Best unlocked phones in 2024

The best unlocked phones let you get whatever device you want while remaining free from carrier payment plans. Although you have to buy them upfront, you can then bring that unlocked handset to the best phone carrier for your needs.

Don’t worry if you want to switch carriers. It’s super easy to jump from one to another when you own an unlocked phone, especially if you're looking to shave your monthly cost with any of the best cheap phone plans out there. And the best part is, you don’t have to pay any early termination fees. 

While the best unlocked phones almost certainly support GSM carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile, it’s best to look for devices that work with all the major U.S. providers, including Verizon. That way, you can freely choose to take your device to any carrier. Although, you can still technically unlock a carrier phone after it's been paid off, or after a period of time.

Also, it's worth knowing that many wireless carriers have policies about unlocking phones. Even though carrier phones are locked, you generally request them to be unlocked after a certain period of time. And right now, many of the best unlocked phones have generous discounts with the best early Black Friday sales happening right now.

Written by

Written by

John Velasco

I'm the senior editor for mobile at Tom's Guide, where I've been working since 2023. I've been covering mobile tech for 16 years in total, starting with old school feature phones and early smartphones powered by Palm OS and Windows Mobile. I'm a New Jersey native and keep up with the latest mobile tech.

The quick list

Here's a summary of the best unlocked phones you can buy right now based on our head-to-head testing of each phone. Although, the recent announcement of the iPhone 16 lineup will certainly change things. You can keep on scrolling to get more detail about their strengths and weaknesses, including snippets from our reviews.

The best unlocked phones you can buy today

Best unlocked phone overall

The iPhone 16 is the latest entry in Apple’s staple smartphone lineup. This is one of those generational upgrades,  especially in the camera and processor department because it some ways it's similar to the iPhone 16 Pro. That's because it shares the same new Camera Control button and Apple Intelligence features, but it also gains a refreshed ultrawide camera for proper macro photography and support for spatial photos and video.

You also get the A18 chip that's based on the new 3nm manufacturing process, which is a slightly less powerful than the A18 Pro chip in the iPhone 16 Pro, but it still delivers outstanding gaming performance thanks to its support for ray-tracing. The iPhone 16 also makes a substantial improvement to its battery, easily beating out its predecessor by reaching over 13 hours on Tom's Guide's battery test. And for $799, the iPhone 16 is a great deal. 

Read our full iPhone 16 review.

Best unlocked Android flagship

The OnePlus 12 continues to cement OnePlus' reputation as a worthy alternative to Samsung or Google if you're looking for an Android phone. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 inside the phone delivers strong performance, while the 6.82-inch display is so bright that it's viewable in even the harshest conditions.

It's the cameras where OnePlus continues to improve, with the OnePlus 12's telephoto lens improving the zoom capabilities from past years. The entire camera setup produces excellent results, though OnePlus misses out on some of the AI-powered photo processing tools that highlight competing camera phones.

While I'm sad to see the OnePlus 12 price go up from the OnePlus 11, at least OnePlus offers a generous trade-in program where you can knock $100 off the cost of an unlocked hone, bringing the OnePlus 12 down to a more attractive $699. And best of all, I really love how it offers all-day battery life and reaches the longest time in this list at 17 hours and 41 minutes.

Read our full OnePlus 12 review.

Best unlocked mid-range phone

All eyes are on the Google Pixel 8a, which sets the bar for all other mid-range phones. There were rumors that Google was going to increase its price, but it remained unchanged. That's fantastic news because it means even more value given what comes with the Pixel 8a's package.

Not only does it last longer on a single charge and has a much brighter Actua display, but the most compelling part about the Pixel 8a is that it adopts some of the AI features that were first introduced on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. They help save you time by streamlining tasks, all powered by its Tensor G3 chip. I can't tell you enough about how I use Magic Editor to edit my photos.

Furthermore, it offers the best software support in a mid-range phone because it's getting 7 years of major Android and security updates. And again, it's offering at the same price as last year's model.

Read our full Google Pixel 8a review.

Best unlocked Samsung flagship

At $799, the Galaxy S24 is the most affordable of Samsung's latest flagships. But even though you sacrifice some features for a lower price — the telephoto lens on the S24 isn't as powerful as the one on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, for example — AI features aren't one of them. The same Galaxy AI capabilities that work on Samsung's more expensive models are also available to the Galaxy S24, so you're not being short-changed on the marquee addition to this phone.

There are other improvements, courtesy of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 powering the Galaxy S24. (At least for models that ship in North America — elsewhere, the Galaxy S24 runs on an Exynos 2400 system-on-chip.) Performance tops some iPhone models, and battery life improves by 3 hours over what we measured with the Galaxy S23. The cameras on the Galaxy S24 continue to be top performers, and you'll enjoy its bright, colorful display.

One feature I happen to use religiously that I don't find in any other phone is the option for Samsung DeX, which gives me that desktop PC experience in my S24 when I connect it to a monitor.

Read our full Samsung Galaxy S24 review.

Best unlocked Pixel phone

The Google Pixel 9 is one of the best Pixels Google has made thus far, offering a larger and brighter display complete with excellent camera quality and battery life that we didn't think was possible on a Pixel handset. In fact Google's added multiple hours onto the Pixel 9's battery life, which should easily be enough to get you through a typical day.

Google's also added an upgraded 48MP ultrawide angle camera lens, the AI-optimized Tensor G4 chipset, and an upgraded 12GB of RAM with dedicated memory just for on-device AI. It almost feels as though this is a secret Pro-tier Pixel, and the only thing it's missing is that optical zooming telephoto camera.

Read our full Google Pixel 9 review.

Best alternative Android flagship

You may not think about Motorola when you think premium phones, but the 2023 edition of the Motorola Edge Plus is going to change that. Equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, the Motorola Edge Plus (2023) delivers the kind of performance that matches any high-end Android handset currently available. That silicon's superior power management coupled with a massive 5,100 mAh battery means the Motorola Edge Plus (2022) lasts a long time on a charge — its 15-hour, 47-minute result on our battery test was around 6 hours longer than the average smartphone.

Best of all, the Motorola Edge Plus doesn't demand a king's ransom. The $799 starting price matches what you'd pay for an iPhone 14 or Galaxy S23. And with a 6.7-inch display capable of refreshing at 165Hz, the Motorola Edge Plus is a whole lot cheaper than other super-sized phones. 

Read our full Motorola Edge Plus (2023) review.

The best unlocked phone under $300

The OnePlus Nord N30 5G is proof that you don't need big bucks for a functional smartphone that goes above and beyond in several key areas. The best thing about this OnePlus budget phone is its multiday battery, as it lasted 12.5 hours on our battery test, even with its refresh rate at 120Hz. (And yes, this is a budget phone with a fasst-refreshing display.) 50W wired charging means you can top off the battery quickly.

Cameras are the biggest area of compromise starting with the lack of an ultrawide lens. We found the pictures that the OnePlus Nord N30 snapped to be inconsistent in quality so if having a good camera phone is a priority, consider some of the other unlocked options on our list. But that $299 starting price makes it very easy to grab the OnePlus Nord N30 5G with just one upfront payment.

Read our full OnePlus Nord N30 5G review.

The least expensive unlocked iPhone

With the iPhone SE (2022), you can get a brand new Apple phone without having to pay top dollar. Even better, this updated iPhone SE comes with the A15 Bionic chip — the same silicon that powers the iPhone 13 lineup. That means you’re getting best-in-class performance and 5G connectivity from a phone that starts at $429.

There are some trade-offs for that price. Apple hasn’t updated the iPhone SE’s dated look, and there’s still just one camera on the back of the phone. (It also lacks a Night mode, which is our biggest complaint about the iPhone SE.) Still, it’s hard to beat that price for an unlocked phone that can hold its own against the performance of any handset on the market.

I still keep the iPhone SE (2022) in my desk drawer as a backup to my iPhone 15 Pro, mainly because I can still take acceptable photos with it.

Read our full iPhone SE (2022) review.

Best phone under $200

It's hard to beat the Moto G 5G (2024) if you're on a tight budget. For less than $200, you get a phone with credible cameras and good-enough performance (though you will notice some hiccups if you try to play demanding games). The true star of the show is the phone's battery life, which reached 14.5 hours on our test, even with the display refresh rate ramping up to 120Hz.

With a vegan leather back, the Moto G doesn't look like a budget phone, though its screen is on the dim side. We wish Motorola provided more than one Android software update, but at this price, the Moto G 5G packs in a lot of value.

Read our full Moto G 5G (2024) review.

Still a great unlocked phone

While the iPhone 165 is the new kid on the block, we think the iPhone 15 is a good phone for $699. It offers a compelling camera experience, much improved battery life, and all the things that made the iPhone 14 before it good.

Thanks to the A16 Bionic chip powering it, the iPhone 15 can crush through any task you set before it. And with the Neural Engine upgrades, the iPhone 15 can pull off some impressive photography and video recording feats with its upgraded 48MP camera, notably Photographic Styles and Cinematic mode.

While no longer the best iPhone, it's still a compelling value and the fact that the iPhone 16 costs more will make this the right choice for some shoppers. After all, the iPhone 15 still takes some amazing pictures and Apple's software support will keep it running for years to come.

Read our full iPhone 15 review.

How to choose the best unlocked phone for you

• Find a phone that works on your carrier: The vast majority of unlocked devices operate on GSM networks in the U.S. These include AT&T and T-Mobile, as well as discount carriers that run on those networks, such as Cricket Wireless, Metro by T-Mobile and Straight Talk. Some so-called multimode unlocked phones also work with CDMA carriers like Sprint and Verizon, such as all of Apple's iPhones, and the Google Pixel 4a.
• Make sure the coverage map fits your needs: In terms of coverage area, there's less discrepancy between networks than ever before, but there are still gaps, especially in less-populated areas. "Make sure [the phone you're buying] works on a carrier that offers good coverage in your area," advised Avi Greengart, research director for consumer platforms and devices at market research firm Current Analysis.
• Shop around, and don't be afraid to go used: Because some unlocked phone makers skip the carriers to sell their devices, they can often pass those savings onto you. However, don't be afraid to entertain buying one of the best used smartphones, as you can often find very tempting offers on previous-generation flagships from sites like Swappa, Decluttr and even Amazon for refurbished examples.

How we test unlocked phones

In order for a smartphone to make our best phone list, it needs to excel on several tests that we run on every handset. We perform some of these tests in our labs and some in the real world.

When it comes to performance, we rely on such synthetic benchmarks as Geekbench 5 and 3DMark to measure graphics performance. These tests allow us to compare performance across iPhones and Android devices. We also run a real-world video transcoding test on each phone using the Adobe Premiere Rush app and time the result. (We unfortunately have to skip this test on some phones due to app compatibility issues, but we attempt this benchmark with each device we get in to review.)

To measure the quality of a phone's display, we perform lab tests to determine the brightness of the panel (in nits), as well as how colorful each screen is (DCI-P3 color gamut). In these cases, higher numbers are better. We also measure color accuracy of each panel with a Delta-E rating, where lower numbers are better and score of 0 is perfect.

One of the most important tests we run is the Tom's Guide battery test. We run a web surfing test over 5G (or 4G if the phone doesn't have 5G support) at 150 nits of screen brightness until the battery gives out. In general, a phone that lasts 10 hours or more is good, and anything above 11 hours makes our list of the best phone battery life.

Last but not least, we take the best phones out in the field to take photos outdoors, indoors and at night in low light to see how they perform versus their closest competitors. We take shots of landscapes, food, portraits and more, and also allow you to be the judge with side-by-side comparisons in our reviews.