The best phone 2023: top smartphones in the US right now

The best phone needs to be a great communicator, an excellent camera, a fun gaming machine, and much more. It needs to have a battery that can last all day, and the ability to charge quickly to get you going without delay. It needs to be durable enough to withstand drops, even if it's not wearing a case, and a quick dunk in the sink shouldn't present a problem.

2023 has been a great year for foldable phones, with fascinating options from new and old companies alike. Of course, we've seen reliable updates from the usual suspects, too, including a titanium iPhone 15 Pro Max and a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra that literally shoots for the moon.

We've gotten our hands on just about every new phone in 2023, with the OnePlus Open marking the last flagship release of the year (incidentally, it replaces the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 as the best tablet foldable on this list). The Google Pixel 8 Pro is now available, too, and it replaces the Pixel 7 Pro on our list as the best Pixel phone. Google says it'll support the latest Pixels with a record-setting seven years of updates, which is a commitment we hope to see replicated by other mobile manufacturers in the future. 

In this guide, we've ranked the best phones money can buy in 2023. Our current favorite is the iPhone 15, a super fast phone that's as fun to use as it is to show off. We love Android phones just as much, and if you want a Google-powered device that can do just about everything, then the Galaxy S23 Ultra is still our best phone overall. 

If you don't find a model that takes your fancy, check out our brand-specific rankings instead. We’ve reviewed all the latest handsets, and detailed the best Samsung phones, best iPhones, and best Google Pixel phones elsewhere on TechRadar.

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