The best business smartphones won't have everything you need to get you through the workday, but they can be a reliable backup option should tasks need finishing on the go. That requires snappy processing power, long battery life, and enough display space to see read your emails and even fix spreadsheets.
Over the last twelve months we have tried and tested some of the best around, from the latest iPhone to the best Samsung has to offer. In this article, we will provide you with a detailed review of each device, what to look for when purchasing a new smartphone for work, and also an insight into our testing methodology.
The Best Business Smartphones 2023
The iPhone 14 Pro is, in our opinion, the best of the bunch, and if your use a Mac machine for work, having an iPhone makes your workflow that little bit easier.
One of the biggest benefits of having the more premium model of the iPhone 14 is its A16 Bionic chip. This is an industry-leading piece of silicon, as our test results show: In Geekbench 5, the A16 hit 5,497 for multi-threaded workloads which is far above the next best option (the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra - 3,475). Simply put, if you need top speeds and processing power for finishing jobs on the go, the iPhone 14 Pro is unmatched.
Apple products are best in class so there will always be a high price tag; the iPhone 14 Pro will set you back $999 and there doesn't appear to be any discounts for buying it as part of a business package. One could argue that there isn't much change year-on-year and that a business would probably find more value in an older model of iPhone, such as the iPhone 12, which has largely the same design and most of the same features. However, only with the 14 Pro will users have the new Dynamic Island which is a useful function for dealing with notifications and emails.
Read our full Apple iPhone 14 Pro review for more information.
With Google Workspace being one of the most popular productivity suites around, the company's Pixel 7 Pro smartphone can offer a native user experience via the mobile versions of those apps. Granted it won't exactly replicate the same experience found on a laptop, but for those quick tweaks or checks needed while in transit, the Pixel 7 Pro is a real business buddy.
When it comes to processing power, the Tensor G2 chip doesn't really top any benchmark results; in Geekbench 5 it notched up 3,166 for multi-threaded workloads, far behind the iPhone 14 Pro, and most devices on this list. However, Google makes the argument that the chip is designed in a way to use its power more intuitively. It doesn't have power for the sake of it, rather it prioritizes what tasks need at any given time. Much of this is easily seen in its on-device photo editing or its various machine learning algorithms that tailor the Pixel to its user's preferences.
This deeper look into the device makes its price look a little better; while it is still expensive, it isn't quite as pricy as the iPhone 14 or the Samsung Galaxy S22, but we do consider it to be a match for both of those handsets.
Read our full Google Pixel 7 Pro review for more information.
There was plenty of debate around the purpose of foldable displays when they first came to market, but there is a genuine feeling that they can assist business users who might need that larger screen space while on the go. To our mind, the best of the best in this bracket is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4.
With its octa-core Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip, the Fold 4 is a smooth and efficient handset, capable of switching between multiple apps and windows with little effort. In Geekbench 5 it hit 3,960 for multi-threaded workloads, which is some distance behind the iPhone 14, but above the likes of the Pixel 7 Pro and other foldable devices, like the Huawei Mate X2s. There is more than enough juice here to check Google Sheets or a Word document on the commute.
The main area of concern with the Fold 4 (and pretty much all foldable phones) is the price tag. You're looking at $1,8000, which is quite an investment for a business to make. However, of all the phones a company could opt for, none can match the combined screen space and stylus capabilities of the Fold 4.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 review for more information.
There is something to be said for smaller phones; they're easier to handle and ultimately use on the go, for example. But what Sony has with its Xperia 5IV is a narrow smartphone with its compact 6.1in display and its slender 8.2mm thick chassis. It is a very unobtrusive device, perfect for minor business needs.
The OLED display and its 21:9 aspect ratio and a 120Hz refresh rate are the big plus points of the device. The size is great for your thumb, as it can actually reach all parts of the display, but also good for streaming content as the aspect ratio takes away those annoying black bars. What's more, it's also very vivid with 99.9% of the sRGB color space covered under our calibrator. This is a display that matches the likes of the S22 Ultra and the iPhone 14 Pro but in a smaller way.
There is also a stellar camera system on the IV, which is less important to business users, but it does mean that the device has a more premium quality to it and therefore a more premium price. It is still under $1,000, but only just.
Read our full Sony Xperia 5 IV review for more information.
What to look for in a business smartphone
When shopping for a smartphone, it’s easy to be lured into thinking that you should simply go with whichever device boasts the highest specs - but this isn’t always the case, and in some instances, more technically advanced devices can actually offer a less satisfying experience.
For example, while a super-powerful processor may seem attractive, most flagship phones have far more CPU power than the average user needs, so unless you’re planning on using your phone to handle extremely demanding tasks like professional videography, you may find that a mid-range processor offers better value for money. It may also result in better battery life thanks to less power-hungry components, which applies equally to screen technology.
The higher a display’s resolution and refresh rate, the more charge will be needed to power it, which can quickly sap your battery. While most devices with a high refresh rate also include dynamic optimisations to mitigate this, it’s nonetheless worth bearing in mind. Generally, you should aim for a resolution of between 1080p and 1440p, and a refresh rate of at least 60Hz, which will ensure the best blend between battery life and user experience.
Regardless of how long the battery lasts, however, you should make sure to look for devices that include fast-charging support, as this will inevitably come in handy at some point. Wireless charging is also a nice feature to have, but unless you own a wireless charging pad, or your work has them dotted around the office, it's unlikely to be a feature you use very often.
You should, however, make sure that your chosen phone supports Wi-Fi 6 and 5G; these technologies may still be comparatively nascent, but skip this functionality and you may need to upgrade sooner than planned as it becomes more widespread.
FAQs
Are iPhones or Android phones better for business use?
There’s a certain amount of animosity that can sometimes be observed when it comes to Android vs iPhone; Android fans contend that Apple devices are needlessly expensive, prone to failure and restrictive to use, while iPhone devotees insist that Android devices are cheaply-made, poor quality hardware brimming with malware.
All of these arguments have grains of truth behind them, but on balance, it’s iOS that comes up trumps for business. As the dominant platform, it tends to be prioritised by software developers, and although high-end manufacturers like Samsung and Google can offer experiences that compete with Apple’s smartphones, the wider Android ecosystem does contain more than its fair share of duds.
However, the simple fact is that in most cases, Android and iOS are equally capable for business users. The software required for business smartphones - enterprise collaboration apps, document management systems, device management tools, and so on - are all available across both platforms, and as long as organisations don’t try and cut too many corners on the price of the unit itself, device quality is unlikely to be an issue.
How often should I update my employees’ company smartphones?
Smartphone technology moves at a seemingly breakneck pace, and every year manufacturers are touting more and more impressive specs and features. This leaves businesses with a dilemma: do they invest more money in upgrading employees’ devices every year or so, or do they sweat them for a longer period and risk missing out on the latest capabilities?
The key thing to bear in mind is that many of the features these newer smartphones boast are geared towards personal use, as opposed to business. While an improved camera is nice for taking holiday snaps, it doesn’t make much difference for most workers’ day-to-day use. With this in mind, it’s better to invest in buying higher-end devices and sweating them for a longer period of three to five years, which will offer better long-term value.
Should I get a 5G business smartphone contract?
5G has been around for a number of years now, but its introduction somehow doesn’t seem as revolutionary as previous generations of mobile broadband. Many contracts will now include 5G connectivity as standard, but it’s still worth paying a bit extra to secure a business smartphone contract that supports the latest standard - assuming your corporate devices do as well.
When employees are on the road - or working flexibly from a third location - the added speed and stability that 5G can offer is an excellent way to ensure consistent productivity, and sharing a 5G connection via hotpot can even be used as a backup broadband connection for PCs and laptops in the event of a connection failure.
How we test
We measure the effectiveness of a smartphone in a number of ways; to test the quality of the display, we’ll use a colour calibrator and the open source DisplayCal app to measure how much of the sRGB colour gamut it covers, as well as the Delta-E rating. This tells us how much of the colour spectrum it’s able to represent, and how accurate those colours are. We’ll also test the maximum brightness and contrast ratio.
Performance testing is carried out using the Geekbench 5 benchmark app, which gives separate results for single-core and multi-core operations. For phones that don’t support this app, we’ll use a different benchmarking app, then run that same app on a phone which does support Geekbench, and then use that as a basis for comparison.
To test the battery of a smartphone, we’ll charge it to 100%, use the calibrator to set the brightness to 170cd/m2 (or as near as possible) and then play a looped video in flight mode until the battery runs out. This gives us a figure that can be compared across models, but to assess real-world longevity, we track how long the battery lasts on average during our testing period.
