2024 was an odd year for smartphones. While 2023 delivered some big surprises, including Motorola’s ThinkPhone and the OnePlus Open, this year saw Google and Samsung absolutely dominate the field with their respective releases. That’s standard practice for the Galaxy lineup most years, but for the first time ever, the Pixel 9 series is made up of four smartphones, and that’s before we factor in the Pixel 8a. If you aren’t a fan of Samsung or Google’s Android experiences, it was a rough year to be an Android fan.
That’s not to say other companies didn’t release new hardware, of course. Both the OnePlus 12 and 12R offered some ridiculous value for their price tags, while Motorola’s Razr series helped make up for the lack of a true Edge flagship arriving stateside. But as the US market has continued to shrink, it’s been harder and harder to ignore the two behemoths looming large over your local carrier stores — and that’s before we factor in the Apple of it all.
We’ve narrowed this poll down to a select group of candidates specifically focused on the US market — that’s where the bulk of AP’s readership resides, after all. Of course, if you felt particularly drawn to something from Oppo, Vivo, or even Huawei, feel free to select the write-in category before leaving your voice in the comments below. And, as usual, if someone has already submitted your choice as a candidate in the comments, give it an upvote to save time. I’ll be paying attention to write-ins, and if one gets enough runaway success, I’ll be sure to give it a shout-out in our final results.
Speaking of, you have until Sunday, December 22nd at 11:59pm PT to cast your vote. (Or, you know, to arrange a mass movement online to sway the vote in your direction. I won’t judge.) I’ll be back Monday, December 23rd to deliver an early Christmas present: the crowning of 2024’s Android Police Readers’ Choice Smartphone of the Year. Good luck to our candidates, and may the best smartphone win.
