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Cell phones, ranked by expert reviews

The cell phones we cover, ranked by what expert reviewers found and shown with Canadian launch prices, so you can see which ones are worth buying.

Last updated November 9, 2026

Top-Rated Phones, Ranked

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Apple iPhone 12 mini
8.7
Apple iPhone 12 mini
Apple Β· iOS 14
Huawei Mate 10 Pro
8.7
Huawei Mate 10 Pro
Huawei Β· Android 8.0 Oreo
Pros
+ Incredibly fast performance
+ Great battery life
+ Sharp pictures with accurate colors
+ Scratch-resistant
Cons
βˆ’ Slippery
βˆ’ Slow auto-focus on camera
βˆ’ Display not as sharp as competitors
βˆ’ No 3.5mm headphone jack
HTC One
8.7
HTC One
HTC Β· Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
8.7
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Samsung Β· Android 11
Our Verdict

Having to pay extra for more storage up front is a new change for Samsung. In terms of everything else, there’s not a lot to say about the phone in terms of failings. At the end of the day, the simple question is, can you afford it and do you need a phone this powerful?

Pros
+ Lovely AMOLED screen
+ Best battery life for its tier
+ S-pen support
+ Fast refresh rate
Cons
βˆ’ Very expensive
βˆ’ No MicroSD expansion
βˆ’ Ads in Samsung software
Honor Magic 5 Pro
8.7
Honor Magic 5 Pro
Honor Β· Android 13
Apple iPhone 5
8.6
Mid-range Apple iPhone 5
Apple Β· iOS 6
Pros
+ Sharp 4-inch retina display
+ iOS 6 brings 200 new features to the iPhone including improvements to Siri and Facebook integration
+ Computing and graphics processing tasks are handled much better with the new Apple A6 SoC processor
+ Faster mobile data is available with support for both HSDPA and LTE networks
Cons
βˆ’ Lacks NFC wireless technology for currently developing mobile payment systems
βˆ’ Comes with a new dock connector called Lightning that makes old docks and other accessories obsolete
Sony Xperia Z3
8.6
Sony Xperia Z3
Sony Β· Android 4.4.4 KitKat
Pros
+ Water resistant
+ Bright HD screen
+ Blazing performance
+ PS4 Remote Play
+ Long battery life
Cons
βˆ’ Camera Auto mode is hit or miss
βˆ’ Limited US Availability
βˆ’ Sony bloatware and interface tweaks
βˆ’ Speaker distortion at high levels
Apple iPhone 7 Plus
8.6
Apple iPhone 7 Plus
Apple Β· iOS 10
OnePlus 7 Pro
8.6
OnePlus 7 Pro
OnePlus Β· Android 9.0 Pie
Our Verdict

Unless you absolutely must have the best camera available, the OnePlus 7 offers a compelling argument against the four-figure prices of many of this year’s top-tier releases.

Pros
+ Sleek design
+ Beautiful 90Hz, HDR-compatible display
+ Fast, generous storage
+ Best-in-class performance
+ In-screen fingerprint scanner
+ Price
Cons
βˆ’ No 3.5mm headphone jack
βˆ’ So-so audio
Oppo Find X2 Pro
8.6
Oppo Find X2 Pro
Oppo Β· Android 10
Xiaomi 14
8.6
Xiaomi 14
Xiaomi Β· Android 14
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
8.6
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
Sony Β· Android 4.4.4 KitKat
Pros
+ Waterproofing
+ Fast performance
+ MicroSD card support
+ Comfortable grip
+ Good camera
Cons
βˆ’ Lack of typical metal Xperia design
βˆ’ Mid-range resolution
βˆ’ Possible battery life concerns for power users
Samsung Galaxy S10 5G
8.6
Samsung Galaxy S10 5G
Samsung Β· Android 9.0 Pie
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
8.6
Apple iPhone 12 Pro
Apple Β· iOS 14
Pros
+ Superfast performance
+ Excellent camera
+ 5G compatibility
+ Superior video quality
+ Apple ProRAW support
Cons
βˆ’ So-so battery life on 5G
βˆ’ Minor upgrade to iPhone 12
βˆ’ Expensive
βˆ’ No USB-C support
Nexus 5
8.6
Budget Nexus 5
LG Β· Android 4.4 KitKat
Pros
+ Excellent screen quality
+ LTE support
+ Fast processor
+ Ships with Android 4.4
Cons
βˆ’ Mediocre camera
βˆ’ Poor battery life
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To ensure accuracy, this page has been reviewed and fact-checked by Carl Perlas, Jon Stone and Branden S. as part of our editorial review process. Learn how we score.

Last updated: November 9, 2026 · See an error? Report it