Compare the Top 22 Smartphones in One Chart

If you’re like me, you have a heck of a time buying a smartphone. The problem is, there are a zillion reviewers out there and half of them have chips on their shoulders. You might Google “iPhone 7 Plus review” and get a missive penned by an Apple fanboy (pardon me, that was rude, I meant to say “Apple lapdog.”)

Or on the other hand, you might get someone who has it in for Apple and hates their phones. Either way you get a skewed review.

I was tired of giving myself a headache reading through dozens of reviews for each phone I might want to buy. You can spend hours upon hours in a fruitless search that leaves you more confused than ever.

ReviewChooChoo: Rotten Tomatoes for Smartphones

ReviewChooChoo is a “review train” that links up all the smartphone reviews out there. It’s basically a smartphone review aggregator, like a Rotten Tomatoes for smartphones. With each phone we review, we take the top ten reviews in Google, then add in customer reviews from Amazon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.

We factor all that data down to a single score between 1 and 100 for each phone. The idea is, the final score gives you an unbiased look at what lots and lots of people think of any given smartphone, in aggregate.

Every Smartphone Ranked by Average Review Score

Without further ado, here’s the result: A chart that compares every smartphone by its average review score from a mix of expert and customer reviews. We were a little bit surprised by the results. Samsung takes the top three slots with the Samsung Galaxy S7, S7 Edge, and Galaxy S8.

The iPhone 7 Plus and Google Pixel XL aren’t even in the top 5. Take a look at the comparison chart below. If all you want is the most beloved smartphone on the market and you don’t give a fried eel about anything else, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is your boy.

Looking for the best smartphone per dollar? Skip this chart and see the one below.

Smartphones Ranked by Value

If you don’t need to blow your budget on the very best smartphone on the market, take a gander at the chart below. It compares all the top smartphones by value.

Here we took each phone’s average review score across the top reviewers and customer reviews. Next, we factored in the phone’s price to get the average score per dollar. What really blew us away is that the Moto G4 and Moto X Play beat the pants off every other phone available.

How? By virtue of the Moto G4’s low, low price of just $200. With an average review score of 84%, is it as well-loved as the iPhone 7 Plus? No. But are those extra four percentage points of satisfaction really worth another $569?

The Bottom Line with Smartphones

No smartphone comparison would be complete without a little headscratching about the results. What this all simmers down to is, people generally like smartphones. If you’re buying from the top 10 or 20 phones out there, don’t agonize too much.

If you buy a Google Pixel, a Samsung Galaxy S7 or an iPhone 7 Plus, you’re probably going to like it. The kicker is, if you spend $500 less and buy a Moto G4, you’re probably still going to like it.

Rich Shopper, Poor Shopper

The key takeaway from the data above is, when comparing smartphones, don’t stress over your budget. If you’ve got buckets of money and you’re wondering where to store them because your closets are already full of gold bullion (and by the way, what’s that? Do you use it to make gold soup?) then buy one of the top five pricey smartphones.

If instead you ate the label off a can of beans last night, buy from the cheaper end of the list above. You won’t be sad you did.

Smartphones Ranked by Price

What if you don’t care about quality or value? If you’re some kind of masochist who only wants to spend the most money possible without regard to getting a good product, the table below was made especially for you. It compares smartphones by price only.

Parting Shot

Okay, that’s it. That’s all the smartphones compared by average review score, by overall bang for the buck, and by price. If you found this comparison helpful or you thought of something else we should have done, give me a shout in the comments section. I’d love to know your thoughts on this.

Tags: smartphones