Best Android phones in the UK (March 2020)
With Android thoroughly dominating the mobile industry, there are countless great Android smartphones to pick from in the UK phones market. From sleek devices that impress with premium design, to powerhouses brimming with features, to all-around great devices, and affordable phones that punch above their weight, the best Android phones in the UK offer a staggering variety of attractive phones.
Not all smartphone models are available globally, for reasons ranging from modem and networks through to supply chains and marketing. In this roundup, we’re looking at the absolute best Android phones you can buy in the UK.
Best Android phones in UK:
Editor’s note: We will be regularly updating this list of best Android phones in UK as new devices launch and become available in the country.
1. Samsung Galaxy S20, S20 Plus, and S20 Ultra
The Galaxy S20 quartet is arguably Samsung’s best iteration on the Galaxy S family to date.
Best-in-class displays, stunning design, top-end hardware, and impressive camera performance have been hallmarks of Samsung’s design for some time now, but the S20 series goes a step further with the introduction of the Galaxy S20 Ultra — a beast of a phone with masses of RAM and a “Space Zoom” camera that can zoom in up to 100x. That said, the Galaxy S20 Plus is arguably the pick of the bunch as it offers much of the S20 Ultra’s core features but at a far more affordable price.
All three phones are powered by the Exynos 990 SoC (Snapdragon 865 in other regions) paired with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage. They also all run Android 10 out of the box with Samsung’s One UI skin on top.
The base model Galaxy S20 Plus is £999, while the Galaxy S20 Ultra starts at a whopping £1,199. The Galaxy S20, meanwhile, is priced at £899, though a 4G only version can be had for £799. Otherwise, all three phones have 5G support.
Samsung Galaxy S20 specs:
- Display: 6.2-inch, QHD+
- Chipset: Exynos 990
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 128GB/512GB
- Cameras: 12MP Ultra Wide, 12MP wide-angle, 64MP telephoto
- Front camera: 10MP
- Battery: 4,000mAh
- Software: Android 10, One UI 2.0
Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus specs:
- Display: 6.4-inch, QHD+
- Chipset: Exynos 990
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 128GB/512GB
- Cameras: 12MP Ultra Wide, 12MP wide-angle, 64MP telephoto, DepthVision
- Front cameras: 10MP
- Battery: 4,500mAh
- Software: Android 10
Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra specs:
- Display: 6.4-inch, QHD+
- Chipset: SD 865 or Exynos 990
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 128GB/512GB
- Cameras: 12MP Ultra Wide, 108MP wide-angle, 48MP telephoto, and DepthVision
- Front cameras: 40MP
- Battery: 5,000mAh
- Software: Android 10
2. OnePlus 7T and OnePlus 7T Pro
What happens when the flagship killer makes a flagship? You get the OnePlus 7T Pro.
Like its direct predecessor the OnePlus 7 Pro, the OnePlus 7T Pro sees the Chinese brand upping its game in every department over its previous generations. The display is a Quad HD+ screen with a 3,120 x 1,440 resolution (516ppi), HDR 10+ support, and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, and almost no bezels whatsoever. This “Fluid AMOLED” display, as OnePlus calls it, has a 90Hz refresh rate for a smoother, snappier feel.
Instead of a notch, the OnePlus 7T Pro features a mechanized pop-up selfie camera which will handily retract if you drop the phone. Meanwhile, on the back you’re getting a triple camera from OnePlus which features a 48MP main shooter, an 8MP telephoto lens, and an ultra-wide angle 16MP sensor. Other features include an in-display fingerprint sensor, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC, 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, and a 4,085mAh battery with Warp Charge 30T support.
What happens when the flagship killer makes a flagship?
There’s still no headphone jack or official waterproofing rating, but the OnePlus 7T Pro has all the specs and style to match the best UK phones with much higher price tags.
Not so keen on the curved display and want to save some cash? Then you should absolutely check out the OnePlus 7T which is arguably an even better phone overall considering the £599 price.
OnePlus 7T specs:
- Display: 6.55-inch, Full HD+
- SoC: Snapdragon 855 Plus
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 128GB
- Rear camera: 48, 8, and 16MP
- Front camera: 16MP
- Battery: 3,800mAh
- Software: Android 10
OnePlus 7T Pro specs:
- Display: 6.67-inch, QHD+
- SoC: Snapdragon 855 Plus
- RAM: 8GB
- Storage: 256GB
- Rear camera: 48, 8, and 16MP
- Front camera: 16MP
- Battery: 4,085mAh
- Software: Android 10
3. Google Pixel 4 XL
The big G stuck with a single shooter for its Pixel phones long after it became cool to go double or triple, instead relying on computational photography to once again give it the edge. With the Pixel 4 XL, Google finally added a telephoto lens for AI-assisted zoom and the results are as great as you might expect.
The Pixel 4 XL is also a huge step up in design for Google’s phones and the 3D face unlock may be the best to date. There’s also the phone’s big gimmick of having an actual radar chip inside for Motion Sense gestures, as well as that signature clean and clinical Pixel software which is guaranteed to get the latest Android 10 updates and beyond.
The RAM has also been given a boost to 6GB over the Pixel 3 series’ paltry 4GB which, combined with the Snapdragon 855, eases performance hiccups.
Is it a perfect phone, though? Absolutely not.
The biggest issue is battery life, which is underwhelming on the Pixel 4 XL and even worse on the regular Pixel 4 — so much so that we can’t really recommend the smaller version. The default 64GB storage is also really tiny, especially when you factor in that the Pixel 3 XL starts at £829. Want 128GB? That’s another £100 on top.
Issues aside, though, if you want a phone that takes wonderful photos every time, there’s nothing that can match the Google Pixel 4 XL.
Google Pixel 4 XL specs:
- Display: 6.3-inch, QHD+
- SoC: Snapdragon 855
- RAM: 6GB
- Storage: 64/128GB
- Rear camera: 12.2MP and 16MP
- Front camera: 8MP
- Battery: 3,700mAh
- Software: Android 10
4. Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus
Samsung may be known best for its Galaxy S phones, but the Note is the product line that power users flock to every year. Things changed with the Note 10 series, however, as Samsung released two Note phones for the first time — the Note 10 and Note 10 Plus.
While the vanilla Note 10 is a great phone in its own right despite some questionable feature omissions and downgrades, the Note 10 Plus represents one of Samsung’s best phones you can buy in the UK right now.
Read more: Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus camera review: At this price it should be better
Sporting a gorgeous, gradient-style look and a streamlined design with less buttons and more glass, the Note 10 Plus is also a specs powerhouse with an Exynos 990 SoC, a whopping 12GB RAM, up to 512GB of UFS 3.0 storage, wireless and reverse wireless charging, and the almighty S Pen with all-new upgrades. The Note 10 Plus also has more display than ever with the bezels removed in favor of an “Infinity O” punch hole.
The lack of a headphone jack really stings as the Note line was one of the last hold outs for including the 3.5mm port, but there’s no denying that this is the best Note phone to date.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus specs:
- Display: 6.8-inch, QHD+
- SoC: Snapdragon 855
- RAM: 12GB
- Storage: 128/256GB
- Rear camera: 16, 12, 12MP, and depth sensor
- Front camera: 10MP
- Battery: 4,300mAh
- Software: Android 9.0 Pie
5. Huawei P30 Pro
The main attraction with Huawei’s P series is the camera, and the P30 Pro sports a killer quad-lens setup, once again co-engineered with Leica. The vertical module features a 40 megapixel sensor (OIS, f/1.6) main sensor based on an RYB (red, yellow, blue) model to absorb more light, 20 megapixel sensor (OIS, f/2.2) wide-angle lens, and an 8 megapixel periscope lens (OIS, f/3.4) that delivers up to 5x optical zoom and up to 10x hybrid zoom. The fourth lens is a tiny Time-of-Flight (TOF) sensor sat underneath the flash.
Read more: Huawei P30 Pro camera review
The results from all these camera bells and whistles — not to mention Huawei’s AI advancements — are astounding. The low light shots and zoom images are stunning and represent a huge step forward for smartphone photography.
The rest of the phone is just as spectacular too. Be it the all-glass, gradient aesthetic (especially in the Aurora color), the OLED display, reverse wireless charging, the optical in-display fingerprint sensor, or great battery life, the P30 Pro goes far beyond being just a bag of camera tricks.
The Huawei P30 Pro has technically been superseded by the P40 series, though that’s only just been announced and is subject to the impact of the Huawei Android ban debacle. That means it doesn’t have Google services, so no Play Store or Google apps like YouTube, Gmail, etc. It should be noted that the P30 Pro launched before the legal battle kicked off, so future software updates should be unaffected.
Huawei P30 Pro specs:
- Display: 6.47-inch, QHD+
- SoC: Kirin 980
- RAM: 6/8GB
- Storage: 128/256/512GB
- Cameras: 40, 20, 8MP, and ToF
- Front camera: 32MP
- Battery:4,200mAh
- Software: Android 9.0 Pie
6. Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL
The long-rumored Pixel “Lite” finally became a reality with the Google Pixel 3a — a phone that packs in almost everything there is to love about the Pixel 3 series for a fraction of the price.
The main carryover from its premium sibling is the camera, which is almost identical to the acclaimed Pixel 3 camera. The Pixel Visual Core is missing, but Google reworked its imaging algorithms to work with the lower power Snapdragon 670 SoC and the results are remarkable. Night Sight, Super Res Zoom, Portrait mode, and all the other celebrated Pixel 3 camera features are also included.
You’re also getting the full, bloat-free Pixel software experience with timely updates and a guaranteed three years of OS upgrades and security patches. On the hardware side, there’s Active Edge for quick access to Google Assistant, a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, and even a 3.5mm headphone jack.
There have been understandable downgrades to the display, processor, speakers, and overall build (plastic not glass), but for just £399 the Pixel 3a is one of the best mid-range phones ever made.
If you want all the Pixel 3a has to offer and a larger screen to boot there’s also the Pixel 3a XL with its 6-inch display and near-identical specs for a little extra at £469.
Google Pixel 3a specs:
- Display: 5.6-inch, Full HD+
- SoC: Snapdragon 670
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64GB
- Rear cameras: 12.2MP
- Front camera: 8MP
- Battery:3,000mAh
- Software: Android 9.0 Pie
Google Pixel 3a XL specs:
- Display: 6-inch, Full HD+
- SoC: Snapdragon 670
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64GB
- Rear cameras: 12.2MP
- Front camera: 8MP
- Battery:3,700mAh
- Software: Android 9.0 Pie
That’s it for our look at the best Android phones in UK. We’ll add more top phones available in UK stores as they hit the market.
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