The best T-Mobile phones to buy in 2024 (Hand-picked guide)
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After acquiring Sprint, T-Mobile became a force to be reckoned with, gaining millions of subscribers and those all-important mid-band 5G frequencies. Team Magenta continues to be an important competitor to both Verizon and AT&T, especially when it comes to 5G deployment in the US.
But most users aren't concerned with 5G or the merger. You probably aren't either. If you're here, that means you're looking to get a brand-new phone. You've come to the right place, as we have assembled a lineup that will satisfy any need.
Top 3 T-Mobile phone deals
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But if you're coming from another carrier, then you also need to select a plan. We can help with that as well, just head over to our Best T-Mobile Plans article!
Best T-Mobile phones, a summary:
- Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra–– The best phone of 2024.
- Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max –– Apple's best iPhone right now.
- Samsung Z Fold 5 –– Probably the best foldable phone today.
- Google Pixel 8 Pro –– The best stock Android phone.
- Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra –– One of the most capable Android ex-flagships.
- Apple iPhone 14 / iPhone 14 Plus — The core iOS experience at an affordable price.
- T-Mobile prepaid phones
Choosing a phone can be an overwhelming task, especially if you're not following the industry and have a hard time distinguishing between models and brands. Fear not, with just a few questions you'll narrow it down to maybe a couple of devices.
Second, of course, is the budget. With monthly payments, all phones seem very affordable, but keep in mind that with a two-year contract, a relatively small difference in the monthly payment can mean hundreds of dollars eventually. These days, even budget phones are very capable and can do most things flagships can, even if it's not at quite the same level.
Third: consider your needs. Are you constantly taking pictures? Or would you rather have a phone that lasts days between charges? We all use our phones in a specific way, so think about what you're doing most with your current phone and what features you might need the most.
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
The top 2024 flagship
If you really want the best of the best, then the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the one phone you should strive to get in 2024, setting the benchmark for all the other flagship smartphones. Titanium design, top-notch performance, and pretty much everything you might need from a phone.
Equipped with a remarkable 200MP camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, a 10MP 3X telephoto lens, and a new 5X periscope camera, the Galaxy S24 Ultra excels in smartphone photography. Despite the omission of the 10X camera found in its predecessor, it still delivers excellent zoom capabilities.
With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip at its core, the S24 Ultra ensures top-tier performance, while the Galaxy AI suite delivers awesome extra functionality powered by generative AI. Additionally, the included S Pen stylus enhances its productivity features.
You can purchase the Galaxy S24 Ultra for up to $800 off its regular $1,300 starting price with an eligible trade-in and plan.
Equipped with a remarkable 200MP camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, a 10MP 3X telephoto lens, and a new 5X periscope camera, the Galaxy S24 Ultra excels in smartphone photography. Despite the omission of the 10X camera found in its predecessor, it still delivers excellent zoom capabilities.
With the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip at its core, the S24 Ultra ensures top-tier performance, while the Galaxy AI suite delivers awesome extra functionality powered by generative AI. Additionally, the included S Pen stylus enhances its productivity features.
You can purchase the Galaxy S24 Ultra for up to $800 off its regular $1,300 starting price with an eligible trade-in and plan.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
Apple's best iPhone
Right now, the new iPhone 15 Pro Max has the most features, the most desirable design, and the best camera on any iPhone available in 2023. This is the first iPhone, with an Action Button that can be customized, a titanium body with curved edges to assist reduce the weight of the device, and a USB Type-C connector in favor of a Lightning port.
The primary new feature of the iPhone 15 Pro Max is its new tetraprism telephoto camera, which offers 5X optical zoom and improves the iPhone's long-zooming capabilities. Not at the same level With the main camera, three different camera FOVs are available.
The Apple A17 Pro chipset, the first 3nm processor on a mobile device, powers the iPhone 15 Pro Max and offers remarkable performance. It's especially capable in the graphics department, with a couple of AAA video games exclusively available for the device.
The Apple A17 Pro chipset, the first 3nm processor on a mobile device, powers the iPhone 15 Pro Max and offers remarkable performance. It's especially capable in the graphics department, with a couple of AAA video games exclusively available for the device.
In terms of storage, you can have the iPhone 15 Pro Max in 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB. The latest iPhone can be yours in Black Titanium, Natural Titanium, Blue Titanium, and White Titanium.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5
Probably the best foldable phone you can buy
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is the top foldable Samsung phone of 2023. In essence, it's an incremental improvement over the Galaxy Z Fold 4. With an enhanced hinge design, which eliminates the wedge gap (but still makes sure that a display crease is there to mar the experience.
Technical specs include a 6.2-inch cover display that, despite its smaller size, is surprisingly useable, and a 7.6-inch inner display that folds inwards. The phone has 12GB of RAM, which should be plenty for even the most avid multitaskers, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset, some 256GB of native storage, but with 512GB and 1TB storage options.
Camera-wise, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a pretty much similar camera setup as the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Plus, which are both quite adept but not as spectacular as the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Google Pixel 8 Pro
The best stock Android phone
The Pixel 8 Pro is a phone that doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it greatly enhances the blueprint behind the Pixel flagship phone. The enhanced and friendly design is better than ever on the Pixel 8 Pro, with a familiar yet sophisticated exterior that matches perfectly with the neat software on the inside.
In terms of hardware, the Pixel 8 Pro comes with the latest Google Tensor G3 chip, which is perfectly capable, albeit geared towards artificial intelligence and not raw performance. We also have a rather bright 2,400-nit display that is perfectly legible even in the most extreme lighting conditions and matches the Galaxy S24 Ultra in this aspect.
There's also a thermometer on board, but this feature is mostly a gimmicky addition to the Pixel lineup that you will most likely forget sooner rather than later.
Of course, Android is the star of the show here. At the time of writing, Android 14 is making the rounds, but Android 15 is just around the corner, too. And the Pixel 8 Pro will be supported well until the end of the decade, as it launched with a seven-year software support pledge.
The Pixel 8 Pro comes with a pretty capable triple-camera system, which comes with.a 5X telephoto camera, similar to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. As far as quality goes, you can expect very decent performance consistent with previous Pixel phones and delivering that unmistakable Pixel look that we know and love.
The Pixel 8 Pro comes with a pretty capable triple-camera system, which comes with.a 5X telephoto camera, similar to the iPhone 15 Pro Max. As far as quality goes, you can expect very decent performance consistent with previous Pixel phones and delivering that unmistakable Pixel look that we know and love.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
The best phone of early 2023
The brand-new Galaxy S23 Ultra is easily among the best Android phones you could consider in early 2023. The latest Android powerhouse features Qualcomm's top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip, which vastly improves the performance and overall camera capability of the top Galaxy flagship. With a super-versatile quad-camera setup, helmed by a 200MP main camera and boasting an excellent periscope lens, this one is the poster child for Android's hardware and software advancements. At least for the first half of 2023, this one will be the best phone to consider--and buy.
Although some may argue that the differences with the previous generation phone are rather small, these certainly do make a difference in everyday life. The chip performs much better and delivers an excellent battery life, both of which have been lacking on most previous Exynos-powered Galaxy flagships. In the meantime, the display is mostly the same, but now it comes with a super-low minimum brightness of just 0.8 nits, which makes this one extremely comfortable to use in low-light conditions, especially at night.
Our full Galaxy S23 Ultra review will probably paint a much better picture if you're trying to make a buying decision, but overall, this phone should be short-listed. Mind the high full price though, look for trade-in opportunities and other promotions that could shed hundreds off its original price tag.
Even though not much has changed in comparison with the iPhone 13 (we dare you to find more than five visual differences between the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14), there are some new features this year. For example, for the first time, Apple comes up with a large but affordable iPhone, the iPhone 14 Plus, which is built upon the iPhone 14 with a larger screen and better battery life.
Aside from that, iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus can rely on the same Apple A15 chipset, the same old 12MP dual-camera system that's however now powered by the Photonic Engine algorithm for image processing, which uses a combination of software, hardware, and machine-learning know-how to make sure your photos always turn good, especially in low-light. Both phones still use the same ol' notched 60Hz OLED displays, which aren't as flashy as the 120Hz super-bright screens on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max but are still excellent nonetheless.
While the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus truly lack a semblance of head-turning features, like an Always On display or a Dynamic Island punch-hole, they are no-frills phones that will get the job done and let you dive into the core iOS experience.
T-Mobile prepaid phones
Unfortunately, T-Mobile doesn't have a particularly exciting selection of prepaid phones. Currently, when you hop on one of Team Magenta's prepaid plans, you can pick between the Galaxy A03 and the Moto G Pure, which aren't making our hearts skip a beat. Still, T-Mobile's prepaid plans are very competitive, on par with the plans that Verizon and AT&T have to offer.
Read more:
- Best prepaid phone plans
Are phones on T-Mobile sold unlocked?
Unless stated otherwise, you should presume that all phones sold on T-Mobile are locked. The criteria for unlocking a device stand as follows: you need to have had your postpaid phone active on the T-Mobile cellular network for at least 40 days, paid in full, or without any pending balance payments to T-Mobile. Of course, T-Mobile can request proof of purchase when requesting the device unlock.
If your device is prepaid, then you need to have had it active on the T-Mobile network for at least 365 days. If you wish to unlock it sooner, you can do that 14 days after purchase at the earliest, with at least $100 in refills for each line on the account during that period. What's more, you can't unlock more than two phones per line every 12 months, so have that in mind as well.
Can I get a free phone from T-Mobile?
Just like Verizon and AT&T, T-Mobile usually lets you get a free phone, sort of. While nothing is truly free, an eligible device and a new line with T-Mobile could get you a pretty serious discount on a certain phone, and even write off nearly 100% of the price tag. This could essentially get you a "free" phone, but you will have to pay for that one, one way or another.
Things that are NOT allowed: