The iPhone XS and XS Max are obviously high-quality, beautifully designed smartphones. But Apple isn’t always for everyone, despite the company’s best efforts to make that the case.
If you’re determined to live the Android life, need something simpler than an iPhone or just not into spending $1,449 for an admittedly top of the line phone, check out five quality competitors below.
Samsung Galaxy Note9
Samsung is always standing by, ready to be the first choice if the iPhone isn’t doing it for you. The Note9 is plenty powerful, has an absolutely enormous screen and gives you an entirely different means of control via their signature smart stylus that, as always, gets buried conveniently in the body of the phone when not in use.
With plenty of power, a storage expansion slot and a huge, gorgeous screen, anyone looking for a phone that’s as capable as the iPhone XS but built on the Android platform, will probably be looking closely here.(Buy)
Blackberry Key2
If the iPhone’s multitouch or Samsung’s stylus still leave you longing for the days of a physical keyboard, you should be probably be setting your sights on Blackberry’s Key2.
The phone itself is slim and light and might be less of a burden to carry around than the oversized XS Max or Samsung Note9–both of which suffer from some awkwardness due to their size–but the highlight here is absolutely the the integrated keyboard that gives a satisfying, purposeful click when pressing the chiclet keys that harken back to Blackberry’s heyday.
If you’re ready to kick your all-touch smartphone to the curb, Blackberry is standing by to scoop up your business. (Buy)
Razer Phone
Razer, a company known for making incredibly high-end gaming equipment, has taken that expertise and embedded it in every aspect of the Razer Phone. The durability of their gaming controllers and mice inform the rugged, teched-out style and form factor.
Their powerhouse laptops provide the framework for some extremely powerful GPU, CPU and battery life under the hood and the whole design gets rounded out with a high refresh, high def screen and boosted sound quality.
As mobile game developers push the limits of what their games can do, you can rest assured that the Razer Phone will deliver their intended experience. Also, it does all the normal phone stuff you’d expect when you’re not using it to play Final Fantasy or Hitman. (Buy)
Essential Phone
Maybe you haven’t gotten caught up in all the new stuff phones can do and just want low-maintenance and reliable functionality from your phone sans the bells and whistles. Essential Phone is here for you.
As simple as a smartphone gets, it’s got a wall-to-wall screen, serviceable camera, solid battery life, a roomy 128GB of onboard storage and provides plenty of power for normal use like email, text and calls at an unbeatable price. (Buy)
Nokia 3310
I had to include one phone on this list that was completely different and that means giving up the black glass slate of a smartphone and going retro. It’s hard to trust any company more than Nokia when it comes to that approach.
No frills screen, nigh indestructible body, days-long battery life; the 3310 feels ripped straight from the 90s, back when Nokia phones were as stylish and seemingly indestructible. Also, there’s Snake. What more do you even need? (Buy)