I don’t like big phones. They are cumbersome to carry, they don’t fit into most of my size of pockets or purses, and I’m constantly dropping them. I wasn’t made for larger phones. But I can’t deny that they have their advantages. The bigger the phone you go, the longer the battery you’ll have so you can watch TV and chortle on the train. Plus, most of the latest large phones have extra photography capabilities you won’t get with a small phone, like the ability to zoom in at a farther distance.
Bigger phones also cost more, which can drag if you’re on a budget. So be strategic: if you go for a device with more display, you should know what the rest of the phone can do for you. Not all mega-phones are created equal—some are better at taking photos, while others exist simply for multitasking. If you’re not penny-pinching, you might also consider the latest large foldables, some of which are now offered with a discount that makes them easier to afford than when they initially debuted. Here’s what the big phone market looks like, including the ones that fold into tablets.
Best Big Phone for Being Big
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
This year’s phones are some of the biggest they’ve ever been, though Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra has the largest display as a traditional smartphone—it’s a 6.9-inch Super AMOLED display compared to, say, the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display. Part of that extra screen on the Ultra makes it possible to enjoy the stowed S Pen on the bottom, which also acts as a camera remote for when you’re taking selfies from afar—I use it all the time to snap pictures of myself on my walks. How else would I prove that I take them?
Alternative Pick – iPhone 15 Pro Max
The iPhone 15 Pro Max is another big phone favorite. There’s a bit more width to the Pro Max than the OnePlus 12, a narrow type of smartphone. You also get the added benefit of its three-tiered camera system and larger battery. One advantage to this big phone compared to an Android offering is the built-in Emergency SOS and Roadside Assistance via satellite offerings, which are nice to have when life gets unexpectedly perilous.
If the Pro Max’s $1,200 starting price range is a little steep and you want to stay on iOS, the iPhone 15 Plus is just as worthy. It also has a 6.7-inch display with a spectrum of pastel offerings.
Best Big Phone for Battery Life
OnePlus 12
If you’re considering carrying around this much product, you might as well get something with the best battery life. For Android users, that’s the OnePlus 12. It was the longest-lasting Android device in Gizmodo’s battery benchmarks. The OnePlus 12 is a 6.8-inch device with 16GB of RAM and a whopping 5,400 mAh battery—that’s how it managed up to 27 hours and 43 minutes of battery in our rundown tests.
Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max has the next best battery offering with 25 hours, followed by the newest Galaxy S24 Ultra with 23 hours and 22 minutes. Apple and Samsung devices have both been pretty steady about battery life. Your mileage will undoubtedly vary depending on how you use the devices. Our tests determine how long the phones last on screen for extended periods at around 200 nits.
Best Big Phone for Zooming In
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
How far do you want to zoom in? If you don’t mind a ton of algorithmic help, the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s four-part camera system can manage up to 100x digital zoom. If you need to peep at something too far away or too high up, that’s where the telephoto can help. It’s also nice to have different framing options offered by the Ultra’s varying focal lengths. The Ultra is capable of up to 5x optical zoom on its secondary 50-MP camera and up to 3x optical zoom on its tertiary 10-MP telephoto camera.
Alternative Pick – Google Pixel 8 Pro
Apple’s iPhone 15 Pro Max and Pixel 8 Pro can also zoom in from far away. Both phones max out at 5x optical zoom, though the iPhone 15 Pro Max can handle up to 25x digital zoom and the Pixel 8 Pro up to 30x with “Super Res Zoom.”
It’s not a big phone; it’s a foldable
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold
I said that I don’t like big phones. But I adore the large folding ones because you can fold them up and put them into something else when you are not using the screen. I’ve shared my thoughts on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 in our full review, and my opinion has remained largely the same: they are still too expensive to justify outright. That said, whenever I pick up the Z Fold 5, I am reminded of its utility as a tablet on the go.
The Z Fold 5 has other things going for it besides its 7.6-inch inner display. If you intend to use it like a tablet, you can buy an S Pen to unlock a few extra features. (Though I would recommend toting the S Pen around some other way than the official Slim Case because it falls out periodically.) There’s also a triple-lens camera system, plus up to 3x optical zoom.
Alternative Pick – OnePlus Open
OnePlus became a contender in the foldable game when it launched the OnePlus Open, one of the best foldables we reviewed last year after the Z Fold 5. There’s plenty to like about it: a solid hinge, a screen with no discernable crease, and a UI that is quite good at handling the multi-app experience of the inside screen. It even has 16GB of RAM, a hefty amount for a device with many screens.
Also, if you like to type with both thumbs and that’s why you’re looking to adopt a larger device, the foldable is the way to go. I’ve found it much faster at typing two-handed than the iPhone 15 Pro Max or Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Best Big Phone for AI
Google Pixel 8 Pro / Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
AI is a thing in this day and age, so we might as well lean in. Android is better suited for the so-called “AI future,” as it waves the freak flag for all to see. Apple’s approach is much more subdued, with its AI offerings sprinkled throughout iOS and the rest of the well-tended walled garden.
If you want to be on the equivalent of the cutting edge, then sign up for life with the Pixel 8 Pro. It’s the flagship from Google, which means it will be the device that showcases what Google’s AI smarts can do. One of our favorite features, Circle to Search, is limited to Google’s latest, anyway, and the Galaxy S24 Ultra. But it’s hard to tell how much feature parity Samsung’s Galaxy AI will have with Google’s Pixel hardware going forward.
Want more of Gizmodo’s consumer electronics picks? Check out our guides to the best phones best laptops, best TVs, and best headphones. If you want to learn about the next big thing, see our guide to everything we know about the iPhone 16.
