Hate Apple? Here are the best alternatives to the iPhone

There’s life beyond Apple

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TheiPhone 15line and particularly theiPhone 15 Pro Maxrank among the absolutebest phonesyou can buy, but they’re not for everyone.

While they’re powerful, with decent cameras and a polished interface,Apple’s approach to smartphones puts off as many people as it attracts.

But if you’re not sold on Apple’s handsets then there are plenty of great alternatives from other brands, many of which match or even beat thebest iPhonesin various ways.

And while there are loads of Android alternatives to choose from, the five options below are among the very best.

1. Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Samsunghas long been Apple’s biggest smartphone rival, and theSamsung Galaxy S24line is arguably the most direct competitor to the iPhone 15 series there is.

You might consider theSamsung Galaxy S24itself instead of the iPhone 15, or theSamsung Galaxy S24 Plusinstead of theiPhone 15 Plus. But the best of these phones is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which is a real alternative to the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has an even bigger screen than the iPhone 15 Pro Max at 6.8 inches, and it’s brighter too, topping out at 2,600 nits.

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Plus, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra has an extra camera, giving you a 3x optical zoom as well as the 5x zoom that both phones have. And these cameras perform well, with ourSamsung Galaxy S24 Ultra reviewnoting that “your artistic friends may prefer theiPhone 15 Pro, but you’ll take better shots of everything if you have a Galaxy S24 Ultra."

It’s arguably more powerful too, with our review stating that “the Ultra is just as fast as the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and in many ways it’s even faster.” And the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra even includes an S Pen stylus, which isn’t something you’ll get with any iPhone.

Its software isn’t as slick, with our S24 Ultra review saying “the iPhone 15 Pro withiOS 17is not just simpler, it’s more fun and sociable,” and for better or worse the Galaxy S24 Ultra has a fingerprint sensor instead of Face ID. But if you simply want the most feature-packed non-Apple phone you can buy, this is arguably it.

2. Google Pixel 8 Pro

TheGoogle Pixel 8andPixel 8 Proare other obvious alternatives to an iPhone, as whileGoogle’s smartphone market share is tiny, the company makes Android, so it has as much control over the software on its phones as Apple.

And while the Pixel line isn’t massively popular, it should be – these phones can take exceptional photos, have distinctive designs, and have clever software features like Call Screening (though note thatnot all of the Pixel 8’s software features are available globally).

The Pixel 8 Pro also has a superb 6.7-inch 1344 x 2992 screen, which ourGoogle Pixel 8 Pro reviewnoted was “just as good as the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and maybe better.”

In any case, these are fantastic phones with intuitive interfaces and minimal bloat, making them about the closest thing you can get to an iPhone running Android.

3. Google Pixel 8a

While most of Apple’s phones are high-end, expensive handsets, the company also sells theiPhone SE (2022), which is a more mid-range prospect. So if you’re looking for an alternative to that, you might want to consider the similarly mid-rangeGoogle Pixel 8a.

This is a slightly pricier option than Apple’s alternative, but it’s also a far more modern phone, with a stylish design, a suite of AI tools, and a 120Hz, FHD+ screen.

The Google Pixel 8a can’t match its pricier siblings for camera performance (though it still has the iPhone SE (2022) beat), and it’s not the most powerful of phones. But for the price it’s a strong option, and with the promise of seven years of software updates you shouldn’t have to upgrade again anytime soon.

4. OnePlus 12

According to ourOnePlus 12 review, “the OnePlus 12 has amazing performance, good enough to go toe-to-toe with the latest iPhone 15 Pro in games and some productivity tasks,” yet at $799.99 / £849 (around AU$1,215) it costs quite a bit less than the iPhone 15 Pro.

In fact, in the US that’s the same price as the standard iPhone 15, yet theOnePlus 12has a bigger, brighter, and higher resolution 6.82-inch 1440 x 3168 screen with a peak brightness of 4,500 nits. And it’s smoother too, thanks to a 120Hz refresh rate.

It also has more cameras than the iPhone 15, with the addition of a 3x telephoto lens, plus it has a far bigger 5,400mAh battery, much faster 100W charging (or a still speedy 80W in the US), and a similarly high-endSnapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. Just note that its water resistance isn’t quite as good, and it probably won’t be updated for as long.

5. Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro

If you’re seriously into mobile gaming then a recent iPhone is always a strong choice, as Apple’s chipsets deliver blazing-fast performance, but over on Android there are phones that are built from the ground up for gaming, such as theAsus ROG Phone 8 Pro.

This has features like an incredibly high 165Hz refresh rate, Air Trigger shoulder buttons, a mammoth 5,500mAh battery, and second USB-C port positioned so it’s comfortable to play in landscape mode while charging.

The Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro is also tremendously powerful, thanks to a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and up to 24GB of RAM.

This is undeniably a niche phone, and we’re only recommending this as an alternative to an iPhone if you specifically want to game a lot on your handset. For those who do, the Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro is a top choice, as it’s one of thebest gaming phonesyou can buy.

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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.

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