What is the BEST Android Phone? I’m asked that question ALL the time.

Here is my definitive answer.

People are searching Google like mad men, sorting through results, reading phone reviews and trying to determine what phone to buy. The problem is that technology is improving so rapidly that a phone rated “5 stars” only 1-year ago could now be at the bottom of the barrel or even worse- obsolete.

Case and point: the G1. When it launched it got GREAT reviews, but those reviews are now inaccurate in the context of today. So where can you find an up-to-date list of Android Phones ranked by how good they CURRENTLY are at this moment in time? How about our brand new, dynamically updated list of The Best Android Phones.

How is the list compiled?

Picking the “best” Android Phone is a matter of opinion, but by pooling together thousands of opinions from knowledgeable Android enthusiasts, we can accurately identify where phones generally fall in the court of public opinion. By the way… those “knowledgeable Android enthusiasts” are you: Phandroid Readers and Android Forums members.

Much like Google’s search algorithm, we can’t tell you the exact ingredients and amounts in our secret sauce recipe, but I’d like to share with you two ways that YOU can contribute to our “Best Android Phones” list.

Rate Android Phones in our Phone Guide

Our Android Phone Guide is one of the most thorough resources when researching Android Phone and it’s been around quite awhile. Now, when viewing individual phones that are currently available, you’ll see two sets of stars:

Our rating. This is the phone’s rating based on our secret Phan Sauce. The # of stars will change over time as phones get older, new and better phones are released, and public opinion changes.

This is the phone’s rating based on our secret Phan Sauce. The # of stars will change over time as phones get older, new and better phones are released, and public opinion changes. Your rating. When logged in, you can provide your own star rating for each phone. We’ll remember your rating so feel free to return and re-rate any phone if and when your opinion changes.

How you and the entire community rates each Android Phone is one key factor in determining our Best Android Phones page. On behalf of everyone trying to determine what phone to buy, I want to thank you for contributing and helping our readers make the right decisions.

Comparing Android Phones

Often times, you’ve narrowed down the selection to a couple phones and can’t decide which Android phone to buy. Our new Compare Phones feature allows you to view their specs side-by-side to help make that determination. But we’ve taken it one step further.

After selecting two phones, you can vote on which you think is better, in this case comparing the Droid Pro vs. Droid X:

For those trying to decide between two phones, it will be tremendously helpful to see what the general public believes is the better between the two. And you guessed it… we also use this data to help determine the rank of the Best Android Phones.

Have Fun Comparing!

To spice things up and encourage participation, we’ve turned comparing phones into a little game. On the main Compare Phones Page you’ll see a button that says, “View a random matchup.” When you click it, you’ll be shown a comparison between two randomly selected Android phones. As soon as you vote, you’ll be taken to another random matchup with the results from the previous matchup seen on the left.

What’s The Best Android Phone for ME?

The purpose of this new feature is NOT to make the ultimate determination of which phone you should buy. The definitive answer to the question, “What’s the best android phone?” is actually a follow-up question: “What do you want and need in a phone?”

Our Best Phones list serves two main purposes:

To provide an always up-to-date, running list of the Best Android Phones that – while a matter of opinion – gives people a general idea of which phones are best at a glance

To provide a fun conversation-piece in the never-ending debate of what phone is truly best

We’re Working On It…

We realize the most relevant question is, “What Android Phone is best for me?” Just a heads up that we’re actively working on a tool to help you answer this question as well. Something that can provide specific results and feedback based on what you want and need. Stay tuned for that announcement in the near future.

I also want to take a moment to acknowledge that while our Android Phone Guide is a great resouce, by no means is it 100% up to date or 100% accurate. We’re constantly working on making it the best and most accurate resource and will continue to do so. The specs comparison are not nearly as clean and comparable as we’d like them to be, but we hope you’ll appreciate that we know there is lots of work to be done and we’re working hard on improving!

What is the Best Android Phone?

Remember… you’re the ones that determine the answer so:

Thanks for your participation and we hope you enjoy the new features!