When it comes to your choice of wireless carriers here in the U.S., the magenta-clad T-Mobile is a strong contender for many people, even though it’s a bit smaller than Verizon or AT&T. However, since merging with Sprint, T-Mobile has been doing a lot of work on expanding its 5G network and making itself an even stronger competitor in the market. If you’ve decided on T-Mobile as your wireless service provider, you may wonder what phones are best for the service. The good news is that T-Mobile works with many of the best Android phones available today, so you’ll have plenty of options.
Best phones to use with the Un-Carrier
Source: Google
Google Pixel 7 Pro
Best overall
Google’s best on T-Mobile
$749 $899 Save
$150
If you’re going with T-Mobile as your provider for your Pixel 7 Pro, you’ll be happy to know that the phone does support 5G, both sub6 and mmWave, so in theory, it should be able to take advantage of T-Mobile’s vast 5G network. In addition, advanced calling features like Call Screening, Hold for Me, and Direct My Call — all powered by Google’s AI — make it one of the best devices to make or take your calls on. It’s available from T-Mobile for $0 down on a 24-month plan (conditions may apply) if you don’t want to buy it outright.
- Fantastic software experience
- Excellent camera performance
When you think of everything most people want their smartphone to be, it’s hard not to suggest the Google Pixel 7 Pro as the top choice because it just gets so much right.
It’s powerful — packed with 12GB of RAM and the Tensor G2 chipset that does a bunch of new AI software tricks possible on the phone. It’s beautiful — featuring a large 6.7-inch 120Hz OLED display that’s brighter than ever, and its rear camera bar still makes it stand out in a crowd of smartphones that all look like big black bricks, even if it’s a bit of a controversial style.
Where the Google Pixel 7 Pro shines the brightest is the camera. Yes, it has the same 50MP primary sensor from last year’s Pixel, but it’s able to crop in at 2x this year with incredible results. The ultra-wide lens has been upgraded to a much wider field-of-view (which earns it the name of “ultra-wide”), which helps the Pixel 7 Pro exclusive Macro Mode. One of the biggest reasons smartphone camera enthusiasts want the Pro over the base Pixel 7 is the telephoto lens that can shoot with a 5x zoom and can go up to 30x digital zoom using Super Res Mode, allowing you to get closer to your subjects than ever before.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Premium pick
The ultimate powerhouse on T-Mobile
$900 $1200 Save
$300
If you’re looking for the best of the best out of Android in 2023, the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is it. It’s the only one in the S23 lineup to feature the company’s flagship 200MP ISOCELL HP2 camera sensor, the only one with a 5,000mAh battery, and the only one to push the storage envelope up to 1TB. It is costly, but T-Mobile does offer the option to put $0 down on a 24-month plan.
- Amazing display
- Tons of horsepower for productivity
Are big phones, with big displays, lots of features, and all the power you can cram into a smartphone, your cup of tea? If so, we suggest the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra as your next daily driver.
Samsung’s premium flagship device features a huge 6.8-inch screen that is also the best display on a smartphone right now. With a variable refresh rate that can get up to 120Hz, content looks sharp and crisp, and animations look smoother than ever. Not to mention, the OLED panel is the best at showing contrast and colors, making it a superb phone for watching your favorite content.
While the four-camera array (200MP f/1.7 primary, 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide, 10MP f/2.4 3x telephoto, 10MP f/4.9 10x telephoto) on the rear offers a ton of versatility for anyone who loves shooting pics, it may be even better for fans of taking videos. The S23 Ultra can shoot in 8K, which is just an incredible tool to have in your pocket at all times. Add in the fact you can take the training wheels off at any time and enter Pro shooting mode for more ultimate control over how your photos look, and the Galaxy S23 Ultra makes an impeccable camera phone.
Source: OnePlus
OnePlus Nord N20
Best value
You can get it free on T-Mobile!
The OnePlus Nord N20 5G is a T-Mobile exclusive, and while it may not be the most powerful phone around, it’s perfectly good at getting all the basics done. The best part? If you open a new line with T-Mobile, they will give you a OnePlus N20 5G for free.
- Extremely affordable
- OLED display
The OnePlus Nord N20 5G It’s powered by the Snapdragon 695, which may not have all the bells and whistles you see in many of today’s flagships, but it still packs a fair punch. It moves through OxygenOS very smoothly and can handle most of your daily tasks. Even some older 3D games aren’t too much of a problem though you might not be able to handle the hottest and newest titles.
While the display is capped at 60Hz, it is a 1080p OLED screen, meaning you get those vibrant colors and pure blacks that OLED displays are known to produce. This likely helps the battery life, as in our review, we got 10 hours of screen-on time, which mean average use should net you a good full day of use and likely even more. The 33W fast charging makes it easy to stay charged once you do find your battery percentage trickling down.
At less than $300 (if you choose to buy it outright), you have to expect your fair share of compromises. The cameras will likely leave something to be desired for the true phone photographers out there. Still, if you’re posting some photos on your social media feeds and don’t care for some of the finer details, you’ll be able to get by with the camera array on the Nord N20 5G just fine.
Source: Google
Google Pixel 7
A more affordable Google
Nearly as good as the Pro
$499 $599 Save
$100
Available from T-Mobile with $0 down on a 24-month plan, the Pixel 7 offers a lot of what the Pro model provides, like improved cameras, the next-gen Tensor G2 chipset, and Google’s wonderfully feature-filled software that makes the Pixel series run so smoothly.
- Excellent software experience
- Fantastic camera performance
- Can struggle in low-service areas
The Google Pixel 7 offers a good amount of performance to make just about anyone happy. The 8GB of RAM inside can be paired with either 128 or 256GB of storage, and the new Google Tensor G2 provides a solid amount of power to the Pixel 7, making it suitable for gaming and productivity. The battery life isn’t too shabby either, even with a modest 4,355mAh capacity.
Since launch, users’ issues connecting to networks properly — particularly in less populated areas — have plagued the device. If you plan on using it on T-Mobile, ensuring you’re in a good service area may be better.
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
Excellent midrange Android
Great features and a great price
$400 $450 Save
$50
With a 120Hz AMOLED display, a 50MP camera that promises to be capable even in low-light situations, and a faster processor, the A54 looks to be one of the more impressive phones in its price range. Plus, T-Mobile has some incredible deals on the device that can even seen you snag one for only $99.
- Fantastic display
- Excellent software support
Don’t feel like spending flagship prices, but want a phone that has quite a few flagship features? That’s where the Samsung Galaxy A54 comes in. Equipped with a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display that looks absolutely amazing and very good battery life, it’s a phone that’s just hard to say no to.
Sure, its Exynos 1380 won’t be as powerful as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 you’ll find in the S23 series, but it’s a very capable chip that can handle all your day-to-day tasks just fine. Not to mention, the battery life can let you coast for about 48 hours, which is good because the charging speed is a bit slow, and there’s no wireless charging option.
You’ll be hard-pressed to find a midrange phone with this much software support and this many premium features under $500, and given that T-Mobile has some incredible deals on the device, it really is a steal.
Source: Motorola
Moto G Stylus
For stylus lovers
Affordable phone with a stylus
The Moto G Stylus (2022) is one of the more unique budget Androids on the market, thanks to the titular stylus tucked away inside the phone. If you like using a stylus or love the handy integration that Motorola has included in its software, it’s not a bad option. Plus, T-Mobile now offers the phone for free if you’re getting a new line.
- Excellent stylus features
- Smooth display experience
- Slow charging
- Speaker isn’t great
The battery life on the Moto G Stylus (2022) is pretty stellar, and with moderate use, you’ll likely get a full day (if not even two full days) out of it before you need a charge. Of course, this will depend on how you use your phone, but it’s nice to know that you won’t be rushing for an outlet every time you leave the house. On the flip side, the charging is quite slow at only 10W, so it will take a while to juice up when you need power.
It’s a good deal for what you get, but Motorola doesn’t have the best software support as the Moto G Stylus (2022) launched with Android 11 and will be upgraded to Android 12, but that’s it as far as major operating system updates go. You’ll still get security patches for about two more years, but after that, it won’t be supported anymore, which is something to consider if you’re looking for a phone that will be in your pocket for a long time.
Source: Samsung
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4
The best foldable
T-Mobile has some great deals on the best foldable phone
T-Mobile offers you the chance to jump into the world of foldable phones with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, and if you want to commit to a 24-month payment plan, you can even get it with $0 upfront. This is the best foldable on the market, with all the power you need and a fantastic tablet-like inside display that offers so much room for productivity.
- Tablet-sized display in your pocket
- Great performance
There’s no doubt the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 is expensive, yet it’s hard not to be impressed by its hardware and performance. Plus, it makes good on its promise of being a tablet and a smartphone that you can have in your (large) pocket. Folded up, the phone presents a normal display with a typical hole-punch camera cutout, but with that hinge, you can fold it open to have a 7.6-inch tablet in your hands. All the screens are impressive as well, offering a 120Hz refresh rate, making scrolling as smooth as ever.
On top of its impressive and unique hardware, it is still a great phone inside too. With a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset and 12GM of RAM, you can use this phone as a productivity workhorse, thus its design in the first place. Of course, compared to more traditional phones, there are some trade-offs. Battery life is a little worse when you’re running a screen that big, and the cameras are pretty good but not quite as great as we know Samsung puts on its standard flagships.
Source: Apple
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
Apple’s best
The best option for Apple fans
T-Mobile isn’t going to leave Apple users out in the cold, and if you like the iPhone, we’d suggest the iPhone 14 Pro. Even though it would cost you $1,000 to buy outright, the magenta carrier does offer the ability to put $0 down if you opt to make monthly payments for two years.
- Powerful and fast
- Excellent software support
- Better if you’re invested in the Apple ecosystem
When it comes to using the phone, the iPhone 14 Pro is a delight. Apple’s A16 Bionic chipset is just as speedy as any other top-end chip in the game, meaning you don’t have to worry about your favorite apps and games not running smoothly. While there’s no doubt Apple’s iOS is way more locked down and a tad blander than all the different versions of Android, iOS 16 is probably the most customizable iPhone software ever.
The screen is absolutely gorgeous and has a viable refresh rate that reaches up to 120Hz making all content look great whether you’re watching YouTube or scrolling the latest news. I know it seems like a gimmick (and it is a little bit), but Dynamic Island has been a bright spot on the iPhone 14 Pro, and as more developers include support for it in their apps, it’s only going to get better.
Source: ASUS
Asus Zenfone 9
Compact phone
Something a little different
$650 $700 Save
$50
The Asus Zenfone 9 might be the best surprise in the smartphone market in quite some time. This is a relatively small phone by today’s standards, with a screen size of only 5.9 inches, making it easy to use one-handed.While we love the Zenfone 9 for daring to be a little different, there is a major caveat, the phone isn’t certified for T-Mobile, but Asus told us that the phone works on T-Mobile, and we haven’t been made aware of any major issues preventing users from using the phone with the magenta network.
- Compact design
- Great performance
The small flagship market isn’t particularly booming with competition, and the ASUS Zenfone 9 quickly makes a case for being the best compact phone you can buy right now. Thanks to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, it’s got the power that all the bigger phones have. Plus, the 8GB or 16GB of RAM available isn’t too shabby, either. You don’t have to sacrifice performance just because you prefer a small phone, and you don’t need to have a crappy screen, thanks to the 120HZ OLED display on the Zenfone 9.
Remember, you can’t get it from T-Mobile directly, meaning you’ll have to buy it outright and bring it over to the carrier if you want it.
Excellent phones work well on T-Mobile
With T-Mobile being one of the big three carriers in the U.S., it’s not hard to find a great phone that works on its network. Plus, with an extra focus on building out its 5G network, it’s bound to get even better for the best 5G phones now and in the future.
It’s hard to beat the entire package that comes with the Google Pixel 7 Pro; it’s just a great phone. With all the power and performance you expect from a flagship, plus a superb camera system that continues to impress with each tweak Google makes, it’s hard not to view the Pixel 7 Pro as the best T-Mobile smartphone for most people.
Source: Google
Google Pixel 7 Pro
Best overall
Google’s best on T-Mobile
$749 $899 Save
$150
If you’re going with T-Mobile as your provider for your Pixel 7 Pro, you’ll be happy to know that the phone does support 5G, both sub6 and mmWave, so in theory, it should be able to take advantage of T-Mobile’s vast 5G network. In addition, advanced calling features like Call Screening, Hold for Me, and Direct My Call — all powered by Google’s AI — make it one of the best devices to make or take your calls on. It’s available from T-Mobile for $0 down on a 24-month plan (conditions may apply) if you don’t want to buy it outright.
