The 6 best smartphones with AI in 2024
Some of the latest Android smartphones can do almost anything: Help you compose an email or text, provide a summary of a long document; or help edit a photo in much less time. They can also translate conversations between languages in real time. Plus, if you're tired of replaying long recordings of meetings, classes or calls just to pick out the most important bits, some phones can do this in mere seconds.
It's all thanks to AI. And we're talking about functions that go above and beyond what ChatGPT-4, Alexa or Siri can offer.
Let's take a look at the latest smartphones that include artificial intelligence and what they do.
- Best smartphone with AI overall: Google Pixel 8 Pro
- Best value smartphone with AI: OnePlus 12
- Best smartphone with AI for power users: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
- Best phone with AI for average users: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6
- Best folding phone with AI for power users: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
- Best premium smartphone with AI: Xiaomi 14 Ultra
Pro Tip: If you're thinking about transitioning from an Apple iPhone to one of the latest Android phones, we have compiled some useful information that makes the process easier and far less confusing.
What is the best smartphone with AI?
Some apps can put AI at your fingertips on any smartphone right now, like ChatGPT or Microsoft CoPilot. But if you're looking for a AI baked right into a phone, at the moment, you're limited to a handful of Android options. But they're all certainly worth looking at.
Best smartphone with AI overall: Google Pixel 8 Pro
The Pixel 8 Pro gives you access to the newest AI tools and features like Circle to Search, advanced call screening, enhanced Google Assistant and powerful language translation.
When it comes to photos, the power of AI gives users access to Magic Editor and Magic Eraser. These tools allow you to move objects around in your photos and enhance their lighting, or remove unwanted objects altogether. Meanwhile, Magic Audio Eraser can remove unwanted sounds from the videos you shoot. The Zoom Enhance feature better focuses on far away subjects and ensures they appear clear, even when using 30x digital zoom.
If you're taking a group photo, there's always that one person who looks away from the camera, blinks at the wrong time or forgets to smile. The Best Take feature uses AI to compensate for this by digitally fixing that person's face to better match the other subjects in your photo. And the Recorder app automatically creates a summary of each recording and formats it into a convenient bulleted list. It can also create a text-based transcription of an audio recording (such as a class, meeting, phone call or in-person conversation) in a matter of seconds.
The Google Pixel 8 Pro is currently Google's flagship smartphone. Since Google designed the Android operating system, it makes sense that the most advanced capabilities, including Google AI features, made their debut in this smartphone first. Overall, this phone's features are on par with many higher-end Android phones, but is less expensive. The Pixel 8 Pro also works seamlessly with all of the other devices in Google's Pixel ecosystem, which includes a tablet, smartwatch, wireless earbuds and a nice selection of smart gear.
Google has promised seven years of security, OS and feature updates for this phone. For anyone who wants to truly maximize what's possible from the Android OS and Google AI and use their smartphone as a powerful communications, productivity, and entertainment tool, the Google Pixel 8 Pro is a versatile and affordable option -- especially for power users.
If you're looking for a less expensive and slightly scaled-down version of the Pixel 8 Pro smartphone, we recommend taking a close look at the Google Pixel 8a ($449). It also offers some of the latest Google AI features. Our tech experts have compiled a detailed, head-to-head comparison between these two phones that clearly spells out their similarities and differences.
Best value smartphone with AI: OnePlus 12
Thanks to the OnePlus 12's high-end hardware configuration, this Android phone is powerful enough to provide all of the latest Google AI functions.
OnePlus has contracted with Google to include Gemini 1.0 Ultra into this smartphone, which is Google's most powerful AI model. It can handle tasks like summarizing news, web pages, documents and audio files, as well as create more compelling social media content using prompts you provide. It also provides advanced photo and video editing tools, like AI Eraser (OnePlus' version of Google's Magic Eraser).
We like the OnePlus 12 because it's less expensive, but just as versatile as competing models. Be sure to read our full review of the OnePlus 12.
OnePlus also offers a scaled-down version of the OnePlus 12, called the OnePlus 12R ($500). It's a bit less expensive, but lacks some of the features and functions that make the original OnePlus 12 stand out from the competition.
Best smartphone with AI for power users: Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
In addition to being Samsung's flagship smartphone and one of the most popular Android phones you can get, the Galaxy S24 Ultra offers all of the latest Galaxy AI and Google Gemini functionality (which is continuously evolving to become more powerful and useful).
In addition to the Circle to Search feature, this was the first smartphone to offer real-time language translation during phone calls, as well as in-person and during text message exchanges. The Note Assist feature takes long text documents and summarizes them into short, bulleted lists. Meanwhile, the Generative Edit feature provides you with far more advanced photo editing capabilities than what's ever before been possible -- including access to the Magic Erase tool.
The Chat Assist features a powerful AI chatbot. Now you can almost instantly locate content, files or photos, get your questions answered, and more. Galaxy AI can help with texts too. It makes your messages either sound more professional or more conversational, based on the people you're communicating with.
This smartphone runs Android 14 (or later) and features a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with a 120Hz refresh rate and 3,120 x 1,440 pixel resolution. The screen also offers a maximum brightness of 2,600 nits. It comes configured with 12GB of RAM and has a main rear-facing camera that offers an incredible 200MP resolution. It's IP68 rated for water resistance.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra measures 6.38 x 3.11 x 0.33 inches and weighs 8.21 ounces. It's powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 mobile platform for Galaxy processor. With each Android OS update, users are see exciting new AI features and functions, as well as in the Google apps that come preinstalled on the phone.
Best phone with AI for average users: Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6
Front display: 3.4" | Main display: 6.7" | Display type: Dynamic AMOLED 2x (main), Super AMOLED (front) | Display resolution: 2,640 x 1,080 pixels (main), 720 x 748 pixels (front) | Display brightness: Up to 2,600 nits (main), 1,600 nits (front) | Refresh Rate: Up to 120Hz (main), 60Hz (front) | Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy (octa-core) | CPU speed: Up to 3.39 GHz | Storage options: 256GB or 512GB (with 12GB of RAM) | Housing material: Enhanced Armor Aluminum, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 | Dimensions (open): 6.5 x 2.83 x 0.27 inches | Dimensions (folded): 3.35 x 2.83 x 0.59 inches | Weight: 6.6 ounces | Front camera: 10MP | Rear camera system: 50MP (wide), 12MP (ultra-wide) | Rear camera zoom: 2x optical, 10x digital | Operating system: Android | Port: USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C | Waterproof rating: IP48 | Battery capacity: 4,000 mAh
Enhanced durability, improved displays, a better camera system and integrated Galaxy AI (which is based closely on Google Gemini AI) are some of the key upgrades offered by the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6. Compared to previous models, it's thinner, lighter and offers a 4,000mAh capacity battery (so you can expect all-day battery life).
The new Galaxy AI features integrated into the phone include live translations between languages and access to the Google Gemini AI app that allows you to chat with the AI to compose text and handle a wide range of other tasks. The phone can summarize large text-based documents or record a conversation, class, meeting or phone call and have the AI transcribe and summarize the conversation almost instantly.
The main, rear-facing, wide camera built into the phone now offers 50MP resolution and uses the AI-powered ProVisual Engine to automatically enhance your photos and videos. This is complemented by a 12MP ultra-wide camera. And when it comes to editing your photos and video, Photo Assist, Magic Editor and Magic Eraser (with Galaxy AI integration) give you enhanced tools that are easier than ever to use.
The AMOLED cover display measures 3.4 inches, has a maximum brightness of 1,600 nits, a 60Hz refresh rate and offers 720 x 748 pixel resolution. When unfolded, the main Dynamic AMOLED 2x display provides 6.7 inches of on-screen real estate, with a 2,640 x 1,080 pixel resolution, a maximum brightness of 2,600 nits and a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. The phone weighs a mere 6.6 ounces. It measures just 3.35 x 2.83 x 0.59 inches when folded, so it easily fits in a pocket.
The phone runs using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile Platform for Galaxy processor which has a processing speed up to 3.4GHz, so it's the fastest folding Samsung phone yet. The phone is IP48 rated for water resistance. And since AI is evolving so quickly, Samsung has pledged to support the phone with new OS and security updates for seven years. The phone is available in six casing colors.
Be sure to check out our in-depth review of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 to learn more about this bestselling Android smartphone.
Best folding phone with AI for power users: Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6
Front display: 6.3" | Main display: 7.6" | Display type: Dynamic AMOLED 2x Infinity Flex (main), Dynamic AMOLED 2x Infinity-O (front) | Display resolution: 2,160 x 1,856 pixels (main), 986 x 2,376 pixels (front) | Display brightness: Up to 2,600 nits (main and front) | Refresh Rate: Up to 120Hz (main and front) | Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy | CPU speed: Up to 3.39 GHz | Storage options: 256GB, 512GB or 1TB | RAM: 12GB | Housing material: Enhanced Armor Aluminum, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 | Dimensions (open): 6.04 x 5.22 x 0.22 inches | Dimensions (folded): 6.04 x 2.68 x 0.48 inches | Weight: 8.43 ounces | Front camera: 10MP (main), 4MP (under display) | Rear camera system: 50MP (wide), 12MP (ultra-wide), 10MP (telephoto) | Rear camera zoom: 3x optical, 30x digital | Operating system: Android | Port: USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C | Waterproof rating: IP48 | Battery capacity: 4,400 mAh (up to 77 hours) | S Pen stylus: Sold separately ($55)
For a power user who wants a larger display and more capabilities than a typical smartphone, but doesn't want to carry around a more cumbersome tablet, the Galaxy Z Fold6 is the ideal hybrid. And this latest model is thinner and lighter than ever.
When unfolded, you get access to a 7.6-inch touchscreen display that's fully compatible with the included S Pen stylus. This means you can handwrite, draw or annotate directly on the screen. It's the addition of Google AI, however, that's the biggest improvement over last year's Galaxy Z Fold5.
The phone weighs 8.43 ounces and is a mere 0.22 inches thick when unfolded. The Galaxy Fold6 comes in your choice of five casing colors and has a battery life that'll last up to 77 hours. And since it's powered using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy processor, you can expect 18% faster CPU performance, 19% faster GPU performance and enhanced on-device AI performance compared to the Galaxy Z Fold5. Choose between 256GB, 512GB or 1TB of internal storage.
To learn more about this folding smartphone designed for power users, check out our in-depth review.
Best premium smartphone with AI: Xiaomi 14 Ultra
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra runs the equivalent of Android 14 using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Mobile processor, so it supports the Google AI functions embedded into the Android OS and preinstalled apps. Plus, you get access to the AI functions offered by all of Google's apps and services.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra phone is immensely powerful, but comes from a brand that offers limited distribution and has less popularity in the United States. That said, this phone comes unlocked. While it only works with a few U.S. cellular service providers (including T-Mobile), it's ready to travel with you virtually anywhere in the world to provide 4G LTE and 5G connectivity.
The phone features an advanced camera system co-designed by Leica, which includes a main, 50MP rear-facing camera. You also get a 6.73-inch AMOLED WQHD+ touchscreen display with 2,560 x 1,440 pixel resolution and an incredibly fast 144Hz refresh rate. The display also offers a maximum brightness of 3,000 nits, along with HDR support, Dolby Vision support and a 100% DCI-P3 color gamut. This makes it one of the most advanced and visually impressive displays you'll find on any smartphone.
As one of the most advanced phones in the world, this one supports the newest Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 wireless protocols. It comes configured with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. We love the camera system's capabilities when it comes to shooting, editing, displaying and sharing photos and up to 8K video content. You get pro-level photography and videography features, supported by AI, packed into a smartphone.
What is an AI smartphone?
It's a smartphone that has AI tools and features built into the phone's operating system and the apps that come preinstalled. Right now, you'll find this functionality in many of the higher-end Android phones through the use of Google AI or Galaxy AI technology.
Google AI is part of the Google Gemini ecosystem. Its objective is to streamline everyday tasks people use their mobile device for, plus provide a more personalized experience. In fact, with Google AI, your phone will learn from your past activities and anticipate your needs moving forward. And in some cases, it'll automatically handle certain tasks on your behalf, like adding into your calendar an appointment that someone sends you an email or text message about.
And that's just the beginning. Google has extended AI capabilities into Google Calendar, Chrome, Google Photos, Google Drive, Google Maps, Google Tasks, Gmail and all of the Google Workspace apps. New AI features and tools are being added with each OS and app update. Also incorporated into Google's AI technology are ever-improving privacy and security features.
Third-party developers for Android and iOS are also jumping on the AI bandwagon. For example, if you're looking for a virtual friend customized just for you, there's the Replika app and service. It's a chatbot companion that has a unique avatar and personality. (Think Hal 9000 from "2001: A Space Odyssey.")
For more help choosing a new smartphone, we've got you covered with our comprehensive coverage of the seven best cell phones of 2024, the best folding smartphones in 2024, and the five best smartphones under $500. In fact, all of our smartphone coverage is continuously being updated as new models and operating system updates are released.
