Best Verizon phones to buy in 2024: With contract and prepaid

These days, all plans revolve around the amount of mobile data you'll get and how you'll use it. Being able to stream movies with HD quality will cost you extra. Using your phone as a hotspot will also cost you extra. It's up to you to pinpoint your priorities and choose the plan that fits them best. To get further instructions, check our Verizon plans guide. 

Once you've selected your plan, it's time to select the phone to go along with it.

Getting the most expensive smartphones would almost certainly give you the most premium experience with the best possible features, but it's not at all compulsory to go that way. You can even consider a basic phone. Most affordable smartphones these days offer rather similar hardware and software features that mostly match what a more expensive device would get you, save for a few exclusive features. Most of these include exclusive cameras and camera modes, as well as some exclusive software features.

In terms of ecosystem differences, it wouldn't make big sense to go with an iPhone if you have surrounded yourself with Android devices, and vice versa. However, if you're willing to switch, there's currently a rather big selection of top smartphones on either the iOS or the Android ecosystems that let you score a superb device and enjoy the benefits of the opposite camp. 

You could also consider getting one of the Verizon prepaid phones, which are similar to their regular versions, but available with select prepaid plans that let you save. Prepaid phones are not engaged with a strict annual plan, but require you to pay in advance for the service you're going to use. Some of the best Verizon prepaid phones are also the most popular handsets available right now, so you should consider scoring one of those prepaid phones.

Finally, when it comes to size, everyone wants a big phone until they have to fit it in a pair of tight jeans, so picking the right size for you is essential. While it's true that the largest phones are usually a tad more premium and more advanced than compact ones, this isn't necessarily always the case. For example, the iPhone 16 Pro is much more compact and adept than, say, the iPhone 16 Plus, so you have to conduct your research correctly.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra stands out as the most complete and versatile Android phone you can buy in 2024. It sets the standard that other flagship phones aspire to meet.

Featuring an impressive 200MP camera, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, a 10MP 3X telephoto lens, and a new 5X periscope camera, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is the benchmark for smartphone photography. Although it has dropped the 10X camera from its predecessor, it still offers outstanding zoom capabilities.

Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, it delivers top-tier performance. The included S Pen stylus further enhances its functionality, providing a range of productivity features.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra can be yours for up to $800 off its regular $1,300 starting price. Of course, an eligible trade-in and plan are required. 

The Galaxy S24 Ultra can be yours as a prepaid phone, but you will have to shell out the full $1300 up front.

Apple unveiled the iPhone 16 Pro Max on September 9, 2024, and pardon us if we call it the best one yet, but it actually is. 

The flagship features a larger 6.9-inch OLED display with ultra-thin bezels, a titanium frame, and introduces a new Camera Control button, which allows you to quickly interact with the camera interface, change settings, quickly capture photos and videos, and also will let you access Visual Intelligence once iOS 18.2 rolls out.

Powered by the second-gen 3nm A18 Pro chip, this model offers exceptional performance with an upgraded Neural Engine optimized for Apple Intelligence. Battery life is further extended by this chip’s efficiency and a 4,676mAh battery, Apple’s largest yet, with MagSafe charging reaching up to 25W using Qi2-compatible chargers.

There's a new 48MP ultra-wide lens with f/2.2 aperture, the same good ol' 48MP wide camera, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s 5X telephoto tetraprism camera, which has also trickled down to the smaller iPhone 16 Pro. Additional features include new Photographic Styles, improved video recording with 4K@120fps support, and better microphones.

Apple Intelligence was clearly the major feature that is supposedly going to drive demand for the iPhone 16 series. We get Writing Tools, Visual Intelligence, Genmoji, Image Playground, a revamped Siri, notifications and messages summaries, and so on. A few of these features are now live as of iOS 18.1, but more will come with future iOS 18.x releases.

iPhone 16 Pro Max Verizon prepaid version

Apple's best new iPhone is also available as a prepaid phone on Verizon. Currently, no deals are available on the prepaid version of the device.