Best Metro by T-Mobile phones to buy in 2023

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Best Metro by T-Mobile phones to buy in 2023
As you can probably tell from the name, Metro by T-Mobile is a an MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) carriers that uses T-Mobile's network for its services. What's more, Metro is owned by T-Mobile, which may or may not give it a slight advantage over other carriers that pay for access to the Magenta network.

If you're considering a phone from Metro by T-Mobile, it's probably because you want to rein on your mobile-related expenses. And the carrier's plans will certainly help with that. But saving money doesn't mean you have to settle for a bad phone. Metro's lineup of devices covers everything from feature phones to Apple's $1,000+ flagships, though you wouldn't find the very best Android phones

Top 3 T-Mobile phone deals


(T-Mobile) Galaxy S24 Ultra: up to $800 off with a trade-in

Your ultimate Galaxy experience is now available at deeply reduced prices. The Galaxy S24 Ultra with T-Mobile now arrives for up to $800 off. The deal requires eligible device trade-ins and a Go5G Plus or a Go5G Next plan. At the time of writing, you also receive a $100 Instant Samsung Credit on the phone (available with select carriers).
$619 99
$1419 99
Buy at Samsung

Galaxy S24 FE: up to $800 off with T-Mobile and trade-in

Trade in an eligible device and save up to $800 on the Galaxy S24 FE. The just-released smartphone arrives with a plan by T-Mobile at the Samsung Store. You'll receive your $800 over 24 monthly bill credits, provided you select a Go5G Plus or Go5G next plan.
$0
$649 99
Buy at Samsung

Galaxy S24+: up to $800 off with T-Mobile at Samsung

If you get the Galaxy S24+ with a T-Mobile plan from the official store, you can get up to $800 off over 24 monthly bill credits. The offer requires you to trade in an eligible device, switch to, have, or activate a Go5G Plus or Go5G Next plan. Additional $100 Instant Samsung Credits are also available with select carriers.
$319 99
$1119 99
Buy at Samsung

Best Metro by T-Mobile phones, a summarized list:
Which Metro by T-Mobile phone to get? You have to consider a list of things. For example, your ecosystem preferences, your need for certain hardware features, and finally, but likely most importantly, your budget. No matter if you prefer iOS or Android, Metro by T-Mobile has all kinds of devices in store. It also sells both flagships and affordable phones. Let's check out some of the absolute best phones you can get on the carrier. 


Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

The best iPhone of 2022
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max
7.4

Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max


The Good

  • Exceptional, industry-leading performance
  • Dynamic Island is a fun and useful twist on the punch hole
  • Very good battery life
  • Superb video-recording quality
  • Very bright and beautiful display with Always-On functionality
  • Premium, posh design

The Bad

  • Relatively slow charging speed
  • Small evolutionary improvements
  • Lack of physical SIM feels like an inconvenience

The iPhone 14 Pro Max is Apple's undoubtedly best new iPhone, with a Dynamic Island punch-hole, a higher-resolution 48MP camera, a large 6.7-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with a refresh rate of 1-120Hz, and Always-On display feature. The phone includes Apple's latest A16 Bionic CPU, 6GB of LPDDR5 RAM, with storage options ranging between 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and the top-tier 1TB model.

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Another major selling point for the iPhone 14 Pro Max might be its camera, which features the all-new 48MP sensor. It has a 1/1.3-inch sensor and employs quad-binning to offer far higher detail and low-light image quality than Apple's previous 12MP cameras. The camera is driven by Apple's Photonic Engine image processing technology. It delivers super-detailed images with exceptional clarity, fantastic dynamics, and stunning colors that really pop, especially in 48MP camera mode.

Some other exciting features of the iPhone 14 Pro Max include emergency satellite connectivity, improved front-facing camera, and an Apple A16 Bionic chipset that will truly remain a top-performer for years to come. Battery life, while not at the levels of the preceding iPhone 13 Pro Max, is still excellent. In our iPhone 14 Pro Max review, we put it "in a very good position to battle it out with any Android counterpart."

Apple iPhone 14 Pro

Best compact phone 
Apple iPhone 14 Pro
7.2

Apple iPhone 14 Pro


The Good

  • Fastest and smoothest phone in the industry
  • Fun and useful new "Dynamic Island"
  • Industry-leading video recording quality
  • 48MP ProRAW photos will get photogs excited, but limited appeal for others
  • Satellite connectivity and Crash detection could save your life
  • Screen gets impressively bright, easy to use outdoors

The Bad

  • Not much has changed from 13 Pro
  • Charging speeds are still slower than competition
  • Lack of SIM card on US models might be a nuisance for travelers
  • Excessive sharpening in photos

In our iPhone 14 Pro review, we called the phone a perfect illustration of the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mantra, which makes sense considering that it's a the embodiment of a well-matured product. This excellent new iPhone is a more compact version of the top iPhone 14 Pro Max model, which comes with a larger battery and display, but is also much heavier and unwieldy. 

The 6.1-inch Liquid Retina XDR display with 1-120Hz ProMotion refresh rate has scored an Always-On functionality, a previous exclusive mainstay of Android devices. Another new feature is the Dynamic Island notch, which is widely utilized within the interface. There's also a 2,000-nit peak brightness, but in real-life scenarios, expect a bit less in terms of maximum brightness. 

The new 48MP camera is a landmark for Apple and will undoubtedly be used in multiple upcoming iPhone generations to come. It comes with an improved low-light capability and great image quality, as well as much improved FaceTime front camera. Due to the fact that Apple didn't increase prices over year, expect to pay at least $1000 for an entry-level 128GB model. 


Apple iPhone 13 

Best value iPhone right now

Apple iPhone 13
6.3

Apple iPhone 13


The Good

  • Much improved battery life
  • Dynamic and jolly photos in more challenging conditions
  • Easy to view outdoors display with perfect calibration
  • Snazzy Cinematic video mode
  • Double the predecessor storage for the same price

The Bad

  • Slow display refresh rate for the price point
  • Wired and wireless charging take comparatively long
  • Cinematic video mode is finicky without good lighting
  • Taller notch eats into some video formats
  • Worse value for money ratio than the iPhone 13 Pro

The iPhone 13, albeit two years old, still offers more than excellent value. The affordable 6.1-inch iPhone comes along with a dual camera setup, consisting of two 12MP cameras. It also has the superb Apple A15 chip that can be also found in the iPhone 14 series and up to this day delivers more than decent performance and battery life. With a solid 3,227mAh battery and fast 18W charging but no charger in the box, the iPhone 13 lasts relatively long. 

Why should you get the iPhone 13? Although it's about to enter the middle of its life cycle, the phone is still an excellent value and doesn't lag behind the newer iPhone 14, but can be yours for much less, making it an excellent buy. 

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G

Great value, upper mid-range specs

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
5.0

Samsung Galaxy A54 5G


The Good

  • Nice and clean design styling
  • Improved image quality
  • Solid battery life
  • Has a microSD card slot
  • Improved haptics

The Bad

  • Performance occasionally feels stuttery
  • Video stabilization could be improved
  • No wireless charging

An argumen can be made that the Galaxy A54 is the Galaxy S23 killer at an unbeatable price. Yes, the Galaxy A54 is an excellent mid-range Samsung phone. While it doesn't exactly carry proper flagship specs, it has unbeatable value. 

What's the hardware? First, we have a sensibly large but still easy to handle 6.42" AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution. Then, Samsung has added a triple camera setup, helmed by a 50MP wide-angle unit that is very capable of taking great photos. Oh, and lest we forget the 32MP selfie camera, which will give you very detailed selfies. Add the fast 25W wired charging that matches the Galaxy S23 in prowess, and the $469 price of the phone starts looking like a great deal.

On Metro, the phone is discounted often. If you opt for a new line, Metro will surely have an incentivizing promotion live. At the moment of writing, opening a new line gets you an instant $180 rebate, so the Galaxy A54 5G could be yours for just $289.99. If you bring over your existing number, you can even get it for $229.99.

Moto G Play (2023)


Motorola Moto G Play (2023)

Motorola Moto G Play (2023)


View full specs

The Moto G Play (2023) is an extremely affordable phone. At the time of writing, it's available for free on Metro by T-Mobile, regardless whether you opt for a new number or bring your own from another carrier. That's essentially an excellent deal, but is the phone worth it?

While the phone is no flagship by any means, it's got some pretty decent hardware. For example, it comes with a triple camera system, with a 16MP wide camera and a 5MP selfie shooter. The Moto G Play (2023) is powered by the MediaTek Helio G73 chipset; although the phone has just 32GB of internal storage, you can pop in a microSD card of up to 512GB inside to house all of your photos and media. 

With a 5,000mAh battery and an efficient 90Hz 720p display that spans 6.5 inches across, Motorola promises up to three days of battery life on this device, which is superb!

Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022)

Exceptional value, built-in stylus

Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022)
7.9

Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022)


The Good

  • Great battery life
  • Friendly design
  • 3.5mm audio jack and expandable storage

The Bad

  • Unimpressive display
  • Mediocre performance
  • Average camera

The Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) is an excellent value phone, with a large, 6.8-inch 120Hz display, battery that just lasts, and lasts, and lasts, a triple camera setup, and a rather comfortable stylus that brings a ton of utility to the mix. 

The phone comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 5G chipset, a 6nm endeavor consisting of two Kryo 660 Gold P-cores (ARM Cortex-A78 based) running at 2.2GHz, and six 1.7GHz Kryo 660 Silver E-cores, some 8GB of RAM, and 256Gb of storage, expandable with the help of a microSD card slot. 

At the rear, there's a 50MP main camera, along with an 8MP ultra-wide camera, as well as a 2MP depth sensor used in portrait shots. At the front, a 16MP camera takes care of selfies. 

However, in our Moto G Stylus 5G (2022) review, we admitted that while great, it's priced dangerously close to some dangerous rivals, like the Pixel 6a, iPhone SE (2022), and Galaxy A53 5G. 

Does Metro have phone upgrades?


Metro has a great phone upgrade program, with phones ranging from entry-level models to proper flagships. In order to get a Metro by T-Mobile free phone upgrade, you need to be an existing Metro customer, visit their website and create an account, opt for an eligible plan, and finally, either purchase a new device or bring your own unlocked phone. The program is not totally free, as you might be charged a fee. Here's what Metro says in its terms of service: "Customers can benefit from our great device promotions, including instant and mail-in rebates, if it's been more than 180 days from their new device purchase. Customers who are within the first 180 days of a new device purchase can still buy a new phone on the same line of service, but at the full retail price."

Can existing customers get a free phone from Metro?


Currently, you can only get a free phone from Metro by T-Mobile by switching to the carrier and picking one the phones included with the promotion. By purchasing an eligible device you receive an instant rebate off the full retail price of the device, with a one-time activation fee possibly required. Here's what phones are currently part of this offer.:

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