Verizon is the biggest carrier in the US, and has quite a few smartphones that you can choose from. It mostly consists of Google Pixel, Samsung, Motorola, and the iPhone. However, looking at the long list of smartphones from Verizon can be quite daunting for anyone, so we’re here to help you figure out which phone is best for you.
And if you’re looking to make the jump over to Verizon, we have the best Verizon plans available here. So you can pair your new Verizon phone with the best plan that is currently available.
Best Verizon Phones
Verizon has phones that range from around $200 to more than $1,000. So there’s something here for every budget, no matter what you can afford. The majority of these phones are from Google, Samsung, and Motorola, with an iPhone tossed in. Keep in mind that Verizon does tend to have deals and promos going on all the time, which we will keep you apprised of through our deals here.
So, without further ado, here are the best Verizon phones. All of the prices below are per month for 36 months unless otherwise noted.
Best Overall Smartphone: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
To no one’s surprise, the best smartphone you can buy at Verizon right now is the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. Samsung announced the Galaxy S24 series back in January of 2024, and it quickly became one of the best phones ever released.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra isn’t cheap; in fact, it starts at $1,299, that’s a $100 increase over its predecessor. But with that price, you are getting a phone with a 6.8-inch QHD+ 120Hz AMOLED display, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. All are powered by a 5,000mAh capacity battery. On top of all of that, Samsung is promising seven years of updates too, the same as Google with the Pixel 8 series.
One of the more controversial changes that Samsung made this year with the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the zoom camera. Samsung went from a 10x 10-megapixel camera to a 5x 50-megapixel camera. By doing this, it’s adding more resolution to your zoom photos and allowing Samsung to crop in on that sensor to still provide an optical 10x zoom. To be honest, you don’t really notice a huge difference in the zoom quality here, but it is really great to see a 5x option now.
Finally, let’s talk AI. Samsung added Galaxy AI to the Galaxy S24 series, along with a few other models too. This is a suite of AI features that are backed by Google’s Gemini and includes some really useful features. Like Chat Assist, which can rewrite and check grammar for messages you’re sending. It can also translate to other languages with ease. Live Translate also allows you to call someone in another language and it will live translate your conversation for you. Among many other features that are included and will be coming soon.
Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra is available in four colors: Titanium Black, Titanium Yellow, Titanium Violet, and Titanium Gray.
Honorable Mention: Google Pixel 8 Pro
The Google Pixel 8 Pro is a perfect alternative to the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra; in fact, it offers a lot of the same features that the S24 Ultra offers. Including seven years of updates, and all of the Gemini AI features too. But it’s a bit cheaper, at $900 full retail. Though, Verizon has been offering it for $5/month for quite some time now (that’s a final price of $180 over 36 months).
Google’s Pixel 8 Pro does include the Tensor G3 processor, 12GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. Additionally, it has a stunning 6.7-inch flat display this time around, which is still a 120Hz display. It also comes in a stunning Bay blue color, as well as Obsidian (Black) and Porcelain (White).
Of course, this runs on Android 14 right now and will be among the first to get Android 15 later this year. In fact, you can run Android 15 on the Pixel 8 Pro right now, thanks to the Android Beta Program.
Best Small Phone: Samsung Galaxy S24
When it comes to small phones, you really can’t get anything better than the Galaxy S24, at least from Verizon. The Samsung Galaxy S24 comes in with a 6.2-inch display, and measures 147 x 70.6 x 7.6mm, so it’s pretty small, especially when compared to things like the Galaxy S24 Ultra or the Pixel 8 Pro. Making it a much nicer phone to hold and use one-handedly.
Internally, the Galaxy S24 sports the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage onboard. Samsung has also equipped the Galaxy S24 with a triple-camera setup, including a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 10-megapixel 3x optical zoom lens, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor. All are powered by a 4,000mAh capacity battery that can charge at 25W wired or 15W wireless.
Much like the Galaxy S24 Ultra, the Galaxy S24 has all of the same Galaxy AI features too. With the exception of some camera features due to the difference in hardware. But things like Chat Assist, Live Translate, and more are available. And they are actually really useful.
Finally, the Galaxy S24 comes in four colors: Onyx Black, Marble Gray, Cobalt Violet, and Amber Yellow. Of course you can get even more from Samsung’s website.
Honorable Mention: Google Pixel 8
Much like the Google Pixel 8 Pro being an honorable mention for the best smartphone, the Google Pixel 8 gets an honorable mention for the “Best Small Smartphone” at Verizon. It comes in at about the same size as the Galaxy S24, with a 6.2-inch display, and dimensions of 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9mm. So it’s a tiny bit wider and taller and a bit thicker too. However, it does include a much larger battery at 4,575mAh.
Internally, Google has equipped the Pixel 8 with the Tensor G3 processor, 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. So it’s quite similar to the Galaxy S24, with the biggest difference being the processor. And to be quite honest, that is the main reason why the Pixel 8 is an “Honorable Mention” and not the best small phone. The Tensor G3 chipset is not as good as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3. It is slower and tends to overheat from time to time.
The Google Pixel 8 sells for $799 full retail, but you can oftentimes find it for “free” at Verizon with different deals. Like adding a new line, or switching to Verizon. It is available in three colors: Rose, Obsidian, and Hazel.
Best iPhone: Apple iPhone 15
This should come as no surprise, but the best iPhone you can buy right now is the iPhone 15. You might be a little surprised that this is not the iPhone 15 Pro, but we feel that the price, features, and experience are better on the iPhone 15 than the iPhone 15 Pro.
The iPhone 15 is $799, and you get a lot of what the iPhone 15 Pro offers for $200 less. The only things that are really missing here are the 120Hz display, Titanium build, and the telephoto camera. Which, to be honest, the iPhone 15 kinda has actually. Since Apple gave it the newer 48-megapixel main sensor, Apple is now cropping in on that sensor to provide you with a lossless 2x zoom option.
This past year, Apple also upgraded the display, giving it Dynamic Island, which means you get Live Activities on your screen instead of only on the lock screen. While, yes, we’d all love to have an uninterrupted display, Apple has done a good job with Dynamic Island, as it is pretty useful for a number of apps.
The frame of the iPhone 15 is still made of aluminum, so it still feels premium, just not quite as premium as the titanium on the Pro models.
Finally, the iPhone 15 comes in five colors which are all pretty muted. This includes Pink, Black, Blue, Green, and Yellow.
Best Large iPhone: Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
If price were no option, the iPhone 15 Pro Max would be the best iPhone you can buy. It has the latest and greatest everything you could want in an iPhone. Except maybe battery life. If you prefer battery life over things like a telephoto camera, a 120Hz display, titanium build, and a few other things, then you might want the iPhone 15 Plus, which is $300 less.
With the iPhone 15 Pro Max, you’re getting good battery life, just not the God-like battery life we’ve seen on past Pro Max phones like the iPhone 13 Pro Max which would literally last me 2-3 days on a charge. The iPhone 15 Pro Max doesn’t quite last that long for me these days. But it does get me through a day with ease. Sometimes, it takes a day and a half, depending on how much I’m using it.
This year, Apple made some pretty big upgrades to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, including a new telephoto camera. The zoom camera now does 5x optical zoom, it’s the only iPhone that has this feature, so far. If you’re one that takes a lot of zoom shots, then this might be worth the money. Since the iPhone 15 Pro does 3x, and the non-Pro iPhone 15 models do only 2x optical zoom.
It is using a titanium frame this year, which is a nice upgrade, primarily because it makes the phone lighter than its predecessor. Stainless Steel, while strong, was pretty heavy and shiny. Titanium is neither one of those. In fact, it’s even stronger, while being lighter and having a matte finish. This is one of the first times in a long time I’ve used an iPhone without a case, it just feels so great in the hand.
Now let’s talk updates. Apple doesn’t guarantee a certain number of updates, so we don’t know if they’ll do seven years like Google and Samsung are starting to do. But if we look at recent history, Apple does typically do six or seven years of updates. So if you buy this phone in 2024, it’ll be supported for quite some time.
Finally, yes there is a new iPhone on the horizon. It’s going to come out in September as it does every year. But we don’t expect it to be a huge upgrade. It’ll be another incremental upgrade, as we’ve seen for basically the past decade with the iPhone. And that’s because Apple knows you won’t be upgrading every single year.
Best Foldable Smartphone: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
Verizon doesn’t actually sell that many foldables surprisingly. It’s basically just three options available at Verizon: Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5 or the Pixel Fold. And we believe that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the best option for most people. It’s not a cheap phone, like most foldables, with a starting price of $1,799, but Verizon does typically have promos where you can get it half off or close to half off.
With the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Samsung is including the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy, 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. It also has a 4400mAh capacity battery to boot. Those are some pretty good specs for a foldable phone, and it also sports a 50-megapixel main sensor on the back, a 10-megapixel telephoto for 3x optical zoom, and a 12-megapixel ultrawide. Pretty much identical to what the Galaxy S24 sports right now.
Samsung has a pretty skinny outside display here, which is 6.2 inches with a 23.1:9 aspect ratio. It works, but you’re going to want to open the display a lot more often. That internal display is a 7.6-inch display that is almost square. So it’s great for using two apps side-by-side, but when you’re not using multiple apps at a time, it’s a tougher experience, unfortunately.
These days, there are a lot of apps that are optimized for Foldables, including Instagram surprisingly. Instagram has moved the lower navigation bar to the left side, making it easier to navigate and so that posts don’t take up the entire screen.
When we reviewed the Galaxy Z Fold 5 last year, we really liked it. It ended up being a pretty major upgrade over the Galaxy Z Fold 4, but there are still some better foldables on the market from other companies not in the US. So Samsung does have some catching up to do. The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is available in five colors: Icy Blue, Phantom Black, Cream, Gray, and Blue.
Best Smartphone Under $500: Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
The Galaxy A54 5G retails at $499, making it a great option for under $500. Now, unfortunately, it is a bit older, having launched last year, but the Galaxy A55 5G is not planning on making it to the US. So this is the best we can do right now. Verizon does typically offer it for “free” or around $5/month, which comes out to about $180 over the 36-month plan.
The Samsung Galaxy A54 5G sports a 6.4-inch FHD+ 120Hz display, powered by the Exynos 1380 processor with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. However, at this price, we are looking at 6GB and 128GB here. That’s not too bad, and we found that the performance is actually pretty good for the price. Samsung has also included a 5,000mAh capacity battery inside, which does last quite a long time with this slower processor and lower-res display.
Samsung does offer the Galaxy A54 5G in multiple colors, including Lime, Graphite, Violet, and White.
