Best Unlocked Phones 2026: 7 Picks After the Price Hikes

The best unlocked phones of 2026 look different after Google, Samsung and Apple raised prices this fall. The discounted Pixel 10 is now the best pick for most people, the iPhone 17 leads for iPhone buyers, and the OnePlus 15 lasts longest on a charge.

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Phone makers raised prices through 2026, which has made last year’s flagships and discounted models the smartest unlocked buys.

Buying an unlocked phone means paying upfront for a handset with no carrier apps that can move to a cheaper plan or a travel eSIM whenever you like. That trade has become more expensive in 2026, because Google, Samsung, Apple and Motorola have all raised prices, with budget phones rising the most in percentage terms, so the best unlocked phone for most people is often not the newest model but the one just discounted to make room for it.

Memeburn has not tested these phones, so the picks combine manufacturer specifications, current US prices and published lab results. Battery figures come from the test used by Tom’s Guide and TechRadar, which loads websites over 5G at 150 nits until the phone dies, so they compare with each other but not with manufacturers’ video-playback claims. We weighed price, years of software support, tested battery and how easily each phone moves between carriers.

Google announced the Pixel 11 at $899 in August and said rising memory costs played a part, according to TechRepublic, while Samsung’s October increases covered every S26 model except the S26 FE, according to TechRepublic’s report on the Galaxy hike. The Pixel 10a followed on the same day, according to Droid Life, as did Samsung’s budget Galaxy A models, according to Android Authority, after Motorola had already raised the Moto G (2026) to $299.99 in April. Memeburn calculated that the two phones that launched at $199.99 now cost 35% and 50% more, so the unlocked 5G phone under $200 has largely disappeared from US price lists, while the Pixel 10 dropped to $649, leaving a $250 gap to the Pixel 11.

Gemini AI, Camera Coach, and 30+ hour battery life in a durable Pixel design built for everyday use.

The Google Pixel 10 is the best unlocked phone for most buyers because it now costs $649 on the Google Store, down from $799, while keeping seven years of updates, a 6.3-inch 120Hz display, a telephoto camera and Pixelsnap magnetic charging. Tom’s Guide also names it its top unlocked pick.

The Pixel 10 beats the Pixel 11 on value, since the newer phone costs $250 more for a Tensor G6 chip, a promised battery improvement and double the base storage. Its weakness is battery life, at 13 hours and 13 minutes in Tom’s Guide’s test, the lowest of any flagship here apart from the iPhone 17. It is also eSIM-only in the US, which can be awkward with some prepaid services.

Skip it if you are a heavy user who regularly ends the day on low battery, in which case the OnePlus 15 makes more sense.

A19 performance, a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR display, 48MP Fusion camera, and all-day battery life in a compact iPhone design.

The Apple iPhone 17 remains the iPhone to buy for most people, because Apple did not release a standard iPhone 18 this year and the $799 iPhone 17 now has a 120Hz ProMotion display, 256GB of base storage and 3,000 nits of outdoor brightness, according to Apple’s specifications. Its 48MP Dual Fusion camera crops the main sensor for 2x zoom rather than using a separate telephoto lens.

The iPhone 17 beats the $599 iPhone 17e with its faster screen and second rear camera, but loses to the iPhone 18 Pro Max on battery, at 12 hours and 47 minutes against 18 hours and 27 minutes, and on zoom. Like every recent US iPhone, it is eSIM-only.

Skip it if you take a lot of photos of distant subjects, because the lack of a real telephoto lens shows.

Flagship performance and pro-level features, with unlocked flexibility for your preferred carrier.

The Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max is the best iPhone available, with the A20 Pro chip, a 48MP Pro Fusion camera system with 8x optical-quality zoom, mmWave 5G and Apple’s longest battery claim of up to 45 hours of video, according to Apple’s specifications. It starts at $1,299 with 256GB and goes up to 2TB.

The 18 Pro Max beats the Galaxy S26 Ultra on battery, lasting 18 hours and 27 minutes in TechRadar’s test against the Samsung’s 16 hours and 10 minutes, and since Samsung’s October increase it is also about $100 cheaper. That result was only about 3% better than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, though, so Apple’s claim of its biggest battery jump applies mainly to video playback, and at 249g it is the heaviest phone here.

Skip it if you already own an iPhone 17 Pro Max, because the battery and camera gains are modest.

Privacy Display, Galaxy AI, AI Camera, Super Fast Charging 3.0, Durable Battery

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the most complete Android phone, with a built-in S Pen, a 6.9-inch QHD+ display, a 200MP main camera with 3x and 5x optical zoom and seven years of OS and security updates through 2033, according to SamMobile. US units use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, while many other markets get Exynos.

The S26 Ultra beats the Pixel 10 on zoom, stylus and battery, lasting 16 hours and 10 minutes in Tom’s Guide’s test. Its problem is price. At $1,399.99 after the October increase, the 256GB model costs $100 more than an iPhone 18 Pro Max and $500 more than a OnePlus 15, which outlasts it by nine hours.

Skip it if you will never use the S Pen, because the OnePlus 15 or a discounted Pixel covers most of the rest for far less.

Dual-SIM 512GB ROM + 16GB RAM (GSM Only | No CDMA)

The OnePlus 15 has the best battery in this guide by a wide margin, lasting 25 hours and 13 minutes in Tom’s Guide’s test thanks to a 7,300mAh silicon-carbon cell. It costs $899 with 12GB and 256GB, charges at 80W wired and 50W wireless, and gets four years of OS updates and six years of security updates, according to Droid Life.

The OnePlus 15 beats the S26 Ultra on endurance and charging for $500 less, and it keeps a physical SIM slot. It works on mid-band 4G and 5G on AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon but lacks mmWave.

Skip it if you plan to keep your phone for seven years, because security updates end sooner than on a Pixel or Galaxy flagship.

Gemini AI, Camera Coach, and 30+ hour battery life in a durable Pixel design built for everyday use.

The Google Pixel 10a is the best mid-range pick, even after its price rose from $499 to $599, because it keeps seven years of updates, lasted 15 hours and 16 minutes in Tom’s Guide’s test and is the only Pixel here with a physical SIM slot alongside eSIM, according to the Google Store listing. Google is selling it for $524 until October 11.

The Pixel 10a beats the iPhone 17e, also $599, on battery and SIM flexibility. Its Tensor G4 is a generation older than the Pixel 10’s, so the $649 Pixel 10 is worth the extra $50 for anyone who wants a telephoto and does not need a SIM tray.

Skip it if the Pixel 10 is still on sale when you buy.

128GB, US 1 Yr Manufacturer Warranty Blue | Large AMOLED, High-Res Camera

The Samsung Galaxy A17 5G is the best cheap unlocked phone for anyone who keeps a handset for years, because Samsung promises six Android upgrades and six years of security updates, according to SamMobile’s launch report. It launched at $199.99 and now costs $269.99, with a 6.7-inch 90Hz AMOLED screen and a 5,000mAh battery, though its Exynos 1330 and 4GB of memory make it slow with heavy apps.

The A17 beats the Moto G (2026), Tom’s Guide’s budget pick, on price and support length, since the Moto now lists at $299.99 and gets two Android upgrades and three years of security patches, according to Tom’s Guide’s review. The Moto lasted 19 hours and 10 minutes in Tom’s Guide’s test, however, so it is the better buy on sale for someone who values battery over longevity.

Skip it if you play games or edit photos, because 4GB of memory is the minimum in 2026.

Memeburn divided each Android pick’s price by its years of promised security updates to show what a year of supported use costs. Apple does not publish a fixed support period, so the iPhones are left out of that column.

Memeburn calculated that the Galaxy A17 costs less than half as much per supported year as the Moto G (2026), and that the discounted Pixel 10 costs about $35 less per year of support than the Pixel 11. Years count from launch, so a phone bought late in its cycle has fewer left, and the two longest-lasting phones, the OnePlus 15 and Moto G, have the shortest update promises.

An unlocked phone now often means an eSIM-only phone. Every US iPhone 17 and iPhone 18 Pro has no SIM tray, and the Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro remain eSIM-only in the US, with only the Pixel 11 Pro Fold keeping a physical slot, according to 9to5Google. eSIM transfers are quick on the major carriers, but anyone who swaps physical SIMs or uses a carrier with clumsy eSIM support should favour the OnePlus 15, Pixel 10a, Galaxy S26 Ultra or Moto G (2026), which keep a SIM tray. Unlocked also does not guarantee every band, as the OnePlus 15’s missing mmWave shows, so a quick check of the carrier’s compatibility page avoids a return.

The Google Pixel 11 promises 30-plus hours of battery and 256GB as standard, but at $899 it is hard to recommend while the Pixel 10 costs $250 less. The $699.99 Galaxy S26 FE escaped Samsung’s increase and suits anyone who wants Samsung software for less. Foldables sit above this guide’s range, with the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra launched at $2,099.99 and the $1,999 iPhone Duo on sale from October 23, as our iPhone Duo vs Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra comparison explains, while our best cheap phones guide covers more budget options.

The Google Pixel 10 is the best unlocked phone for most people in October 2026 because it has dropped to $649 while keeping seven years of updates and a telephoto camera. iPhone buyers should choose the $799 iPhone 17.

Phone prices rose in 2026 mainly because of higher memory and component costs. Google added $100 to the Pixel 11 and Pixel 10a, Samsung raised US Galaxy S26 prices by $100 to $200, and Motorola raised the Moto G (2026) from $199.99 to $299.99.

Most recent unlocked iPhones, Pixels and Galaxy phones work on all three major US carriers, and the OnePlus 15 supports their mid-band 4G and 5G networks but not mmWave.

Many unlocked phones in the US are now eSIM-only, including the iPhone 17, iPhone 18 Pro, Pixel 10 and Pixel 11. The OnePlus 15, Pixel 10a, Galaxy S26 Ultra and Moto G (2026) still accept physical SIM cards alongside eSIM.

Marko is a tech journalist covering AI, consumer technology, crypto, and digital innovation. His work focuses on clear, accessible reporting that helps readers understand how new technologies are shaping business, finance, and everyday life.