Not only do the best OnePlus phones rival the best Android phones for specs and features, but they also offer a hard-to-pin-down sense of style and exclusivity.
OnePlus flagships were historically positioned as more affordable alternatives to flashier devices from the likes of Apple and Samsung (read: they were among the best cheap phones), but in 2024, the best OnePlus phones are among the best phones in their respective categories (see the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus Open).
With eye-catching designs and unique Oxygen OS software to boot, the best OnePlus phones are absolutely worth considering, and in the below guide, we've rounded up our pick of the bunch.
Once you're set on a OnePlus phone, head over to our OnePlus promo codes page for a list of available discounts. Alternatively, check out our guides to the best phones and best iPhones to see what other phones are out there.
Best OnePlus phones 2024
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The best premium OnePlus phone
The OnePlus 12 is the best OnePlus phone money can buy. At $799.99 / £849 (around AU$1,215), it costs about the same as the Samsung Galaxy S24 and iPhone 16, and offers comparable (or better) specs in almost every department.
We called the OnePlus 12 "the coolest phone you can buy, if you dare" in our OnePlus 12 review, and for good reason. This 2024 flagship boasts a super-fast Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, a sizeable 5,400mAh battery, and an incredibly bright 6.8-inch OLED display, all of which is delivered in a stylish package that's reminiscent of curved-edge phones gone by (think the Samsung Galaxy S20).
When it comes to photography, the OnePlus 12 offers a set of Hasselblad-tuned cameras that excel in the selfie and portrait department – it's among the best camera phones for portraits – but if you're in the market for impressive zoom capabilities and extreme color accuracy, you're better off siding with the Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Samsung's Galaxy S24 devices also benefit from a suite of AI features that OnePlus just can't match yet, but the OnePlus 12 can, instead, be thought of as a no-nonsense alternative to its flashier, software-driven competition.
On top of those aforementioned specs, this phone charges phenomenally fast, its design is undeniably eye-catching, and perhaps best of all, OnePlus doesn't ask that you pay more for an Ultra or Pro version. If you can afford it, the OnePlus 12 is a worthy flagship choice, though bear in mind that the inevitably even better OnePlus 13 is due to launch globally in early 2025 (it's already launched in China).
Read our full OnePlus 12 review
The best value OnePlus phone
As good as the top-of-the-line OnePlus 12 is, its R-branded sibling, the OnePlus 12R, is an equally appealing choice if you value strong battery life over fancy camera tricks. It's significantly cheaper, too, making it the best-value OnePlus phone in 2024.
The OnePlus 12R sports an even larger battery than the already long-lasting OnePlus 12. In our testing, it registered around eight hours of screen-on time per charge, which is equivalent to two days of average use on a single charge. That's better battery life than you'll find on any other OnePlus phone, and better than even some of the best Android phones.
The OnePlus 12R does, of course, lose out on many of the OnePlus 12's best camera features – its more akin to the OnePlus 11 in terms of photography hardware – but the phone's 50MP main sensor is still impressively versatile.
Other positives include an outstanding 6.78-inch display, a highly capable Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, and OnePlus 12-equaling software, so if you're after a hard-working everyday phone with that signature OnePlus flavor, the OnePlus 12 is a great, cost-effective option.
Read our full OnePlus 12R review
The best budget OnePlus phone
The first thing to note about the OnePlus Nord 4 is that, like other Nord-branded OnePlus phones, it's not available globally. At the time of writing, this £429 mid-ranger is only available in the UK, so budget-conscious US readers should instead turn their attention to something like the OnePlus Nord N30 5G, which costs just $299.
We've chosen the OnePlus Nord 4 as the 'best budget OnePlus phone' because it's indisputably the best OnePlus phone under £500. For starters, it comes with a two-tone metal frame that's made even more durable by an IP65 dust and water resistance rating. No other phone on the market looks like the OnePlus Nord 4, in keeping with the brand's 'stand out from the crowd' design ethos.
The OnePlus Nord 4 is a capable device under the hood, too. Its Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 chipset can handle scrolling, streaming, and even high-end mobile gaming with ease, and its 6.74-inch, 120Hz AMOLED display boasts a neat Aqua Touch feature that lets you use it with wet hands. In our testing, the phone's giant 5,500mAh battery didn't need charging until well into our second day of use, and the OnePlus Nord 4 also charges pretty quickly.
What are the downsides? Well, the phone's 50MP main and 8MP ultra-wide cameras aren't anything to write home about, and we encountered some frustrating software bugs during testing. At £429, the OnePlus Nord 4 is also not the cheapest OnePlus phone on the block – if you're really strapped for cash, check out the cheaper OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite.
Overall, though, we still think it's the best use of your money if you've got a mid-range budget to spend on a decent OnePlus phone.
Read our full OnePlus Nord 4 review
The best foldable OnePlus phone
The OnePlus Open is not only the best OnePlus foldable money can buy (spoiler: it's the only one), but also the best foldable phone, period.
For starters, it's got the best cameras of any foldable, as well as the most well-proportioned design of any inward-folding phone in 2024. The Open also boasts bigger displays (7.82-inch / 6.31-inch) than both the Google Pixel Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, and both panels are bright and crisp enough to replace your current flagship phone's display, making this a great option for first-time folders.
As for the negatives, there aren't many. You'll find better battery life on candy bar flagships like the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and the Galaxy Z Fold 5 (and now the Galaxy Z Fold 6) boasts arguably superior software. The inevitably even better OnePlus Open 2 also looks likely to launch before the year is out, but its arrival will only make the original OnePlus Open a more accessible (read: cheaper) proposition.
If you're after something even more eye-catching, OnePlus has now released the OnePlus Open Apex Edition, a Crimson Red version of the OnePlus Open with enhanced storage, AI image editing tools, and some useful security features.
Bear in mind, too, that the OnePlus Open 2 looks set to launch in early 2025; even if you're not interested in paying more for that newer model, its arrival will surely bring the price of the original OnePlus Open down even further.
Read our full OnePlus Open review
FAQs
How to choose the best OnePlus phone for you
To find the best OnePlus phone to suit your needs, you'll need to decide what your needs are. Do you value cameras or battery life? Do you need a strong performer or something to make heads turn? The best OnePlus phones combine several great features, but no device offers everything without compromise.
The next question you need to ask yourself is: how much are you willing to spend? In the above guide, we've included phones for every price range, so once you've narrowed down your 'must-haves', you'll be able to find a phone that aligns with your budget.
The best OnePlus phones (think the OnePlus 12 or OnePlus Open) offer great features at a high price, but they're not the best choice for every buyer. The mid-range OnePlus Nord 4, for instance, is a great option for those who need a hard-working, reliable everyday phone, while the even cheaper OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite offers a smattering of decent features at the expense of bells and whistles.
How we test
To come up with this list of the best OnePlus phones, we put every model through our thorough review process, using each phone as our daily driver – taking calls, streaming movies, playing games, and so on – for a week or more.
Our review process also includes standardized battery and chipset testing, as well as extensive photography sampling. We then consider these results against other metrics like price and availability to come up with a star rating and a definitive verdict for each OnePlus phone.
Using all of the above information, we've ranked the best OnePlus phones by budget and use case, ultimately forming this comprehensive guide to the best OnePlus phones. As more OnePlus phones are released, we'll review them and consider them for inclusion in this buying guide.
