The best 5G phone

After 2020’s disappointing Galaxy S20 Ultra, Samsung has finally earned the name with a follow-up that delivers almost everything you could want from a 5G Android flagship – admittedly at a price that only a few can afford, and in a form factor that will simply be too big for some.

The camera is arguably the best in any phone, with a 108Mp main shooter backed up by an ultrawide and two telephoto lenses at different zoom levels – though the Pixel 6 Pro gives it some stiff competition.

The expansive 6.8in display delivers both high WQHD+ resolution and adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz, and with new S-pen stylus support it comfortably fills the productivity niche of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra too.

The Pixel 6 Pro is a powerful phone with a phenomenal camera system and arguably the best Android experience around.

On the flip side, it’s big and heavy, and the head-turning design is nothing if not divisive – it has its fans, but plenty of detractors too. You’ll also have to put up with slow charging by Android standards, with no charger in the box.

For many those compromises will be worth it for a hugely upgraded Pixel camera. For the first time you get a main lens, ultrawide, and periscopic telephoto all in one Pixel phone, and with AI features driven by Google’s new Tensor chip this is capable of taking shots that no other phone can.

If you still think that foldables are a fad, the Galaxy Z Flip 3 might be the phone to change your mind.

Thanks in part to an aggressive price cut that makes this a real rival to other flagships, the Z Flip 3 feels like a phone with few compromises.

Top specs are paired with flagship features like waterproofing and wireless charging, and the new design is second-to-none.

The camera is average – not bad, but certainly nothing special – and battery life is a letdown, but these are the only reasons not to opt for this over a traditional slab phone.

Apple is now on its second generation of 5G iPhones, and this time around it’s the Pro model that’s our top pick.

It’s the first iPhone to support a 120Hz display – lone overdue – in the 6.1in form factor that suits most people best, though the larger 13 Pro Max is available too if you prefer a bigger phone.

The triple camera has had an overhaul from last year, and while it still lags behind some Android rivals – especially when it comes to HDR – this is certainly among the best cameras in any phone today, especially when it comes to video.

Battery life has also had an upgrade, and it finally doesn’t feel like a drawback – this is as long-lasting as any flagship out there, though the charging is still slow.

The Oppo Find X3 Pro is a phenomenal phone by any measure. The 6.7in 10-bit 120Hz QHD+ panel is one of the best displays in any phone right now and Oppo backs it up with 65W wired and 30W wireless charging, a 4500mAh battery, and a top-tier camera that boasts 50Mp sensors on both the main and ultrawide lenses.

You’ll have to live without a periscopic zoom lens – the telephoto here is a measly 2x zoom – but Oppo instead includes a novel microlens camera capable of microscopic super-closeups. That’s not the only oddity, as the design itself is utterly unique thanks to a seamlessly sloped camera module built right into the glass of the phone’s body.

For pure performance the Find X3 Pro is also hard to beat, with all of the above plus a Snapdragon 888 chip, 512GB storage and 12GB RAM. You just have to be willing to pay the price, as it doesn’t come cheap.

Samsung takes the same balancing act that it struck with last year’s Galaxy S20 and updates the hardware.

As a result, you get strong performance, a fresh new design, better battery life, the latest Android 11 (dressed in Samsung’s own One UI 3.1, at launch) and integrated 5G.

Best of all, all this comes in a more affordable package than its predecessor – though if you’re happy to spend a little more, there’s always the larger S21 Plus.

OnePlus’s second proper Nord phone is a worthy follow-up, powered by a custom version of MediaTek’s 5G-capable Dimensity 1200 chipset.

The Nord 2 also totes a 90Hz AMOLED display, a great primary 50Mp main camera, and nippy 65W fast charging.

Software-wise, the company’s OxygenOS user experience is also a major highlight – bringing responsive interactivity and a clean interface to the table that lends itself to the phone’s powerful, premium feel.

OnePlus has also recently launched the Nord CE 5G, which takes most of these great specs but wraps them in a plastic body – with a few other key downgrades elsewhere. Overall we prefer the Nord 2, but the CE 5G is well worth a look if you’re on a tighter budget.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 is a rock-solid performer thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 chipset with integrated 5G at its heart, which comes paired with 8GB RAM and plenty of storage.

Throw in a WQHD+ 120Hz AMOLED display (quad-curved, no less), 108Mp rear camera, and 55W fast-charging paired with 50W wireless charging, and you can see that the Mi 11 won’t be beaten for specs at its price.

There are minor downsides: you won’t get an IP rating, there’s no telephoto camera, and Xiaomi’s MIUI software still has room for improvement. But if pure performance is what you’re looking for, then look no further.

There’s also the more expensive Mi 11 Ultra, which upgrades to faster charging and a more powerful camera, but is much bigger – or the Mi 11 Lite 5G, which is about half the price and at the time of writing is the thinnest 5G phone you can buy.

The Realme GT is the 2021 flagship killer that the OnePlus 9 should have been.

Top specs – a Snapdragon 888 5G, 65W charging, and 120Hz AMOLED display – are encased in a phenomenal yellow vegan leather racing striped design (skip the two boring glass models) that ensures the Realme GT looks as fast as it is.

You won’t get wireless charging or a waterproof rating, and the camera is a little basic, but for performance per pound there’s none better right now.

The Asus ROG Phone 5 offers one of the best mobile gaming experiences around, complete with built-in triggers, a gorgeous 144Hz AMOLED display with impressive touch response times, impressive audio chops and incredible power under the hood in the form of the Snapdragon 888 and up to 16GB of RAM.

There are plenty of accessories available, from the Switch-like Kunai 5 controllers to the AeroActive Cooler 5 to keep your phone cool during extended gameplay sessions. The software is top-notch too, offering granular per-game performance tweaks alongside system-wide performance modes.

However, while the large display means it’s great for gaming, some may find it too tall to use effectively one-handed, plus, at 238g, it’s much heavier than most flagships in 2021 – and it’s noticeable when you pick it up too.