This guide x-rays the best phones for Android Auto.
Android Auto allows you to use apps on your phone or a car display, so that you can stay focused, entertained, and connected while driving. With Android Auto, you can control maps, navigation, music, text messages and calls while you’re on the road.
From Google to OnePlus, we look at the best Android Auto compatible phones at the moment.
Best Phones for Android Auto at a Glance
| No. | Item | |
| 1 | Google Pixel 3 (Editors’ Choice) | Check Price on Amazon |
| 2 | Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus | Check Price on Amazon |
| 3 | OnePlus 7T | Check Price on Amazon |
| 4 | Motorola Moto G7 | Check Price on Amazon |
| 5 | LG G8 ThinQ | Check Price on Amazon |
| 6 | Huawei P30 Pro | Check Price on Amazon |
| 7 | Samsung Galaxy Note 10 | Check Price on Amazon |
| 8 | OnePlus 7 Pro | Check Price on Amazon |
1. Google Pixel 3 (Editors’ Choice)
Our Editors’ Choice for the best phone for Android Auto is the Google Pixel 3.
Google is making progress when it comes to churning out phones that can stand toe-to-toe with the best smartphones in the world. This is glaring in the Google Pixel 3 where Google has strategically deployed artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
The Google Pixel pairs the very fast Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, Android 9 Pie, 64GB or 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM.
You may feel disappointed that the Pixel 3 manages only 4GB of RAM without more options. We feel the same way, too. If you consider this a red flag, and need a bigger RAM, then look toward the OnePlus 7 Pro which ships with 6, 8, or 12GB RAM, the Huawei P30 Pro (8GB of RAM), or the Samsung S10 Plus with 8 or 12GB of RAM.
That being said, the 4GB of RAM tucked inside the Google Pixel 3 can handle all the processing needs of the smartphone.
Unlike a smartphone like the OnePlus 7 Pro which is on the big side with a 6.67-inch screen, the Google Pixel 3 has the right size (5.5 inches) and weighs 0.15kg (0.33 pounds).
The cameras on the Pixel 3 are the greatest beneficiaries of the AI technology. Top Shot, Super Res Zoom, Night Sight, and Motion Auto are some of the remarkable features of the Pixel 3.
The Pixel 3’s paltry 2915 mAh battery isn’t the best you’ll find on a smartphone.
That said, the Google Pixel 3 remains our Editors’ Choice and the best phone for Android Auto.
You Might Like: The Best Smartphones for 2020
PROS
- Beautiful design
- Cutting-edge cameras
- Impressive OLED display
- Good performance
CONS
- Thick bezels
- Expensive
Google Pixel 3 Key Specifications
Display: 5.5-inch, 2160 X 1080 resolution OLED
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
Operating System: Android 9 Pie
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64GB/128GB
Front Cameras: 8 MP wide-angle (f/2.2) and 8 MP (f/1.8)
Rear Camera: 12.2 MP (f/1.8) with OIS and EIS
Size: 145 x 68.2 x 7.9 mm
Weight: 0.33 pound (148 g)
Battery: 2915 mAh
2. Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus
Apart from the Google Pixel 3, the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus is one of the best phones for Android Auto deserving of note.
It touts an impressive 6.4-inch OLED display which produces crisp and beautiful pictures, and is about the best screen you’ll find on a smartphone.
The S10 Plus packs in a whopping 1TB of storage and 12GB of RAM. The phone also has a model paired with 8GB of RAM and 512 of storage. With the massive storage capacity of the S10 Plus, you can store lots of games, photos and movies.
With regard to performance, the phone is plenty fast thanks to Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 tucked inside it. As you would expect the S10 Plus comes equipped with Android 9 Pie tweaked by Samsung as One UI.
As for colour options, you are spoilt for choice, because you have more than four to choose from: dark green, black, white, glossy ceramic black, and glossy ceramic white.
There are five cameras on the S10 Plus: two on the front, and three on the rear.
With the S10 Plus’ 4100 mAh battery, the phone will last at least 13 hours, however, this depends on usage.
All in all, the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus is strongly recommended as one of the best phones for Android Auto.
Read: Ways to Improve the Battery Life of Your Phone
PROS
- Excellent dual rear camera
- Cutting-edge display
- Sleek design
- Very good battery life
- Expandable storage
CONS
- Fingerprint reader could still be improved
Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus Key Specifications
Display: 6.4-inch OLED display 3040 × 1440 pixels
Processor: Eight-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Operating System: Android 9 Pie
RAM: 8GB/12GB
Storage: 128GB, 512GB or 1TB, plus Micro SD slot
Front Cameras: 10 MP (Main), 8 MP (Wide Angle)
Rear Cameras: 12 MP (Main), 12 MP (Telephoto),16 MP (wide angle)
Size: 157.6 x 74.1 x 7.8 mm
Weight: 0.39 pound (175 g)
Battery: 4100 mAh
3. OnePlus 7T
The OnePlus 7T is a slight improvement on the OnePlus 7 smartphone. The upgrades are evident in the display, and processor. The 7T has a new triple-camera setup on the rear unlike the OnePlus 7 has two camera sensors.
The OnePlus 7T and its predecessor have almost the same glass and metallic design. Its 6.55-inch Fluid AMOLED display is first-rate and competitive with the best smartphones on the market right now.
With a good refresh rate, the phone is ideal for playing games.
The phone comes with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 855 Plus processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB or 256GB GB of storage.
Electronic image stabilisation (EIS), good wide angle picture capability, and, an optical image stabilization (OIS) feature are some notable features of the OnePlus 7T’s cameras.
Another massive win for the phone is its 3800 mAh battery performance. A full charge typically buys around 24 hours on a single charge, if not more depending on usage.
Buy the OnePlus 7T as it remains one of the best phones for Android Auto.
Buying Guide: The Best Smartphones for Astrophotography
PROS
- First-rate AMOLED display
- Very good performance
- Good Fast charging feature
CONS
- Camera needs more refinement
OnePlus 7T Key Specifications
Display: 6.55-inch, FHD+, Fluid AMOLED screen
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+
Operating System: OxygenOS 10 (Android 9)
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB/256GB
Front Camera: 16 MP
Rear Cameras: 48 MP Main, 12 MP Telephoto,16 MP Ultrawide
Size: 160.9 x 74.4 x 8.1 mm
Weight: 0.42 pound (190 g)
Battery: 3800 mAh
4. Motorola Moto G7
The Moto G7 is a budget-friendly smartphone with decent specifications. The Moto G7 looks like a premium smartphone, but its price tag is less than what most premium smartphones command.
The phone’s IPS LCD, 2270 x 1080 pixels display is good, however, the display quality is not the best you’ll find on a smartphone. That said, the screen’s clarity is good enough.
Motorola has tucked inside the Moto G7 a 64GB of storage and 4GB of RAM. The phone sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 processor and Android 9.0 Pie.
You can go for the single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) configuration.
The G7’s 12MP camera isn’t particularly outstanding, so do not expect images with lots of details.
Most of the best phones for Android auto we’ve recommended have a decent battery life. The Moto G7’s battery performance isn’t any different. Its battery life is reasonable. Now, depending on usage, the phone’s battery life will last up 20 hours on a single charge especially when you use it moderately.
One of cons we outlined is the absence of NFC. This is only true for the model sold in the US. That said, if you are in the UK and Europe, the NFC feature is available on the Motorola Moto G7.
The Motorola Moto G7 is a strong buy and one of the phones for Android Auto.
Related: The Best Smartphones for Uber Drivers
PROS
- Excellent internals
- Impressive display
- Very good performance
- Good design
CONS
- No NFC
- Average battery life
- Camera could be better
Motorola Moto G7 Key Specifications
Display: 6.2-inch IPS LCD, 2270 x 1080 pixels
CPU: Snapdragon 632: octa-core CPU
Operating System: Android 9 Pie
RAM: 4GB
Storage: 64GB
Front Camera: 8MP
Rear Cameras: 12MP, 5MP
Size: 157.0 x 75.3 x 8.0 mm
Weight: 0.38 pound (172 g)
Battery: 3000 mAh
5. LG G8 ThinQ
The LG G8 ThinQ’s design looks very much like G7. The phone’s OLED 3120 x 1440 pixel resolution display is beautiful with brilliant colour accuracy.
It has a very fast processing speed thanks to Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor tucked inside it. The phone boasts 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
The G8’s cameras are impressive and you’ll love the AI CAM feature which makes correct suggestions regarding camera settings suitable for your location.
You won’t find the typical earpiece most smartphones parade on the LG G8. Instead the phone uses a Crystal Sound OLED technology with sound coming from display. When you use the speakerphone during calls, sound comes from the display and speaker located at the bottom of the phone.
The L8 ThinQ has a fingerprint sensor which is responsive.
You’ll find a hybrid SIM/microSD slot. The bottom holds a headphone jack, and a USB-C charging port.
The phone’s overall performance is solid that’s why it made our list of the best phones for Android Auto.
Buying Guide: Best Phones for RuneScape Mobile
PROS
- Brilliant screen quality
- Super fast performance
- Good audio
- Impressive cameras
CONS
- Requires a bit of getting used to
- Same old design
LG G8 ThinQ Key Specifications
Display: 6.1-inch, P-OLED dispaly 3120 x 1440 pixels
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Operating System: Android 9
RAM: 6GB
Storage: 128GB
Front Camera: 8MP
Rear Cameras: 12MP, 12MP, 16MP
Size: 151.9 x 71.8 x 8.4 mm
Weight: 0.37 pound (167 g)
Battery: 3500 mAh
6. Huawei P30 Pro
The Huawei P30 Pro is renowned for two things: outstanding performance and longevity.
Huawei has stepped up its game with the P30 Pro by improving the display, enhancing the battery life with faster charging times, incorporating a more responsive fingerprint reader, and adding impressive quadruple cameras. The phone is indeed a significant improvement on the P20 Pro.
The P30 Pro’s display is pretty decent with good images, however, it’s not in the same league as the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus or the iPhone XR.
Three storage variants are available: 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. They all have 8GB of RAM. It is worth nothing that the storage is only expandable with Huawei-customized nano-memory (NM) cards.
The Huawei P30 Pro is powered by EMUI 9.1 operating system and sports a Kirin 980 chipset. The EMUI is a modified version of the Android 9 operating system.
You won’t find the traditional earpiece most phones possess on the P30 Pro. Huawei has replaced that with an Acoustic Display Technology. This is what the phone uses to project sound. Also missing on this powerful smartphone is a headphone jack.
Now to battery performance, the P30 Pro’s 4200 mAh battery can carry you through two days of moderate use without getting energy anxious.
We recommend the Huawei P30 Pro as one of the best phones for Android Auto.
Don’t Miss: The Best Tablets for 2020
PROS
- Responsive in-display fingerprint reader
- Excellent battery life
- Impressive camera
- Super-fast charging
CONS
- Software could be improved
- Display isn’t in the same league as other high-end smartphones
Huawei P30 Pro Key Specifications
Display: 6.47-inch Curved OLED, 19.5:9, FHD+, 2340 x 1080 pixels
Processor: Kirin 980 with Dual NPU
Operating System: Android 9 Pie
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 128GB / 256GB / 512GB
Front Camera: 32MP, f/2.0
Rear Cameras: 40MP SuperSpectrum, Wide angle, f/1.6, OIS 20MP ultra wide angle, f/2.2 8MP Periscope, 5X Optical zoom, f/3.4, OIS Time-of-flight camera
Size: 158 x 73.4 x 8.41 mm
Weight: 0.42 pound (192 g)
Battery: 4200 mAh
7. Samsung Galaxy Note 10
The Note 10 is a big-screen phone with a compact build. It is thinner and lighter than the Note 9.
On another front, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 pairs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor with 8GB of storage and 8GB of RAM.
The Galaxy Note 10’s 6.3-inch Infinity-O screen is not completely edge-to-edge as the OnePlus 7 Pro, as there are still bezels on the four sides of the display. The Galaxy Note 10’s screen is a tad bit smaller than the Note 9’s 6.4-inch screen.
As pointed out, the phone is lighter than its predecessor. The Galaxy Note 10 weighs only 0.37 pound and is 149.9 x 71.1 x 7.87 mm thick, in relation to 0.44 pound and 160 x 76.2 x 8.64 mm for the Note 9.
A feature worth mentioning is the phone’s S Pen which allows you to perform air gestures like switching camera modes by simply waving your hand. You can also convert handwriting to text.
Samsung has also rolled out a slightly bigger version of the Note 10: the Galaxy Note 10 Plus which comes with a bigger screen, battery capacity, RAM, and an additional camera. All that awesomeness comes at a higher price tag, obviously.
By and large, the Note 10 is a good phone, but it is not perfect. Most brands are ditching headphone jacks and microSD slots on their premium smartphones. The Note 10 lacks a headphone jack just like the iPhone XR, Google Pixel 3, Huawei P30 Pro, Google Pixel 3 XL, Apple iPhone XS and Apple iPhone XS Max.
Again, you won’t find a microSD slot on the Galaxy Note 10. Thankfully, the Galaxy Note 10 ships with a USB Type-C AKG headphones.
Elsewhere, the Note 10 should last for a very good 9 hours per charge, depending on usage. When it runs dry, the 25W charger can juice the phone back up in about an hour.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 10’s decent internals and impressive performance make it one of the best phones for Android Auto.
Buying Guide: The Best Phones for Emulation
PROS
- Ample storage
- Great design
- Fast charging feature
- Superb performance
CONS
- Battery life could be improved
- Headphone and microSD missing
- DeX PC feature needs tweaking
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Key Specifications
Display: 6.3-inch, 2280 x 1080 pixels
Processor: Snapdragon 855
Operating System: Android 9 Pie
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 256GB
Front Camera: 10 MP
Rear Cameras: 16 MP (Ultrawide), 12 MP (Wideangle), 12 MP (Telephoto)
Size: 149.9 x 71.1 x 7.87 mm
Weight: 0.37 pound (168 g)
Battery: 3500 mAh
8. OnePlus 7 Pro
Like the Huawei P30 Pro, the OnePlus 7 Pro ranks very high for overall performance.
New to the smartphone, and arguably the first in the smartphone industry, is the UFS 3.0 storage which has very fast read and write speeds. Again the phone comes equipped with the industry-leading Qualcomm Snapdragon 855.
This puts it on a par with elite phones such as Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus, Xiaomi Mi 9, and Google Pixel 4XL.
128GB and 256GB are the two storage variants of the OnePlus 7 Pro. As far as RAM goes, you can go for the 6, 8, or 12GB model.
If you have small hands and need a small-sized smartphone, steer clear of the OnePlus 7 Pro because the phone is big.
That said, the OnePlus 7 Pro has an excellent 6.67-inch edge-to-edge AMOLED screen with curved edges. But that’s not the good news here. We are impressed with the screen’s 90Hz refresh rate which is competitive with some gaming phones like the Asus ROG. Its refresh rate makes it ideal for playing Pokemon Go, Pac-Mac, and the like.
Mimicking the big boys such as Google Pixel 3, Huawei P30 Pro, Apple iPhone XR, the 7 Pro lacks a headphone jack. Also missing are a microSD card slot and a wireless charging feature.
So, put superfast speed, decent camera, excellent display, and an impressive battery life together and you get a knockout phone and one of the best phones for Android Auto.
PROS
- Excellent screen quality
- Super fast performance
- Fast charging
CONS
- Camera isn’t top notch
- As pricey as an iPhone
OnePlus 7 Pro Key Specifications
Display: 6.67 inches, 3120 x 1440 pixels
Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855
Operating System: Android 9 Pie
RAM: 6GB/8GB/12GB
Storage: 128GB/256GB
Front Camera: 16 MP
Rear Cameras: 48 MP, 8 MP, 16 MP
Size: 162 x 75.9 x 8.8 mm
Weight: 0.45 pound (206 g)
Battery: 4000 mAh
| No. | Item | |
| 1 | Google Pixel 3 (Editors’ Choice) | Check Price on Amazon |
| 2 | Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus | Check Price on Amazon |
| 3 | OnePlus 7T | Check Price on Amazon |
| 4 | Motorola Moto G7 | Check Price on Amazon |
| 5 | LG G8 ThinQ | Check Price on Amazon |
| 6 | Huawei P30 Pro | Check Price on Amazon |
| 7 | Samsung Galaxy Note 10 | Check Price on Amazon |
| 8 | OnePlus 7 Pro | Check Price on Amazon |
Bottom Line
The smartphones we’ve reviewed are the best phones for Android Auto your money can buy. Our picks come with the latest processors which are plenty fast and have a generous amount of storage and RAM.
