As an Android expert, here are 8 phones I don’t recommend buying right now

In 2026, it’s pretty difficult to buy an outright bad or terrible Android phone. Whether you’re in the market for a high-end flagship or an affordable mid-ranger, you have so many options to choose from — as is evident by our best Android phone list.

However, buying advice is constantly changing, and a phone that was a good purchase a few months ago may not be the best pick right now. And as high-quality as most modern phones are, there are still a few stinkers out there.

As someone who has tested and written about smartphones for well over a decade, here are eight Android phones I don’t recommend buying as of February 2026.

The Google Pixel 9a is an outstanding Android phone. It’s well-built, features great cameras and excellent software, and offers a very competitive price. It’s a phone we’ve recommended countless times on Android Authority, so why is it included on this list?

It’s not because the Pixel 9a is suddenly a bad Android phone, but more so about timing your purchase to be as smart as possible.

Google recently confirmed that the Pixel 10a is launching on February 18, and when that happens, it’s all but guaranteed to come with a myriad of pre-order deals — some of which could let you buy the phone for the same current sale price as the Pixel 9a, or possibly even get the 10a for free.

The Pixel 10a isn’t expected to be a huge upgrade compared to the Pixel 9a, but since you’ll soon have the opportunity to buy a newer version of the phone for the same or less money, buying a Pixel 9a right now just doesn’t make a lot of sense.

It’s a similar situation for Samsung’s mainline Galaxy S25 family — including the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, and Galaxy S25 Ultra. Samsung’s current Galaxy S lineup holds up quite well a year after its release, but like the Pixel 9a, successors are right around the corner.

The latest reports suggest that the Galaxy S26 series will be announced on February 25, with pre-orders and regular sales to follow shortly. Samsung is one of the most generous companies out there when it comes to offering pre-order promos, and the S26 launch shouldn’t be any different.

With the S25 launch last year, Samsung offered free storage upgrades, greatly enhanced trade-in values, free gift cards, and more. Depending on your purchase and if you had a phone to trade in, you could effectively get the S25 Ultra for free.

Assuming Samsung’s pre-order deals are just as aggressive for the Galaxy S26, you could get a lot more for your money by waiting for the Galaxy S26 series compared to buying a Galaxy S25 model. Yes, the S25 series has its own discounts right now, but the savings on the S26 should be even better in just a few weeks. Even with minimal upgrades expected for the entire Galaxy S26 series, I’d argue that holding off on the S25 is the best move.

Like the Galaxy S25 series, the Galaxy A56 5G is another Samsung phone that finds itself in that awkward period of soon being replaced. However, unlike the S25 lineup, the A56 also just isn’t a particularly good phone in its own right. In his full review, my colleague Ryan blasted the A56 5G for its sluggish performance, lackluster design, and disappointing secondary cameras. Whether you’re thinking about buying the phone right now or thought about doing so a few months ago, the A56 5G isn’t a phone we’d recommend.

The good news, however, is that the Galaxy A57 5G should be right around the corner — launching in either late February or early March. And according to the rumor mill, it should be a pretty decent upgrade. Some of the highlights include a much-needed new chipset, twice the starting storage, and a thinner, lighter design without sacrificing battery size or charging speed. Nothing is confirmed yet, but if this all pans out as we’re expecting, it sounds impressive.

Considering all of that, I wouldn’t recommend anyone buy the Galaxy A56 5G. Not only is the phone itself not a great purchase, but a much better version of it should be coming soon.

While it may seem like older phones with incoming successors are the only Android phones you shouldn’t buy, that’s not true. Our next three picks are all recently-released handsets that I have a hard time recommending, starting with the OnePlus 15.

The OnePlus 15 is an extremely frustrating smartphone. Coming off the wildly successful OnePlus 13, so many aspects of the 15 are significantly less successful. Its design is more subdued and less interesting, all of its camera hardware is downgraded, the display resolution is lower, and there are thermal issues, too. There are things to like about the OnePlus 15, particularly its battery life and charging, but the overall experience is far less polished than its predecessor.

As such, if you’re considering buying the OnePlus 15, you might as well do yourself a favor and just buy the OnePlus 13 instead. It’s objectively a better smartphone, and thanks to frequent discounts, you can often buy it for less than a new OnePlus 15.

My buying advice is almost identical for the OnePlus 15R. For the last few years, OnePlus’s “R” series has been a reliable source of high-performance, well-priced smartphones. The OnePlus 13R was one of the best smartphone values of last year, and the OnePlus 12R held the same title in 2024.

Unfortunately, the OnePlus 15R completely fails to live up to its predecessors. It removed OnePlus’s famous Alert Slider, used worse camera sensors than the 13R, held out features like wireless charging, and saw a $100 price increase. It should have been an easy recommendation, but OnePlus just dropped the ball.

While I don’t think you should buy the OnePlus 15R, I’d absolutely still recommend the OnePlus 13R. You’ll need to check third-party retailers like Amazon and Best Buy to find remaining inventory, but if you can get your hands on one, it’s still a great purchase in 2026 — something I can’t say about the 15R.

My final non-recommendation is the Motorola Moto G (2026). Launched in December, the Moto G looks like a fairly competent smartphone on paper. It has a 6.7-inch 120Hz display, a big 5,200mAh battery, 30W wired charging, and even a 3.5mm headphone jack. For just $200, that’s not bad.

Unfortunately, recent entries in this series haven’t fared very well in the real world. Last year’s Moto G (2025) scored a measly 5/10 in our review due to its poor performance, weak cameras, and extremely limited software support. Seeing how the Moto G (2026) has the same chipset, almost identical cameras, and the same software update policy, Motorola doesn’t appear to have addressed any of our biggest concerns.

We’re still working on our Moto G (2026) review, and if it turns out to be a worthwhile Android phone, I’ll update this accordingly. But from what we’ve seen of the phone so far, and considering what happened with the previous Moto G, this is probably one you should sit out.