED | 87 % | ||
OnePlus 12R 5G Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 ⎘ Qualcomm Adreno 740 ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 256 GB | 207 g | 256 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.78" 2780x1264 450 PPI AMOLED | 94.2 % | ||
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 5G Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy ⎘ Qualcomm Adreno 750 ⎘ 12 GB Memory, 512 GB | 187 g | 512 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.70" 2640x1080 426 PPI Dynamic AMOLED 2X | 86 % | ||
Motorola Edge 50 Ultra Qualcomm Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 ⎘ Qualcomm Adreno 735 ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB | 197 g | 1 TB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.70" 2712x1220 444 PPI P-OLED | 93 % | ||
Xiaomi Poco F6 Pro Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 ⎘ Qualcomm Adreno 740 ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 1024 GB | 209 g | 1 TB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.67" 3200x1440 526 PPI AMOLED | 89 % | ||
Google Pixel 8a Google Tensor G3 ⎘ ARM Mali-G715 MP7 ⎘ 8 GB Memory, 128 GB | 188 g | 128 GB UFS 3.1 Flash | 6.10" 2400x1080 431 PPI AMOLED | 81.6 % |
Note: The switch to a new rating system took place in June 2024. In the new v8 rating, the criteria were adapted to current hardware developments, new points were added and individual measurement methods were changed. As a result, the v8 ratings are slightly lower than under v7. The new v8 rating is not directly comparable with previous versions. For this reason, we are listing two tables with the best devices according to v7 and v8 rating here for the time being. Further information on the new v8 rating can be found here.
The best phones reviewed by Notebookcheck (v7 ranking system)
Image | Model / Review | Price | Weight | Drive | Display | Screen / Body |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy ⎘ Qualcomm Adreno 750 ⎘ 12 GB Memory, 256 GB | 232 g | 256 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.80" 3120x1440 505 PPI Dynamic AMOLED 2X | 89 % | ||
Honor Magic6 Pro Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ⎘ Qualcomm Adreno 750 ⎘ 12 GB Memory, 512 GB | 229 g | 512 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.80" 2800x1280 453 PPI OLED | 92 % | ||
Samsung Galaxy S24+ Samsung Exynos 2400 ⎘ Samsung Xclipse 940 ⎘ 12 GB Memory, 512 GB | 196 g | 512 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.70" 3120x1440 513 PPI AMOLED | 92 % | ||
Xiaomi 14 Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ⎘ Qualcomm Adreno 750 ⎘ 12 GB Memory, 256 GB | 193 g | 256 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.36" 2670x1200 460 PPI OLED | 89 % | ||
Xiaomi 14 Ultra Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 ⎘ Qualcomm Adreno 750 ⎘ 16 GB Memory, 512 GB | 219.8 g | 512 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | 6.73" 3200x1440 521 PPI AMOLED | 90 % |
The table above shows an overview of the best smartphones tested by Notebookcheck in the last 12 months and relevant devices that are still available. More recent tests are ranked first if they have the same rating. The sales prices shown in the table and in the price comparison for the individual articles are automatically updated daily and may therefore vary!
Link: all tested devices in this class
Editorial comment
October 2024: All iPhone 16 models made the list.
1st place - Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra offers a 6.8-inch AMOLED display, which impresses with both a high pixel density and a high refresh rate. It is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy with 12 GB of RAM. There is a choice of 256, 512 or 1,024 GB of internal memory. Also on offer are dual SIM (and dual eSIM), IP68 certification, a large 5,000 mAh battery, UWB and an S Pen integrated into the casing.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra is a first-class smartphone, even though Samsung primarily focuses on fine-tuning.
Samsung not only provides many new AI functions, but also a full seven years of updates. The quad camera on the back offers very good imaging performance, but has only really been given a new look. I have to criticize Samsung for the calibration of the display, which is still really good, but it could be better in the high-end range. The SoC gets quite warm when under long workloads, impacting performance.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra can be purchased directly from the Samsung online store and is also available from all other major electronics retailers in addition to Amazon Germany.
2nd place - Apple iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max
The Apple iPhone 16 Pro and the iPhone 16 Pro Max are technically almost identical and only differ in terms of their display and battery size. Both are powered by the Apple A18 Pro which provides a lot of computing, AI and gaming power. The display is not only very bright, but also boasts accurate color reproduction. Thanks to LTPO technology, the refresh rate is dynamically adjusted up to 120 Hz.
The iPhone 16 Pro series offers a powerful overall package with only a few shortcomings.
The triple camera offers good to very good image quality with all lenses. In particular, the videography should be emphasized once again, which now also supports recordings in Ultra HD with up to 120 frames per second as well as Dolby Vision and is currently unsurpassed in its versatility.
The only points of criticism are the lack of support for 320 MHz Wi-Fi channel width and the absence of high-res audio codecs for Bluetooth.
3rd place - Honor Magic6 Pro
The Honor Magic6 Pro offers a 6.8-inch OLED display with a high pixel density and operates at up to 120 Hz. It can be as bright as 5,000 cd/m², but only for displaying Ultra HDR material. It is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 12 GB of RAM and has 512 GB of internal storage.
The Honor Magic6 Pro leaves little to be desired.
One highlight is the triple camera on the back, which has two 50 MPix sensors and a periscope zoom with 180 MPix. The 5,600 mAh silicon-carbon battery is not only comparatively large, but also allows for incredibly long battery life. The whole package is rounded off by a comprehensive range of features, including 3D face recognition. 6 GHz Wi-Fi 7 is one of the few things that are missing.
The phone can be ordered from Honor itself , Amazon Germany and MediaMarkt among other options.
4th place - Samsung Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24
The Samsung Galaxy S24+ is a step up from its compact sibling, the Galaxy S24 and is only slightly larger. However, there are other differences on the inside: the Galaxy S24 Plus has a larger OLED display with a higher resolution of WQHD+, the battery is larger, it has 4 GB more RAM and an ultra-wideband chip. European editions of both models are powered by a modern Exynos SoC, which, however, is not as efficient as the Snapdragon in the Ultra model.
The Samsung Galaxy S24+ offers a strong overall package with seven years of updates. The Galaxy S24 is more compact, but also has to make compromises in terms of features.
Both Galaxy smartphones boast IP68 certification, wireless charging, tri-band Wi-Fi, dual SIM (incl. eSIM), many new AI functions and an identical triple camera. Unfortunately, the latter has only received software improvements, but still takes good photos and benefits from the new Galaxy AI. However, it is a shame that neither supports Bluetooth 5.4 or Wi-Fi 7.
The S24 and S24+ can be purchased directly from Samsung's online store. Pretty much every major electronics retailer should have them in stock, too. Another option is notebooksbilliger.de.
5th place - Xiaomi 14
The Xiaomi 14 is the Chinese company's most compact high-end smartphone. It has a 6.36-inch OLED display with a high pixel density and a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. It is powered by a fast Snapdragon SoC and has 12 GB of RAM. There is a choice of 256 or 512 GB of memory. In addition to USB 3.2, IP68 certification, fast charging at up to 90 watts and eSIM support are also available.
The Xiaomi 14 is a powerhouse with a good Leica camera.
A highlight of the Xiaomi 14 is the triple camera, which was developed in cooperation with Leica. It not only offers three high-resolution sensors, but also good image quality and many setting options. Unfortunately, the second nano SIM can only be replaced by an eSIM; dual eSIM is not possible. UWB is also not available.
The Xiaomi 14 can be purchased directly from the manufacturer and is also available from Amazon and MediaMarkt, among other options.
6th place - OnePlus 12
The OnePlus 12 upholds OnePlus' reputation. The company that makes flagship killers delivered another really good smartphone this year. It is built around a 6.82-inch AMOLED display, a fast SoC from Qualcomm and a powerful camera setup with three high-resolution lenses. There is also plenty of memory, Wi-Fi 7, a 5,400 mAh battery, fast charging and an IR blaster on board.
The OnePlus 12 is a powerful camera flagship that is already available for less than 1,000 euros.
Although four years of updates is fine in itself, it is not much compared to the rest of the class. In addition, the OnePlus 12 is not waterproof with IP65 certification and the GNSS accuracy could be improved in the test.
The OnePlus 12 can be ordered from OnePlus as well as Amazon Germany and other companies.
7th place - Apple iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus
Just like its big brothers, the Apple iPhone 16 and the iPhone 16 Plus are technically identical in most respects and only differ in terms of display and battery size. The panels are bright and accurate, but only work with a refresh rate of 60 Hz, which means that iOS can sometimes be jerky.
The iPhone 16 models are great smartphones if the meagre 60 Hz refresh rate is not a knock-out criterion.
Although the dual camera has to make do without optical zoom, at least the 2x magnification works almost loss-free in everyday use thanks to the sensor crop. The limitations of the Pro models also apply here, and there is only USB 2.0 on board, which is quite a disappointment considering the price.
8th place - Honor Magic V3
The Honor Magic V3 is a super-thin foldable with a 7.92-inch main display and a 6.43-inch external display. It offers a fast Snapdragon, plenty of memory, is waterproof and is capable of fast charging. Compared to its predecessor, the camera has been significantly upgraded and now relies on a main sensor from Sony with 50 MPix. This is joined by a 40 MPix lens, which serves as an ultra-wide-angle and macro lens, as well as a periscope zoom with 50 MPix and optical image stabilization.
The Honor Magic V3 feels like a conventional smartphone, but has a large foldable display.
In the test, the Honor Magic V3 impressed with its bright and accurate displays, both of which even support pen input, as well as very good battery life. However, the foldable has neither 6 GHz WLAN nor UWB.
The Magic V3 can be had directly from Honor and is also available from MediaMarkt and Saturn, as well as in other stores.
9th place - Sony Xperia 1 VI
The Sony Xperia 1 VI does a few things differently to its predecessor and the competition. After the 21:9 displays of the past, Sony has now opted for a wider 19.5:9 format, but has significantly reduced the resolution with Full HD+. However, this benefits the battery life, which is extremely long.
The Xperia 1 VI does many things differently and this is precisely what makes it stand out.
The triple camera on the back has a new optical zoom, which can operate variably between 85 and 170 mm. Photos can also be taken in the classic 3:2 format, but unfortunately only with a slightly reduced resolution.
The Xperia 1 is also dust and waterproof again, has an audio jack and allows memory expansion using a microSD card. Sony has extended the update support, but still lags behind the high-end competition.
The Sony Xperia 1 VI can be ordered directly from Sony but is also available on Amazon Germany.
10th place - Xiaomi 14 Ultra
The LTPO AMOLED display of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is very accurate and is powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 with 16 GB of RAM. 512 GB are available for storing files. There are no other storage options or expansion via microSD; NFC, Bluetooth 5.4, Wi-Fi 7, USB 3.2 (Gen. 2) and an infrared transmitter are onboard however an ultra-wideband chip (UWB) is not included. All common cellular network standards are available, including 5G Sub6, as well as the option to add two nano SIM cards. However, Xiaomi clearly has something against eSIMs.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra presents itself as a great camera smartphone with influences from Leica.
The 14 Ultra focuses entirely on the cameras, which were developed in cooperation with Leica. The main camera can once again rely on four 50 MPix sensors and has been given the new 1-inch sensor from Sony, while the others are now all macro-capable. In general, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a really good imaging performance and shows only a few weaknesses.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is available from the Mi Store, notebooksbilliger.de and Amazon Germany.
The best phones: Overview
Measurements
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Adreno 750, SD 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, 256 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max A18 Pro GPU, A18 Pro, 256 GB NVMe | Honor Magic6 Pro Adreno 750, SD 8 Gen 3, 512 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | Samsung Galaxy S24+ Xclipse 940, Exynos 2400, 512 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | Xiaomi 14 Adreno 750, SD 8 Gen 3, 256 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | OnePlus 12 Adreno 750, SD 8 Gen 3, 512 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | Apple iPhone 16 Plus A18 GPU, A18, 128 GB NVMe | Honor Magic V3 Adreno 750, SD 8 Gen 3, 512 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | Sony Xperia 10 VI Adreno 710, SD 6 Gen 1, 128 GB UFS 2.2 Flash | Xiaomi 14 Ultra Adreno 750, SD 8 Gen 3, 512 GB UFS 4.0 Flash | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Response Times | ||||||||||
Response Time Grey 50% / Grey 80% * | 3.8 ? | 1.78 ? | 1.51 ? | 2.8 ? | 1.11 ? | 1.01 ? | 4 ? | 2.1 ? | 3.64 ? | 1.55 ? |
Response Time Black / White * | 1.41 ? | 1.03 ? | 1.28 ? | 1.12 ? | 1.54 ? | 11.6 ? | 2.9 ? | 1.25 ? | 3.14 ? | 1.26 ? |
PWM Frequency | 480 | 240 | 360 | 479 | 429 | 120 | 256 | 120 | 240 | 120 |
Screen | ||||||||||
Brightness middle | 1317 | 1055 | 1575 | 1358 | 1043 | 1026 | 1024 | 1019 | 1010 | 997 |
Brightness | 1365 | 1061 | 1508 | 1358 | 1052 | 991 | 1019 | 1032 | 1012 | 1002 |
Brightness Distribution | 94 | 93 | 89 | 92 | 96 | 91 | 98 | 95 | 97 | 96 |
Black Level * | ||||||||||
Colorchecker dE 2000 * | 3.4 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 3 | 1.1 | 1.19 | 1.05 | 1 | 1 | 1.6 |
Colorchecker dE 2000 max. * | 5 | 4.7 | 3.9 | 4.4 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 1.81 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 3.3 |
Greyscale dE 2000 * | 2.8 | 2.3 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.8 |
Gamma | 2 110% | 2.21 100% | 2.22 99% | 1.98 111% | 2.23 99% | 2.24 98% | 2.332 94% | 2.26 97% | 2.3 96% | 2.19 100% |
CCT | 6458 101% | 6625 98% | 6398 102% | 6656 98% | 6740 96% | 6920 94% | 6412 101% | 6473 100% | 6539 99% | 6493 100% |
Color Space (Percent of sRGB) | 99.5 | |||||||||
Heat | ||||||||||
Maximum Upper Side * | 44.1 | 40.1 | 48.2 | 49.5 | 44.2 | 48.4 | 46 | 48.5 | 46.2 | 44.2 |
Maximum Bottom * | 45.8 | 42 | 41.8 | 48.1 | 41.3 | 41.2 | 47.6 | 45 | 47.6 | 41.1 |
Idle Upper Side * | 26.6 | 27.7 | 30.1 | 25.6 | 27.4 | 26.2 | 26.2 | 26.7 | 26.2 | 27.3 |
Idle Bottom * | 26.3 | 26.6 | 29.1 | 25.5 | 27.1 | 25.6 | 26.6 | 26.1 | 24.7 | 26.4 |
Battery Runtime | ||||||||||
Reader / Idle | 2227 | 4226 | 3519 | 2926 | 1965 | 2668 | 1692 | 1983 | ||
H.264 | 1922 | 1990 | 2027 | 1674 | 1820 | 1657 | 1043 | 1055 | ||
WiFi v1.3 | 1148 | 1249 | 1548 | 1009 | 1092 | 1237 | 1144 | 830 | 1179 | 751 |
Load | 202 | 357 | 223 | 277 | 355 | 223 | 131 | |||
Power Consumption | ||||||||||
Idle Minimum * | 0.73 | 0.42 | 0.8 | 0.43 | 0.51 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 1.12 | 0.62 | 0.8 |
Idle Average * | 1.22 | 1.55 | 1.32 | 0.84 | 0.89 | 0.95 | 1 | 1.58 | 0.94 | 0.89 |
Idle Maximum * | 1.34 | 1.58 | 1.37 | 0.95 | 0.92 | 1.12 | 1.2 | 1.66 | 0.97 | 0.91 |
Load Average * | 16.52 | 3.41 | 11.62 | 6.76 | 9.08 | 10.55 | 9.5 | 5.9 | 3.36 | 8.99 |
Load Maximum * | 16.58 | 11.82 | 11.65 | 16.42 | 9.11 | 11.72 | 13.6 | 5.94 | 8.54 | 9.01 |
* ... smaller is better
Benchmark results
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 - T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max | |
Honor Magic6 Pro | |
Samsung Galaxy S24+ | |
Xiaomi 14 | |
OnePlus 12 | |
Apple iPhone 16 Plus | |
Honor Magic V3 | |
Sony Xperia 10 VI | |
Xiaomi 14 Ultra |
GFXBench 3.0 - on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max | |
Honor Magic6 Pro | |
Samsung Galaxy S24+ | |
Xiaomi 14 | |
OnePlus 12 | |
Apple iPhone 16 Plus | |
Honor Magic V3 | |
Sony Xperia 10 VI | |
Xiaomi 14 Ultra |
GFXBench 3.1 - on screen Manhattan ES 3.1 Onscreen (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max | |
Honor Magic6 Pro | |
Samsung Galaxy S24+ | |
Xiaomi 14 | |
OnePlus 12 | |
Apple iPhone 16 Plus | |
Honor Magic V3 | |
Sony Xperia 10 VI | |
Xiaomi 14 Ultra |
UL Procyon AI Inference for Android - Overall Score NNAPI (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra | |
Honor Magic6 Pro | |
Samsung Galaxy S24+ | |
Xiaomi 14 | |
OnePlus 12 | |
Honor Magic V3 | |
Sony Xperia 10 VI | |
Xiaomi 14 Ultra |