Move over Pixel, here’s what my perfect phone looks like

The year is approaching its final weeks and we’ve seen loads of great Android phones throughout 2024. From Samsung and Google to OnePlus and Xiaomi, you really couldn’t go wrong with these flagship devices.

None of these phones were perfect, though. The Galaxy S24 still uses the same aging camera system, the Pixel 9 phones are underpowered, and the Xiaomi 14 series brings a polarizing software experience. But what would my perfect Android phone look like in 2024? I decided to pick and choose some features to make my ideal phone.

Looking at the spec sheets, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the Galaxy S24 Ultra screen is basically a slightly brighter version of the S23 Ultra display. That wouldn’t be a bad thing as you’re getting a sharp, flat display either way. But the good news is that Samsung’s latest Ultra phone has Gorilla Armor protection.

This upgraded protective glass solution includes an anti-reflective layer that dramatically reduces screen glare. Check out the image above for a better idea. We have seen one or two more phones launching with anti-reflective tech in 2024 but I don’t think we’ve seen another phone with Gorilla Armor in particular. Either way, I’d like to see the S24 Ultra’s screen on my perfect smartphone.

The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is one of our contenders for the best camera phone of 2024, and it certainly brings the heat as far as hardware is concerned. Xiaomi’s Ultra handset offers a one-inch 50MP main camera with a variable aperture, giving you more control over depth-of-field effects and lighting. Then there’s a 50MP 3.2x telephoto camera and a 50MP 5x periscope lens, with the former being ideal for portraits while the latter delivers Samsung-beating levels of zoom. A 50MP ultrawide lens rounds out the package.

I definitely want this camera system on my ideal smartphone, but the vivo X100 Ultra was a close second. That’s in large part due to the 200MP 3.7x telephoto camera, which was mostly a hit in our book. The OPPO Find X7 Ultra is another phone with great camera hardware, bringing two periscope lenses including a 6x shooter.

I really couldn’t decide between the Pixel 9 Pro‘s camera software or the vivo X100 Ultra’s software. So, instead of choosing one, I’ve decided that my ideal 2024 phone will have two camera apps.

The Pixel camera app is one of the best if you simply want a hassle-free experience that virtually always produces great looking images. The software also has a few handy AI-enabled features like Best Take and Add Me, and these are intuitive enough for almost anyone to use. Other notable features include Long Exposure/Action Pan functionality, astrophotography, and Super Res Zoom.

Vivo’s camera app, on the other hand, is arguably the best if you’re a smartphone camera enthusiast wanting a ton of features and toggles. The X100 Ultra’s software offers standout features like color profiles, sharpness/saturation/contrast sliders, loads of portrait options, and some excellent camera filters. Throw in extra features like the ability to set the default focal length (up to 35mm), a handheld astro mode, and perspective correction for buildings, and you’ve got a camera app that’s bursting at the seams. Perhaps the only downside is that images can look a little over-processed in some situations.

Yes, the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip is out, and the first phones are already on the market. But the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 was the top Android phone processor for most of 2024, so that’s going in my imaginary 2024 flagship phone. This chip offers a ton of performance, generative AI smarts, and loads of modern features.

We’d love to see the RedMagic 9s Pro’s overclocked Snapdragon chip and cooling fan in our ideal phone, but the latter feature means we’d have to compromise on water resistance. Fortunately, the ROG Phone 8 line is a great alternative. These phones don’t have an overclocked chip or active cooling, but they still deliver some stable performance nonetheless. ASUS handsets are also conservative in their default mode but deliver a huge performance boost with the X mode, although this does come at the expense of extra heat. Still, we like having several distinct performance profiles.

The ROG Phone 8 also offers 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, while the Pro model offers a maximum of 24GB/1TB offerings. Either way, our perfect 2024 flagship phone won’t have 128GB of storage like Google and Samsung’s handsets.

We love the Pixel UI, and it was the number-one pick in our Android skins ranked article. However, my ideal flagship phone will have Samsung’s One UI instead of Google’s Android skin.

Perhaps the biggest reason I’d take One UI over the Pixel skin is that some key features are geographically restricted, such as Call Screen, Hold for Me, and even VoLTE/5G. But One UI also brings loads of standout features like Dex mode, Good Lock modules for customization, a full-featured Gallery app, and some neat AI features on high-end handsets.

Samsung’s software experience isn’t perfect, primarily due to the amount of bloatware. But between the sheer number of features and long-term updates, it’s the ideal pick for my theoretical phone.

Yes, the ASUS handset makes another appearance on the list. The ROG Phone 8 has a 5,500mAh battery which is even larger than flagship phones from Samsung, Google, and Apple. This also lines up well with rival devices from Chinese brands. But what about charging, though?

ASUS delivers 65W wired charging and just 15W wired charging speeds. So why didn’t we choose the fastest-charging phones, then? Well, the ROG Phone offers 65W wired charging speeds via the open USB-PD PPS standard. By contrast, many Chinese rivals require proprietary chargers for maximum speeds and offer slow speeds via USB-PD. So I don’t have to spend an arm and a leg on a specific adapter if I want the best charging speed.

I’ve mentioned several times before that I’m a sucker for pleather backs, so is it any surprise that my perfect smartphone in 2024 would look like the Find X7 Ultra? OPPO’s phone has a unique two-tone back, featuring glass at the top and around the camera housing while pleather covers the rest of the device. This makes for a look unlike any other phone, save for last year’s Find X6 Pro. I also really like the brown variant, offering a more traditional leather-like look.

I was also quite enamored with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s design, which has a “nano-tech” pleather rear cover. The white variant, in particular, makes for a striking design.

We’ve covered everything from design and performance to cameras and software, but there are plenty of other features I’d like to see on my ideal smartphone in 2024.

For one, I’d like to see an IP68 rating (who needs an IP69 rating?) for some peace of mind. My perfect phone would also have an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor, be it a regular one or that giant 3D Sonic Max sensor.

Other features I want on my perfect flagship device include an Apple-style camera button with swipe gestures, seven years of updates, and great long-term battery health (e.g. 1,600 charging cycles before hitting 80% capacity). Meanwhile, I’d also be happy with a microSD card slot and an IR blaster, but these are nice extras rather than a must for my ideal phone.

That’s what I want in my perfect smartphone, but what would your ideal phone look like? Let us know in the comments below!