There’s never been a better time for smartphones. We’ve come a long way from the brick-shaped phones that came with a shoulder strap or had to be plugged into a car to use. Almost every smartphone is a thin, glass-covered rectangle with a high-res screen and ample performance.

TL;DR – These are the Best Smartphones:

1. iPhone 11

Best Smartphone

Our Pick Apple iPhone 11 On Best Buy See It

2. Google Pixel 3a

Best Budget Smartphone

Google Pixel 3a On Verizon Wireless See It

UK readers: See it on Currys PC World

3. iPhone 11 Pro

Best iPhone

Apple iPhone 11 Pro On Best Buy See It

4. OnePlus 7T

Best Android Phone

OnePlus 7T On OnePlus See It

5. Asus ROG Phone II

Best Gaming Phone

Asus ROG Phone II On Amazon See It

6. Google Pixel 4 XL

Best Camera Phone

Google Pixel 4 XL On Amazon See It

7. Sony Xperia 1

Best Smartphone for Streaming

Sony Xperia 1 On Amazon See It

8. Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus

Best Phablet

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus On Amazon See It

9. Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra

Best High-End Smartphone

Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra On Amazon See It

But that’s a double-edged sword, as almost every phone looks and performs the same. Obviously, you want something a little more special or that offers the most features so you get the most bang for your buck. Luckily, we’ve seen and tested every new smartphone available today and can tell you which are the best.We get that choosing the right phone is unlike any other device. After all, it’s something you rely on and have to use every day. Trust us, we won’t steer you the wrong way in your quest for the best smartphone.Additionally, you get two capable cameras for wide and ultrawide shots along with some of the best 4K video you can take on a smartphone. Apple might have been criticized for selling underpowered hardware at a premium in the past, but the iPhone 11 is the company’s best handset yet that melds strong components and software with the biggest app ecosystem around.Google’s Pixel phones are often too expensive for their own good, which is exactly why we like that the Pixel 3a ( read our review ) goes for only $400. This phone fully delivers everything you would expect from a Pixel phone including the best camera photos, AI features, and a very sleek, minimalistic styling you won’t get from other handsets at this price range.You do have to make some concessions for a Pixel phone this cheap though. It comes with a slightly crusty Snapdragon 670 processor and only 4GB of memory. But the good news is you still get a 5.6-inch HD (2,220 x 1,080) OLED display access to the latest Android updates before everyone else. read our review ) really is the best iPhone ever made and that’s not just because it’s the newest one. This iOS device packs a 5.8-inch (1,125 x 2,436) “Super Retina” XDR OLED display that hits a peak brightness of 1,200-nits, which allows it to support both HDR10 and Dobly Vision. Android phones are fast, but Apple’s A13 Bionic processor feels like it runs on a whole another level letting you work with Photoshop and Lightroom as if you were using a bigger computer. The same goes for gaming, which can’t be beaten on iOS thanks to the huge library of games in the App Store and even more exclusives on Apple Arcade.When you’re not tearing it up with serious work or gaming, the iPhone 11 Pro easily lasts through two days with its long battery life. And now that the iPhone 11 Pro has three cameras and serious 4K movie shooting capabilities, it easily keeps up with the best Android phones now. read our review ) is the closest thing to an iPhone 11 Pro except that it doesn’t cost a grand. For a starting price of $599, this phone gives you a 6.55-inch AMOLED display that can both hit a peak brightness of 1,000-nits and supports a high-refresh-rate of 90 Hz.It also comes running the fastest 855 Plus while giving you 8GB of memory and 128GB of storage from the get-go—double the amount seen on the base model iPhone 11 or 11 Pro. It also packs a big 3,800mAh battery plus three cameras to keep mobile photography enthusiasts happy.It also comes packing a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus processor paired with at least 8GB of memory and 128GB of storage—or max it out to 12GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. To make this phone even more of a beast you can get a second screen case to turn it into a Nintendo 3DS, a controller case to turn it into a Nintendo Switch, or combine the two into freakish Voltron of gaming phones. read our review ) has too small of a battery to ever make it a good recommendation, which is exactly why we’re looking at the Pixel 4 XL as the best camera phone around. Google handset may have a lot of software kinks and features to work out, but it’s still the shoots the best photos out of any handset we’ve tested.Whether its portraits with realistic bokeh or balanced low-light shots, Google still holds a slight edge when it comes to computational photography. We’ve also yet to see another camera phone that gives you usable 8x zoom shots thanks to the handset’s new 2x telephoto lens and Google incredible Super Res Zoom feature. read our review ) is a curiously tall phone that looks more like a candy bar than a phone, but that’s exactly what makes it perfect for watching movies and other ultra-widescreen content. It’s one of the few phones to come with a 4K (1,644 x 3,840) OLED display with a 21:9 aspect ratio that lets you watch cinematic footage as it was meant to be seen.This strangely, but handsomely tall phone also comes running the powerful Snapdragon 855 processor with 6GB of memory and 64GB of storage, so it’s pretty capable as a gaming phone as well. Some of Sony’s incredible imaging technology has also trickled down from its mirrorless cameras to this handset and you get three 12MP cameras. These cameras allow you to shoot some 4K HDR footage of your own or 1080p footage at up to an incredibly slow-motion 960 fps.If you’re just looking for the biggest screen phone you can possibly buy, nothing beats the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus ( read our review ). The company has been seriously testing the limits of our pockets and its latest flagship Note features a 6.8-inch (1,440 x 3,040) AMOLED display that’s big, gorgeous, and it supports HDR10+.Of course, the Note 10 Plus’ other hat trick is it’s the best device for taking down notes thanks to its built-in stylus and refined software. Otherwise, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus is a serious powerhouse of a phone that can let you run up to three apps at the same time and not break a sweat while doing so.As things stand, smartphones don't come much more premium than the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra ( read our review ) unless you're springing for fancy folding phones that still can miss out on some of the premium features and polish you'll see in the S20 Ultra. This behemoth of a smartphone offers a 6.9-inch display that effectively stretches to cover the whole front of the device. The display even runs at 120Hz for buttery smooth visuals and controls that will feel even more responsive thanks to the 240Hz touch sensitivity.Then there are the stars of the show: the cameras. The Galaxy S20 Ultra features a quad-sensor array on the back that can capture 108MP wide, 12MP ultrawide, and 48MP telephoto shots. Those are aided along by a depth sensor. The telephoto lens even offers a 10x lossless zoom that you can boost up to 100x when you need to get some dramatically distant details. The phone can record 8K video as well. And, with broad support for 5G connections, the Galaxy S20 Ultra is ready to offer blazing-fast cellular connectivity as 5G networks ramp up. Find out all about pre-ordering the Galaxy S20 Ultra here

Kevin Lee is IGN's Hardware and Roundups Editor. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam Mark Knapp is a regular contributor to IGN and an irregular Tweeter on Twitter @Techn0Mark