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Image: Foundry
Bigger than 17 years after Apple popularised the smartphone, 2024 has been one other valuable milestone in its pattern.
Almost every flagship phone this year has featured synthetic intelligence (AI) of some description, offering instruments for photo modifying, textual vow material abilities, genuine-time translation and extra.
But for all of the AI advancements this year, the fundamentals of a gigantic phone live the an analogous: efficiency, reward, cameras, instrument and battery existence. And these handsets bag it better than any others.
Verify out all of the winners on this year’s Tech Guide Simplest of 2024-25 Awards.
Simplest Original Phone of the 365 days – Winner: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
There’s no such part as a splendid phone, however the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the closest any firm has ever come.
This 6.8-dash beast excels in good-making an try mighty every key home, that good-making an try gargantuan reward combining with stellar Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 efficiency and two fats days of battery existence for a total lot of oldsters.
There’s no such part as a splendid phone, however the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the closest any firm has ever come
Throw in some of the categorical cameras spherical, particular person-pleasant instrument with commended Galaxy AI aspects and a class-main seven years of updates, and it’s sure Samsung is on to a winner. You even obtain a commended constructed-in S Pen stylus.
If you happen to don’t tips an implausible phone and are pleased to pay for it, here is the last Android handset and a terrific winner.
Read our fats Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra evaluate
$1,089.50
$1299.ninety 9
$1379.97
$1419.ninety 9
Simplest Original Phone of the 365 days – First Runner-Up: Xiaomi 14 Ultra
Chris Martin / Foundry
Telephones were most other folks’s hottest intention to steal photos for a while, however they’ll never moderately compete with devoted cameras – unless now.
Blended with the no longer foremost Images Equipment accessory, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is an right DSLR replacement for most other folks. It undoubtedly feels delight in you’re using a legitimate camera, with fabulous photos to match.
This combines fantastically with the good-making an try vegan leather form and good-making an try 6.7-dash reward, with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 handing over wonderful efficiency all all over again. Sturdy battery existence and 90W swiftly charging compose it mighty extra fascinating.
Xiaomi’s HyperOS instrument isn’t primarily the most intuitive (though completely usable), which is the ideal genuine reason the 14 Ultra isn’t the total winner.
Read our fats Xiaomi 14 Ultra evaluate.
Simplest Original Phone of the 365 days – 2d Runner-Up: Google Pixel 9 Skilled XL
Jon Mundy / Foundry
The Pixel 9 Skilled XL could sound delight in a label-original phone, however it undoubtedly’s primarily a correct away successor to 2023’s Pixel 8 Skilled.
An up in the past form maintains the Pixel’s signature glimpse, while bag quality is now better than ever. There are furthermore a huge series of AI aspects, some of that are primarily commended.
In different locations, the 9 Skilled XL retains all the things that made the Pixel 8 Skilled so gigantic. This skill that fabulous cameras and the slickest instrument of any phone, to no longer reward the seven years of updates. The 6.8-dash reward is better than ever, too.
Battery existence is respectable, however turns into extra problematic when charging is quiet late. It’s quiet unquestionably a colorful phone, though.
Read our fats Google Pixel 9 Skilled XL evaluate.
For additional gigantic alternate choices, ogle our fats handbook to the categorical phones that you just must aquire. You could well presumably even be interested by all of the 2023-24 award winners.
Creator: Anyron Copeman, Mobile Editor, Tech Guide
Anyron is Mobile Editor at Tech Guide, the establish he’s been a mainstay of the editorial team since 2019. In his present characteristic, Anyron is accountable for all smartphone, tablet and mobile network coverage on the plan. A BA Journalism graduate, he has abilities with a huge series of user tech merchandise and services, including smartphones, pills, foldables, wearables and extra.