I asked ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to pick the best smartphone. I didn’t expect the results

It took a while, but more users are turning to AI for advice in their daily lives. That also extends to buying advice (for better or worse). As someone who makes a living reviewing and comparing smartphones, I was curious how well the top large language models would do at my job. I wanted to see if they could take in all the reviews and information to come up with a coherent recommendation that would benefit most users.

It took a bit of effort, and the process wasn’t as clean as I’d hoped — especially with people’s money on the line. However, once the smoke cleared, I was surprised by the results. I asked ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini to pick the best smartphone for most people, and here’s what they came up with.

I use ChatGPT the most among the major AI models. I recently launched my own website, and I have ChatGPT to thank for walking me through the various WordPress and DNS settings needed to make it happen. I’m also having it teach me Linux, one terminal command at a time. It’s a fantastic tool if used correctly, but I never considered AI something I’d ask for buying advice.

I came up with a prompt I thought made sense. I didn’t want the models to pick up any bias from my own conversations, so I made sure to state that up front. I posed the same question to each model:

I would like you to pick the best smartphone for most people. I don’t want you factoring in any bias from my personal views or articles. Please take into account price, software support, performance, most users’ usage, consumer reviews, and sentiment. Any data you can pull in. Pick the best with an explanation, and also provide a top three with reasons for each.

I figured that covered the bases of what I’m looking for. ChatGPT-5.5 didn’t hesitate, and I was surprised by the answer. It quickly chose the Google Pixel 10 as the best option for most consumers, highlighting a few reasons. It was a remarkably practical pick, which ignored most of the noise I’d expect ChatGPT to pick up on.

The top three reasons for picking the Pixel 10 are its camera, software speed and support, and battery life. It hailed the Pixel 10 for having flagship-level camera performance for novice users. You don’t need to be an expert to get the most out of your photos. It also mentioned the price and how you can save hundreds of dollars on a similarly good flagship experience — something worth focusing on.

The Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max and base Galaxy S26 were the honorable mentions, and ChatGPT admitted the iPhone was still the best for the average mainstream buyer, but it favored the Pixel when considering the best overall balance while keeping the price reasonable, which has become way more important in 2026.

ChatGPT was practical, and that pleased me. It even mentioned at one point that most users don’t need fancy, extreme zoom cameras or an oversized display. It was refreshing to hear, especially since I’m bombarded on Google Discover with articles by enthusiasts (including myself).

I’ve only used Claude sparingly, but I’ve heard good things from friends who chat with it daily. I fired it up and pasted in the same prompt. After a minute of thought, Claude Sonnet 4.6 shot back that the standard iPhone 17 was the best choice for most, citing many of the same reasons ChatGPT preferred the Pixel 10. It felt that the lower price, excellent software support, and solid performance were what customers needed most.

I did notice that Claude relied heavily on reviews, and you could see many of the points echoed in the articles it referenced as sources. However, when pushed, Claude stuck to its original assessment. While the iPhone 17 isn’t exactly a bold pick, I was pleasantly surprised by Claude’s honorable mentions. It did mention the Pixel 10, but it was the only model that thought the OnePlus 15 was a good idea for buyers. I found that especially interesting, given the company’s retreat from US markets.

When I read through the justification, the OnePlus 15 made sense, especially since Claude highlighted that value is a major consideration. Whatever you think of the company’s choices over the last few years, it’s hard to argue that the OnePlus 15 isn’t an excellent flagship phone at a lower price than the Pixel 10 Pro XL and Galaxy S26 Ultra. It’s a formula that made OnePlus successful in the first place, and Claude still picked up on that in 2026.

I had the most fun asking Gemini 3.5 Flash for its thoughts among the three models. At first, Gemini was confused, telling me the Pixel 9 Pro XL was the top choice, along with an honorable mention for the Galaxy S25. Once I explained it’s 2026, Gemini brought the recommendations up to date.

Like Claude, Gemini initially answered that the iPhone 17 was the best smartphone for most people. Even though Claude’s answer seemed heavily influenced by journalists’ reviews, Gemini went over the top, seemingly buying into iPhone hype as well. I wasn’t getting the same substance and didn’t think of the answer the way I did with ChatGPT and Claude, either.

So I decided to push back a little, asking whether, if Gemini removed any hype, its answer would still be the iPhone 17. Even though it wavered a little, saying the iPhone 17 was a strong contender with merits, Gemini ultimately changed its answer to the Pixel 10 — citing extended cost benefits of longer software support. It was a solid explanation. I just wish it had happened before the iPhone 17 recommendation.

Gemini was the only model to mention the Pixel 10a as a decent alternative, highlighting that 90% of what people do on their smartphones is web browsing, social media, and communication, and that most users have zero reason to spend more than the $500 a 10a would set them back. It’s a concept that’s easily forgotten, especially with all the hype surrounding $1,000+ flagship phones.

While I enjoyed my little experiment with AI, it revealed that AI models aren’t ready for primetime when it comes to offering buying advice. Like with most tasks, I think LLMs are a fantastic sounding board, but only if you’re an active participant. Don’t be afraid to question and push back, especially if the justifications feel a little thin.

If I had to choose a winner, it would be ChatGPT. I prefer the items it weighed in making a decision, and I felt the model best represented the advice I’d give to most buyers. The Pixel 10 isn’t flashy, and some will complain about specs, but when you boil away the nonsense, it’s an excellent phone for most users.