We're not even halfway through the year, and 2026 is already shaping up to be one of the most pivotal moments for the Android landscape. While foldable phones, like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Motorola Razr Ultra, continue to forge a new path for how handsets are designed, budget phones, like the Google Pixel 10a, prove that there's still beauty in the mainstream market.To determine which Android phone is best for you, ZDNET's team of mobile experts puts every new device through rigorous testing, using it for weeks to evaluate every little detail, from display quality to cellular connectivity to camera performance. Android phones are especially exciting for us -- not just because of the diverse hardware, but because each brand brings its own unique spin on the operating system. To help you find the right one, here are our top picks for the best Android phones in every category.
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Best mobile deals of the week $749 (save $250) $475 (save $175) $499 (save $300) $900 (save $400) Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article. What is the best Android phone right now?Our pick for the best Android phone overall is the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra for $1,299, which features the company's latest display innovation, the Privacy Display, a quad-camera setup that's highly functional, a built-in S Pen stylus for precision inputs, and AI capabilities that play well with Samsung's Bixby model and Google's Gemini. For a runner-up, we're honoring the Google Pixel 10a, a $499 Android with a durable design, support for up to seven years of OS and security updates, and a reliable camera system.
