2024's top 5G phones

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra tops our list of the best 5G phones by a fair distance. It’s stylish, features fantastic cameras, and is a smooth performer in terms of both day-to-day usage and gaming. Plus, it has some really useful AI features.

The main selling point here is the cameras, something only the Xiaomi 13 Pro can compete with. Clean shots, good back-end processing, and excellent zoom mean that this is the best way to get good snaps on the go.

Then there’s the performance. Thanks to the unique Snapdragon chip in the S24 line of Galaxy phones, the gaming performance is near-unbeatable. Unfortunately, achieving this level of fidelity means that the handset can get quite warm.

Beyond that, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is just a well-rounded, premium package. The build quality is excellent, the operating system is as good as it gets on Android, and the display is gorgeous. Combine this with solid battery life and the included stylus, and it’s hard to beat.

The only downsides come down to personal preference. You may prefer the design of another phone like the Xiaomi 13 Pro. You might prefer using an Apple device. But if not, this is the best way to go for a premium 5G smartphone.

If you want the best 5G iPhone there is today, you need the iPhone 15 Pro Max, especially as it’s a contender to be the best of the 5G phones out there. Boasting a high-refresh-rate screen, a dynamic island, ace cameras, and excellent performance, it’s the best Apple offers at the time of writing.

The main reason to dive in here is because it’s Apple. The integration of iOS with various accounts and other devices you may own is exceptional – no one does an ecosystem like Apple. If you have a Mac, iPad, Apple TV, AirPods, or HomePod, it’d be a bit odd to not own an iPhone.

What the hardware itself offers is also pretty exceptional. There’s a great set of cameras for taking snaps, and Apple’s photo processing is rock solid. Meanwhile, the battery life is decent (if you turn off the always-on display), and the display is a real step up versus previous generations.

Perhaps the biggest draw is the A17 Pro within, giving you excellent power for all your gaming needs, making it the best gaming iPhone, easily. Combine this with all the Apple Arcade games out there, and you’re flying.

The only issue here is also the main benefit: it’s Apple. If you don’t like iOS or want various compatibility and ease-of-use benefits, you might not want to go this way. If you need more details, check out our in-depth iPhone 15 Pro Max review.

Some of you might not be familiar with this brand, but the Xiaomi 13 Pro is a fantastic alternative to the biggest high-end flagships on the market, with a less hefty price tag. If you’re looking to steer clear of Samsung and Apple, this might be the one for you.

As always, these phones compete on the same things. The Xiaomi 13 Pro’s screen is excellent, it has really impressive battery life and fast charging, some of the best cameras we’ve seen on a smartphone, and the latest chip from Qualcomm. Sounds like all the other flagships out there, right?

Well, the big difference is design. The Xiaomi 13 Pro is a gorgeous slab of glass, with curved edges, a gargantuan camera bump, and an overall luxurious feel. It’s big, it’s bold, and it’s lovely. But it’s also a tad slippery.

Beyond design, there’s not much else that sets the phone apart. It performs admirably against the competitors in every single category bar one. And that one category is the operating system.

While you may not notice over a week, a year spent using the Xiaomi 13 Pro may highlight some operating system hiccups that will begin to irritate. Whether it’s the home screen stuttering or hard-to-find settings options, it’s still a bit fresh. It’s also improved loads over the years, so hopefully that won’t be the case forever.

Read our Xiaomi 13 Pro review.

The ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro is a phone that has mobile gaming in mind over all else. It features the X Capture and X Sense 2.0. X Capture systems that use AI to detect and record your best gaming moments so that you don’t have to worry about screen-capturing every second you play. This system is also optimized for some of our favorite games, like Genshin Impact and the most popular FPS titles.

With the ROG Phone 8 Pro, you can pick up the separate cooler attachment to keep the phone at a comfortable temperature while gaming, which also has dual triggers so you have a couple of extra buttons to utilize in a pinch. Outside of performance, it has a snazzy, ergonomic design with a mini, customizable LED display on the back.

The ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro does have a slightly lower battery life than its predecessor, but it makes up for this small gripe with its HyperCharge adapter that allows you to get a full charge in just 39 minutes, meaning you don’t have to be away from your game for too long.

Check out our ASUS ROG Phone 8 Pro Edition review for more.

If you’re looking for a budget pick from our list of the best 5G smartphones, here it is, the OnePlus Nord 2. With a dazzling 90Hz display, solid performance for the price point, and a generous battery life, it might not be as capable as the bigger names, but it’s not far off.

First off, performance. If you’re a gaming obsessive, you may notice some hitches, but the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 is mighty powerful. It can fly through day-to-day tasks with ease and game on the go without too much trouble in most cases. It’s ace.

Then there’s the lovely AMOLED screen, which at 90Hz may sound disappointing, but is good enough at this price range. Add to this a decent camera for snapping shots, alongside OnePlus’ ever-ace fast-charging, and it starts to feel close to a flagship.

The cost-saving comes in quite simple things, however. There’s no dust or water resistance rating, meaning a quick plunge in the bath could spell the end. Meanwhile, it doesn’t offer wireless charging, but that’s unlikely to matter to most people. Overall, it’s an excellently well-rounded handset, and its 5G capability is just an added bonus.

If the iPhone 15 Pro Max and other high-end devices are a little out of your budget, the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G is a great mid-range option. It might not have all the bells and whistles of the S23, but it’s incredibly impressive for its price range, beating out plenty of other mid-rangers in terms of battery life, display, and reliability.

With a 120Hz display, lovely build quality, and a shared design language with the big boys in the bunch, it definitely feels like a premium product. The battery is nice and big, the main camera is pretty ace for the price, and all around, for day-to-day tasks, this is more than enough.

Still, there are of course drawbacks to buying a phone at a third of the cost of a flagship. The chip inside is nowhere near the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 if you really want to push your phone – the A54 is enough for standard stuff, but don’t expect to max out the graphical settings or do some in-depth photo editing.

That’s the main drawback, mind you. The camera is good enough – nowhere near the low-light or zoom performance of the S23 Ultra, however – while the trusted Samsung software support is a boon against some of the smaller-scale competition. It’s a great deal.

Take a look at our Samsung Galaxy A54 review for more information.