2018 has been a rollercoaster year for smartphone releases, with titans Apple, Google, Samsung, LG and many more companies dropping new flagship phones – but who holds the crown?
We have done all the leg work to help you find the very best Android-running handsets on offer throughout 2018, with some helpful deals and discounts to let you find the cheapest and best option for you.
Frankly, 2018 has been a sensational year for smartphone releases, so your choice will ultimately come down to preference.
Many of this year’s Android phones have similar or comparable features, so making the final decision will likely come down to which one you like the look of.
But we digress. Let’s go through the five best Android devices and where you can buy them on some great deals.
Samsung Galaxy S9
Widely considered the greatest smartphone ever made, the Galaxy S9 has everything you could ever want in a smartphone and more – seriously, it has everything.
Launched back in March, the Samsung Galaxy S9 is one of the best-looking models we have seen. The edge-to-edge 5.8-inch screen is sublime for watching content on your favourite apps, and everything is super quick thanks to the Snapdragon 845 / Exynos 9810 CPU, which will easily manage every task you throw at it.
The front and rear cameras are the jewel in the crown. A super clear 12MP rear camera, complete with all the bells and whistles you’d expect from Samsung, complement an 8MP front camera that will make you a professional selfie-taker in no time.
The battery will easily see you through a day of solid use at 3,000mAh, and you really can’t find this kind of quality in any other product at this price point.
The best Samsung Galaxy S9 deals
Vodafone – Get a 24 month contract for £23 a month after an upfront cost of £125.
EE – Buy a 24 month contract with unlimited mins, texts and 30GB for no upfront cost and £33 a month.
Three – Buy a 24 month contract with unlimited mins, texts and unlimited data for £79 upfront and £46 a month.
O2 – Buy a 24 month contract with unlimited mins and texts and 10GB of data for £25 upfront and £31 a month.
Google Pixel 3
An all-glass, matte finish with two-tone glass will make give you that premium feel that you have come to expect from Google.
The Pixel 3 is bigger than last year’s models, measuring in at 5.5-inches, with a gorgeous OLED screen – perfect for your on-the-go binge-watching.
A 12.2 megapixel rear camera and a dual 8-megapixel front camera makes the Pixel 3 one of the best cameras on the market.
Wireless charging, waterproof, gorgeous casing and Google’s powerful assistant makes this a must-have.
The best Google Pixel 3 deals
Vodafone – The Google Pixel 3 is available from £58 per month (£49 upfront cost) on a 16GB Red Entertainment plan, while the Google Pixel 3 XL is available on a 16GB Red Entertainment plan from £62 per month (£49 upfront cost).
Both can be upgraded to a 32GB Red Entertainment plan for an additional £7 per month. Pre-order the Pixel 3 to receive a free Google Home Hub too.
Sky Mobile – from £35 per month for the Pixel 3 and £40 per month for the Pixel 3 XL, on a Swap24 plan with 1GB data allowance and Unlimited Calls & Texts.
EE – from £58 per month with an upfront cost of £10 for the Pixel 3 (on the 24-month 4GEE Max plan, including unlimited minutes, unlimited texts and 60GB of data) and from £63 per month with an upfront cost of £20 for the Pixel 3 XL.
Three – Google Pixel 3 is available on a 24 month contract for an upfront cost: £99. All you can eat data, minutes and calls: £48 per month
Or you an opt for the Google Pixel 3 XL is available on a 24 month contract for an upfront cost: £99. All you can eat data, minutes and calls: £54 per month
Sony Xperia XZ3
Sony released a cracking phone in 2018 as well, expanding on their Xperia series with a massive, tech-heavy handset.
A huge 6-inch touchscreen display may not be as powerful as some screens on the market right now (resolution measures at 1440 x 2880 pixels at a PPI of 537 pixels per inch), but it still looks gorgeous.
An 8-core processor keeps things clipping along at an incredible pace, while the 4GB RAM makes the handset pack a powerful punch.
As far as the cameras are concerned, the Sony Xperia XZ3 packs a 19-megapixel (f/2.0, 1.22-micron) primary camera on the rear and a 13-megapixel front shooter for selfies.
The Sony Xperia XZ3 is powered by a 3330mAh. It measures 158.00 x 73.00 x 9.90 (height x width x thickness) and weighs 193.00 grams.
The Best Sony XZ3 deals
O2 – Get a 24-month contract with unlimited minutes, texts and 30GB off data for just £29.99 upfront and £38 a month.
EE – Get a 24 month contract with unlimited minutes and texts and 8GB of data for £215 upfront and £30 a month.
ID Mobile – Get a 24 month contract with 500 minutes and unlimited texts and 1GB of data for £59.99 upfront and £25.99 a month.
Amazon also has some great deals on at the moment that give you huge discounts on older versions of the Sony Xperia.
For example, you can buy the Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact, which has a 4.6-inch HD screen on Android 8.0 Oreo SIM Free for £199, saving £130.
Or, you can buy the Sony Xperia XZ2 UK SIM-Free Smartphone for £449, saving £180.
Samsung Galaxy Note9
First off, the Samsung Galaxy Note9 screen is massive and expressive. A 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display produces incredibly crisp and vibrant images that rival some TV screens.
Netflix, Youtube and Amazon Prime all look fabulous on the bezel-less Infinity Display, which is just big enough to be comfortable without snapping a tendon in your thumb.
To power this mammoth screen, Samsung has upgraded the old chip to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (US and China) or the Exynos 9810 (Europe and the rest of the world), which can handle pretty much anything that comes its way.
A truly massive 4,000mAh battery will keep you snapping through the day and long into the night, so you have no worries there either.
Perhaps the biggest gimmick of the Note 9 is the S Pen, which can be fun, if not a little unnecessary at times.
Scrawling notes on the giant screen can be handy, as well as making fun little doodles to share with friends, but the Pen really comes into use when you play around with the Bluetooth remote controlled shortcuts.
The best Samsung Galaxy Note9 deals
Three – Get a 24 month contract with 1GB of data for £99 upfront and £44 a month after that.
EE – Get a 24 month contract with 50GB for data for £139 upfront and £48 a month.
O2 – Get a 24 month contract with 10GB of data for NO upfront cost and £52 a month.
Sky Mobile – Get a 24 month contract with 1GB of data for NO upfront cost and £48 a month.
Vodafone – Get a 24 month contract with 1GB of data and NO upfront cost and £52.13 a month.
OnePlus 6T
Maybe not as popular as the other Android devices from 2018, you ignore the One Plus series at your peril, as these models are seriously good for the price they come in at.
A supermassive 6.41-inch Optic AMOLED screen – with notch – is great for viewing content and playing games. Once again the Snapdragon 845 makes everything speedy and crisp, while the memory, which can stretch from 64GB all the way to 256GB is huge.
A super crisp 16MP + 20MP rear camera combo takes some impressive pictures in all ranges and, for this price, you are really snagging a bargain.
The best OnePlus 6 deals
O2 – Buy the 36 month contract with unlimited minutes and texts and 1GB of data for £30 upfront and £33.45 a month.
EE – Buy a 24 month contract for £39 per month, with a £50 upfront fee offering unlimited UK minutes, unlimited texts and a 1GB data allowance.
Vodafone – Get a 24 month contract for £42 a month (£29 upfront cost) on a Vodafone Red Extra Plan, including unlimited texts, unlimited minutes and a massive 16GB of data.
Huawei Mate 20 Pro
Huawei has steadily grown to become a bit of a hit among Samsung fans, migrating from China to post a number of fantastic phones in the last year or so, particularly with the Mate 20 Pro.
The Mate 20 Pro comes with a mammoth 6.39-inch QHD+OLED screen, which places it comfortably among the top performers, like Samsung and Apple.
A positively huge 4,200mAH battery will keep you going for well over a day of use, making the Mate20 Pro one of the longest lasting phones available.
But here’s something that makes it stand out – as well as wireless charging, you can also use the phone to charge other phones and accessories wirelessly.
Reverse Wireless Charging, as they are calling it, can transform your phone into a charging station for all your friends, or any of your other devices – you really will be the life and soul of the party now.
The best Huawei Mate 20 Pro deals
EE: Prices start from £44, with a £10 upfront cost on a £58 per month Max plan, giving you unlimited Minutes, texts and 60GB of data.
Carphone Warehouse: You can buy the Mate 20 Pro with 128GB for £899 SIM free and secure a free Smartwatch and Wireless charge as well.
Vodafone: Buy the Huawei Mate 20 Pro on Vodafone’s Red Entertainment plan for £57 per month (£29 upfront cost). This includes 42GB of data and a choice of Amazon Prime Video, Sky Sports Mobile TV, Spotify Premium or a NOW TV Entertainment Pass.
Sky Mobile – Prices start from £40 a month, on a Swap24 plan with 1GB of data and Unlimited Calls and Texts. Larger data plans are also available, with 3GB, 8GB and 20GB options, with Unlimited Calls & Texts, for £12, £15 or £20 per month.
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