4 Android Phones More Powerful Than The iPhone – BGR

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When you look at the most powerful phones available on the market, the latest iPhone model is bound to show up. Each year Apple does a good job of improving its flagship offerings, bringing in a new chip upgrade with better performance. This makes it an easy purchase, especially for iOS and Apple fans. But those who haven’t yet made the jump to Apple’s offerings may want to go with an Android phone instead. Luckily, there are plenty of Android phones out there that are just as good or even better than the iPhone 17 when it comes to performance.

Part of what makes the iPhone 17 such a compelling device is a balance of raw power and optimization on Apple’s side. The A19 chip, which comes with a 6-core CPU and a 5-core GPU in the base unit, allows you to throw just about anything at the phone without running into major performance hiccups. Moreover, the overall design of the device, which features well-optimized software, helps it take full advantage of that raw power. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max come with an even stronger chipset, which makes it a hard lineup to beat.

If you’re looking to leave iOS behind after the company’s latest transition to the Liquid Glass design language or just looking for a new Android device that users and reviewers say can stand up to the iPhone 17 easily, you don’t have to settle for second best. There are plenty of high-performing Android phones out there.

When it comes to Android devices that outperform the iPhone and offer some unique attributes, the Moto Razr Ultra is a sure bet. This high-end smartphone features a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, 16GB of LPDDR5X memory, and up to 1TB of storage options for those who need as much space for photos, games, and videos as possible.

The 4,700mAh battery is also a huge win for the Motorola Razr Ultra, and when combined with its iconic flip-phone design, the Razr Ultra is a solid contender for those who want a phone that can keep up with the iPhone 17, but don’t want to deal with iOS. We found the Motorola Razr Ultra offers excellent battery life in our review of the device, and support for up to 68W wired charging and 30W wireless charging makes it an easy competitor for the iPhone even when it comes to battery life and charging speeds.

The main screen is a Super HD 7-inch display with a 165Hz refresh rate and “Pantone Validated colors.” Motorola also says it supports Dolby and Spatial Audio, so you can be fully immersed in your games, movies, and TikToks. You can get all of that starting at $1,299 — though you can sometimes find deals to purchase it as low as $999.99 on Amazon.

It’s hard not to turn to Samsung when it comes to devices that stand out for both performance and features. Over the years, the company has offered strong alternatives to the iPhone lineup, and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 is only the latest option. While quite different from the iPhone thanks to its folding display, the Z Fold7 also sports spectacular performance, though its starting price of $1,649.99 can make it harder to recommend.

But if you want a phone that not only delivers on great performance with its hardware but also with its software, then the Galaxy Z Fold7 has a lot to offer. It also sports a Snapdragon 8 Elite and comes with up to 16GB of memory depending on which model you choose. It also offers 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB of storage, giving plenty of space for all your must-have apps. Its folding design also acts as a great body for the raw performance the Snapdragon processor spits out, and its 8-inch primary AMOLED display gives it extreme multitasking possibilities, even when playing intensive games.

In our review of the Galaxy Z Fold7, we noted the device handled everything we threw at it, though its thinner design might introduce some throttling to help curb heating issues when playing for extended periods of time. Even with a little throttling, the Galaxy Z Fold7 is a perfect Android option for those who want a phone that can outperform the iPhone while also offering even more room for multitasking.

If you’ve followed the past few years of Android phone releases, then chances are you’ve heard the name OnePlus somewhere. What began as a scrappy startup selling enthusiast-grade devices at affordable prices has quickly become one of the easiest-to-recommend Android smartphone brands on the planet, and for good reason. The latest device from OnePlus, the OnePlus 15, offers flagship-level hardware at a more affordable price point, starting at just $899.99 for its cheapest variant. This is a good deal cheaper than the starting price of the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which is perhaps the most well-known iPhone 17 Pro alternative on the market.

What makes the OnePlus 15 even more special, though, is the fact that the device not only ships with options for 12GB or 16GB of memory, but it also comes with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, which pairs well with the 7,300mAh battery for insane performance and battery life. Furthermore, the excellent hardware is also paired with solid software and a super-thin vapor chamber cooling system that allows for crisp, hard-hitting performance, and some users have even called it the best Android phone ever.

In our review of the OnePlus 15, we highlighted how the device never stuttered or froze during day-to-day use, and that it easily swallowed the intensive tasks we threw at it. Its lower starting price and unique blend of high-end components make the OnePlus 15 an easy recommendation for anyone who wants iPhone 17 Pro-like performance with an Android phone.

Of course, you can’t talk about iPhone alternatives without talking about Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S25 Ultra. For years, Samsung’s flagship Galaxy devices have been strong alternatives to Apple’s smartphone. In fact, depending on who you ask, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is probably one of the most recommended iPhone 17 Pro alternatives you’ll hear about. That’s because the device comes in at a similar price point, and it sports a top-of-the-line Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset with up to 12GB of memory in most countries (16GB memory variants are also available in China, Taiwan, and Korea).

As far as performance goes, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has more than enough raw power to get you through any task you threw at it, including intensive gaming. As we pointed out in our review, the biggest con with the Galaxy S25 Ultra is its price, which starts at $1,299.99 for its cheapest variant. Despite the high price point, though, the S25 Ultra is everything most Android users could ask for in a premium smartphone. It has a 6.9-inch dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display with variable refresh rates from 1-120Hz. It also sports a 5,000mAh battery, giving you more than enough juice to get through the day, even with a heavy multitasking load.

When looking for Android phones that match or exceed the iPhone 17 lineup in performance, we looked at multiple things. First, we looked at the overall benchmarks of these devices. These are the raw performance numbers that the devices were able to hit. While they tell part of the story, they do not reveal the entire story for everyday users. This is why we also looked at our own reviews for these devices, as well as user comments across social media and device pages on major storefronts like Amazon to ensure each of these devices are some of the best Android-based alternatives for the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max.