6 phones to consider before you buy

Apple just lately unveiled its newest flagship collection, the iPhone 15 household. The newest iPhones carry fairly a couple of options and a welcome transfer to USB-C. There’s quite a bit to love about them, however what if you aren’t offered on iOS or need one thing completely different? That’s what we’re right here for. Join us as we check out the very best iPhone 15 alternate options available on the market in the present day.

If you’re in search of the very best various to the iPhone 15 collection, you would possibly simply need to stick to the iPhone 14 household. Sure, you’ll be coping with barely older {hardware}, however you’ll additionally save a very good amount of money. You’ll additionally get the identical software program ultimately now that the iOS 17 replace has rolled out.

The iPhone 14 household varies a bit relying on what mannequin you get. The iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus have essentially the most in widespread, as each use the identical Apple A16 Bionic SoC and storage variants starting from 128GB to 512GB. There are additionally the identical 12MP broad and ultrawide cameras. Battery life is healthier on the Plus thanks to its bigger dimension, and naturally, the Plus has a bigger 6.7-inch display in contrast to the iPhone 14.

Meanwhile, the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max soar up to an Apple A16 processor and have storage configurations as excessive as 1TB. They even have the identical 48MP broad, 12MP ultrawide, and 12MP telephoto lenses.

Even if they’re a yr outdated, the iPhone 14 collection holds up extraordinarily nicely towards the iPhone 15 and 2023 Android flagships. Just bear in mind you received’t get Apple’s Apple A17 on the Pro collection or the A16 on the iPhone 14 and Plus. You’ll even be caught with a Lightning port over USB-C.

While the iPhone 13 could be the obvious various to the iPhone 15, the Samsung Galaxy S23 collection might be the very best Android cellphone for many shoppers. Not solely does it have a few of the greatest {hardware} obtainable, but it surely’s additionally one of the fashionable manufacturers on the market.

All three fashions share lots of the identical specs, together with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC, wi-fi charging know-how, 120Hz OLED panels, and water resistance. You’ll additionally discover the identical 12MP ultrawide digital camera, 3x telephoto digital camera, and 8K video recording. Of course, not every little thing stays the identical.

The Galaxy S23 is a a lot smaller cellphone than the remaining, which additionally means it has a comparatively small 3,900mAh battery. Beyond the battery and show dimension, you’ll discover the S23 and S23 Plus are almost similar below the hood. You’ll get the identical FHD+ decision in addition to the identical 50MP predominant digital camera.

In distinction, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra pulls a a lot meaner punch. Starting with the digital camera, you’ll get a 200MP main lens and a 10x hybrid zoom digital camera. There’s additionally a big 6.8-inch QHD+ show, a 5,000mAh battery, and an S Pen with an built-in slot.

The one space the place Apple has a transparent benefit is its replace coverage, although Samsung comes shut. Samsung supplies 4 main OS updates and 5 years of safety patches. Want to study extra? Check out our information to the Galaxy S23 specs.

The Pixel 8 collection is one other nice iPhone 15 various. While its specs may not be fairly as highly effective as a few of the others on this listing, it has among the best smartphone digital camera experiences you’ll discover. It’s additionally a bit extra reasonably priced, which is a pleasant bonus.

The Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are each powered by the identical Tensor G3 chipset, which provides loads of machine studying and AI capabilities that assist it shine. It’s additionally significantly better at warmth dissipation, one thing that was a severe concern for the Pixel 7 household.

The Pixel 8 is the smaller of the 2, with its 6.2-inch 60-120Hz OLED show. Meanwhile, the Pixel 8 Pro is far greater largely due to its 6.7-inch 1-120Hz pOLED display. Other key variations embody 8GB of RAM on the Pixel 8, versus 12GB on the Pro. There’s additionally a bigger 5,050mAh battery on the Pro, whereas the Pixel 8 has a 4,575mAh battery.

The Pixel 8 and eight Pro each have a few of the greatest cameras that rival the iPhone 15 collection, with the identical 50MP predominant sensor. The Pro provides a 48MP telephoto and 48MP ultrawide lens to the combo, whereas the Pixel 8 lacks a telephoto lens and has a barely much less spectacular 12MP ultrawide. Don’t let that idiot you, it’s nonetheless a fantastic digital camera. The entrance digital camera stays the identical on each as nicely.

In some ways, the Pixel collection looks like an Android-based model of the iPhone. Just just like the iPhone 15 collection, Google is thought for its minimalist strategy. It’s straightforward to use and it simply works, even when it doesn’t have fairly as many bells and whistles as extra feature-packed phones just like the S23 Ultra. Even higher, the Pixel 8 is simply $699. The Pixel 7 Pro is $300 extra, however that’s nonetheless fairly reasonably priced for what you get.

Looking for one thing completely different? The Samsung Galaxy Flip 5 could be value a glance. It’s rather more pocketable than Apple’s choices, for starters.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 seems like your common cellphone when unfolded, with its sizeable 6.7-inch AMOLED show. When folded in half, it slips proper into your pocket. Even higher, there’s a 3.4-inch Flex Window display on the entrance that also lets you verify messages, management music, run full apps, and rather more.

Under the hood, you’ll get an overclocked Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 2 processor, the most recent from Qualcomm. Of course, it’s not all excellent. Battery life is okay at greatest and there’s no mud safety. It’s extra fragile than the iPhone 15 and different standard phones. Even the digital camera feels a little bit like a compromise.

There’s only a 12MP broad and 12MP ultrawide digital camera on the again, with a 10MP entrance digital camera. There’s no telephoto or something. Thankfully, the photograph high quality remains to be nice, simply not fairly nearly as good as you’ll get from the iPhone 15 collection and a few of the others on the listing before this.

Still, the Galaxy Z Flip is a good cellphone and is ideal for many who need one thing that stands out as completely different from the group.

Want much more display actual property than Apple can supply? Look no additional than the Galaxy Z Fold 5. On the surface, it seems like a reasonably regular 6.2-inch cellphone, however unfolding it reveals an inside 7.6-inch tablet-sized show.

Just just like the Z Flip 5 before it, there’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor backed by 12GB of RAM. The digital camera can also be wonderful, and just about the identical as you’d discover with the non-Ultra members of the S23 collection. You get a 50MP main, a 10MP 3x telephoto lens, and a 12MP ultrawide sensor.

On the flip facet, that is an costly system at round $1,800. It’s additionally thick, heavy, and has fairly medicare battery life. Just just like the Flip, it’s additionally doubtless to be a bit extra on the delicate facet due to its foldable design.

Sony isn’t as fashionable as the opposite firms on this listing, however the Sony Xperia 5 V and Xperia 1 V () are nonetheless fairly succesful iPhone 15 alternate options. Unlike Samsung, the one actual distinction between its two variants is the display dimension. The former has a 6.1-inch FHD+ show, whereas the latter is a 6.5-inch 4K OLED panel.

The newest Xperia flagships have the identical Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC discovered on virtually each cellphone on this listing. There’s additionally the identical 5,000mAh battery, which is totally large for a cellphone the scale of the 5 V. Sony additionally has a wonderful digital camera package deal, with a 52MP predominant sensor backed by a 12MP ultrawide and a 12MP telephoto lens.

The largest draw back is the worth tag. The Xperia 1V may be at the moment bought for $1,399, whereas the extra just lately introduced 5V is anticipated to begin round $1076. That’s quite a bit to pay for a cellphone that solely has 128GB storage and a software program coverage that falls behind the remaining with simply three years of OS updates.

iPhone 15 alternate options: Honorable mentions

Looking for extra choices? Here are two extra value an honorable point out:

• Google Pixel 7a ($477 at Amazon): While it’s not less expensive than a Pixel 7, the Pixel 7a is a good cellphone if you can discover it at low cost. You’ll get the identical Tensor G2 as the principle flagships, a fantastic digital camera, and three years of OS updates with 5 years of safety patches.
• iPhone SE (2022) ($429 at Amazon): The iPhone SE is a good various for price range customers who need to stick to the iOS platform. Its design could be very small and fairly dated, however you nonetheless get a robust A15 chipset and a very good software program replace coverage that exceeds something you’ll discover within the Android world.