
Great budget pick, lazy upgrade

Apple
Best iPhone of 2023, transformative titanium + 5x periscope + USB-C
Google Pixel 10a
Google Pixel 10a
Google Pixel 10a
The marquee design change is the camera module — Google ground it down until the lenses sit completely flush with the back, so the phone lies dead flat on a table with no rock or wobble. Otherwise it is dimensionally and visually almost indistinguishable from the Pixel 9a: same 6.3-inch 153.9 × 73 × 9mm chassis, same aluminum frame, same plastic back, same IP68 rating. The new Berry color is the standout, with reviewers from The Verge to 9to5Google to Wired specifically calling it the one to buy.
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iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Grade-5 titanium frame drops weight ~20g to 221g — the headline change of the year. Slimmer bezels, contoured edges, USB-C port and customizable Action Button replace the mute switch. The most refined iPhone in-hand feel yet.
Google Pixel 10a
The 6.3-inch 1080×2424 pOLED with 120Hz refresh is identical in resolution and panel tech to the 9a, but Google bumped peak brightness 11% to 3,000 nits and finally replaced the ancient Gorilla Glass 3 with Gorilla Glass 7i. Reviewers agree it is good rather than great — bright enough for outdoor use, sharp, fast — but the bezels remain noticeably thick by 2026 mid-range standards, and the panel still ships with 120Hz off by default.
iPhone 15 Pro Max
6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED with ProMotion 120Hz adaptive refresh and a 2000-nit peak brightness — the best display Apple has shipped. Dynamic Island carries over from the 14 Pro Max with no major changes.
Google Pixel 10a
Google broke A-series tradition by reusing the Tensor G4 from 2024 instead of pairing the 10a with the current flagship Tensor G5. Real-world performance is fine — Pixel UI is fluid, animations are smooth, light gaming works — but benchmarks confirm what reviewers expected: the 10a is closer to a mid-range chip than a flagship. The 8GB of RAM cap is the bigger long-term concern for a phone that will get updates through 2033.
iPhone 15 Pro Max
First-ever 3nm A17 Pro chip with hardware ray tracing, 8GB RAM and NVMe storage — the fastest mobile silicon at launch. Launch overheating issues plagued early units but iOS 17.0.3 mitigated. Future-proofs the phone for Apple Intelligence on iOS 18+.
Google Pixel 10a
Holding the price at $499 in a year of RAM shortages and broad consumer-electronics inflation is itself a small win — Samsung's Galaxy S26 line all saw price increases this cycle. But the elephant in every review is the Pixel 9a still on Google's store at the same price, and on retailer sale for ~$100 less. The iPhone 17e's MagSafe + A19 upgrade, plus the Nothing Phone 4a Pro's telephoto + 50W charging at the same $499, give the 10a real same-price competition for the first time. Reviewers split: about half explicitly recommend the cheaper 9a; the other half argue the flush camera, Gorilla Glass 7i and Satellite SOS justify the new model for first-time A-series buyers.
iPhone 15 Pro Max
$1,199 starting (256GB base) — the most-expensive baseline iPhone yet. In 2026 it's the smart-buy Apple pick at $700-900 used with 6+ years of updates left. Versus the S23 Ultra: closer than ever on cameras + zoom, still loses on raw zoom range.