 Without a doubt, the most important gadget in your life is your phone. It's everything. It's communication, information, entertainment, gaming, navigation. It's really hard to think about life without a phone in it at this point. So picking the right phone is all that much more important because this is the thing that you're going to be looking at the most over the next one, two, maybe even three years. Now here's the brutal honest truth. Even though phones have been a thing for over a decade, there still isn't a perfect smartphone. There isn't even a phone that I can say will be perfect for everyone's needs. There will always be something about whatever phone you buy that annoys you or doesn't work or you don't like. But there is a recommendation I can make for most people who want a good phone with a great camera, great display, great performance, easy and simple to use software, and a great support structure. And if that doesn't work for you, you've got a bunch of alternatives to talk about too. So let's roll those graphics. The best phone for most people looking to buy something that will still be modern and fresh a couple of years from now is Apple's iPhone X. It has a great display, great camera, wicked fast performance, a great support structure from Apple, and it has forward-looking features and design that won't feel stale next year. Now the iPhone X is not the best phone in a bunch of specific categories, and it's definitely not perfect. It has an all-glass design that will definitely break when you drop it, its Face ID login system is not as fast or convenient as a fingerprint scanner, and it doesn't have a headphone jack, which is still a pain in the ass to live with. And oh yeah, it starts at a thousand freaking bucks, which basically means it's going to be the most expensive phone you've ever purchased. Now you can soften the blow of that price if you buy the phone on a payment plan from Apple or your carrier, but that doesn't change the fact that the iPhone X is really pricey. But that price is worth it, because you get a big edge-to-edge display that still fits in one hand, it has a gesture control system that's by far the most fun way to navigate a smartphone, and it has fast performance with reliable battery life. Overall, the iPhone X has the best complete package for most people. So what about the iPhone 8 or iPhone 8 Plus? If you must have an iPhone and you don't want to pony up for the X, the 8 or 8 Plus are cheaper, but they don't have the X's new design or display, and they're going to feel old and dated far quicker. But what if you don't want to spend a grand on a phone, or you don't want an iPhone, or maybe you do want a headphone jack? For the best Android phone for most people, a recommendation is Samsung's Galaxy S9 or S9 Plus, which sells for between $720 and $840. The Samsungs have great design, great performance, great cameras, they're available at every carrier, and they have a strong ecosystem of accessories available. And yeah, they've got a headphone jack, which lots of phones don't have anymore. Now, they're not the overall best phones, because Apple still has a far better support network, and the iPhone X edges out to Samsungs in a number of areas, especially when it comes to software. But they're still great devices that I really have no hesitation recommending. So at this point, you're probably wondering why I'm not recommending the Google Pixel 2 XL, or the OnePlus 6, or whatever your favorite phone at the moment is. So let's talk about them. Now, the Pixel 2 and 2 XL have the best software you can get on any Android phone. They're made by Google. They have the best cameras on any phone period, and they get updates direct from Google, so they're always fresh. But they're only available to purchase from one carrier, Verizon. They don't have the support system of Apple or even Samsung, and they have other hardware issues, like a lower quality screen that makes them a bit tough to recommend without reservations. But if none of those things are a problem for you, then go nuts. You'll love a Pixel. And OnePlus's new OnePlus 6 is the current value king in smartphones. You simply can't get a better deal for performance. It's literally half the price of an iPhone X. But you do give up a lot for that. Its cameras are nowhere near as good. It doesn't work on half the carriers here in the U.S., and OnePlus's support is definitely inferior to established makers like Apple or Samsung. Then there's lots of other phones with specific niches, like LG's G7, which gives you a lot of screen in a relatively small package, or HTC's U12 that has four cameras, or Huawei's P20 Pro that has an equally ridiculous camera system that can take really stunning shots. Samsung's Note 8 has a whole legion of fans that swear by its extra large screen and S Pen capability. But none of those phones are the best overall, because they might have bad software, weak battery life, and too big design, or just weird design things like these fake buttons on the HTC. So while you'll never hear me say that this is the perfect phone, what I will say is that if you're looking to buy a phone now that's going to last two or three years, then you should buy the Apple iPhone X. Hey, thanks for watching. For more on all this stuff, be sure to subscribe, and also check out our new science channel, which you can get to at youtube.com slash vergescience.