Finder's team of experts have independently tested every phone on this list. For each phone, we consider the design, cameras, performance, battery life and overall value for money.
Our editorial team selected the phones on this list based on their overall quality and value compared to current-gen Apple iPhones. The selection and order is not based on review scores. More detail on methodology below.
It feels like a natural fit that the best competitor phone to the Apple iPhone would come directly from Google. The Pixel 8 Pro does it all, with a large and pleasing display that's also surprisingly tough.
Combine that with smart cameras that work well for portrait, landscape and some of Google's own AI magic and you're looking at a camera phone that can go toe-to-toe with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and in many ways best it.
The Pixel 8 Pro is fearsomely powerful out of the box - and it will be able to eke out extra performance down the track thanks to its AI-led processor. The final icing on the cake here is Google's competitive pricing - it starts at $1,699, compared to $2,199 for the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
When it comes to photography, it's a very close race between Samsung's S23 flagship and Google's impressive Pixel 8 Pro. We'll give the slight edge to Samsung here, because the inclusion of a full 200MP standard sensor gives it a lot more scope for cropping and zooming, over and above what the Pixel can manage.
Samsung also manages a great job of appealing to both pro shooters with lots of customisation, while also making it easy for novices to capture some really eye popping photos in its "Single Take" mode.
Motorola has, for years now, delivered some solid affordable phones, but few of them were great. The Motorola Edge 30 hits an absolute sweet spot of affordability, nice thin design and quality performance, alongside a display that can refresh at up to 144Hz for silky-smooth scrolling.
The phone also boasts exceptional battery life within its price bracket along with extremely fast wired and wireless charging. Having originally launched in early 2022, it's also a lot cheaper than before with an average street price of $900 - that's less than half the price of the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
It should come as no surprise that the best pure Android phone would come from the company that makes the Android operating system. The advantages of the Pixel 7 and its pure Android approach are twofold. Firstly, you get full Android updates guaranteed until October 2025, and you get them before any other handset on the market.
Secondly, pure Android is almost endlessly customisable, so you can really make your Pixel 7 work and look the way you want it to, not the way the manufacturer's launcher or pre-installed apps insist you have to. The Pixel 7 also benefits from aggressive pricing, as well as the future improvement possibilities of Google's Tensor G2 system on a chip.
Although it was recently superseded by the Google Pixel 8 (see above), the Pixel 7 can still go toe to toe with the iPhone 15.
If you're looking for an iPhone alternative specifically for games, it's important to check if your favourite titles are available on the Android platform. If they are exclusive to iOS, you're better off sticking with Apple.
With that caveat out of the way, our top pick for gaming is the ASUS ROG Phone 7. Equipped with a 165 Hz Samsung AMOLED display, Qualcomm's cutting-edge Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 gaming chip and a massive 6000 mAh battery, it's easily one of the best mobile gaming devices on the market. It also comes with an AeroActive Cooler 7 that doubles up as a subwoofer.
It's certainly not cheap - and its camera performance leaves a lot to be desired at this price point - but if your chief concern is mobile gaming, this is the model to get.
Compare phone specifications
In the table below, you will find the chief specs for every phone mentioned in this list. See how they compare side by side.
AMOLED displays don't need a backlight and screen pixels are actually turned off to produce blacks, which can save energy. Super AMOLED has improved visibility in direct sunlight. LCD displays use a backlight, which reduces contrast. An IPS LCD display has truer colour reproduction and looks better when you view the screen at an angle.
OS
This is the operating system. Apple's iOS works seamlessly with the App Store for a dynamic and engaging mobile phone experience. Android is an open source platform created by Google, meaning anyone can play around with it. All the phones on our list use the Android OS except the Apple iPhones.
RAM
RAM is your phone's short-term memory. When you use an app, instead of writing data to your phone's internal storage or SD card (long-term memory), the data is stored in the device's RAM so it can be recalled quickly and easily when it's needed. The more RAM the better. Apple's iPhones have far less RAM than Android smartphones. When the RAM reaches capacity on an Android phone, RAM is recycled through a memory-heavy process called garbage collection. Apple does it differently and is able to run just as smoothly with half the RAM of most Android mobile phones.
Megapixels
MP is short for megapixels and is generally accepted as a guide for image quality. More megapixels doesn't mean a better-looking photo. Megapixels are about the maximum size of the image in relation to image quality. The more megapixels, the larger you can blow up your picture without it becoming distorted.
Sensor size
Too many megapixels for a small image sensor will ruin the image quality.
Amazon prices last updated on 27 April, 2024 at 08:41 am
Methodology
100+ Mobile phones reviewed
10,000+ Hours spent testing
10 10 iPhone alternatives chosen
We've spent thousands of hours testing and reviewing mobile phones.
Our editorial team has a combined 60+ years of experience writing about tech and reviewing the latest devices.
The phones on this list are chosen by our editorial team and are not based on commercial relationships.
We've taken careful consideration and those reviews in mind when building out our list of 2024's best iPhone alternatives, which we update constantly.
With the premium focus of Apple's iPhone lines, we've given you a choice when it comes to the areas that people use their smartphones most constantly, including photography, battery life, performance and general all-round appeal. Apple only releases a couple of new phones a year, but there are new Android flagships appearing on a monthly basis to compete for your smartphone-buying dollar.
For every phone we test, we consider the design, including screen quality, layout, the presence or absence of features like removable storage or headphone jacks and security features like facial ID or fingerprint scanners.
We also test and weigh up all aspects of phone camera performance, including how well any special camera features work and how they each compare to similarly priced phones in terms of capturing harder subjects such as fast-moving objects and shots in low light. Both front and rear cameras are carefully considered.
We use a range of benchmarks and real-world tests to evaluate how the phone's performance compares to other available phones. Benchmarks can give us a comparative picture of where a phone might sit relative to other devices, but it's only in using a phone to its full capacity (including any device-specific software) and testing how well it works for everyday tasks like web browsing or social media that we can get a fully rounded performance picture. We also look at network features, including call quality and support for network standards like 4G and 5G when making our evaluations.
Manufacturer battery life claims don't always reflect real-life results. That's why for each phone we test with a standardised video test in order to get a comparative feel of how each phone handles battery stress, as well as using it over multiple days to see how it stands up to regular usage. As part of our battery testing, we also consider charging options, including charging rates for those phones that can take a larger wattage.
Finally, with every other consideration tested and ranked, we also look at the price of the phone relative to other similar devices available at the time of testing. The best phones in the market aren't going to be the cheapest, but with a trend towards ever more expensive handsets, it's never been more vital to ensure that you're getting value for money, which is why we factor in the cost of a phone only after we've considered every other performance aspect.
We value our editorial independence, basing our comparison results, content and reviews on objective analysis without bias. But Finder may receive compensation when you click links on our site. Learn more about how we make money from our partners.
Why you can trust Finder Shopping best guides
We're knowledgeable
Our editorial team has decades of experience testing and comparing products. We only use experienced journalists with proven track records.
We're comprehensive
We assess hundreds of products for each guide to ensure you're getting a full overview of the market. All guides are regularly reviewed and fact-checked.
We don't cut corners
Selections are based on our own research, comparisons and testing. We do not use automation software or AI. Every best guide follows a stringent methodology.
A multi-award winning journalist, Alex has written about consumer technology for over 20 years. He has written and edited for virtually every Australian tech publication including Gizmodo, CNET, PC Magazine, Kotaku and more. He has also been the Editor of Gizmodo Australia, PC Mag Australia, CNET.com.au and the Tech and Telco section at Finder. Alex has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New England and a serious passion for retro gaming.
See the online stores offering an unrivalled selection of mobile phone models.
Feedback
How likely would you be to recommend finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Important information about this website
findershopping.com.au is one of Australia's leading comparison websites. We are committed to our readers and stands by our editorial principles
We try to take an open and transparent approach and provide a broad-based comparison service. However, you should be aware that while we are an independently owned service, our comparison service does not include all providers or all products available in the market.
Some product issuers may provide products or offer services through multiple brands, associated companies or different labeling arrangements. This can make it difficult for consumers to compare alternatives or identify the companies behind the products. However, we aim to provide information to enable consumers to understand these issues.
We make money by featuring products on our site. Compensation received from the providers featured on our site can influence which products we write about as well as where and how products appear on our page, but the order or placement of these products does not influence our assessment or opinions of them, nor is it an endorsement or recommendation for them.
Products marked as 'Top Pick', 'Promoted' or 'Advertisement' are prominently displayed either as a result of a commercial advertising arrangement or to highlight a particular product, provider or feature. Finder may receive remuneration from the Provider if you click on the related link, purchase or enquire about the product. Finder's decision to show a 'promoted' product is neither a recommendation that the product is appropriate for you nor an indication that the product is the best in its category. We encourage you to use the tools and information we provide to compare your options.
Where our site links to particular products or displays 'Go to site' buttons, we may receive a commission, referral fee or payment when you click on those buttons or apply for a product. You can learn more about how we make money.
When products are grouped in a table or list, the order in which they are initially sorted may be influenced by a range of factors including price, fees and discounts; commercial partnerships; product features; and brand popularity. We provide tools so you can sort and filter these lists to highlight features that matter to you.
Please read our website terms of use and privacy policy for more information about our services and our approach to privacy.
100+
10,000+
10
