2024's top Verizon smartphones

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a beast of the mobile market, with the flagship device delivering in every department to make for stiff competition to both fellow Android brands and Apple, and while it might not be the latest Samsung device following the release of the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, the price difference does make it the best Samsung device at Verizon right now. It’s one of the best 5G phones on the market right now and builds on Samsung’s existing reputation of quality and innovation.

If you’re looking for a Verizon phone built for gaming, the S23 Ultra’s Galaxy-exclusive Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset means it can handle any game you throw at it and even tackle raytracing on the go. This device also features some of the best camera technology on the market, outperforming plenty of its competitors and even some highly-priced cameras. So, whether you’re an avid gamer, an amateur photographer, or perhaps even both, the S23 has everything you need. 

As we mentioned, the only real downside to the S23 Ultra is that it’s pricey, so it might not be the right investment for you right now. Don’t worry, we’ve got a great selection of other Verizon phones that might suit your price range better. You can also check out our guide to the best Samsung phones overall.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max is the latest and greatest smartphone from Apple, and Verizon has some great contract offers to put one in your hands. With a GPU capable of playing AAA games, fantastic cameras, and all the iOS software features that make Apple devices so desirable, there’s a reason that this device spurred its creator on to be the leading smartphone manufacturer in terms of sales in 2023.

Thanks to Apple replacing the stainless steel of iPhone Pro models gone by with a lighter titanium frame, the 15 Pro Max is markedly lighter than the 14 Series equivalent, making it a touch more comfortable to use. It’s also a great phone for gamers, whether you’re a fan of casual games like Candy Crush or more demanding mobile titles such as Honkai Star Rail, with the A17 Pro chipset powering performance that ranks among the best on the market.

The one fault we can find with the iPhone 15 Pro Max is that there isn’t really an improvement here over the battery life of its predecessor. While the battery is slightly bigger, you don’t feel that increase in day-to-day usage, so you might still find yourself having to carry around a power bank to make sure you don’t run out of juice. Outside of that, though, there’s not much to complain about regarding the Pro Max, except perhaps for the expensive price point.

Sure, this isn’t the latest Motorola model, but the 2022 cell phone continues to be the best one on offer at Verizon, being considerably cheaper than the latest flagship models from rival companies such as Samsung, Sony, Apple, and Google. The thing that really wins us over with this model, however, is the 144 Hz AMOLED screen, allowing for ultra-realistic graphics and an adaptive refresh rate to save on battery life.

It might not be ideal for some people that the Edge 2022 only runs Android 12, but it does have three years of OS support, which means that you get some good life out of your device before the competition leaves it in the dust. While this should be the case, it doesn’t look like Motorola has brought the Edge up to Android 13 as of yet, something it was meant to do almost a year ago – and we’re expecting Android 14 in shortly. We haven’t been able to independently verify this, but it doesn’t look like it’s supported yet.

If we move on to storage, the Edge 2022 is a good choice with 128GB, making it more than capable of running some of the more demanding mobile games, such as Genshin Impact and Honkai Stair Rail. With that in mind, casual games like Candy Crush take up little space, so you can get a lot out of that storage.

The good points had to come to an end at some point, and if you enjoy taking pictures, this could be what puts you off this device. Sadly, the Edge 2022’s camera leaves a lot to be desired, and it’s got a low splash and dust resistance rating at only IP52, so you’ll need to be extra careful to protect that beautiful screen from damage.

Still, this is a great option if you’re looking for a more affordable smartphone and your top priority is graphical fidelity. If you’re willing to look outside of Verizon’s offerings for a great Motorola phone, check out our best Motorola phones guide.

If you’re looking for a flagship Verizon phone, then the Google Pixel 7 Pro is the perfect blend of top-quality features and affordability. Sure, it’s still more expensive than a lot of smartphones, but you’re going to be hard pushed finding something with as high-quality a camera for a cheaper price. 

The Google Tensor G2 chipset is Google’s most powerful chip yet, featuring an in-built VPN and enough power to run any app or game you can think of, though it’s still a tad behind Apple and Qualcomm. It also falls slightly behind in terms of battery life, so if you prefer to not have to take a charger lead everywhere you go, it might be worth skipping passed this option. 

While the battery life isn’t great, the cameras on the Pixel 7 Pro are pretty impressive. They’re bolstered by the impressive suite of photo editing tools including photo unblur and magic eraser, making it easier for you to take perfect photos for your digital scrapbooks. If you’re considering a phone from the Pixel line, check out our guide to the best Google Pixel phones.

Foldable phones are all the rage in the modern smartphone market, and you’re not going to find one better than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4. The caveat to that is that this device is one of the more expensive you can carry around in your pocket, but it certainly isn’t just the fancy folding feature that you’re getting for that price.

The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is still a powerhouse of a chipset, with the differences to the Fold5’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 being minute – on paper at least. Both of the AMOLED screens have that near edge-to-edge display that Samsung is known for, and the cameras are still competitive despite not quite being flagship-level.

The main issue you might face with the Fold4 is that it’s quite tall, so it might not fit comfortably in your jeans pocket. Plus, it’s very expensive for a phone that doesn’t have a fully-optimized suite of apps. Foldable phones are still finding their place in the market, but if you fancy giving one a try, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is the model to choose.

If some of the options on this are a little out of your monthly price range, the Samsung Galaxy A23 is a solid option that keeps you in the smartphone game without breaking the bank. It has all the essentials, and some highlights too, including a great screen for the price point, and a battery life that comes close to two days of juice when fully charged.

While it might look unassuming, or perhaps even plain old dull to some, this piece of kit is worth its less than £10-a-month contract price just for build quality alone. Sure, it’s made of plastic, but it doesn’t feel fragile or cheap. That’s a big positive considering it’s difficult to find cases for this specific model, so you may have to make do with just a glass screen protector.

The Samsung Galaxy A23 does come with some caveats. The camera is distinctly average, with a clear gap in image quality between captures on this device and one of the higher-end Samsung options. It can also struggle with performance when playing some more modern games, or those that require more potent graphical processing, so don’t pick this up thinking it’s a stand-in for a portable gaming console.